Former Florida State RB Trey Benson and Texas RB Jonathon Brooks were the two most talented backs in the 2024 NFL Draft. As such, they were the first two running backs off the board, which will naturally link them together in conversation throughout their careers.
Let’s dive into this Dynasty debate by looking at each player’s analysis and potential Dynasty Fantasy Football outlook for 2024 and beyond.
* Within this article, the statistics were pulled from Sports Reference, KeepTradeCut (KTC), and Sleeper.
Trey Benson
Benson, who’s 6’1″, 223 pounds, is now 22 years old and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round (66th) overall with the belief that he would be their RB of the future. The Cardinals’ backfield has recently proven to be a fantasy goldmine based on James Conner‘s recent success. Conner is a UFA after this season and is just now coming off his first season with over 1,000 rushing yards, but Arizona decided to look toward the future in the draft. Conner has never played a full season because of injuries, which could open the door for Benson to have a golden opportunity at some point this season. However, by next season at the latest, Benson projects to be the starter and one of the main focal points on the Cardinals’ offense, as they prioritized him on day two of the draft for a reason.
One of the reasons scouts fell in love with Benson is that he’s a very elusive running back with speed, as he had a 4.39 40 time at the combine, which was third amongst running backs. Often compared to Breece Hall, Benson also has great contact balance by lowering his pads to pick up extra yards. He’s the only running back in the past ten years to average over 0.5 missed tackles forced per carry in a season in college. Last year at FSU, he played in 13 games and recorded 906 rushing yards for 5.8 yards per carry with an eye-popping 14 touchdowns. He also added 20 catches for 227 yards for an 11.5 average and one touchdown. Benson’s a true three-down back, and one impressive statistic is his ball security and the fact that he has zero career fumbles in 28 collegiate games.
Jonathon Brooks
Brooks stands at 6’0″, 207 pounds, and is now 21 years old. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round (46th) overall with the hope that he would soon be their RB1 for the foreseeable future. Currently, his only competition is Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. Neither of them could stake a claim for the starter’s role throughout last season. Historically, the Panthers have been a ground-and-pound running team when they were at the height of their success with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, and they’re now looking to get back to some of that. From the start, Brooks faces an uphill battle as the biggest knock on him is that he’s recovering from a torn ACL, but when healthy, he has all the accolades you’d look for in a great running back.
With only 238 collegiate carries, Brooks has so much tread left on his tires to be a workhorse back like he proved back in his Texas days. Last year, after both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson got drafted into the NFL, it opened the door for Jonathon Brooks to take over as the full-time starter, and he didn’t disappoint. Despite playing in only 11 games because of injury, Brooks still totaled 1,139 rushing yards for an impressive 6.1 yards per carry and 10 touchdowns. He also added 25 catches for 286 yards for an 11.4 average and one touchdown. Often compared to Jamaal Charles, Brooks displays elusiveness and speed, along with being a patient runner who can easily change direction to get upfield. Ultimately, he doesn’t have any weaknesses in his game, and along with being a great runner, he possesses excellent receiving ability. This will make it difficult to take him off the field.
New head coach Dave Canales will likely use him much like Rachaad White last season, and Canales was quoted as saying, “He’s a bigger back; he has range. Vision, patience, contact balance, acceleration, he’s got it all. He’s the best running back in this class; we were so fired up to bring him in.” The Panthers under Canales were one of the best landing spots as he’s set up to be the focal point of their offense with hopes to take pressure off Byce Young. Under Canales, White was RB4 (Full-PPR) under Canales, and there’s no reason to believe that once healthy, Brooks shouldn’t produce similar numbers. Canales has said that they won’t play Brooks in the preseason and that he’s likely to miss the first three to four games of the regular season. But once the Panthers let him have his opportunity, Brooks is set up for success to run with the starting job.
Dynasty Value
Benson’s current value on KeepTradeCut (KTC) is RB16, while Brooks is listed as RB10. While Benson is a little cheaper and represents the better value if you’re looking to buy either of them, Brooks is the superior immediate and long-term investment. And now is the time to buy Brooks, with him likely out until Week 5 of the regular season. The closer we get to the point where he’s activated, the higher his price will rise. So now is the time to go out and acquire Brooks because once he’s healthy, his talent will take over, and he’ll be difficult to obtain.
Conclusion
I like both Benson and Brooks. I see the two of them having success in the NFL on their new teams. Both are in very nice landing spots, and they project to be every-down backs. But overall, I lean to Brooks as the player I’d prefer to have on my Dynasty roster.
Brooks is a year younger and is the more talented overall player, as he’s more of a dynamic playmaker. Brooks’ overall production and yards per carry are also superior, and he’s a bigger back, which would typically project to be more durable in the long run. While the only red flag on him is that he might take time to get on the field by being limited over the season’s first month, once he bursts onto the scene and is fully healthy, I expect him to have a better overall production than Benson. One way or another, Brooks figures to be the bell cow and workhorse number one back for the Panthers in 2024 and beyond. So go add Brooks to your Dynasty Fantasy Football rosters now so he can become a part of your championship-winning roster.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you gained some valuable information. If you have any questions or you’d like additional insight and analysis, please follow me on Twitter/X at @MonicasHubby. #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
