Last year, my good friend McKenzy beat me (and the rest of our friends!) in Fantasy Football because she drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba. How did she have the foresight to land on JSN in Round 3? She read the FFT Newsletter and “picked the guys with the coolest names from the list of players that Gibbs liked.” Sure, the Rome Odunze pick didn’t end up working out, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba sure did! Shoutout Kenzy.
(By the way, you can find a discussion about ‘this year’s JSN candidates‘ on Beyond the Box Score!)
Whatever capacity you find yourself enjoying Fantasy Football content this draft August, I wanna say thank you for being here. Oh, you binge every single second of Beyond the Box Score? Wow. Shoutout you. Maybe you just skim through the FFT Newsletter from time to time. Kenzy’s a mom of three, the fact that she ever finds time to look at the emails I send her is incredible.
Maybe you’ve been here from the beginning and know to read my voice as if delivered by Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers. I’ve met some people who print out the newsletter and bring it to their drafts. That was particularly endearing to hear, it reminded me of bygone days when I was co-managing Fantasy teams with my dad and making rookie mistakes like selecting two QBs in the first 10 rounds only to realize they shared a bye week.
Wherever you’re at in your Fantasy Football journey, thank you for sharing it with me. Today, we’re going to talk about the most important position in Fantasy.
Often maligned as insignificant for real-life footballing, running backs stay near-and-dear to the hearts of Fantasy Football players. Nothing can quite replicate the impact of a good ole trustworthy bell-cow anchoring a high-scoring Fantasy squad. Let’s examine the 2026 Fantasy RB landscape together.
It’s that time of year when Fantasy Football rankings are always changing! I’m going to do my best to keep y’all up-to-date with my just in rankings in this space, but be sure to also tune into Beyond the Box Score and follow me on Twitter, if you have the time! Especially as we get close to your draft date, it’s worth knowing exactly what’s going on with the ever-shifting Fantasy landscape!
Below are the RB rankings I sent out last week. And below them, you’ll find the biggest risers/fallers in my rankings at the position.
RB Rankings (Half-PPR)
Wanna know more about some of the biggest risers in Fantasy? I provided film cut-ups of just about every relevant new face for Fantasy Football purposes on my Twitter account! I also discussed some notable takeaways from the weekend’s preseason action on BTB!
Year 1 RB film thread
Year 2 RB film thread
2026 Fantasy Football RB Strategy
I highly recommend that you check out this RB Advice BTB Playlist, if you can find the time. You’ll learn all you need to know about the 2026 RB options and how I’m navigating the position.
Simply: RB is extremely important. If breaking a tie between two players you like, you’ll probably be well-served to choose the RB. There are 12 running backs I draft ahead of Brock Bowers, even in PPR formats, even though I expect huge things from the Year 3 tight end. There are 18 running backs I draft ahead of Josh Allen. I have eight running backs inside my top-13 overall players and 12 inside my top-18.
The position is probably going to fly off the shelves in your Fantasy draft. In 2026, we have a deep pool of running backs who project to play a significant role for their offense. David Montgomery looks like a legitimate bell-cow candidate on a decent offense, and he’s not inside my top-20 at the position.
There are 20-ish running backs to feel really good about, and there is an additional handful of hopefuls to feel excited about. Almost all of those players will be drafted by the time Round 6 rolls around.
I almost always draft a RB with one of my first two picks. I prefer to have at least two running backs through three rounds. If I do not have two running backs by Round 4-5, I will take one there.
I do not draft very many running backs between Rounds 6-10. I want to grab 2-3 early, and then, depending on how many bench spots are available, I like to load up on an additional 3-8 lottery tickets at RB.
2026 Player Takes at RB
Favorite Anchor – Ashton Jeanty
There are a bunch of candidates. I have Jeanty, Chase Brown, Omarion Hampton, Kenneth Walker, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and De’Von Achane all ranked similarly. If you prefer any of those backs, that’s fine. A lot of people are out on Jeanty because of (checks notes) his struggles behind a historically putrid offensive line in an offense pioneered by a coaching staff that was immediately fired after one embarrassing year. Wait, that can’t be right. Is that right? That’s really why some of us doubt a massively-talented dual threat RB?
Jeanty held up under true bell-cow usage as a rookie. He’s paired up with a genius offensive mind in Klint Kubiak, and his offensive line projects to be significantly improved. He has a receiving role, which might only be accentuated in games where the Raiders are playing from behind. Contrast that to Jonathan Taylor — I actually rank JT behind Jeanty, as crazy as it feels to do so — the Colts might play from behind a ton, and Taylor’s numbers have felt a tangible negative impact in such game scripts. Jeanty feels locked into a massive workload, so as long as his offense isn’t league-worst, I think we can feel comfortable that he’ll deliver a safe median outcome. And the top to his range of outcomes could be massive. What if Kubiak turns the Raiders around in a surprising way in Year 1? What if Jeanty gives us massive volume and explosive plays?
Favorite Breakout – Bhayshul Tuten
I do not think we can fairly evaluate Tuten’s rookie season, given the context of his role. Liam Coen has told us this offseason that things are going to be much different in Year 2.
There’s massive scoring upside for Tuten in Coen’s offense. There’s risk, of course. As long as you don’t have to depend on Tuten to be your RB1, I view him as a fantastic pick anywhere after the first four rounds. And I’m okay with him as a back-end Round 4 selection.
Favorite Plan B – D’Andre Swift
If I don’t have my RB2 by the time Round 4 rolls around, I’m targeting Swift. He plays in an awesome run design with a mauling offensive line. Ben Johnson has hinted at getting him more targets in 2026. Swift is a solid bet for RB2 production, even while sharing a backfield with Kyle Monangai, and he could be a league-winner if his violent young teammate ever misses time as a result of a reckless (and heroic) running style. Swift made a noticeable change as a runner last year, showing more decisiveness than ever before. He’s a good player in a good offense with a great play-caller. That’s a winning formula for Fantasy.
Favorite Faller – Bucky Irving
I presented my case for Bucky in this Rotowire podcast with Theo Gremminger. It’s pretty simple. As a rookie, he looked like a truly special player — both on film and in advanced metrics. If Tampa’s offensive line is healthy and Zac Robinson is simply adequate (both if’s would result in a huge improvement from last year’s circumstances), Irving could show us again who he is. A healthy Bucky Irving is not a player who is often taken off the field. On paper, his role is uncertain. That’s why he sometimes falls in drafts. I’m willing to bet on a bounce-back when he falls to Round 5.
Favorite Sleeper – Demond Claiborne
(I discussed Minnesota’s backfield recently on BTB)
Claiborne is a good runner with exceptional explosiveness. His film reminded me of Bhayshul Tuten at times — it’s his feel for space and ability to maintain forward momentum while navigating traffic at a high speed. Tuten didn’t get a fair shot to show that trait off in Year 1, in my opinion. I think a big Year 2 is coming as long as Jacksonville’s offensive line is even passable. With Claiborne set to run behind a Minnesota Vikings line that could legitimately be a plus, I’m intrigued. Both Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason feel like relative risks to miss time with injury.
Dan and I are discussing every sleeper under the Sun on BTB this Wednesday! Be sure to check back in for more Fantasy Football content!
