2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: RBs 1-10
1) Bijan Robinson
Playstyle: Hybrid, Home-run hitter
Team role(s): Offensive centerpiece, Every-down back
Offensive coordinator: Tommy Rees (new, Browns OC in 2025)
You can’t really go wrong with Bijan or Gibbs here, but Bijan deserves at least a slight edge due to having more of an every-down role in the sense that we’ve seen the Lions time and again favor another back around the goal line – or just randomly on certain drives – and Detroit did sign Isiah Pacheco who is essentially a prototypical one-cut power back.
Then the only reason he tops the list over CMC is simply injury history (yes I’ve drafted CMC #1 overall before).
If Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson had a baby, that baby would have grown up to be Bijan Robinson.
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Bijan has the agility to crumple any defender in space, the acceleration to hit top speed the second he bursts through the hole, the strength to run over any opponent like Adam Devine getting run over by a cement truck, and the speed to turn any handoff into a handoff.
Last season, among running backs, Robinson ranked:
- 2nd in fantasy points per game and total points to only CMC
- 2nd to only CMC in receptions and targets
- 2nd to only CMC in receiving yards
- 4th in rushing yards
- 5th in carries
The Falcons have the perfect combination of one of the best space-creating offensive lines in the league and one of the most talented backs in the NFL at using every inch of available space to his full advantage.
In 2025, Bijan saw the eighth-most yards before contact per attempt and the fourth-most total YBC while he also ranked fourth in yards after contact and 11th in YAC per attempt (per Pro Football Reference).
The only real concern or surprising aspect of Robinson’s 2025 performance was his lack of scoring as a rusher, as he ranked outside the top 15 in rushing touchdowns and outside the top 10 backs in red zone rushing share while ranking inside the top five in essentially every volume-based RB metric.
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However, that surprising footnote isn’t anywhere close to significantly impacting Bijan’s 2026 fantasy stock (he did also score four times as a receiver in addition to his eight rushing TDs), and you can draft him first overall as confidently as you can count on the sun rising tomorrow.
It’s worth noting Bijan has a new offensive coordinator, but Tommy Rees has been historically known for RB-centered, run-first offenses which could raise the young Falcons playmaker’s fantasy stock even higher.
2) Jahmyr Gibbs
Playstyle: Speed back, Home-run hitter
Team role(s): Offensive centerpiece, Third-down/receiving back (3DRB)
Offensive coordinator: Drew Petzing (new, 2023-2025 Cardinals OC)
Jahmyr Gibbs is a unicorn of a running back talent, the likes of whose combination of speed and natural running ability we probably haven’t seen since Chris Johnson.
As one of the most-used receiving backs in the NFL as well, its impossible not to rank Gibbs among the top three backs when it comes to PPR scoring.
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Plus, with David Montgomery gone, Detroit’s backfield should now finally be Gibbs’ on almost every down.
Among 2025 RBs, Gibbs finished:
- 3rd in fantasy PPG & PRK
- Tied for 3rd in rush TDs
- 3rd in receptions & targets
- 3rd in receiving yards
- Tied for 3rd in receiving TDs
- 7th in rush yards
Impressively, Gibbs obtained the six top-10 stats above despite ranking just outside the top-10 backs in carries as his production was phenomenal and his combination of acceleration and speed means Gibbs doesn’t need many touches to make a monumental fantasy impact.
Evidence for that ridiculous efficiency lies in the fact that the rising Lions star was one of only four RBs with 240+ carries that also managed to average at least five yards per tote (according to ESPN).
And evidence of his explosiveness lies within his runs for big gains, as Gibbs ranked tied for third in rushes for 20+ yards last season with 10.
Furthermore, with Montgomery gone, Gibbs’ 2026 carries should only increase.
Finally, as one final proof point of his earth-shattering homerun potential, just a reminder that Gibbs somehow accounted for three of the top four spots on Next Gen Stats’ Fastest Ball Carriers list and was the only player in the NFL who cracked 22 MPH multiple times in 2025.
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Even with a new offensive coordinator, Gibbs is probably still the most-talented overall offensive player Detroit has which means barring a 2025 Eagles-esque offensive collapse Gibbs will produce like a top five fantasy RB in 2026.
3) Christian McCaffrey
Playstyle: Hybrid
Team role(s): Offensive centerpiece, Every-down back
Offensive coordinator: Klay Kubiak (same, 49ers OC since 2025)
If he was younger and had less injury history, CMC would have to clear the top spot on this year’s list considering he plays in an offense that fits him perfectly and led the position in fantasy PPG and PRK last season.
