If you are a degenerate dynasty fiend like me, then you already know that there is a LOT to keep track of when it comes to classifying players in our various leagues and scoring systems. When I was younger, and my brain worked better, I would do most of this in my head, on the fly. But that was before things like mortgages, kids' sports schedules, and remembering whether it's a recycling week when I take out the trash.

So now I like to write these things down. And this year I am going to do that with you, friends. Hopefully, you will find some of it useful as you work on curating your dynasty rosters through the spring and summer. If you don't, please send your concerns to Clayton Gray. It was his idea to subject y'all to this, after all. (Hi Clayton!)

Over the next few months, we'll examine my buckets for each of the four main fantasy positions. There will be changes as off-season workouts, camp battles, and, unfortunately, injuries shake things up through the summer.

Remember, these are not rankings. These are buckets designed to give you a 3,000-foot view of where the talent and depth lie across positions in dynasty leagues. Use the Footballguys tiers noted within the buckets to zoom in a little further, and individual player rankings to get into the minute detail.

My dynasty rankings will be published later this month. Until then, you can check out our consensus Footballguys dynasty ranks here.

The Buckets

If you are as curious and skeptical of me as I am, you probably think, "Isn't bucket just another word for tier?" I think of buckets as a more general classification. Remember how old radios had a big knob that would help you tune into the general frequency and then a little knob that helped you fine-tune and sharpen the reception? Buckets are the big knobs, tiers are the little ones.

When we reach the roster-building part of the dynasty calendar, I like to categorize my players into these buckets to help me identify areas where I need to improve or acquire more talent.

Below is a quick summary of our buckets. For a more detailed explanation, check out the first part of our series "Decoding the Dynasty Calendar." You can also see how they work in practice in last week's article on quarterback buckets.

1. Starters: If I am comfortable starting the player, whether at a specific position or in a flex or superflex spot, I put them into this bucket.
2. Rotation: Players I view as likely to be contributors in the upcoming season. These are guys who could be regulars in the lineup once bye weeks or injuries hit, but who, even without that, should have consistent fantasy-point-scoring roles on their NFL teams.
3. Upside/Blocked: Generally, this bucket is for players in their third year or less who have not yet cracked regular playing time in real life. This bucket is for players with undeniable upside who have been blocked from regular playing time for some reason or another. Whether it's by injury, a veteran player, or some other reason, these young players haven't had enough of a chance to make me comfortable relying on them yet.
4. Veteran Depth: Not starters, and not rotation pieces, this is your "break glass in case of emergency" bucket. These could be handcuffs to your starters or just veteran players blocked from regular playing time, similar to the young guys in the Upside bucket above. You might be uncomfortable with them in your weekly lineup, but they could hold value if circumstances fall just right.
5. Scratch-off Tickets: This is a bit of a catch-all, but the notion is that this bucket holds the players you can't quite quit yet, the players you can squint your eyes and tilt your head just right and see value in. In short, the long-shot flag plants that make us dynasty degenerates feel alive.

If using this concept to assess your rosters, please remember that flexibility is key. Players will move fluidly from bucket to bucket, especially as off-season activity ramps up in the NFL, injuries happen, and position battles unfold. I want most of my dynasty rosters to be composed of players in the first three buckets, but your specific league settings and personal playing style should determine what works best for you.

RELATED: See Quarterback Dynasty Buckets here.

Running Back Buckets

So with that explanation out of the way, and as we sit here in the first week of May, below you'll find running backs grouped by bucket, along with the tier in which they currently reside in the Footballguys Dynasty Rankings for a little added fine-tuning.

