Ringo’s 2024 RB Sleepers/Picks

*Note some of these calls aren’t sleepers just players I think could have a good year. It’s difficult to find a true sleeper in today’s fantasy football landscape, but I’ll do my best to uncover some longshots in larger leagues or leagues with deeper rosters.

Saquon Barkley (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 6 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 2) Philadelphia aggressively went and signed their former rival in free agency. I know that Jalen Hurts running the Tush Push play and Jason Kelce’s retirement isn’t ideal when it comes to maximizing Saquon’s fantasy point total. But the last time Saquon played his home games in the state of Pennsylvania, it went pretty well. Take a look at the highlights to find out. And, unlike in New York, Saquon will actually have a formidable line blocking for him this year. This is the most talented offense Saquon has ever played on. Saquon could have a Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco type of impact season. Saquon just might be “invincible” this year after he enters the Eagles training camp. Ringo is letting it ride with Saquon in 2024!

Bijan Robinson (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 3 Ringo’s Ranking RB 6)
UPDATE (8/23) It sounds like there could be more of a RBBC than Bijan fans are hoping for according to Falcons’ beat writer, Daniel Flick. Flick is predicting about a 50/50 split in the red zone between Allgeier and Bijan. For that reason, I’m bumping Bijan down a few spots and OFF my fantasy sleeper(aka picks to hit) even though I love his talent. I’ll need to see how this season goes before I can suggest taking him with such an early pick.

Bijan is no sleeper. Everyone knows that. Last year he did okay. He’s fairly priced at RB 3. He’s listed here because I think he could take another step forward. The addition of a new coaching staff, combined with free agent signing of Kirk Cousins should propel the Falcons’ offense to another level. And that includes Bijan. If the new staff gives Bijan a bell cow role, he’s one of the few RBs in the league with the talent and ability to dethrone Christian McCaffrey as the top ranked fantasy RB.

Jahmyr Gibbs / David Montgomery (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking for Monty RB 19 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 8) Just an fyi- I really like Jahmyr Gibbs. He’s sort of a Jamaal Charles/Tyreek Hill comp. He is electric and more talented than Monty, but Gibbs isn’t a sleeper. Jahmyr is fairly priced at RB 5, so I’ll talk about Montgomery. I’m not sure why Monty is still undervalued by the experts. His role is the same as last year. He’s in a RBBC and will see the bulk of the short yardage runs in one of the best offenses in the league. The only concern is the offensive line could be a little bit weaker this year, The loss of Jonah Jackson in free agency and the cumulative effect of injuries to center Frank Ragnow could slow down this high potent attack. However, even if it slows it down somewhat, the Lions still figure to score a bunch of TDs. Give me both Lions RBs and restore the roar!

Fantasy football fans, my brothers of the sword. I’d rather fight besides you than any army of thousands. Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are Lions! Do you know what’s there? Waiting…beyond that draft? Immortality. Take it! It’s yours!

Raheem Mostert (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 23 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 18) I think the best way to handle the crowded Miami backfield situation is to let someone else draft Devon Achane at his expensive price tag (consensus ranking at RB 11), and instead draft the more affordable options- Mostert (current consensus RB 23) and Wright (current consensus ranking RB 51). This call could burn me, Mostert is 32 years old. I usually don’t like relying on older RBs, but he doesn’t have a lot of tread on his tires. In addition, Mostert looked really good last year (see video below- click Watch on YouTube).

Bottom line- at RB 23, I’m not going to overthink it. That’s cheap enough for me to roll the dice on a starting RB in a potent offense. The bonus is you can get Jaylen Wright as a cheap insurance policy for practically nothing. Wright’s current consensus ranking is RB 51 because everyone is in on Achane. However, Achane isn’t big enough to handle a bell cow role imo, which means there should be a spot in Miami’s RBBC for either Mostert or Wright.

