Outlook: Travis Etienne was considered one of the most anticipated rookie running backs of the 2021 NFL Draft, but missed his entire season due to a Lisfranc injury just a couple weeks before the regular season kicked off. James Robinson took over primary running back duties, but struggled, leaving the starting spot wide open when Etienne returned in 2022.

The duo split carries early on in the season, but Robinson was traded to the Jets midway through the year leaving the starting job to Etienne. He was relatively inconsistent but had a couple stretches throughout the season where he was a top-10 running back. However, there were several weeks where he finished with under 60 rushing yards and wasn't as big of a receiving threat as we thought heading into the season.

Etienne finished 2022 with 1,125 yards on just 220 carries (5.1 yards per carry), but only found the end zone five times in 17 games (12 starts). The running back with the 16th-most points among his peers in 2022 finds himself as a much-lower end RB1 in fantasy leagues in 2023. However, the Jaguars are one of the few teams yet to establish a solid No.2 option, meaning Etienne will likely be on the field more than most starting running backs. Former Brown, D'Ernest Johnson and rookie Tank Bigsby are next up on the depth chart and could eat into Etienne's workload if they impress during camp.

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Outlook: After playing the dashing understudy to Dalvin Cook for a majority of his career, Mattison was resigned this off-season to a two-year deal, as Cook was sent packing. Mattison enters 2023 as the Vikings clear lead back, and he should be their workhorse based on previous usage. While filling in for an injured Cook in previous seasons, Mattison has five 20+ carry games. In those games, Mattison averaged 104 rushing yards, and scored three touchdowns. Throw in at least 24 receiving yards in each game, and you see the kind of numbers Mattison is capable of as an unchallenged three-down starter. Possessing a similar build and skillset to Cook, just with much less wear, it says a lot about Minnesota's confidence in the 5th year back that they would cast off Cook despite possessing a "win now" roster. Based on his poor inefficiency as a change of pace back, the heavy volume should benefit Mattison, and your fantasy team. With a 250-touch floor, dual-threat game, and chance for double digit touchdowns, Mattison is a rock solid RB2 in all formats.

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Outlook: If it wasn't for the extremely unfortunate ACL tear that he suffered in Week 7 of his rookie campaign in 2022, we'd almost certainly be talking about Breece Hall being a first-round pick in fantasy drafts this season. Even though he began the season splitting touches in his own backfield, Hall became one of the league's true bell cows by Week 4 and was well on his way to finishing as a top-five fantasy RB.

Heading into his sophomore season, however, the only real concern that fantasy managers should have is when he might be back on the field. We've seen some incredible recovery times for players who've suffered similar injuries as of late, but we've also seen players like J.K. Dobbins and others struggle to get back on the field. The fact that Hall's injury took place during the middle of the season is concerning because he won't have anywhere close to a full year to recover before the team suits up to play in Week 1. Jets head coach Robert Saleh has been optimistic when he's been asked about Hall's recovery and we've seen videos of Hall running in a straight line, but that's not enough for us to really draw anything conclusive from.

Hall is a classic example of an unknown heading into draft season, but the unknown is completely health-based. We know the talent is there. His upside, if he's healthy, is an elite RB1, which is why he's still being drafted in the top 15 of the RB position. That could change dramatically if we see significant changes to his health, of course, but as of right now, this is a complete risk/reward scenario for fantasy managers. If you do end up selecting Hall in drafts, be sure to prioritize landing additional reliable options at the position, as it's very possible that you'll be without him early in the season. When he does get back on the field and ramped up physically, however, the sky is truly the limit for this talented young back.

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Outlook: After a brutally inefficient season last year, and an offseason marred with off the field issues, finances and lack of veteran depth are likely the only things keeping Mixon on this roster. While the terrible o-line play does factor in, Mixon was one of the least elusive runners in the NFL, rarely carving out his own yards. His 29 carries inside the ten resulted in only six rushing touchdowns, and only four of his whopping 210 carries went for 20 yards or more. What's worse than the final numbers is the fact former teammate Samaje Perine often was the preferred back in certain situations, especially when it mattered most in the AFC title game. The Bengals replaced Perine with only 5th round pick Chase Brown who offers versatility, and great college production, but will have to dazzle in the preseason to challenge Mixon's touch monopoly. That is, if Mixon is even on the team. Rumors have swirled all offseason about reducing his salary, and the market for backs has taken a tumble. Outside of 2021, Mixon just hasn't produced up to his pay, and remains a cut candidate. Not exactly a ringing real life or fantasy endorsement. Even if he remains on the roster, and retains a stranglehold on touches, I've seen enough to avoid Mixon's limited ceiling.

