One way to gain an edge over your fantasy football leaguemates? Draft players ahead of their breakout seasons! Here, the team at Yahoo Fantasy highlights five of their favorite RB breakout candidates to consider in drafts.
Brown’s stock has rose all offseason, and it started when Joe Mixon was traded to the Texans. This opened the door for Brown to have a larger role in Year 2. The Bengals only added veteran Zack Moss to replace Mixon. Moss is a solid pass-protector, who can get you four yards per carry, but won’t be a threat as a receiver or a threat to create explosive plays. Moss ranked just 32nd in explosive run rate last season.
As for Brown, he’s been the talk of Bengals camp as someone who looks the part and has been improving as a pass-blocker. The pass-protection piece is most important because that’s what the Bengals coaches care about. We already know Brown is athletic and explosive, but the coaches need to see that he can protect for Joe Burrow. If Brown can do take over, he has a chance to breakout as a 10th round pick in fantasy drafts right now. — Sal Vetri
If you want to argue that Zamir White fully broke out late in 2023 when he replaced an injured Josh Jacobs, fine. I will concede the point. White’s draft price hasn’t matched his expected role, however, which suggests many of you missed the breakout. Let the record show that over the Raiders’ final four games last season, White averaged 114.3 scrimmage yards and 23.3 touches per week — elite usage by any standard.
Ideally, he would be tied to a better offense led by a better quarterback, but we can’t have everything. The situation wasn’t any different last December when he was thriving. White was a huge offseason winner, as Vegas added no serious competition to the running back depth chart. He’s looking like one of the league’s few every-down backs. — Andy Behrens
Even though it feels like he’s been in the league forever, Williams is still just 24 years old. After a down year in 2023, I believe Williams is due for a true breakout season. In 2021, Williams’ only full healthy season, he ranked second in the NFL in missed tackles forced and 4th in yards after contact per attempt, so there’s no doubting he has the talent to succeed. Williams will now be two years recovered from the torn ACL and LCL injury he suffered in October 2022, and has looked a lot better than last year so far in the preseason.
This Broncos offense could be particularly valuable for fantasy running backs given how much Bo Nix has relied on the short passing game, and Williams has proven he is a quality pass-catcher. Although he’ll be spelled by Samaje Perine (if he isn’t cut), Jaleel McLaughlin, and Audric Estimé, I’m betting that talent wins out and Williams’ efficiency makes him a consistent fantasy starter even on a mediocre offense. — Pranav Rajaram
Brian Robinson ranked 12th in broken tackle rate and 15th in yards per touch last year on an abysmal Washington offense. He’s an underrated receiver who ranked third in yards per route run (excluding checkdowns) among running backs, and Antonio Gibson was replaced by a 29-year-old who managed 3.5 YPC last season.
Austin Ekeler could bounce back after an ankle injury ruined last season, but he’s clearly in decline while entering his eighth year in the league. Jayden Daniels likely won’t target his RBs a ton, but the elite rusher will undoubtedly clear running lanes. Moreover, Kliff Kingsbury’s scheme ranked first in situation-neutral pace and no-huddle rate during his four seasons in Arizona, and the Commanders are first in pace through two preseason games. Kingsbury offenses also produced runs against light boxes at a league-high rate.
Robinson has been “a load for the defense in camp,” and he’s a major breakout candidate in 2024. — Dalton Del Don
There might not be a more ambiguous backfield in 2024 than the Titans’ backfield. All offseason, we’ve debated who the Titans’ true RB1 is and while Tony Pollard currently has the honor, Tyjae Spears is in a perfect position to push for increased touches, overtake Pollard and ascend to RB1.
In preseason Week 1, the Titans gave us a sneak peek at their backfield dynamics. While Pollard started, Spears was used interchangeably with an even split in snaps. Both backs were used on all downs and in the red zone, with Spears securing a touchdown. Spears has the skill set to thrive in this offense, even with the addition of Pollard. If Pollard continues to struggle similarly to his 2023 performance, Spears has league-winning upside. — Tera Roberts
Like most of the best coaches, Sean McVay works personnel to scheme — not the other way around. And when the Rams used a third-round pick for Corum, you have to figure there’s a role for the rookie right away.
Fantasy drafters can win in different ways with Corum; he’s draft-worthy and perhaps flex-worthy right out of the box, and it’s possible his power profile and low center of gravity make Corum a preferred option around the goal. And if Kyren Williams either struggles or gets hurt — and he’s a smaller back than Corum — we’re looking at a seismic fantasy producer. — Scott Pianowski
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