Zack Moss (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 32 Ringo’s Ranking RB 24) The Bengals replaced Joe Mixon with Zack Moss. Moss might not have the name recognition as his predecessor, but make no mistake, he’s walking into a fantasy goldmine. The Bengals have one of the most potent offenses in the league. The addition of Trent Brown and rookie Amarius Mims strengthens their offensive line, which should pay dividends in both the running and passing game. There are a lot of TDs for the taking in the Queen City and I expect Zack Moss to score a bunch of them. It’s time to Rock and Roll at the big KRP fantasy medicine cabinet with Dr. Johnny Ringo Fever!

Ezekiel Elliott (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 40 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 20)
Zeke, “Do you read the bible, Ringo?”

Mark Ringo, “Not lately.  No”

Zeke, "Well there’s this passage I’ve got memorized.  Ezekiel 25:17. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison my fantasy reputation and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord of Fantasy Football when I lay my vengeance upon you. I’ve been sayin' that stuff for years. And if you heard it, that meant your team was toast. I never really gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was some cold-blooded stuff to say to a dumb, know-it-all analyst before I destroyed his takes. But I saw some stuff this morning that made me think twice. See, now I'm thinkin': maybe it means you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And my friend here on the offensive line, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous butt in the draft dead zone. Or it could mean, you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd, and it's the world that's evil and selfish. Now, I'd like that. But that stuff ain't the truth. The truth is, you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin’, Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd. Go (and draft Zeke).

Translation- I expect Zeke to have a bounce-back year now that he’s back with Dallas.

(Disclaimer- this video is a scene from the movie Pulp Fiction. It’s an action movie. It’s fiction. This player note write-up on Ezekiel Elliott and the video below is for entertainment purposes only. Do NOT use guns to commit violence or illegal acts.)

Trey Benson (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 44 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 45) Longshot Pick Trey Benson is another rookie I was closely watching to see where he landed in the draft. Arizona is an interesting spot. They should have an offense on the rise in 2024. James Conner is the starter, but he’s had a difficult time staying on the field. If Conner were to get nicked up, Benson is talented enough to not just fill in admirably, but to potentially unseat Conner. Benson is big enough and talented enough to handle a bell cow role if given the chance. If you’re in a deeper draft, Benson is worth a late round dart throw.

MarShawn Lloyd (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 52 Ringo’s Ranking RB 41) Longshot Pick

UPDATE (8/10) Lloyd injured his hamstring in the Packers’ first preseason game. I might have to bump him down the ranks a bit. Keep an eye on this in the coming days.

Lloyd has a good RB build 5’9” 220 lbs to handle a bell cow role if given the chance. What’s really impressive is his speed for a RB his size. Lloyd has a burst where he just runs away from defenders (see video below). He has good vision and his pass protection skills are good enough to get him on the field in passing downs, unlike many rookies. While many analysts are assuming Josh Jacobs will virtually all of the workload, I’m not so sure. It could be a RBBC with Jacobs getting more of the load, but enough to make Lloyd useful in deeper leagues. However, if anything happens to Jacobs, it’s Lloyd, not A.J. Dillon who would be the main beneficiary. It sounds like the Packers want to use Dillon as a H-Back or Fullback lead blocker for whoever is running the ball. And if that happens, Lloyd could burst onto the fantasy scene in a big way. The main concern is ball security. Lloyd had a propensity for fumbles in college. He’ll have to fix that to have any chance of lasting in the NFL. Despite that, Lloyd is definitely worth a shot later on in drafts. Sleeper.

Blake Corum (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 38 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 25) Full disclosure- two weeks ago (mid- May) I contributed to an article on FantasyPros called, “Overvalued Rookies to Avoid”. My RB pick was Blake Corum. My reasons were mainly based on Corum running a slow 40 time and being undersized at 205 lbs. to handle a bell cow role. Note- I still think he’s undersized, however, the recent news of Kyren Williams injuring his foot, after I wrote my submission, has made me rethink things. (By the way- thanks for letting me know L.A. I mean how much does it cost to give ole’ Mark Ringo a call?) Anyway, the Rams are grooming Corum to handle a full workload if Kyren can’t hold up. And with this latest news on Kyren’s foot, it’s only logical to think Williams might break down. If that happens, Corum suddenly becomes very interesting in a good offense like the Rams. Corum is about fairly priced at RB 43. I guess that makes this a “Blake or break” sleeper pick? One thing that isn’t interesting are Mark Ringo’s terrible jokes in which he shows no “deCorum” whatsoever, haha!