Add in Deebo Samuel’s return which spells in at least small reduction in CMC carries and catches with Samuel lining up in the backfield, and the logic for CMC’s #3 ranking on this season’s list becomes clear.
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McCaffrey is the prototypical modern NFL back as he can truly do it all in terms of running hard between the tackles, breaking loose down the sideline for long gains, and is probably the second or third best pass-catcher on his team.
Those skills translated to the following 2025 running back rankings:
- 1st in fantasy PPG & PRK
- 1st in catches & targets (100+ each)
- 1st in receiving yards (924)
- 1st in receiving TDs
- 2nd in carries
- 8th in rush yards
He was the only running back in the NFL with more than 103 targets as he finished the 2025 season with an eye-popping 129 targets, and it is that receiving volume and talent that truly sets him apart as he is basically an RB1 and WR2 combined.
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According to ESPN Analytics, Christian McCaffrey had the highest overall receiver score among all RBs (99), was tied for first in catch rating (99), tied for 3rd in yards per route (2.1), and routes with 494, over 100 more than the next closest player (Bijan) as he was the only RB who ran more than 377 routes.
After leading all NFL RBs in catches (102), targets (129), receiving yards (924), and touchdowns (7), its no longer possible to come even remotely close to doubting CMC as a first-round fantasy draft pick and unless his injury bug resurfaces he’ll probably lead RBs in fantasy points again this fantasy season.
4) Jonathan Taylor
Playstyle: Power back
Team role(s): Offensive centerpiece, Every-down back
Offensive coordinator: Jim Bob Cooter (same, Colts OC since 2023)
Jonathan Taylor is prototypical, one-cut, power back with one major difference which keeps him in the top five every year: He also has breakaway speed.
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JT has a rare, almost Adrian Peterson-like combination of strength and quickness and he has incredible field vision that allows him to burst through open holes, of which there are many thanks to his constantly-high carry total in addition to the Colts’ elite offensive line.
Coming in just ahead of Cook due to having same OC since 2023 while Cook has a new one (and as Saquon and A.J. Brown owners know all too well sometimes OC continuity can make a world of difference), here’s his numbers stacked up against last year’s RB competition:
- 4th in fantasy PPG & PRK
- 1st in carries
- 1st in rush TDs
- 3rd in rushing yards
- 7th in receiving yards
- 9th in receptions & targets
Taylor has that rare combination of a top-10 rushing and receiving workload at the position as he cleared the top 9 backs in carries, rushing yards, targets, and receiving yards.
Outside of this year’s top 3 fantasy RBs, Taylor might be the safest pick in the entire draft considering he just led the league in carries and produced like a top five back despite objectively the most inept quarterback play in the NFL from an offensive perspective towards the end of the season.
In spite of losing Daniel Jones and Anthony to season-long injuries while the Colts had a nonexistent passing game at times, Taylor still managed to crack 4.9 yards per carry, ranking 10th in the NFL.
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Plus, if his age or years of wear and tear terrify you, I’m here to remind you that he ranked first on Next Gen Stats‘ Fastest Ball Carriers list as no other players broken his 22.38 MPH mark that he set on a 43-yard reception back in Week 2.
As long as his starting QB doesn’t tear a major ligament while the backup shoots his eye out in pregame warmups, Jonathan Taylor will be a top five fantasy RB.
Moreover, he’ll still be a high-end RB1 even if the entire Colts QB room spontaneously combusts and fantasy owners should remind themselves that his 2025 consistency was remarkable especially in the face of Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson’s injuries: Taylor scored double-digit fantasy points in all but three of his outings last season, including six-straight double-digit weeks from Weeks 13-17.
5) James Cook
Playstyle: Speed back, Homerun hitter
Team role(s): RB1, Goal-line back
Offensive coordinator: Pete Carmichael Jr (new, Denver Broncos senior offensive assistant in 24-25)
James Cook was nothing short of a miracle for Bills fans in 2025, as Dalvin Cook’s younger brother ran roughshod over teams like they stole his ability to masturbate.
Cook has elite deep speed combined with maybe the best ball-carrier vision in the league, which allows him to take full advantage of rushing lanes that are often wide-open courtesy of playing with possibly the best quarterback in the NFL and the creative offense he plays in.
