Wild Card Weekend saw Derrick Henry continue to sit atop of his rushing throne with the best performance of the six-game slate, but should he be the top fantasy option entering this weekend?
Here is a closer look at the top 5 DFS options at the RB position entering the 2024 Divisional Round.
1. Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley’s previous run-in with the Rams defense led to historic fantasy results when 255 of his 2,005 rushing yards on the year came against a Los Angeles defense that simply had no answers for the Penn State product.
What is often overlooked from that career defining performance is Barkley’s additional 47 receiving yards on four receptions, which saw him finish with 302 total yards and two scores on the night.
This rematch is sure to make Barkley a very popular pick amongst DFS enthusiasts, which could limit his fantasy upside in your lineup. Yet, I am not going to advise going a contrarian route by leaving him out of your lineup simply due to his excellence in that game… and the entire season.
Barkley even managed to top 100 yards rushing in his postseason debut with the Eagles, which means he has topped the century mark on the ground in 12 of his 17 games in a Philadelphia uniform.
Enter Barkley into your DFS lineup with full confidence this weekend.
2. Derrick Henry
All Hail to the King.
Derrick Henry continued his excellent 2024 campaign with a vintage postseason performance in the Ravens 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with an absurd 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns to send Baltimore to the Divisional Round.
Henry’s first year in the Queen City has arguably been the best of illustrious career with 1,921 yards and 16 scores on the ground to go with an additional 193 yards and two scores through the air.
What is even more impressive is at 30+ years old, Henry is having the most efficient year of his career at 5.91 yards per carry. For some more context, Henry actually toppled that per touch efficiency over the Wild Card Weekend with an average of 7.2 yards per carry on 26 carries against the Steelers on Saturday.
This should strike fear into the hearts of the Bills Mafia because Henry’s 209 total yards and two scores means he was actually more dominant against this Buffalo defense than he was on Saturday against Pittsburgh.
Despite still not having an elite pass catching floor and the downside of limited carries if the Ravens face a negative game script against Josh Allen and the Bills offense, Henry should still be considered an elite DFS option at the RB position this weekend.
3. Jahmyr Gibbs
If I were to ask you who finished the 2024 NFL season as the RB1 overall in fantasy football, I would venture to guess most people would say Saquon Barkley. Well, that would be an incorrect answer.
After finishing the year with 1,929 total yards and 20 touchdowns, it was actually Jahmyr Gibbs who took the top spot at the RB position.
Gibbs finished the year on a tear when David Montgomery went down with an injury, producing three straight games with 150+ total yards and six scores. That is absurd.
Gibbs role expanded in the passing game this season too with Montgomery on the shelf, catching 13 passes for 122 yards over that three game stretch.
Gibbs is a solid candidate for the RB1 overall rank in DFS entering the Divisional Round.
4. Joe Mixon
No team has been better against opposing fantasy running backs this season than the Chiefs, who have allowed an average of 15.3 fantasy points per game to opposing ball carriers this year.
This stingy run defense was on full display when these two teams faced off earlier this season with Joe Mixon producing just 57 yards on 14 carries and no scores in a losing effort against Kansas City.
Yet, we shouldn’t simply expect to copy and paste the production because when you look at Mixon’s entire body of work this year – you quickly realize he has plenty of upside at a reduced cost entering this matchup as a contrarian DFS option.
Mixon has produced seven games with 100+ yards rushing a score over his 15 first games in a Houston uniform and certainly will be heavily involved in the offensive game plan with both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell out of the lineup.
Mixon may be a volume play, but still has plenty of upside to justify a roster spot despite the tough matchup.
5. Kyren Williams
At this point, we should really stop being surprised when Kyren Williams has a solid fantasy outing.
Williams managed to produce a 18.2 fantasy points against a stingy Minnesota Vikings defense in the Wild Card Round with 92 total yards and a score over 19 touches.
This type of volume is something we have seen from Williams for the entirety of the 2024 campaign, which is evident by the fact he has seen a minimum of 15 total touches in every game this season.
Williams is truly a game script proof back who dominates the ball carrier duties in the running game and contributes in the passing game.
The Philadelphia Eagles defense is incredibly stingy against opposing running backs this year by giving up an average of just 16.7 fantasy points per game – which was the second lowest mark in the league this season. Yet, Williams still managed to produce 72 yards and a score in the blowout loss against the Eagles back in November.
The fantasy ceiling may be a bit capped in this tough matchup, but I’m still willing to bet on his volume and track record of production in my DFS lineup this weekend.
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Top 5 DFS RB Options for the 2024 NFL Divisional Round