3 RB sleepers to target in 2024 fantasy football feat. Ezekiel Elliot

Running backs have always been among the most important overall fantasy football players. Finding the right ones in a draft can serve as the foundation for a championship roster, while missing on this position often has severe consequences.

While there is always value in selecting elite running backs in the first few rounds, it is arguably even more impactful to a team's overall roster construction to find sleepers in the later stages of the draft. Doing so requires managers to target options with intriguing upside that may be overlooked by some other managers. Here are three that make for ideal sleeper candidates.

Sleeper RBs to target in 2024 fantasy football

James Cook

#1 - James Cook

The Buffalo Bills suffered some significant losses during the 2024 NFL season, especially to their offensive roster. This includes their top two wide receivers, Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, departing the team. This leaves their passing game thin, which could result in an increased workload for running back James Cook.

Considering he already turned in a solid finish last year with more talent to compete for targets with, Cook could be in line for a major breakout in the 2024 fantasy football season. The Bills also lack any other running backs to realistically challenge his featured role, so he could be a steal in many drafts this year.

#2 - Ezekiel Elliot

The Dallas Cowboys moved on from Ezekiel Elliot last year but will be bringing him back for the 2024 NFL season. While his prime is likely behind him, Elliot demonstrated last year with the New England Patriots that he still has plenty left in the tank, impressively finishing among the top 30 weekly running backs eight times, despite being the RB2 behind Rhamondre Stevenson.

Now back with the Cowboys, Elliot is expected to once again serve as a featured running back. Tony Pollard departed during the offseason and they don't have any other running backs expected to compete for a starting role. The Cowboys are also one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL, so plenty of signs point towards Elliot being an ideal fantasy football sleeper in middle rounds of the draft.

#3 - Zamir White

The Las Vegas Raiders decided to part ways with veteran Josh Jacobs during the offseason. They followed that up by announcing Zamir White as their starter for the 2024 NFL season. His strong finish to last season could be the main reason why he earned his new role, and also why he makes for an intriguing target in fantasy football.

White started the final four games of the 2023 season for the Raiders and finished as the weekly RB22 or better in all of them. He did so despite only totaling one touchdown, so with potentially more scoring opportunities this season, he could be in line for a breakout 2024 fantasy football season.