Jaylen Wright (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 51 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 29) Longshot Pick
Like his teammates, Mostert and Achane, Wright is electric in the open field and a home run threat every time he touches the ball. One of his best strengths is his ability to contribute in pass protection, which is critical for rookies to get on the field. I think the best way to handle the crowded Miami backfield situation is to let someone else draft Achane at his expensive price tag (consensus ranking at RB 11), and instead draft the more affordable options- Mostert (current consensus RB 25) and Wright (current consensus ranking RB 57). While both, Mostert and Achane are starters in a RBBC, both also have a history of missing games, which makes Wright one injury away from becoming a major factor in an explosive offense. I guess what I’m saying is when it comes to picking a longshot breakout player at RB 51 Jaylen just might be Mr. Right for your fantasy team, however when it comes to telling funny jokes Mark Ringo will always be Mr. Wrong haha!

Braelon Allen (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 55 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 48) Longshot Pick
Allen is mostly a lottery ticket/insurance policy depending on whether you drafted/Breece Hall or not. However, if Hall were to go down (and we never root for that to happen, but the truth is football is a violent sport and it's a long season), Allen would suddenly become very interesting on a Jets team that figures to run it a lot. If you're in league with deep rosters (12 team 20 rounds or more) there are worse dart throws to take than on a talented, backup RB (currently ranked as RB 61) who would get close to a bell cow role if the situation presented itself. However, when it comes to Ringo telling bad jokes, don't you fret because the situation always presents itself for you, his lucky readers, haha!

Roschon Johnson (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 57 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 44) Longshot Pick Many fantasy analysts have Khalil Herbert ranked ahead of Roschon Johnson, and I think that's a mistake. The word on the street is that the Bears are trying to move Khalil Herbert. And while DeAndre Swift is the lead RB in Chicago, he’s not built to handle a bell cow role. He’ll wear down. Roschon could be the thunder in the thunder and lightning RBBC. And if anything happens to Swift, Johnson is fully capable of handling a bell cow role, if given the chance. Yo, Ice Ice Ringo (aka Fantasy’s Most Wanted ya’ll) thinks the wheels are in motion for Roschon to be a sleeper, and in 2024 he’s not getting cheaper. My rhymes aren’t tight, I’m not a pro rapper, but when it comes to sleepers, I’m the king of the nappers. Word. Don’t be hatin'. Haha!

Dalvin Cook (Fantasy Pros Expert Consensus Ranking RB 84 / Ringo’s Ranking RB 27) Longshot Pick

UPDATE (8/28) Dallas is signing Dalvin Cook per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero! Remember, Dallas’s new defensive coordinator, former Vikings’ head coach, Mike Zimmer, no doubt was asked his thoughts on Dalvin Cook and gave him his vote of approval.

Ok, so you want to be a fantasy analyst? I literally just finished typing my blurb for this article on how I thought Roschon Johnson was worth a shot as a late round sleeper when news breaks that the Dallas Cowboys are flying in Dalvin Cook for a tryout- ugh! I swear they do this stuff on purpose just to tick me off. Anyway, I digress, where was I? Oh yeah, while I like Roschon, I like Dalvin Cook even more, if he signs with Dallas. I still think Cook has plenty of juice left in the tank. Remember, it was only two years ago when Dallas’ RBBC with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard produced RB 19 and RB 7 respectively. I guess you could say, Ringo doesn’t think Cook will burn you, or that Cook is cooked, or that there are too many Cooks (Brandin and Dalvin) in the Cowboys’ kitchen? I’ll see myself out now, haha!