Fantasy football players have been saying it ad nauseam for years: running back is the most important position in fantasy. But that often means that the biggest RB names see their auction prices skyrocket on draft day. The onus is on fantasy managers to prioritize RB but also maximize value, so having a set game plan and full auction value rankings list going into draft day can make a world of a difference.
We always recommend reading Fantasy Pros’ auction values to get a sense of a fair valuation for each player. Understanding these projected auction values can help deter you from overextending on a single player. Maintaining your budget and pouncing on valuable price tags throughout the draft can separate you from the rest of the competition in your league.
Strategic nominating can help you crush auction draft day in a major way, too. By nominating running backs you don’t want or don’t value as high as the rest of the fantasy public — maybe a regression candidate like Ezekiel Elliott or an injury risk like a JK Dobbins — you assure that another manager is spending a good chunk of his money while also satisfying one of the RB slots on his team. That puts a dent on that manager’s spending power, while also decreasing the likelihood that he will engage in too many RB bidding wars with you going forward.
Consider nominating top-tier running backs like Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones early, but only bidding up to $20-30 and then letting your league-mates fight for them from there. Jacobs finished as RB1 last season and seems like a prime candidate for regression, as does Jones ahead of his first full year without four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. These backs could realistically take a combined $100 off other manager’s budgets while not even taking a target off your big board.
Now, don’t get us wrong — we snagged Jacobs in multiple auctions last year. But that was at $20, not his current average draft cost of $46 or his high points in the $60 range. It’s all about value — how much bang for your buck a player will get you. You want to pinpoint the RB who will be this year’s version of the 2022 Jacobs, not overspend for 2023 Jacobs in a point-chasing haste.
Auctions provide you with ample opportunities to grab a couple of backs within the top few tiers, a mid-tier RB, and plenty of sleepers. You’re not waiting on the back end of a snake round hoping and wishing your next targeted player doesn’t get drafted before you — you have a chance to compete for every player on your wish list. And with RBs, you should have at least a dozen players in the $1 to $20 range targeted.
The best fantasy squads in our leagues year in and year out seem to be deep at the RB position. That’s not because they spent one-third of their auction budget on the position — it’s because they drafted a stud, a couple breakouts, and some sleepers and wound up with the most value of all the RB depth charts in the league.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should grab Derrick Henry at $50 and then load up on $1 RBs the rest of the way. It’s all about balance. Your RB1 and RB2 should be dependable, high-floor guys in good health. Your RB3 can be a potential breakout candidate like Jacobs last year. Your bench RBs can be high-ceiling guys like Isiah Pacheco and Rachaad White in 2022. The more sleeper RBs you hit on, the more leverage you will have in the trade market — and the better equipped you’ll be to handle injuries, tough RB1/RB2 matchups, and start/sit decisions at your flex position.
We’ll continue updating these RB auction values until Week 1, so check back periodically for updates.
To get customized dollar values tailored to your league settings, check out FantasyPros’ premium Auction Calculator. For customized mock auctions that you can do in minutes, check out FantasyPros’ premium Salary Cap Simulator.
Fantasy Football RB Auction Values 2023: Running back dollar projections for standard leagues
Dollar values courtesy of FantasyPros and based on 12-team leagues with $200 budgets.
Scoring based on standard, non-PPR formats.
