After an offseason full of NFL draft chaos and depth chart shakeups, Dave Kluge and I sat down to rank and group our Top-36 dynasty RBs into six practical tiers. Below, you'll find each tier, who it includes, a timestamp for where we discuss it in our video, and some key notes straight from our conversation.
Tier 1: Blue Chips [2:24]
Players:
Key Points:
- These backs have elite athleticism, great opportunity, draft capital, and are 23 or younger.
- Dave: "We're probably looking at five-plus years of production."
- Alfredo: "None of these guys... have any red flags."
- Trade value is sky high. Only trade for top-tier assets like Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, or Malik Nabers.
Tier 2: High-Value Veterans and Youth [7:29]
Players:
Key Points:
- Saquon stands alone in age but offers short-term dominance.
- Dave: "I put Saquon in a tier of his own. All players can get injured. But their value hardly changes when a 20-year-old RB gets injured (Breece Hall). When a 28-year-old running back gets injured, their value tailspins."
- Alfredo: "You might want to move off Saquon for a guy like Josh Jacobs and a second. Now is the peak value. Consider selling before the bottom falls out."
Tier 3: Rookies & Stars With Concerns [11:26]
Players:
- Josh Jacobs
- Bucky Irving
- James Cook
- TreVeyon Henderson
- Kyren Williams
- Quinshon Judkins
- RJ Harvey
- Chase Brown
Key Points:
- Dave: "Josh Jacobs is the arbitrage Saquon Barkley."
- Alfredo: "I'd sell Saquon Barkley for Josh Jacobs and a '26 1st. You're getting the same guy with fewer injury concerns and two years younger. "
- Selling players like Harvey, Henderson, or Judkins now may net a strong veteran in return.
- Jacobs remains undervalued and is a buy for contending teams.
Tier 4: Old Guys and Kaleb [23:08]
Players:
Key Points:
- Alfredo: "This feels like that tier where I just want to buy in."
- Dave: "These guys are so cheap that it's worth acquiring them."
- McCaffrey is high-risk with chronic injury concerns.
- Perfect targets for contenders needing short-term RB2s.
Tier 5: May Not Have Starting Jobs in a Year [27:18]
Players:
Key Points:
- Dave: "These guys can see volume disappear immediately."
- Alfredo: "James Conner is the perfect rental. You can get him for a 2nd round pick or two 3rds."
- Etienne and Charbonnet are worth cheap gambles.
- Trade for short-term production with low-cost veterans.
Tier 6: The Island of Misfit Toys [34:20]
Players:
Key Points:
- Huge disagreement between hosts here.
- Dave: "Isiah Pacheco... we know he's not good."
- Alfredo: "He's been a top-15 RB… I want him if people are selling."
- Value plays with major volatility. Tread lightly.
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