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In terms of last season’s RBs, Cook ranked:
- 6th in fantasy PPG and PRK
- 1st in rushing yards
- 3rd in carries
- 4th in rush yards after contact
- Tied for 5th in rush TDs
- 9th in broken tackles
The only cause for concern and the main reason last season’s rushing leader ranks towards the middle of the list instead of inside the top 3 lies in Ty Johnson’s legitimate role as a receiving RB and scatback in Buffalo as the amount of time Johnson is on the field has to infuriate Cook owners.
In 2025, Johnson finished within ten targets and receptions of Cooks’ final numbers while Cook also finished outside the top 15 backs in both categories.
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Although, considering Cooks’ youth durability advantage over Achane (plus the fact that Cook plays in the Bills’ offense with Josh Allen while the Dolphins are working with an arguably unproven commodity), Cooks barely clears the list over the Dolphins playmakers
Furthermore, there is a legitimate argument that the Bills now have the best offensive line in the league as James Cook led the NFL in rushing yards before contact with 935, while no other RB has more than 870 (per Pro Football Reference). He also led the NFL in rush yards over expected.
Finally, Cook should also have more scoring opportunities than Achane due to the nature of the Bills being one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league and being the Bills’ goal-line back. While many fantasy owners likely fear Josh Allen vulturing TDs, its worth remembering that Cook led all Bills rushers in red zone rushing share with 47% which was 20% more than Josh Allen’s and 30% higher than Ty Johnson’s share.
6) De’Von Achane
Playstyle: Speed back, Homerun hitter
Team role(s): RB1, Receiving back/3DRB
Offensive coordinator: Bobby Slowik (new, Dolphins senior passing game coordinator in 2025)
De’Von Achane’s 2025 numbers were absolutely astounding, but he comes in just outside of the top 5 simply because there are an abundance of elite RBs, many of which play in offenses with more proven scoring potential than the Dolphins and Malik Willis who has yet to start an entire season.
However, Achane is an immensely talented, explosive back who is likely the best receiving back in the game with top-15 rushing volume to boot.
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His ability to fly down the sideline is exhilarating to watch, and his pure speed is one of the many reasons the Dolphins draw up plays like their basement dehumidifiers are dependent on getting the ball into the hands of their most explosive playmaker as much as possible.
In terms of 2025 RBs, Achane ranked:
- 5th in fantasy PPG & PRK
- 4th in receiving yards
- 5th in targets
- 5th in rush yards
- 6th in receptions
- Tied for 8th in receiving TDs
Like my cat shitting in the shower even though he showed me just yesterday he knows how to do that in the litter box, I’m going to once again prove beyond a shadow of a doubt the blazing speed that Achane plays with every game by mentioning he led the NFL in yards per carry with a witchcraft-worthy 5.7 on over 200 carries and ranked second in rushes for 20+ yards with 13.
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If Achane had placed inside the top 10 in carries and/or rushing TDs rather than outside of both stats last season, he might find himself ranked a hair higher, but for the moment this is a pretty fair spot to grab him at considering the aforementioned factors and the fact that he was RB5 just last year.
7) Derrick Henry
Playstyle: One-cut, Power back, Homerun hitter
Team role(s): RB1, Goal-line back
Offensive coordinator: Declan Doyle (new, Bears OC in 2025)
“What’s Derrick Henry doing up here?”
“Isn’t he an old man.”
Fuck your shit AND LOOK AT THESE MOTHAFUCKIN STATS:
- 8th in fantasy PPG & PRK
- 1st in rushes for 20+ yards
- 2nd in rushing yards
- 2nd in rushing TDs
- 2nd in yards after contact
- 4th in carries
Derrick Henry plays like the son of Eddie George and Chris Johnson, and this Ravens rusher doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon as Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill owners have seen the birth and death of their hype train while Henry has been stiff-arming and running through and around defenders like they are children.
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With Lamar Jackson’s skillset, the Ravens will be built around their running game and offensive line for years to come, and that offensive scheme combined with Henry’s break-tackle ability and vision is a fantasy combination the likes of which we haven’t seen in the Ravens backfield objectively since Willis McGahee.
Consequently, the Ravens have built one of the most dominant offensive lines in the league, allowing Henry ample open holes to get churning downhill. In 2025, Henry ranked second to only James Cook in rushing yards before contact (per Pro Football Reference).
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Considering the Eagles insane offensive ineptitude last year, the fact that we don’t know what the Cardinals offense will look like and Love being a rookie, and factoring in how the Raiders’ offensive line resembled tissue paper in 2025, Henry has good reason to clear the list over Barkley, Love, and Jeanty especially with his age-defying analytics.
