Welcome back for another edition of Dynasty Buys and Sells! This week, much like the title suggests, we’re going to point out two running backs: one for buying, one for selling. When it comes down to it, it’s obvious you want to buy low and sell high whenever you can. This week’s running backs are a prime example of that mindset. Let’s get into what we got for this week without further ado.
Top Running Back Buy – Najee Harris
I know, I know, we all saw the split in last year’s carries for Najee with Jaylen Warren. And now we have to deal with Arthur Smith taking over the offense? Well, give me a minute to explain why Najee Harris might be one of the best buys out there.
Let’s start with the fact that Harris still performed pretty damn well for a running back that was stuck in an offense run by Matt Canada for most of the season. He finished the season as RB23 in PPR formats, which is still a low-end RB2. In fact, after their bye in Week 6, Najee had a fairly decent tear and finished as a top-ten running back in the final twelve weeks of the regular season. It helped that he scored over twenty points in each of the final two games. However, those two weeks were also the highest rushing attempts he was given all year, and he made the most of them by putting up over a hundred yards and scoring at least once in each game. This shows that Najee still has what it takes to put up big numbers when given the opportunity.
Now, let’s look at what the offense might look like moving into this next season with Arthur Smith as an offensive coordinator. We all know what the last couple of years have looked like in Atlanta: top players being underutilized and backups getting the call over them. It was ugly, and Smith loved it. However, the bad man has been struck down, and Arthur’s reign of terror has ended. There are fears that the evil has returned with his hiring as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, but I believe that Smith will reclaim some of what he once was in Tennessee in 2019 and 2020. You know, the years that Derrick Henry broke into the RB1 scene and began to assert his dominance over the league? I’m not saying that Harris is Henry, but if anyone can create a top rushing attack, it’s Smith. Even if Najee is still in a shared backfield, I expect him to maintain his RB2 production at a minimum.
Finally, this brings us to the cost. Dynasty League Football has him as a high-end second-round pick right around where I also have him. I’d even be willing to give up a low-end first for him. Given the state of the rookie running back class coming out, I would much rather take a chance on Najee.
Top Running Back Sell – Rachaad White
There are few instances when selling a top 10 running back feels like the right option, but Rachaad White might be the best running back sell there is right now.
That’s right, White was the RB6 in both standard scoring and PPR, which blows my mind. I thought he would be decent last season since there was no one between him and a high volume of touches, but I was worried about his production in that offense. He showed up big, though, putting up 1,539 all-purpose yards, the seventh most out of the entire league. 549 of those yards came through the air, putting him as one of the top three receiving backs in the league. White made the absolute best out of what was considered a bad situation. He finished as a top running back and brought his value to his ceiling, which is why now is the best time to get out from under him while you can.
Some concerns are going into this off-season with White and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense. Tampa has already lost their starting center, which could be a big concern for the running game. On top of that are questions about the entire offense in general. Are they going to be able to return to the same impressive form that they had this last season? Will Mike Evans come back? What will they do with Baker Mayfield? All of this leaves a lot of question marks around Rachaad. Add in the fact that White himself is under contract for only two more years with Tampa, and there is enough concern for me to want to sell at this juncture.
This leaves us with the question then: What should you be looking to sell Rachaad White for? I have him as a mid-first-round pick, and Dynasty League Football has him right between the 1.07 and the 1.08 in the 2024 draft. Or take another approach and go after some pieces that have an already known value. DLF also has White’s value just below that of, say, Jayden Reed’s or T.J. Hockenson’s. Go after the talented young wide receiver or elite tight end, throw in a third, and come out ahead for the foreseeable future.
