Fantasy football owners have been saying it ad nauseam for years: Running back is the most important position in fantasy. That often means that the biggest RB names see their auction prices skyrocket on draft day. The onus is on fantasy owners to prioritize RB but also maximize value, so having a game plan and reliable set of 2023 fantasy RB auction values 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 values throughout your auction 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 value as much as the rest of the fantasy public — maybe a regression candidate like James Conner or an injury risk like a JK Dobbins — you assure that another owner is spending a good chunk of his money while also satisfying one his RB slots. That puts a dent on that owner's spending power while also decreasing the likelihood that he will engage in too many bidding wars with you going forward.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2023 Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Consider nominating upper-tier running backs like Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones early but only bidding up to $20-30 and then letting your leaguemates fight for them. 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 owners' budgets while not even taking a target off your big board.
2023 AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR):
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Ks | Overall
We snagged Jacobs in multiple auctions last year, but that was at $20, not his current average draft cost of $40-plus. It’s all about value, or 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 '23 Jacobs in a point-chasing haste.
2023 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Ks | Top 200 | S-Flex | IDP
Auctions provide you with ample opportunities to grab a couple of backs within the top few tiers and plenty of sleepers. You’re not waiting on the back end of a snake round wishing your next targeted player doesn’t get drafted before you. You have a chance to compete for every player on your wish list. With RBs, you should have at least a dozen players in the $1-$20 range targeted.
2023 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Ks | Top 200 | S-Flex | IDP
The best fantasy squads 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 of breakouts, and some sleepers and wound up with the most value of all the RB depth charts in the league.
2023 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Each Team
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.
2023 POSITION TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST
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 $51
2 Bijan Robinson, ATL $48
3 Austin Ekeler, LAC $48
4 Nick Chubb, CLE $46
5 Derrick Henry, TEN $46
6 Tony Pollard, DAL $42
7 Josh Jacobs, LV $42
8 Saquon Barkley, NYG $41
9 Jonathan Taylor, IND $39
10 Joe Mixon, CIN $33
11 Aaron Jones, GB $31
12 Najee Harris, PIT $29
13 Travis Etienne Jr., JAC $28
14 Kenneth Walker III, SEA $27
15 Alexander Mattison, MIN $27
16 Rhamondre Stevenson, NE $26
17 James Conner, ARI $25
18 Dameon Pierce, HOU $24
19 Jahmyr Gibbs, DET $22
20 Breece Hall, NYJ $22
21 Miles Sanders, CAR $21
22 J.K. Dobbins, BAL $20
23 Cam Akers, LAR $20
24 Isiah Pacheco, KC $19
25 Rachaad White, TB $18
26 James Cook, BUF $17
27 David Montgomery, DET $17
28 Javonte Williams, DEN $14
29 Alvin Kamara, NOS $14
30 Khalil Herbert, CHI $13
31 AJ Dillon, GB $12
32 Brian Robinson Jr., WAS $12
33 Dalvin Cook, NYJ $12
34 D'Andre Swift, PHI $11
35 Samaje Perine, DEN $10
36 Antonio Gibson, WAS $8
37 Jeff Wilson Jr., MIA $8
38 Jamaal Williams, NO $7
39 Rashaad Penny, PHI $7
40 Raheem Mostert, MIA $6
41 Elijah Mitchell, SF $6
42 Tyler Allgeier, ATL $6
43 Zach Charbonnet, SEA $5
44 Ezekiel Elliott, NE $5
45 Jaylen Warren, PIT $5
46 Damien Harris, BUF $4
47 Chuba Hubbard, CAR $4
48 D'Onta Foreman, CHI $4
49 Kenneth Gainwell, PHI $4
50 Devin Singletary, HOU $4
51 Jerick McKinnon, KC $4
52 De'Von Achane, MIA $3
53 Gus Edwards, BAL $3
54 Tank Bigsby, JAC $3
55 Roschon Johnson, CHI $2
56 Leonard Fournette, $2
57 Tyjae Spears, TEN $1
58 Joshua Kelley, LAC $1
59 Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL $1
60 Kyren Williams, LAR $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 $52
2 Austin Ekeler, LAC $50
3 Bijan Robinson, ATL $44
4 Saquon Barkley, NYG $38
5 Tony Pollard, DAL $37
6 Derrick Henry, TEN $36
7 Josh Jacobs, LV $35
8 Nick Chubb, CLE $35
9 Joe Mixon, CIN $32
10 Jonathan Taylor, IND $31
11 Aaron Jones, GB $30
12 Rhamondre Stevenson, NE $26
13 Najee Harris, PIT $25
14 Travis Etienne Jr., JAC $24
15 James Conner, ARI $23
16 Alexander Mattison, MIN $22
17 Jahmyr Gibbs, DET $22
18 Rachaad White, TB $20
19 Kenneth Walker III, SEA $20
20 Dameon Pierce, HOU $20
21 Breece Hall, NYJ $20
22 Miles Sanders, CAR $17
23 James Cook, BUF $15
24 J.K. Dobbins, BAL $14
25 David Montgomery, DET $14
26 Cam Akers, LAR $14
27 Isiah Pacheco, KC $14
28 Alvin Kamara, NOS $14
29 Javonte Williams, DEN $12
30 D'Andre Swift, PHI $11
31 Antonio Gibson, WAS $10
32 Dalvin Cook, NYJINJ $9
33 Samaje Perine, DEN $9
34 AJ Dillon, GB $9
35 Khalil Herbert, CHI $9
36 Brian Robinson Jr., WAS $7
37 Jeff Wilson Jr., MIA $6
38 Raheem Mostert, MIA $5
39 Jamaal Williams, NO $5
40 Jerick McKinnon, KC $5
41 Zach Charbonnet, SEA $4
42 Jaylen Warren, PIT $4
43 Rashaad Penny, PHI $4
44 Elijah Mitchell, SF $4
45 Tyler Allgeier, ATL $4
46 Ezekiel Elliott, NE $4
47 Kenneth Gainwell, PHI $3
48 Devin Singletary, HOU $3
49 Chuba Hubbard, CAR $3
50 Damien Harris, BUF $3
51 De'Von Achane, MIA $3
52 Leonard Fournette, $2
53 Tank Bigsby, JAC $2
54 D'Onta Foreman, CHI $2
55 Gus Edwards, BAL $1
56 Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL $1
For full RB PPR rankings, click here.
