13 Running Back Draft Decisions That Will Define Your 2026 Fantasy Football Season (Ep. 2081)

Analyst expresses concern about Aaron Jones' durability, stating 'I don't really want anything to do with Aaron Jones' and later 'I don't trust Aaron Jones to make it through the season.'

Analyst expresses concern about Aaron Jones' ability to stay healthy through the season, stating 'I don't trust Aaron Jones to make it through the season.'

Jeanty came off a season with one of the worst offenses in the league (17 points per game), and while improvement is expected, there's uncertainty about how much better it will be.

If both Jeanty's and Achane's offenses end up as bottom-10 units, Achane can still produce on lesser touches, whereas Jeanty's upside depends more heavily on offensive improvement.

Bijan had the fifth-highest single-game score (37.5 points) last season and is inside the top 20 with two more games, showing he's not giving up ceiling despite Gibbs' upside.

Bijan may see even more touches this year with Brian Robinson brought in to replicate Tyler Algier's role, potentially increasing his workload.

Analyst expresses skepticism about Blake Corum's opportunity, noting that Sean Payton doesn't typically give rookie running backs significant three-down work.

Breece Hall's situation with the Jets is less favorable than Josh Jacobs' role with the Packers as a three-down back.

Jake targets Brian Robinson as the best handcuff option in this group, believing he's the only one who would get a full bell-cow workload if the lead back gets injured, given the weak backup depth behind him.

Analyst notes uncertainty around Bucky Irving's health status, stating 'If we get really positive news, he's going to move up health-wise. If we get less and less and it seems to be iffier, we're going to talk about Gainwell later.'

If Joe Burrow is healthy and the offense clicks, Chase Brown projects to 15-17 points per game, with upside to top-five RB status if he increases rushing touchdowns from 5-6 to 10-12.

The biggest concern for Chase Brown is rushing touchdown upside; he's been left alone by the Bengals but lacks the TD volume of elite backs.

Chris Rodriguez is exclusively an early-down and goal-line back in the Jaguars offense, limiting his three-down potential compared to Tootin.

McCaffrey is the riskiest of the mid-first round group due to his high touch total last year, making him the most likely not to make it through the season.

McCaffrey had 9.2% slot usage, half the rate of the leading running back with at least 100 touches at 18.4%.

Analyst prefers Hubbard over other mid-seventh round options, believing he could return to being a three-down back like he was two seasons ago, with the Panthers making significant offensive line investments.

Analyst describes Swift as 'the safest one in this entire range' if you want fringe RB2 value, but notes that people don't love him because of this limited ceiling.

Achane is getting too much hate and is being discounted relative to Ashton Jeanty, making him better value despite concerns about the Dolphins offense.

Achane lines up as a receiver with 106 slot alignments and 42 outside alignments last season, making him a truly dynamic pass catcher comparable to CMC and Bijan Robinson.

Achane has legitimate overall RB1 upside and could have a CMC-type season with the amount of times he can catch the ball, despite the team and coaching changes.

Achane lines up in the slot 18.4% of the time, the highest rate of any running back with at least 100 touches, compared to Christian McCaffrey's 9.2%.

Analyst notes that while Dobbins is better than RJ Harvey, Dobbins hasn't been healthy for entire seasons, making Harvey a more reliable option despite the signing.

Analyst projects Price for 240-250 touches and compares him to Raheem Mostert, believing he has significant upside in the Jaguars' rushing-heavy offense with his gap-hitting ability and speed.

Price is the only back in the Jaguars backfield who could theoretically be a three-down back, with demonstrated red zone efficiency and goal-line trust from offensive coordinator Liam Cohen.

Price had 23 red zone attempts as a rookie backup, converting 4 into touchdowns (all inside the 5-yard line) with a conversion rate more impressive than Travis Etienne, plus 2 red zone receptions for 4 touchdowns.

Despite touchdown regression (4 rushing TDs down), Cook ran 100 more times for 600 more yards and improved his yards per carry, yet the industry remains unfairly afraid of him.

Cook doesn't need to catch a ton of passes because the Bills offense gives him plenty of rushing touchdown upside, and he hasn't even reached 1,000 career touches yet.

Jeremiah Love's workload is uncertain as a rookie on one of the worst teams in the league, with Tyler Algier and other backs (Benson, Connor) still on the roster.

Jeremiah Love is unlikely to have an Asante Genti-like rookie season despite being a fourth overall pick, given the Cardinals' depth at running back.

Jake doesn't believe Coleman will get the full workload if the lead back gets injured.