Starters Bucket

• Jahmyr Gibbs, DET (1)
• Bijan Robinson, ATL (1)
• Ashton Jeanty, LV (1)
• De'Von Achane, MIA (1)
• Breece Hall, NYJ (1)
• Saquon Barkley, PHI (1)
• Bucky Irving, TB (1) Some folks went out on a limb a little bit last year projecting Irving, and he lived up to their expectations. My main question is whether Liam Cohen's exit to take over the Jaguars hurts Irving's numbers.
• Omarion Hampton, LAC (2)
• Chase Brown, CIN (2) Be very careful here. Brown is a possible faller as the offseason progresses. Tahj Brooks is a Matt Waldman favorite, which means he's also a Josh Fahlsing favorite, even though Zack Moss re-worked his contract to stay in town, while Samaje Perine is back after a brief absence from the Bengal backfield. Sports Illustrated noted that under Zac Taylor, the Bengals have kept four running backs on the initial 53-man roster three times, and three running backs three times. Even if only three of these backs end up on the final roster, there is more competition in that backfield this year, which could impact Brown's ability to be a solid starter for your dynasty teams.
• Kyren Williams, LAR (2)
• Jonathan Taylor, IND (2)
• Christian McCaffrey, SF (2) Many smart people are still high on McCaffrey as a starting dynasty asset for the next couple of seasons. I am not. Read into that what you will. Still, he is in the driver's seat for touches in this backfield. He's great, but he's approaching the cliff. I don't want to be the one relying on him when he turns into Toonces.
• Ken Walker III, SEA (2)
• James Cook, BUF (2)
• Josh Jacobs, GB (2)
• Quinshon Judkins, CLE (2)
• Kaleb Johnson, PIT (3)
• Chuba Hubbard, CAR (3) They drafted his replacement, and all Hubbard did was step up and earn an extension. He's still only headed into year three. He should own this backfield for at least 2025, even with Rico Dowdle in town. The Panthers are likely to lean on him as Bryce Young continues to grow as a pro quarterback. He seems like a safe running back option with upside heading into 2025.
• Alvin Kamara, NO (3) Like McCaffrey, I fear the cliff is coming for Kamara. Still, the news of Derek Carr's retirement means the Saints look set to start an inexperienced quarterback this year. Even if the Saints work Kendre Miller and Devin Neal into the backfield more, Kamara seems likely to spend another year as the main weapon in the offense. He's rightfully a Tier 3 dynasty asset, but he should outperform that spot for at least one more season.
• Derrick Henry, BAL (3)
• Joe Mixon, HOU (3) Mixon and Henry are in the same boat. Veteran backs who are likely starting for your dynasty teams. Both still produce enough to be in this bucket, though Mixon has a little more competition in Houston.
• David Montgomery, DET (3) I'm confident in the talent, the coaching, and that Montgomery's role will be consistent with what we've seen under Ben Johnson the past couple of seasons. Don't fade him yet.
• RJ Harvey, DEN (3)
• Isiah Pacheco, KC (3) He's been a fun story, and the closest thing to Marion Barber I've seen in today's NFL, but the Chiefs seem ready to marginalize him a bit so dynasty owners should be ready to move him down a bucket at any time.
• D'Andre Swift, CHI (3)
• Najee Harris, LAC (3) I think Harris gets enough of the pie in LA to be a useful flex starter for dynasty teams, at least early in the season. I also think that if I hold Harris but not Hampton, I am trying to move Harris to the Hampton manager.
• TreVeyon Henderson, NE (3)

Rotation Bucket

• Travis Etienne Jr., JAX (3) Coaching changes and a newly crowded running back room in Jacksonville leave this backfield full of uncertainty for me.
• Tank Bigsby, JAX (4) See above. Set to be a faller as the dust settles on the coaching changes and backfield additions in Jacksonville.
• Cam Skattebo, NYG (3)
• Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG (3) I think the most likely outcome in New York is that both Tracy and Skattebo get enough run to be valuable dynasty assets. One or both are likely to move up to the starter bucket as the season gets closer, but I think they have a floor as rotational contributors to your team for 2025.
• Tony Pollard, TEN (3) Pollard is another player who could easily jump a bucket by the time we get to the season. He is a reliable enough starting asset, but it still seems like I'm always trying to replace him in my lineups.
• Jaylen Warren, PIT (3) I don't see much changing for Warren this year in Pittsburgh. I think he stays in the role he's occupied for the past few years, which makes him a useful rotation piece for your dynasty rosters.
• Aaron Jones, MIN (4) He's close to sliding into the veteran depth bucket, but at this point, I think he maintains enough of a workload to be a nice rotational piece for your dynasty rosters. I believe Jordan Mason will make noise, though, even if just to help Jones stay healthy for a playoff run.
• James Conner, ARI (4)
• Trey Benson, ARI (4) Every week last year, and I mean every week, I thought "This will be the week Benson takes over a larger share of the Cardinal backfield." And almost every week, Conner remained so dependable that Arizona couldn't take him out. I am putting Benson in the rotation bucket at the moment on the theory that he will force his way onto the field in 2025, but if he doesn't, I will start to worry for his future value.
• Brian Robinson Jr, WAS (4)
• Rhamondre Stevenson, NE (4) Henderson should steal the show, but I think Stevenson will still get enough to be a factor.
• Javonte Williams, DAL (5) He is set to get the first crack at the backfield, and I'm rooting for him, but for now, I can't see him as a reliable weekly starter, so he goes into the rotation bucket.
• Jerome Ford, CLE (FA) I'm leaving Ford in this bucket for now, but the writing is on the wall. It isn't out of the question that both Judkins and Sampson surpass him by the time the season gets underway.

