August 25, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Saquon Barkley has accrued more than 800 touches over the past two seasons. Will that start to wear him down?
If you're fortunate enough to get one of the first two picks in your fantasy football draft, don't hesitate.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs or Falcons RB Bijan Robinson should be your pick. They are the quintessential fantasy football league-winning RBs – elite runners, expert pass catchers, home run hitters capable of breaking off an explosive on any carry or catch.
This might be the golden era of wide receivers, but fantasy leagues are still won via elite running back performance, and there aren't enough no-brainers at the position to pass on either if you have the chance to draft them.
After that, there are still some excellent first-round options, but all come with some question marks.
For three specific running backs who are known fantasy studs, 2026 comes with some age and mileage concerns – Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey.
Barkley, 29, enters his ninth season. He's a big, strong workhorse but has also accrued 828 touches over the past two seasons between the regular season and playoffs, just an insane workload for someone who has dealt with numerous injuries in his career.
Henry, a 250-pound unicorn, might be superhuman and comes off a 1,745 total yard season, but there are more than 3,000 touches in that 32-year-old body as he enters his 11th season.
McCaffrey's injury history is well documented. He bounced back with an MVP-caliber 2025 – with 2,126 yards from scrimmage – but deep within the data are underlying metrics that revealed a decrease in efficiency. He averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry for the first season of his nine-year career.
Any or all of those three could be a league winner in 2026; likewise, any or all could be headed for major decline.
Here's a look at our tiers of RBs and our top 25 at the position:
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | Lions |
| 2 | Bijan Robinson | Falcons |
| 3 | Jonathan Taylor | Colts |
Jahmyr Gibbs finished fourth among RBs in Yahoo! scoring last season, but that's because he surrendered snaps – including short yardage and goal line – to David Montgomery, who is now with Houston. Montgomery's departure clears the way for the super explosive Gibbs to assume even more work. He's a threat to score any time he touches the ball and the Lions have a much healthier offensive environment than the Falcons, giving Gibbs the nod over Bijan Robinson.
Jonathan Taylor is the epitome of a workhorse. He won't get you as much in the passing game as Gibbs or Robinson will, but Taylor did finish with more than 370 receiving yards last season to go along with his third season of at least 1,400 rushing yards and fourth season of double-digit TDs. He's a stud, and I wouldn't pass on him even in PPR leagues.
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 4 | Christian McCaffrey | 49ers |
| 5 | Saquon Barkley | Eagles |
| 6 | James Cook | Bills |
| 7 | Chase Brown | Bengals |
| 8 | Kenneth Walker | Chiefs |
| 9 | Derrick Henry | Ravebs |
Christian McCaffrey's 102 receptions made him a league winner, but that's highly unlikely to be duplicated. He hadn't posted that kind of receiving volume since his Carolina days. But don't fade him too much, either. He's still a PPR machine.
The new Eagles offense and focus on wide zone will be an interesting fit with Saquon Barkley's run style. The Eagles appear to be healthier on the o-line, too. There are mileage concerns, but Barkley would also be dangerous to pass on for someone less talented.
I'm always a little skeptical of players coming off breakout seasons, because it's tough to do even better the next season, but Bills RB James Cook has scant competition for snaps in Buffalo's backfield and capitalizes on the attention given to Josh Allen. I'm not sold that Cook will replicate his 1,600-rushing yard season, but his average of 16 total TDs over the past two seasons is viable.
I have zero issue with anyone who ranks Chase Brown in their top five. He's another PPR machine who had the fifth-most RB receptions last year. My only concern is that he's the third on the touches totem pole behind WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, whereas my top six RBs are all heavier volume fantasy performers. Brown ranked 10th among RB total touches last season.
Book it: Kenneth Walker will have a career season with the Chiefs, who plan to run more as Patrick Mahomes works his way back from ACL surgery. Walker won't be competing for touches like he did in Seattle, and he will be running behind a bigger and better overall offensive line with some studs on the interior. The Super Bowl MVP will have a monster workload in 2026 and have the opportunity to produce much more than the 1,309 total yards from last season.
The knocks on Derrick Henry are age and scarce receiving production, so for dynasty leagues and PPR leagues, you might want to target someone younger and with high upside. Also, new OC Declan Doyle could start to trim down Henry's workload. But don't let Henry get out of the second round. He's still a unicorn bellcow who can easily churn out 1,600+ yards and is a sure bet for double-digit rushing TDs.
Under new OC Mike McDaniel's run-heavy scheme, Chargers RB Omarion Hampton could surge up the charts. The 2025 first-round pick is 220 pounds and should be able to handle the heavy workload McDaniel prefers for his RBs. Hampton can catch, too.
On the subject of new play callers, Raiders HC Klint Kubiak's offensive scheme should better suit Ashton Jeanty than the prior regime's scheme. The Raiders don't have many other weapons, so expect Jeanty to lead the offense in touches if he can stay healthy. He's already dealing with an ankle sprain.
A change of scenery, play caller, home stadium and overall environment could do wonders for Travis Etienne, who's now on the track in New Orleans after four seasons in Jacksonville. A dual-threat RB, Etienne averaged 1,440 total yards and 10 TDs in the three seasons that he played 17 games for the Jags. Even with veteran Alvin Kamara stealing some snaps, Etienne should see plenty of work in HC Kellen Moore's fast-paced offense and could be a top-10 RB finisher.
Rams RB Blake Corum logged 88 more touches last year than in his rookie season and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. He's one Kyren Williams injury away from being the featured ball carrier in a run-heavy offense that rolls up points, and he's more explosive than Williams. Take a later-round flier on him.
The mileage on Packers RB Josh Jacobs is concerning. He averaged just 4.0 yards per carry last season and 4.5 yards per touch, both below his career averages. He also could be facing a suspension for an offseason incident. A steep decline could come very quickly for Jacobs.
Giants RB Cam Skattebo isn't very explosive, doesn't avoid contact – invites it, actually – and already sustained several injuries as a rookie. The Giants keep adding at his position. He's a fun player but with a limited ceiling, and I've seen him going as early as Round 3. That's a little rich for me.
Is it realistic to think that 195-pound Dolphins RB De'Von Achane will stockpile another 300+ touches in an entirely new offense and without Mike McDaniel calling plays? Achane has averaged 73 receptions per season across the last two years, which seems unsustainable for someone his size. He's an explosive player but in a terrible offensive environment. He's a fade for me. I'm not even drafting him at the Round 2-3 turn.
The Bucs told you how they felt about RB Bucky Irving when they ponied up $14 million to sign Kenneth Gainwell to a two-year deal. Gainwell should see plenty of work, especially on third down and in the passing game, which makes Irving either a part-time player or part of an RBBC that also includes goal-line RB Sean Tucker.
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 10 | Omarion Hampton | Chargers |
| 11 | Breece Hall | Jets |
| 12 | Jeremiyah Love | Cardinals |
| 13 | Javonte Williams | Cowboys |
| 14 | Ashton Jeanty | Raiders |
| 15 | De'Von Achane | Dolphins |
| 16 | Travis Etienne | Saints |
| 17 | Kyren Williams | Rams |
| 18 | Cam Skattebo | Giants |
| 19 | Josh Jacobs | Packers |
| 20 | D'Andre Swift | Bears |
| 21 | David Montgomery | Texans |
| 22 | Jadarian Price | Seahawks |
| 23 | JK Dobbins | Broncos |
| 24 | Quinshon Judkins | Browns |
| 25 | Blake Corum | Rams |
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