Bounce-Back Running Backs Fantasy Football 2024: Tony Pollard, J.K. Dobbins and Khalil Herbert

In fantasy football, we always look for sleepers, values, breakouts, etc. But in the case of running backs, a position with so much week-to-week variance due to usage, split opportunities,  injuries, team vs. team matchups and luck, it's sometimes better to cast a wide net. 

Rather than being surgical in our targets, we may opt to spray and pray. 

In almost every draft, I go running back heavy to start and pepper the position in the second half. So I draft some studs in the first eight rounds and then hope to hit a lottery ticket player who ranked outside of the top 30. 

But sometimes the draft doesn't go your way, and you're put in a tough position to draft veterans who are a year or two past when we thought of them as having big upside. Which running backs might emerge after an unimpressive year, whether because of a change of scenery or a shifting role?

Plus, not every player who succeeds is an offseason darling. Fantasy analysts all jump on the same bandwagons. Sometimes when they zig, you gotta zag.

You ain't seen bouncin' back.

MORE: 2024 Fantasy Football Breakouts and 3 Fantasy Footbal Players I'm Not Drafting in 2024

Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Many fantasy managers hope Pollard will bounce back after a forgettable 2023 season. I get it. We waited about four years for Pollard to get his shot in the Cowboys' backfield, but he fell short of expectations.

Was he bad? Yes and no. He finished outside the top 20 at the position in fantasy points per game. He had no games with more than 23 fantasy points, so no splash performance won you any particular head-to-head matchup.

But the fault falls mostly on the Cowboys' offensive line, which was rightly reset this offseason. Tennessee put a lot of draft capital into their offensive line and hired Bill Callahan as the OL coach. He's been working up offensive lines for years, most recently in Cleveland.

Pollard just turned 27, so there's still plenty of tread on these tires. With a deflated ADP and an expectation reset on an offense not viewed favorably, I expect Pollard to be a forgotten man on draft day, which is a mistake.

J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

Everyone keeps talking about how the Chargers will be more run-centric under Jim Harbaugh, but that has yet to translate into much upward movement for Dobbins or Gus Edwards in anyone's fantasy rankings. 

I understand that we are still determining who will take the lead. In my opinion, Dobbins will get most of the work, and Edwards will be featured more in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

Give me the running backs who get the ball between the 20-yard lines. Volume is king, and yardage is consistency. I want to avoid a running back who does almost nothing for a month and then, in an unpredictable fluke, falls into the end zone three times in a game. 

We're waiting for Dobbins to play a full slate or close to it. He's played in just nine games since the 2021 season. I'm rooting for the guy because he's still just 25 years old.

I'll happily side with the latter if it's a coin flip between Edwards and Dobbins. The former Ohio St. star is ranked just outside the top 50 among RBs, and his ADP makes him a steal in Round 13. And if you prefer Edwards, I don't blame you. He's a good ADP value as well.

Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears

We all know D'Andre Swift is a big play waiting to happen, but he can't handle a full workload. This Chicago backfield is likely to be split up. It's just a matter of who will retain the RB2 role: Herbert or Roschon Johnson. 

Johnson contributed mostly in the passing game, with 34 receptions in limited action. But Herbert is a better runner between the tackles with great footwork and balance while doing enough as a pass-catcher to carve out a steady role in 2024.

Many fantasy managers are torn on what to expect from Caleb Williams. I'm an optimist. Even if he's not a superstar right away, the offense should be more efficient, generate more first downs, and give every player more touches throughout the season.

Is Herbert going to finish as the team's top RB? Probably not. Swift is too explosive to not get a lot of work. But after a middling 2023, Herbert is in a good spot on a team with an above-average offensive line and underrated defense.

The Bears might surprise a lot of people and be more of a ball-control offense, which would bode well for Herbert.