Upside/Blocked Bucket

• Zach Charbonnet, SEA (3) It pains me to put Charbonnet in this bucket, but with Walker still in front of him, there doesn't seem to be a path to consistent touches. When he is the guy, he is in the starter bucket, but Charbonnet remains stuck in this bucket unless he can carve out a consistent role even when Walker is in the lineup.
• Tyjae Spears, TEN (4)
• Bhayshul Tuten, JAX (4) Liam Cohen has done some nice things for fantasy production at running back. Tuten is his draft pick. If it clicks for the rookie, I won't be surprised to see him jump a bucket or two before the season starts.
• Blake Corum, LAR (4) I'm a little concerned he didn't force his way onto the field last year. Unlike Benson, Corum has a young running back in front of him. I'm not ready to write him off yet, but I'd like to see him on the field more to be more comfortable holding him as an asset other than insurance if I have Kyren Williams.
• Ray Davis, BUF (5)
• Braelon Allen, NYJ (5)
• Dylan Sampson, CLE (5) Sampson and Judkins should both be able to score fantasy points out of the Cleveland backfield for the next several years. Sampson might have to wait for Jerome Ford to move on, though.
• Tyler Allgeier, ATL (FA) Much more valuable to the Bijan Robinson manager than to anyone else right now.
• Woody Marks, HOU (FA) The Texans traded up for him. I'm guessing that at a minimum, they see him as a better backup to Mixon than Dameon Pierce.
• Jaylen Wright, MIA (FA)
• Audric Estime, DEN (FA)
• Isaac Guerendo, SF (FA)
• Tahj Brooks, CIN (FA)
• Isaiah Davis, NYJ (FA)

Veteran Depth Bucket

• Rachaad White, TB (4)
• Rico Dowdle, CAR (FA)
• Austin Ekeler, WAS (FA)
• Kareem Hunt, KC (FA)
• Justice Hill, BAL (FA)
• Miles Sanders, DAL (FA)
• Khalil Herbert, IND (FA)
• Elijah Mitchell, KC (FA)

Scratch-Off Tickets Bucket

• Jordan Mason, MIN (FA)
• Jaydon Blue, DAL (FA)
• Jordan James, SF (FA)
• Trevor Etienne, CAR (FA)
• Jonathon Brooks, CAR (FA) I traded a 2026 3rd-round pick for Brooks after news came out last week that he'd miss the entire 2025 season. I think that's about fair for his value right now, and I honestly don't think the announcement changed anything about that. He was always likely to miss the whole season and has a long road ahead. On the other hand, this was a team where I could afford to stash him. He's still only 21 years old, and he's come back from this same injury before. He's been in the hole, and he knows the way out. I'll bet a 3rd round pick on him.
• Jarquez Hunter, LAR (FA)
• DJ Giddens, IND (FA)
• MarShawn Lloyd, GB (FA)
• Devin Neal, NOS (FA)
• Kendre Miller, NOS (FA) One of Miller or Neal should emerge as Kamara's backup and possible heir apparent, so keep an eye on this battle as the offseason continues and be ready to move someone up.
• Roschon Johnson, CHI (FA)
• Brashard Smith, KC (FA) The whispers this offseason have been that KC is ready to ease Pacheco's load and look to move on. They added Smith and the walking first aid station named Elijah Mitchell to the backfield this season, but that's it. Unless you believe in Mitchell, Carson Steele, or Kareem Hunt, Smith seems positioned to get a crack at playing time in KC.
• Ollie Gordon II, MIA (FA)
• Will Shipley, PHI (FA)
• Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN (FA)
• Kyle Monangai, CHI (FA)
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WAS (FA)
• LeQuint Allen, JAX (FA)
• Kimani Vidal, LAC (FA)
• Raheim Sanders, LAC (FA)

Conclusion

The running back position can be tricky in dynasty leagues. The short shelf life of the average back, the injury risk inherent in the position, and the modern NFL's emphasis on backfield committees combine to make the position especially volatile. Lineup requirements in many leagues, between running back and flex spots, mean the depth at the position dries up fast.

If I'm a contender, I'm looking to add as many guys from that starter bucket as possible because I'm going to need them to survive the inevitable attrition as the calendar churns toward, and into, the new season. I want to get a handle on the backs I'll be counting on in my lineup and rotation, then make the moves necessary to insulate the ones who have quality backups.

If I think I'm in rebuild mode, I am looking for those contenders and hoping to ship them the players they might use to insulate their running backs.

As always, if you adopt any of these concepts, remember to be flexible with them and to pick and choose the parts that work best for your leagues and your style of play. This works for me, but I encourage you to take it and make it better.

Thanks for playing along. Check in next week for tight end buckets.