Taylor had 20 total touchdowns with 17 occurring before the bye week in week 11, showing elite early-season production when the Colts' offense was functioning optimally.

Taylor had excellent games against Denver and LA Chargers earlier in the season, proving he can push through terrible matchups.

With Daniel Jones healthy and a better-distributed schedule in 2025, Taylor could see an increase in touchdowns if the Colts become more cautious with Jones' running capabilities.

Taylor averaged 30 points per game in wins but only 10 points in losses, and the Colts are projected for just 7.5 wins, creating significant variance risk.

If healthy and performing like he did coming out of college, Brooks would take the Jaguars job without an injury, offering significant upside in the mid-round range.

Jake likes Brooks as an upside chance, believing if he's healthy and performs like he did in college, he could take the job without needing an injury to the starter.

Tara also targets Brooks, noting that if he stays healthy, he could earn the lead back job in a Panthers offense where no one's role is guaranteed.

Josh Jacobs is the Packers' three-down back and was top-10 in points per game last year despite poor rushing efficiency, making him safer than Kyron Williams or Breece Hall.

Josh Jacobs' situation carries off-field concerns, but analysts recommend ranking him as-is unless something develops in the next month.

Jake likes Mitchell as a flex option, though he doesn't believe Mitchell would get the full workload if the lead back gets injured.

Analyst is a multi-year Gainwell truther, preferring him over Aaron Jones and Rashad White in the mid-ninth round due to his consistent role and reliability.

Kenneth Walker's workload with the Chiefs is uncertain; the team has historically shared passing game work among lead backs despite his new contract.

Kenneth Walker is the safer bet over Jeremiah Love due to the better Chiefs offense, though both carry volume uncertainty.

Kenneth Walker is hoped to be unlocked as a three-down back out of Seattle with Patrick Mahomes, offering wide-open lanes and touchdown opportunities.

Monongai is identified as a high-end handcuff with league-winning upside if DeAndre Swift goes down, offering significant ceiling in the early eighth round.

Kyron Williams is getting too much hate; even with Blake Corum at 40% of the work (vs. 39% last year), he remains a top-tier back in one of the best offenses.

Kyron Williams will maintain elite production in a 60-40 split with Blake Corum in one of the best offenses, with the only downside being Matthew Stafford injury.

Marshawn Lloyd is being undervalued as a handcuff; the Packers have made clear he'd be the next man up if healthy, and he had one game without a rushing TD before his week 11 injury.

Omarion Hampton is very likable with an easy case for upside, sometimes sliding into round three, though Saquon Barkley provides more safety.

When both were healthy at the end of the season, Stevenson was the lead back over Henderson, and was even better than Henderson on a per-touch basis in the passing game.

Analyst now wants Harvey in the early eighth round after he fell further in drafts due to JK Dobbins signing, noting that while Dobbins is better, Dobbins hasn't been healthy for entire seasons.

Saquon Barkley can be the overall RB1 in this tier and is positioned well in mid-round two after being higher than consensus all offseason.

The Eagles will lean heavily on Saquon Barkley as a three-down back because that was the magic sauce that won them a Super Bowl, and new OC Sean Mannion from Green Bay will maintain that reliance.

Saquon Barkley's lack of extreme upside in 2025 is not a major concern given his 340+ carries and postseason workload in 2024, which typically leads to regression.

Jake doesn't think Bigsby will get a full workload because he's not a big pass catcher and will share more carries than people might assume.

Tara prefers Tank Bigsby as the highest upside handcuff option, targeting him as the backup in the Ravens' run-heavy offense with goal-line touchdown upside.

Analyst notes Pollard was garbage in losses (7 losses vs 17 wins last season) but could be an RB2 top-20 if Brian Dable helps the Titans offense as coordinator, though there are many 'maybes' with the middle-pack offense.

At the end of the season, Henderson was in a backup role similar to Warren behind Najee Harris with the Steelers, though there is emerging talk about his prospect pedigree and explosiveness.

If the split goes 60-40 in Henderson's favor over Ramondre Stevenson, analyst believes Henderson could hit the top 15 in the Patriots offense.

Woody Marks is mentioned as part of the 11th-12th round running back collection but receives no specific analysis in the lightning round segment.

Analyst is skeptical of aggressive timelines for Charbonnet's return, noting the average timeline points to November and expressing concern that nine out of ten times getting out aggressively leads to re-injury or diminished performance.

Jake has already made his case that Charbonnet is in a timeshare at best, limiting his upside.