ALL 32 NFL Backfields Breakdown for Fantasy Football 2026 | Sleepers, Handcuffs & Values

Aaron Jones is 31 or 32 years old and getting old, with less steam in the market compared to last offseason.

Jones is in his 30s now and likely has only a passing down role, with limited touchdown upside in an offense that will be pass-heavy in the red zone.

Alvin Kamara will likely get cut post June 1 as part of the Saints' cap management, making him unreliable as a handcuff option.

Ashton Jeanty is the starter for the Las Vegas Raiders and will be the primary target of elite offensive mind Clint Kubiak, who will target him all season long.

Bijan Robinson is ranked really high in early 2026 projections and is considered a clear-cut elite running back at the top of the board.

Braelon Allen is the handcuff to Breece Hall in New York and would likely have the early down role if Hall misses time; he's coming off a brutal knee injury but is the preferred handcuff over Isaiah Davis.

Allen is coming off a pretty brutal knee injury where his knee got completely caved in, which raises questions about his recovery and role.

Breece Hall is the unquestioned RB1 for the New York Jets and is in a pretty decent spot with improvements to the offensive skill positions and a new coaching staff.

If Hall goes down, the backfield becomes a messy committee between Allen and Davis, though not as bad as the Raiders situation.

Brian Robinson is a clear handcuff to Bijan Robinson in Atlanta and would have a strong role as a low-end RB2 at worst if Bijan goes down, likely ranking in the RB15-18 range due to the consolidated offense.

Caleb Williams showed progression last year and could take another step forward, which would help the entire Bears backfield.

Chris Brooks is the likely handcuff to Josh Jacobs in Green Bay and might legitimately be good; he outplayed Emanuel Wilson at times last year and is the better option over Marshon Lloyd.

Chris Rodriguez is RB41 going in the 10th round and leads all running backs in success rate and yards after contact over the last two years, but with a small sample and different usage that may not extrapolate to a full season.

DeAndre Swift was very good last year in the Bears offense and could be a running back 15 this year; he averaged a full yard more per carry than Manungai on zone blocking concepts.

Desmond Reed is a dart throw rookie in the Buffalo backfield behind James Cook.

Devin Neil is a sneaky handcuff to Travis ETN who is basically free in Dynasty and not being drafted, but should change in a couple weeks as he's familiar with Kell Moore's offense.

DJ Giddens is the clear backup to Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis and moves into fun handcuff range; he has similar upside to Pacheco or Bigsby due to his raw athleticism, though the Colts backfield is very thin.

DJ Giddens ripped up the combine and had very good production in college, with a big hive of support; if he were in the 2025 draft class he would be a third or fourth round pick.

Emanuel Wilson was traded from Green Bay to Seattle and is no longer in the Packers backfield.

Emanuel Wilson is the clear handcuff to Jadarian Price early in the season and will be the starter in week one, though he will play more than Price early on.

Isaiah Davis is pretty good in the pass game and would play more in the passing game if Hall missed time, with a historical split showing Davis playing more in the pass game than Allen.

Isaiah Davis is pretty good in the pass game for the Jets and would have a role if Breece Hall misses time, though Braelon Allen is likely the preferred handcuff with the early down role.

Isaiah Pacheco landed well with Detroit as a handcuff to Jalen Gibbs after being on a slippery slope of being unrosterable; he's in a fun handcuff category but not a direct bellcow handcuff like Brian Robinson would be.

Dobbins is dealing with his third or fourth major injury in his career and is a really poor bet at ADP, with questions about how much he has left in the tank.

Jadarian Price could finish as an RB1 this year and has the same home run hitting ability as Kenneth Walker, with potential to rip off big runs and move into second-round discussion by 2027.

James Cook has experienced a huge price correction in ADP and is now a first round pick after being pushed down to round three in previous years; he's earned that status and is a locked-in first round pick with potential to be a dark horse RB1 overall.

Daniels will get 30-40% of the goal line carries and 6-10 carries per game, which limits the upside for Washington running backs in the backfield.

Warren will have solid pass-down work and has been pretty good at the goal line, but is ranked back-to-back with Rico Dowel in ADP and is not expected to be a high-volume player.

Coleman is a workhorse back who is good in every facet but not great at any one facet, with his pathway dependent on Dobbins going down.

Jonathan Taylor is a locked-in first round pick and will be ranked in the top 10 overall in 2026 rankings.

Jordan Mason was a much better running back than Aaron Jones last season and is a good value in the 140s range, with advanced metrics supporting his effectiveness.

Mason is a much better running back than Aaron Jones was last season by advanced metrics and yards after contact, and represents good value in the 140s ADP range.

Josh Jacobs is the clear starter for the Green Bay Packers and will get whatever volume he can handle.

Kendra Miller is still on the Saints roster but Devin Neil is the preferred handcuff option to Travis ETN.

Ray Davis is an awesome late-round pick in the 200s and was treated as a strong contingent upside pick last year; if James Cook goes down, Davis has the early down and goal line role and would have been going in the 140s-150s.

Harvey is expected to lead the Broncos backfield in fantasy scoring and is a really strong pick in the 100s ADP, with a chance to be the pass-catching back for the entire year.

Saquon Barkley is the clear starting running back for Philadelphia with a strong role in the offense.

Seth McGowan is a seventh-round pick in the 2026 draft and is viewed as the running back three in Indianapolis behind Jonathan Taylor and DJ Giddens.

Tank Bigsby is the handcuff to Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia and would have a pretty high volume role if Barkley goes down; he's ranked ahead of Pacheco and possibly ahead of Brian Robinson as a handcuff due to his efficiency and the strength of the Eagles offense.

Travis ETN is in a really good spot in the Kell Moore offense, which has consistently produced fantasy-viable running backs and receivers.

Henderson has significant contingent upside as a round-five pick with more ceiling potential than most players in that range, but struggled in pass protection and has limited current role.

Ty Chandler was signed by the Saints this offseason but Devin Neil is clearly the preferred handcuff option to Travis ETN.

Will Shipley is behind Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby in the Philadelphia backfield depth chart.

Charbonnet had an ACL injury in the playoffs with surgery in February, and may not play this year with a potential return timeline of late December at the earliest.