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Outlook: Whether it was too much time in the trainer's room, or the tendency to freelance too much, the Lions tired of D'Andre Swift and dealt him to the Eagles for a mid-round pick. To replace his role in the offense, Detroit spent the 12th overall pick on the electric Gibbs from Alabama. The All-SEC back was a versatile dynamo with both the Tide and Georgia Tech. The 200-pound runner was widely considered the best receiving back in the class, and brings 4.3 speed with him. If off-season minicamps are any indication, Gibbs is going to be moved around the formation a ton, and coordinator Ben Johnson has proved to have a knack for creativity, and making the best use of his offensive talent. While his upside is capped by the presence of free agent addition David Montgomery, Gibbs should lead this backfield in touches. With a 50-catch floor, look for Detroit to get the ball into his hands at least 200 total times, and in a myriad of different ways. He's sure to lose most goal line scores, and might be limited by game script (Montgomery will likely be the closer), but Detroit didn't spend that kind of draft capital to sit the kid. He'll be a PPR machine, but has RB1 upside even in standard leagues.

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Outlook: Pierce was Houston's main offensive catalyst as he finished his rookie season with the eighth-most rushing yards per game (72.2), despite averaging 4.3 yards per carry (30th in the league). He finished his rookie campaign fifth in yards after contact (506), fourth in broken tackles (27) and he broke a tackle every eight rushing attempts (second-best in the NFL). He was one of just three players to average more yards after contact (2.3) than before (2.0).

The only reason Pierce wasn't higher in these categories is because he was sidelined in the final four games of the season due to a foot injury. He finished the fantasy football season with the 25th-most fantasy points (170.4) among running backs, but averaged 13.1 fantasy points per game, the 21st-most at his position. His biggest fantasy flaw is finding the endzone, as he only scored five times.

If Pierce sticks to the same formula he used last season, he'll only continue to improve. He's expected to be a key figure in the Texans offensive so topping his 250 touches from last season isn't out of the question. The angry runner will start the fantasy football season as an RB2, but he has the potential to finish as a lower-end RB1 if touchdown variance goes his way.

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Outlook: After missing the entire 2021 season and more than half the games in 2022 with lingering issues, this is a big year for the 4th year back. There is no denying that Dobbins oozes talent and big play ability. He averaged well over 5.5 yards per carry in his career, and after getting a clean-up procedure done in Week 7, Dobbins returned in Week 14 to dominate the rest of the season, averaging 88 yards on the ground in the final five games. His combination of power and speed is similar to Nick Chubb, and with the added threat of the passing game, Dobbins will never see a stacked box.

Dobbins has also been the darling of the offseason, and seems to be everyone's breakout candidate at running back. As a coordinator at Georgia and the Tampa Bay Bucs, Todd Monken's system seemed to favor a lead back. This would be a huge break from the Greg Roman days of a 3-headed backfield, and just another reason to be high on Dobbins. With a check box in the talent, scheme, and health category, what's not to like about him? If Jackson and Gus Edwards steal a few less touchdowns down at the goal-line, Dobbins should easily threaten double digit touchdowns, and has nowhere to go but up in the receiving category.

Every arrow seems to be pointing up for the former Buckeye, but like that annoying tag on a new t-shirt, something is nagging at me. His contract situation could be an issue, but this will likely be a non-story come late July as he has absolutely no leverage. For me, it's still the volume. In order to truly enter elite (Chubb) territory, he's going to have a see 50-75 more touches than he's ever had in his career and STILL maintain that elite efficiency, or have a boatload of touchdowns. While there is certainly a path to an RB1 finish, I think he should be treated as a high end RB2 with a RB1 upside.

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Outlook: A torn Achilles' kept Akers on the shelf for nearly all the regular season in 2021, but he returned to serve as the team's primary back during the Super Bowl run. Back at full health, the Rams expected Akers to serve in that role throughout 2022. Instead, he worked behind Darrell Henderson out of the gate and was publicly called out by McVay about a lack of urgency. The relationship between club and player deteriorated to the point that Akers was made a healthy inactive while the team looked to move him before the trade deadline.

