Fantasy football is approaching fast because, well, the 2023 NFL season is right around the corner. One of the best parts about the return of football is the return of fantasy football, and with just one more slate of preseason games to go, it's clear that fantasy owners are beginning to plot out their strategies for the upcoming season.

As is the case seemingly every year now, the running back position is arguably the most complicated position for fantasy owners to deal with. Figuring out when to draft running backs, and how many to take, is always a very tough decision for owners, and in 2023, with all the turmoil on the running back market, it isn't going to be any easier.

There are your typical stars and sleeper picks, but for running backs this season, there are tons of breakout candidates who could end up exceeding even the loftiest projections they have heading into the season. So with that in mind, let's pick out the top five breakout candidates at the running back position heading into the 2023 season.

5. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs

Isiah Pacheco already kind of broke out last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, as his energetic style of play out of the backfield helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl 57 over the Philadelphia Eagles. Pacheco had strong numbers for fantasy football owners last year (170 CAR, 830 YDS, 5 TD, 13 REC, 130 YDS) but it feels like the 2023 season is when he could truly break out and emerge as a top-tier running back.

Pacheco had eight games last season where he failed to receive ten-plus carries, and that surely will change in 2023. Pacheco is clearly the Chiefs lead back on the ground, and while Jerick McKinnon will do most of the work in the air out of the backfield, he shouldn't eat too heavily into Pacheco's carries. With his role defined, Pacheco seems like an easy pick to surpass the 1000 rushing yard mark in 2023.

4. Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears

Khalil Herbert flashed as a rookie behind David Montgomery in 2021, and he took a massive step forward in 2022, despite missing four games along the way. Herbert was a fantastic streaming option for fantasy owners when Montgomery was struggling with injuries last season (129 CAR, 731 YDS, 4 TD, 9 REC, 57 YDS, 1 TD), and now that Montgomery is gone, Herbert is going to be the team's lead running back.

Herbert doesn't bring much to the table as a receiver, but he is coming off a season where he averaged 5.7 yards per carry, and his Week 4 performance from last year (20 CAR, 157 YDS, 2 TD, 2 REC, 12 YDS, good for 30.9 points in standard PPR leagues) proves he has RB1 upside when he gets the ball. Herbert will lose some touches to Justin Fields and D'Onta Foreman, but if he can stay healthy, he seems primed for a massive breakout campaign.

3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

Jahmyr Gibbes ended up being taken pretty early in the 2023 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick, but he seems set to be an immediate contributor on a strong Detroit Lions offense. Gibbs was fantastic during his final collegiate season with the Alabama Crimson Tide (151 CAR, 926 YDS, 7 TD, 44 REC, 444 YDS, 3 TD), and he seems to have a very high ceiling, despite being a rookie, in 2023.

Gibbs will be competing for touches with the aforementioned Montgomery, but it's clear as day that Gibbs will be operating as the lead back to start the season. If Jared Goff and the passing attack can pick up where they left off last season, Gibbs will almost certainly end up being a starting caliber option for fantasy football owners.

2. Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings

Alexander Mattison seemed to be set to part ways with the Minnesota Vikings this past offseason, but instead, he re-signed with the Vikings, and eventually watched them release their veteran Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook. Mattison didn't have a good 2022 campaign at all (74 CAR, 283 YDS, 5 TD, 15 REC, 91 YDS, 1 TD), but he's the lead back now, and as we have seen in the past, this is a role he can prosper in.

Mattison has basically been a carbon-copy version of Cook for the Vikings, filling in for him when he's had to miss time with injuries without skipping a beat. Minnesota's new starter has virtually no competition for touches out of the backfield, and that should help Mattison put together a massive breakout season in 2023 as the Vikings new starter.

1. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

Bijan Robinson is one of the most hyped running back prospects in recent memory, and he's been a first-round pick in many fantasy football drafts to this point. Robinson was the best running back in the nation in his final collegiate season with the Texas Longhorns, (258 CAR, 1580 YDS, 18 TD, 19 REC, 314 YDS, 2 TD) and he seems primed for a massive role in the Atlanta Falcons offense as a rookie.

Robinson is already the top playmaking option in Atlanta's offense, and he should be receiving tons of carries as a runner and receiver on a weekly basis throughout the 2023 campaign. Robinson is being drafted as a top five running back, but if he puts together a breakout campaign as a rookie, he could end up being the top fantasy football scoring running back on the season if all goes according to plan.