• Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler: He has access to a high-volume No. 2 role with an outside chance of stealing lead-back duties.

• Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd: He elite dual-threat prospect profile will yield weekly fantasy viability in Green Bay’s high-volume No. 2 running back role.

• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF’s fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to get ready for your live draft!

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Elite, high-volume players are ideal for fantasy lineups’ RB1, role but the candidate pool for such players is shallow in the modern-day NFL. Fantasy managers who can identify backup running backs with locked-in roles gain a weekly edge over opponents who fail to do so, particularly when said roles include high-value-touch responsibilities like catching passes or touching the ball in scoring position. The article below details three role-playing NFL running backs to target in 2024 fantasy football drafts. 

RB Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell praised running back Ty Chandler for his mid-season 2023 breakout campaign before signing free agent running back Aaron Jones to ostensibly handle 1A backfield duties. O’Connell made clear that “every-down consistency” is all that keeps Chandler from a full-time starting role and Chandler is far closer to meeting O’Connell’s requirements than some think. He is guaranteed to handle a featured backup role in a worst-case scenario, making him a must-draft role player in 2024. Among 64 NFL running backs with at least 200 offensive snaps, Chandler’s 76.3 PFF offense grade ties for 19th while Jones’ 80.9 PFF offense grade ties for ninth.

Jones remains a superior rush at age 29 but Chandler holds his own as a disciplined rusher and notably beats Jones out in most receiving metrics, possessing surehands and explosive post-catch talents.

Chandler and Jones’ rushing data among 50 NFL running backs with at least 100 rushing attempts and Chandler and Jones’ receiving data among 60 NFL running backs with at least 20 targets:

Both Chandler and Jones frequently catch passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage, but Chandler’s positive average-depth-of-target (aDot) data soundly bests Jones, averaging 7.00 yards per route run (YPRR), 9.3 yards per reception and 8.0 yards after the catch per reception via eight qualifying targets. Jones respectively averages 5.89, 8.8 and 5.6, making a weaker case for primary passing-down duties. 

Furthering the point, Chandler’s (four targets) 100.0% catch rate and 1.80 YPRR tie and rank first and sixth, respectively, among 52 NFL running backs with at least four two-minute-drill targets. Jones’ (four targets) 75.0% catch rate and 0.77 YPRR both tie for 30th. 

Chandler’s pass-catching efficiency bodes positively for Minnesota’s pass-heavy play-calling tendencies, making him less reliant on pure rushing volume than many of his peers. The offense’s 67.1% season-long pass-play rate and 631 regular season passing attempts rank top four among NFL teams, despite losing the starting quarterback in Week 8. 

Chandler’s intriguing small-sample green zone success hints at an iceberg’s worth of fantasy points lurking beneath the surface. Among 63 NFL running backs with at least five green zone rushing attempts, Chandler’s (five rushing attempts) 60.0% first-down and/or touchdown conversion rate ties for No. 1 overall while Jones’ (15 rushing attempts) 40.0% rate ties for 14th. With both Jones (21 snaps and seven rushing attempts) and No. 2 running back A.J. Dillon (20 snaps and 11 rushing attempts) healthy, the 2023 Green Bay coaching staff featured their backup over the starter in the green zone. O’Connell’s pre-existing trust in Chandler should yield similar 2024 results.

Jones’ 63.2 PFF pass-protection grade ranks 19th among 64 NFL running backs with at least 200 offensive snaps, towering over Chandler’s 49.3 PFF pass-protection grade. Chandler’s 35.1 PFF pass-protection grade in the two-minute drill and 64.7 PFF pass-protection grade in third- and fourth-and-long situations accurately reflect his aforementioned consistency issues but the latter data point provides reason for optimism as his ability to play at a starter level is not in question. 

Jones’ recorded injury history includes five Grade 2 MCL sprains (three to the right knee, two to the left), three combined hamstring strains plus four more assorted upper- and lower-body injuries. Chandler’s is limited to a 2018 “head injury.”

Jones’ one-year, $7 million contract indicates short-term intent to feature him as the primary running back but Chandler is an extremely talented player already beloved by the coaching staff. He should handle a fantasy-friendly role 1B role with a chance to usurp Jones by the season’s end. Chandler is a must-draft role player in 2024.

RB MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers turned over the backfield this offseason signing free agent running back Josh Jacobs for the team’s lead role and drafting former South Carolina and USC running back MarShawn Lloyd in the 2024 NFL draft’s third round. Underwhelming backup running back A.J. Dillon remains in-house as a flimsy roadblock for Lloyd to hurdle en route to the team’s high-volume dual-threat No. 2 role. Lloyd’s recent Day 2 draft capital and superior four-facet talent profile make him a smart bet to unseat Dillon and a must-draft role player in 2024. Among 64 NFL running backs with at least 200 offensive snaps, Jacobs’ 66.0 PFF offense grade ranks 48th and Dillon’s 75.7 PFF offense grade ranks 22nd. Among 51 Power Five running backs with at least 370 offensive snaps, Lloyd’s 80.8 PFF offense grade ranks 27th.

Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur fed Dillon the position’s 19th-highest rushing workload (557 rushing attempts) and the 30th-highest receiving workload (103 targets) over the last three seasons despite inefficient results. Dillon handled a 44.8% backfield share, a 54.9% green zone backfield share, a 38.7% backfield receiving snap share and a 45.9% backfield pass-protection snap share. 

Despite his imposing 6-foot, 247-pound, 33.5 body-mass-index (BMI) frame, Dillon averaged just 0.13 missed tackles forced per rushing attempt, converted just 25.0% of his green zone rushing attempts, averaged 8.8 yards per reception via a 0.0-yard aDot and produced a 66.5 PFF pass-blocking grade. 

Lloyd is smaller in stature but hardly lacks size, measuring 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds with a 32.5 BMI at the 2024 NFL combine and his physicality is apparent on-field. Among 72 Power Five running backs with at least 115 rushing attempts, Lloyd ranks 10th in yards after contact per rushing attempt (4.0), third in explosive run-play rate (20.9%), second in yards per rushing attempt (7.1) and first in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt (0.41). His green zone rushing data likewise sits top-eight among 49 Power Five running backs with at least 15 such attempts in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt (0.33), yards per rushing attempt (3.3) and yards after contact per rushing attempt (2.1).

Lloyd’s elite profile extends to the passing game as well, tying for second in aDot (3.0) and ranking first across the board in yards per reception (17.9), yards after the catch per reception (16.3), missed tackles forced per reception (0.77) and explosive pass play rate (38.5%) among 70 Power Five running backs with at least 18 targets. His 68.5 PFF pass-blocking grade across the 2022-to-2023 seasons ranks 10th among 65 Power Five running backs with at least 70 pass-protection snaps during that span.

Lloyd offers Green Bay coaches and fantasy managers alike an elite prospect profile, operating in an offense that last year ranked top eight in success rate (36.7%), expected points added per play (0.086) and positive EPA rate (45.3%) ranked among NFL teams. He is a must-draft role player in 2024.

RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

New Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan employed pass-heavy tactics, serving as the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator from 2019-to-2023. His hiring marks a seachange following former head coach and run-game aficionado Mike Vrabel’s ouster. Second-year, No. 2 running back Tyjae Spears benefits significantly from the philosophical switch, operating as a pass-catching specialist and efficient rusher in Callahan’s running back-friendly scheme, playing behind free agent signee running back Tony Pollard. Among 64 NFL running backs with at least 200 offensive snaps, Spears’ 76.8 PFF offense grade ranks 18th while Pollard’s 77.5 PFF offense grade ranks 15th.

Callahan notably features a designated running back as a pass-catching weapon. Among NFL teams from 2019-to-2023, Callahan’s Cincinnati running backs totaled 191 first-read targets, the 12th-most in the NFL, while his No. 2 running back finished with at least 35 targets in four-of-five seasons and twice finished with 57-plus. His offense’s 64.9% pass-play rate ranks fifth among NFL teams during that span, towering over Vrabel’s Tennesseean 31st-ranked 55.0% rate. 

Despite Vrabel’s archaic system, Spears totaled 67 targets in his 2023 rookie season, tying for 10th-most among 38 NFL running backs with at least 35 targets. He ranks 13th or better in target rate (22.1%), YPRR (1.27), yards per reception (7.4), yards after the catch per reception (9.0) and leads the position in both missed tackles forced per reception (0.52).

Tennessee missed the NFL playoffs but Spears still tallied the position’s highest full-season target sum in third- and fourth-and-long situations (20) while tying for the ninth-most two-minute-drill targets (13). 

Spears also astonishingly earned Vrabel’s trust in pass protection as a rookie, totaling the position’s seventh-most pass-protection snaps (85) and earning a 79.6 PFF pass-protection grade, second-best among 28 NFL running backs with at least 55 such snaps. 

Spears’ elusiveness unsurprisingly translates to the run game as well, tying for 15th in yards per rushing attempt (4.5) and fourth in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt (0.26) while ranking 11th in yards after contact per rushing attempt (3.1). 

Spears’ missing ACL and full-thickness cartilage loss likely prevent him from securing a starter’s workload but his full-season availability as a 2023 rookie assuages concerns about his upcoming 2024 campaign. Pollard was dreadfully inefficient in 2023 following his offseason tight rope and ankle-fracture surgery, averaging 4.0 yards per rushing attempt and 0.77 YPRR. Should the issue persist, Callahan could test Spears’ workload limits. He is a must-draft role player in 2024.