8) Ashton Jeanty
Playstyle: Hybrid
Team role(s): Every-down back
Offensive coordinator: Nathaniel Hackett (new, Jets OC in 2023 – 2024)
Jeanty is a true hybrid of a running back in terms of his skillset, and it was that skillset that forced the Raiders to use a top 10 pick on him in last year’s draft.
Jeanty has the change of direction ability to drop any defender in space, the deep speed for long gains, and a knack for trucking defenders like its Madden 08 and you’re using Larry Johnson.
While impressive, his skillset doesn’t cancel out maybe the worst offensive line we’ve seen in the past decade, and it will be excruciatingly difficult for Las Vegas to turn around that entire unit in less than 12 months.
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Albeit somewhat lackluster for his fantasy draft position last year, its impressive that Jeanty still clawed his way to the following impressive rankings amongst his RB counterparts last season even though he had the worst offensive line out of any of them:
- 11th in PRK & 16th in PPG
- Tied for 3rd in receiving TDs
- 7th in carries
- 7th in receptions & targets
- 10th in receiving yards
- 18th in rushing yards
Jeanty finished outside the top 15 running backs when it came to rushing touchdowns, but the workload and opportunity was there and will be there in 2026 with a better offense and fresh QB. In 2025, Jeanty trailed only Christian McCaffrey in red zone rushing share with 75.6% of all the Raiders’ red zone carries (per Pro Football Reference) as he and CMC were the only RBs to crack the 70% mark.
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With the Raiders spending such a high pick on him just a season ago, a new quarterback who is not Geno Smith, and a new coaching staff, much like Saquon, Jeanty’s 2026 fantasy season can really only improve unless Jeanty tears every ligament in his body and the Raiders face Bobby Bouche every week.
Searching desperately for one more proof point of Jeanty’s eliteness in the face of the Raiders’ SHITEness? Over half – 556 to be exact – of Jeanty’s 975 rushing yards last season came after contact as the Las Vegas feature RB was literally carrying the team on his back the entire season.
9) Saquon Barkley
Playstyle: Hybrid, Homerun hitter
Team role(s): Offensive centerpiece, Every-down back
Offensive coordinator: Sean Mannion (new, Packers QB coach in 2025)
If it weren’t for the birth of Kevin Patullo, Saquon Barkley would have had an exponentially more productive season in 2025 and would have found himself higher on this year’s list.
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His skillset has not changed, he’s still the same do-it-all RB he was last season, and he showed it at times in 2025.
While the entire Eagles offense took a massive step back last season, here were some impressive RB rankings he did accrue:
- 14th in PRK & 15th in fantasy PPG
- 6th in carries
- 8th in total touches
- 10th in rushing yards
- Tied for 10th in broken tackles
- 15th in total scrimmage yards
With a new OC in 2026, things can’t get worse for the Eagles at least… right?
That’s essentially the main argument for Saquon’s spot on our 2026 top 10, and its an objectively logical one since he ranked 14th in fantasy PPG while being weighed down by literally the worst play caller I have ever seen at any level, and the core components of the Eagles offense from last year are returning.
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Its fair to say there is somewhat of a dropoff after the Achane/Cook tier, but Barkley edges Jeremiyah Love and Ashton Jeanty out for the eighth spot due to the fact that neither have rushed for 1,000 yards yet in the NFL and as we saw with Jeanty, just because a team drafts an RB high and gives them fantasy RB1 volume does not inherently make them a fantasy RB1 on a weekly basis especially if the team plays with the professionalism of a Ben Simmons three-pointer.
10) Jeremiyah Love
Playstyle: Hybrid
Team role(s): Every-down back
Offensive coordinator: Nathaniel Hackett (new, Jets OC in 2023 – 2024)
Like Jeanty last season, we know based on how high Love was drafted that he will start for the Cardinals and likely be their every-down back with elite volume.
Like Jeanty, we also know Love has a rare combination of contact balance and burst required of most top 10 RBs, so unless the Cardinals offensive line resembles the 2025 Raiders (which is unlikely considering what we saw from JC/Benson/Knight just last season), Love will likely be a fantasy RB1 and should probably outperform Jeanty when one considers the kind of offensive line turnaround that would be required to get Jeanty towards the top of this list.
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Among all of the RBs who entered their names into the 2025 NFL draft, Love led all of them in yards per carry (6.66) and yards after contact (4.16) in addition to ranking second in forced missed tackle percentage (3.5) during his career.
Known for being a willing and skillful pass blocker and receiver who never fumbles (one on 496 NCAA touches), Love should immediately become the Cardinals’ feature back in all phases and will thus be an RB1 based on volume alone.
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