All players not listed are valued at $0
Rank Player Proj. Value
1 Christian McCaffrey, SF $52
2 Austin Ekeler, LAC $47
3 Nick Chubb, CLE $45
4 Bijan Robinson, ATL $45
5 Derrick Henry, TEN $43
6 Josh Jacobs, LV $42
7 Saquon Barkley, NYG $39
8 Tony Pollard, DAL $38
9 Jonathan Taylor, IND $38
10 Joe Mixon, CIN $35
11 Aaron Jones, GB $32
12 Rhamondre Stevenson, NE $31
13 Najee Harris, PIT $30
14 Breece Hall, NYJ $30
15 Travis Etienne Jr., JAC $29
16 Kenneth Walker III, SEA $27
17 Alexander Mattison, MIN $26
18 James Conner, ARI $24
19 Dameon Pierce, HOU $23
20 J.K. Dobbins, BAL $21
21 Jahmyr Gibbs, DET $21
22 Miles Sanders, CAR $20
23 Cam Akers, LAR $20
24 Rachaad White, TB $17
25 Isiah Pacheco, KC $16
26 David Montgomery, DET $16
27 Alvin Kamara, NO $16
28 Javonte Williams, DEN $14
29 James Cook, BUF $12
30 D’Andre Swift, PHI $12
31 Brian Robinson Jr., WAS $12
32 AJ Dillon, GB $12
33 Dalvin Cook, FA $10
34 Antonio Gibson, WAS $9
35 Khalil Herbert, CHI $8
36 Samaje Perine, DEN $8
37 Rashaad Penny, PHI $7
38 Jeff Wilson Jr., MIA $7
39 Jamaal Williams, NO $6
40 Elijah Mitchell, SF $6
41 Raheem Mostert, MIA $6
42 Damien Harris, BUF $6
43 Tyler Allgeier, ATL $6
44 D’Onta Foreman, CHI $5
45 Chuba Hubbard, CAR $4
46 Jerick McKinnon, KC $4
47 Devin Singletary, HOU $4
48 De’Von Achane, MIA $4
49 Zach Charbonnet, SEA $4
50 Ezekiel Elliott, FA $4
51 Jaylen Warren, PIT $3
52 Roschon Johnson, CHI $3
53 Gus Edwards, BAL $3
54 Kenneth Gainwell, PHI $2
55 Israel Abanikanda, NYJ $2
56 Leonard Fournette, FA $2
57 Tank Bigsby, JAC $1
58 Chase Edmonds, TB $1
For full standard RB rankings, click here.
Fantasy Football RB PPR Auction Values 2023: Running back dollar projections
Dollar values courtesy of FantasyPros and based on 12-team leagues with $200 budgets.
Scoring based on full-point PPR formats.
All players not listed are valued at $0
Rank Player Proj. Value
1 Christian McCaffrey, SF $53
2 Austin Ekeler, LAC $50
3 Bijan Robinson, ATL $41
4 Saquon Barkley, NYG $36
5 Josh Jacobs, LV $35
6 Tony Pollard, DAL $34
7 Nick Chubb, CLE $33
8 Joe Mixon, CIN $33
9 Derrick Henry, TEN $33
10 Rhamondre Stevenson, NE $32
11 Aaron Jones, GB $31
12 Jonathan Taylor, IND $30
13 Najee Harris, PIT $27
14 Breece Hall, NYJ $27
15 Travis Etienne Jr., JAC $25
16 James Conner, ARI $23
17 Alexander Mattison, MIN $21
18 Jahmyr Gibbs, DET $21
19 Kenneth Walker III, SEA $20
20 Rachaad White, TB $19
21 Dameon Pierce, HOU $19
22 Alvin Kamara, NO $17
23 Miles Sanders, CAR $16
24 J.K. Dobbins, BAL $15
25 Cam Akers, LAR $14
26 David Montgomery, DET $14
27 D’Andre Swift, PHI $13
28 Javonte Williams, DEN $13
29 Isiah Pacheco, KC $12
30 Antonio Gibson, WAS $11
31 James Cook, BUF $11
32 AJ Dillon, GB $9
33 Dalvin Cook, FA $9
34 Samaje Perine, DEN $7
35 Brian Robinson Jr., WAS $7
36 Khalil Herbert, CHI $5
37 Jeff Wilson Jr., MIA $5
38 Jerick McKinnon, KC $5
39 Raheem Mostert, MIA $4
40 Rashaad Penny, PHI $4
41 Elijah Mitchell, SF $4
42 Damien Harris, BUF $4
43 Jamaal Williams, NO $4
44 Tyler Allgeier, ATL $3
45 Devin Singletary, HOU $3
46 Chuba Hubbard, CAR $3
47 De’Von Achane, MIA $3
48 Jaylen Warren, PIT $2
49 Ezekiel Elliott, FA $2
50 Zach Charbonnet, SEA $2
51 Leonard Fournette, FA $2
52 D’Onta Foreman, CHI $2
53 Kenneth Gainwell, PHI $2
54 Israel Abanikanda, NYJ $1
55 Roschon Johnson, CHI $1
56 Chase Edmonds, TB $1
For full RB PPR rankings, click here.