Running back remains the position that wins and loses fantasy drafts, and 2026 is shaping up as a two-horse race at the very top with a deep, injury-fueled scramble for everything after it.
Quick take:
- Top name: Jahmyr Gibbs
- Why: David Montgomery is gone, so Gibbs inherits the goal-line work to go with his league-best big-play ability
- The number to watch: Gibbs finished last season with 243 carries and 94 targets — both numbers only go up now that he owns the backfield outright
The consensus at the top hasn’t changed much from a year ago, but the names jockeying for position two through eight tell the more interesting story. Between quarterback upgrades in Indianapolis, a new play-caller in Las Vegas, and a healthier offensive line in Los Angeles, several 2025 disappointments are being drafted like potential 2026 breakouts.
Gibbs and Bijan Robinson Headline a True Tier One
Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson are the two players nearly every outlet has bunched together atop the position, and for good reason. Robinson finished 2025 as the overall RB2 while piling up 366 touches — third-most in the NFL — and with backup Tyler Allgeier now in Arizona, there’s no meaningful competition left for those touches in Atlanta. Gibbs, meanwhile, closed as fantasy’s RB3 with 21.6 points per game, and Montgomery’s departure means the goal-line work that used to get siphoned off now belongs to Gibbs alone. Detroit’s offensive line is in some flux after losing longtime left tackle Taylor Decker, with Penei Sewell sliding over and rookie Blake Miller stepping in at right tackle, but even a middling Lions line shouldn’t be enough to knock Gibbs out of the top two.
Jonathan Taylor’s Ceiling Hinges on Daniel Jones
Jonathan Taylor is the name to watch in the next tier down, and his outlook is really a referendum on his quarterback. Taylor led the NFL with 323 carries last season and was putting up an MVP-caliber 27.2 PPR points per game through his first ten weeks — before Daniel Jones fractured his fibula and later tore his Achilles, sending Taylor’s production down to an ordinary 12.9 points per game the rest of the way. If Jones returns healthy, Taylor’s workhorse role in Indianapolis makes him a legitimate threat to finish as the top back in football. Christian McCaffrey and his 129 targets — now paired with a fresh receiving threat in Mike Evans pulling coverage away — round out the group of backs capable of a true RB1 overall finish.
The Year 2 Breakout Names: Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton
No two second-year backs carry more helium than Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton, and both landed new offensive coordinators built to feature the run game. Jeanty played through arguably the league’s worst offensive line as a rookie and still finished as fantasy’s RB13 in half-PPR scoring on 266 carries and 55 catches, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry despite obvious talent. Las Vegas responded by signing center Tyler Linderbaum away from Baltimore and hiring Klint Kubiak to run the offense — a combination several analysts see pushing Jeanty back toward a top-five finish. Hampton missed half his rookie year with an ankle injury but still averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game when healthy, and new Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel — who leaned on heavy run schemes in Miami — arrives with fullback Alec Ingold and tight end Charlie Kolar as fresh blocking pieces.
Every top-10 running back drafted since 2015 has finished among the top eight in fantasy points per game by his second season.
That trend is exactly why Jeanty and Hampton are being drafted as potential league-winners rather than repeats of their rookie-year frustration. It’s a short track record, but it’s a perfect one. If you’re testing that thesis in a best ball or DFS format, sites like Underdog Fantasy make it easy to build lineups around exactly this kind of breakout bet.
Beyond that second tier, the position gets murkier fast. Derrick Henry, James Cook and Saquon Barkley all carry real workhorse volume, while Kyren Williams, Josh Jacobs and Breece Hall profile as high-floor RB2s who could spike into RB1 weeks depending on game script. Rookie Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame is the headline name from this year’s draft class after landing in a projected top-10 slot, drawing early comparisons to the Jeanty/Bijan Robinson rookie buzz — though the depth behind him in this class is considered thinner than a year ago. For managers who like to attack player props alongside season-long rankings, checking a ParlayPlay promo code before locking in Week 1 lineups is worth the extra few minutes.
The Bottom Line
Draft Gibbs or Robinson with a top-two pick and don’t overthink it — this remains the clearest two-player tier at any position in fantasy. After that, prioritize workload certainty (Taylor, McCaffrey) before chasing name value, and don’t be afraid to bet on the Jeanty/Hampton breakout thesis given the clean historical precedent for second-year jumps.
- Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson form fantasy’s only true elite tier at the position
- Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton carry the best year-two breakout profiles in the league
Whoever you land in the first two rounds, build your RB room around volume first and touchdown upside second — that formula still wins leagues.