The two sides ultimately reconciled, and the former Seminole put together some decent performances down the stretch, highlighted by three consecutive 100-plus-yard outings to close the year. It's like 2020 when the then-rookie took over as RB1 over the final month and into the postseason, fueling hype for a breakout that was derailed by the Achilles' injury.

Entering Year 4, it's still not clear what the Rams have in Akers. He has flashed game-changing ability, but he's been unable to sustain it. Despite playing in a typically pass-happy offense, he's never shown any aptitude as a pass catcher, managing just 27 receptions in 29 career games. Still, Akers has drawn praise during the offseason from McVay, who said the back will be a "central figure" on offense. He's a risk/reward RB3.

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Outlook: In many ways, Conner is reminiscent of the old Leroy Hoard quote, "if you need one yard, I'll get you three, and if you need five yards, I'll get you three." The 233-pound back is a bruiser that does his best work in short-yardage and goal-line situations -- that includes 26 touchdowns in two seasons with the Cardinals. He's not particularly explosive, however, and durability is an annual concern as he has never missed fewer than two games in six NFL campaigns.

On the plus side, Conner is underrated as a pass catcher, averaging 41.4 receptions over the last five years. That should be appealing to the risk-averse McCoy, whose primary job is to avoid killer mistakes. Despite his issues staying healthy, Arizona has invested little in depth at the position, which means Conner is likely staring down a heavy workload for as long as he can handle it. At this stage it'd be hard to advocate you should even consider selecting any of his backups, which include names like Keaontay Ingram, Corey Clement, and Ty'Son Williams.

With five-year averages of 1,066 combined yards and 10.4 touchdowns, Conner projects as a possible top-20 fantasy back, though there are sure to be weeks where you'll need to cover for his absence.

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Outlook: Rachaad White is expected to take a big leap in his second NFL season. The running back played in 16 games last season but only started in eight as he split time with Leonard Fournette, recording 129 carries for 481 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He should be a solid option for PPR leagues as he hauled in 50 receptions (11th-most by running backs) for 290 yards and two touchdowns through the air last season.

With Fournette out of the picture nobody behind him pressing for playing time, White is expected to handle the bulk of the running back load. We should expect an increase in touches from a year ago (179) but Baker Mayfield at the helm throws some cold water on the upside of all the skill position players. Because of this, White is expected to be a top-25 running back and should be taken in rounds 4-5 of fantasy football drafts. At just 24-years-old, he has an excellent shot at being the focal point of the offense but lacks RB1 upside given the mediocre projection of the offense as a whole.

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Outlook: Kamara recently pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an incident in 2022 and will have to pay $100,000 to the victim. We are currently awaiting word from the league on any disciplinary action.

Last year was the first of his six-year career that Kamara didn't make the Pro Bowl. He was a top-10 fantasy running back every year during that span, but last season he finished 16th as he only scored 4 touchdowns despite 280 touches. Inconsistent quarterback play from Jameis Winston who suffered a season-ending back injury in Week 3 and Andy Dalton - 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 14 games - didn't help matters.

Kamara excels in the receiving game and he'll need Carr to return to his 2021 form, in order to maximize his fantasy potential. He'll also need to battle Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller for touches all the while dodging Roger Goodell's discipline hammer. These factors are keeping Kamara's fantasy value in check during drafting season but he does have low-end RB1 upside in PPR leagues should he cleanly navigate these obstacles.

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Outlook: Sanders was picked up by the Panthers this offseason after not getting re-signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. The 26-year-old is coming off his best season in the NFL, rushing for career highs in attempts (259), yards (1,269), touchdowns (11) and earned a trip to his first Pro Bowl.

The only reason Sanders didn't reach the top-10 among running backs in fantasy football was due to his receiving numbers (20 receptions, 78 yards and zero touchdowns). Luckily for Sanders, the Panthers are known to create receiving backs.

Two-time Pro Bowler Christian McCaffrey was the heaviest contributor to the Panthers offense, as he got involved in both the run and air attack. However, McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers midway through last season, leaving Sanders as the RB1.

Young is also a fan of the receiving back role as he often dumped the ball to Detroit Lions first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs at Alabama last season. If Sanders can find a way to continue his elite rushing, but also incorporate some receptions, he'll easily be a top-10 running back in fantasy football given his projected rushing volume. Until then, he's an RB2 and will be drafted somewhere within rounds 4-6.

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