Roundtable: Potential League-Winning RBs

Chase Brown, De'Von Achane, and James Cook. All three are explosive. All three play in dynamic offenses. And all three have excellent quarterbacks. Who offers the most league-winning upside this month? 

Welcome to Week 14 of the 2024 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.

This week's roundtable features these four topics:

• Hot Fantasy Players, Narrative or Substance?
• Playoff Bench Stashes
• Potential League-Winning RBs (see below)
• Dynasty WR Value Check

Let's roll. 

Potential League-Winning RBs

Matt Waldman: These three backs are similar in style -- at least on a superficial level. 

• Chase Brown
• De'Von Achane
• James Cook

Pick the one with the highest ceiling who can dominate the fantasy playoffs. 

Ryan Weisse: Now that Tua Tagovailoa is back, De'Von Achane is a league-winning piece. In eight games with Tagovailoa, Achane is averaging almost 23 fantasy points per game and is the second-best back in fantasy.

On top of having far more touchdown upside, Achane is also a PPR threat with Tagovailoa. In those eight games played with his starting quarterback, Achane averages six receptions per game, scoring six more touchdowns through the air.

As long as Tagovailoa is healthy, De'Von Achane has a safe floor and an excellent ceiling.  

Joseph Haggan: I love Cook and Achane, but Chase Brown has been a focal point of a Bengals offense trying to keep pace with teams since their defense has continually let down Joe Burrow.

I would love to see Brown score more touchdowns, but his volume over the past four games has been consistent and impressive. He has averaged 18.5 rushing attempts at 4.29 yards per attempt (79.35 yards per game) with 6.5 targets, 5.5 receptions, and 44 receiving yards during that span.

Brown has added three touchdowns in his last four games, showing more red-zone usage. He is averaging 123 total yards on 24 touches over the previous four games. I would be delighted with that volume. 

Corey Spala: All three running backs have a bottom-10 playoff strength of schedule. When looking at running back points from receiving production, James Cook and De'Von Achane have the first and second hardest schedules. Chase Brown has the 11th favorable matchup.

For this reason, I believe Brown has the highest ceiling. Brown's workload is consistent, and he has been averaging 19.9 opportunities per game (OPG) and 17.8 points per game (PPG) since week four. De'Von Achane (16.9 OPG, 16.7 PPG), and James Cook (16.6 OPG, 15.9 PPG) average lower totals.