2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Bijan Robinson Leads The Top 20 Running Backs

Week by week, I will continue to roll out my 2026 fantasy football rankings and provide breakdowns of each position.

With my 2026 quarterback rankings and 2026 wide receiver rankings in the books, it's time to move on to the top 20 running backs ahead of the fantasy football offseason.

The Top-20 RBs In My 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings

1. Bijan Robinson | ATL

Everyone knows how damn good Bijan Robinson is, and it's totally acceptable to believe he'll be drafted 1.01 overall this season. Kevin Stefanski is the new head coach in Atlanta, and we can all remember the prime years he had with Nick Chubb. In Chubb’s two healthiest seasons with the Browns, he was fourth in the league in carries (530) and second among running backs in yards per carry (5.3).

Last season, Robinson was second among all running backs in targets (102), receiving yards (820) and third in total touches (366). Another important note is that Tyler Allgeier is an upcoming free agent. Robinson managers remember the pain they felt when Allgeier scored eight times, but now that he's likely gone, we are looking at huge touchdown upside for Robinson in 2026.

2. Jahmyr Gibbs | DET

Jahmyr Gibbs was elite yet again, and we could be looking at a backfield next season that doesn't have David Montgomery. Lions general manager Brad Holmes said that the team could consider trading Montgomery this offseason.

Gibbs had the starting role last season and started all 17 games, locking down 1,223 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 243 carries. Montgomery saw 158 carries for 716 yards (both career lows) with eight touchdowns. To give an even bigger glimpse, Gibbs played 713 snaps compared to Montgomery's 395. If Gibbs gets everything, he's an easy contender to finish as the overall RB1.

3. Christian McCaffrey | SF

We are going to be having the exact same injury/workload conversation this season as we did last season. Last year, some fantasy managers stayed away from Christian McCaffrey because of his injuries, but CMC proved them wrong. He started a career-high 17 games and scored the 12th-most fantasy points of any player in history (416.6) according to ESPN. This is going to be a rinse-and-repeat conversation now, because McCaffrey is going to be 30 years old and coming off 2,284 total touches in his career. I'm probably going to be priced out of CMC this season, but I'm going to be OK with it.

4. Jonathan Taylor | IND

The season started so hot for Jonathan Taylor; from Weeks 1-13, he averaged 24.8 PPG (RB2 behind McCaffrey). And then … the fantasy playoffs happened. In Weeks 14-17 during the playoffs, he averaged only 14.7 PPG (RB16). Still, Taylor tied a career-high with 20 total touchdowns, and his 1,585 rushing yards were his most since 2021. He's a bell-cow running back and is only going to be 27 years old when the season starts. Sign me up!

5. De'Von Achane | MIA

We have another bell-cow back in De'Von Achane for 2026, but some questions do loom with a new head coach in town. There is a chance that head coach Jeff Hafley decides to limit Achane in the coming year, but we can't ignore his 238 carries and over 1,300 yards from the previous season. I can't put my full trust in this coaching staff just yet, but Achane still remains a running back I want to target for my squads.

6. James Cook | BUF

Remember the conversations about James Cook regression? Yeah, he looked us in the face and absolutely laughed! He had more carries and yards in 2025 than in 2024 and scored 14 total touchdowns. Cook finished as the RB6, but really lacked in the receiving game (33 catches for 291 yards and two touchdowns). People might not like the Joe Brady hire from an NFL perspective, but in fantasy, it makes me believe that Cook will have a somewhat similar workload in 2026, which means he's more than worthy of a first-round pick.

7. Ashton Jeanty | LV

At the time of writing this article, the Raiders still don't have a head coach (yikes). The belief is that they are holding out for Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Whoever the new head coach is, they're going to have their hands full. This team was atrocious last season, and the offensive line was a glaring problem. According to PFF, Las Vegas' offensive line gave up 47 sacks, and its 79.3 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating ranked dead last in the NFL.

The problem was not and will never be Ashton Jeanty. I believe in the talent, and even though the offensive line was bad, Jeanty still managed to finish as the RB16 with 14.3 PPG.

8. Omarion Hampton | LAC

Matthew Berry's Ride or Die from 2025 unfortunately didn't see much of the field after he fractured his left ankle in Week 5. He finished as the RB16 and was also working behind an injured offensive line. With Mike McDaniel coming to town, Hampton could be truly unlocked. When McDaniel was in Miami last season, De'Von Achane finished with 238 attempts for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns. And how could we forget the passing work? Achane also finished with 67 receptions for 488 yards and four touchdowns on 85 targets. If we get a full, healthy season from Hampton, the sky's the limit.

9. Saquon Barkley | PHI

Saquon Barkley came back down to earth in 2025. He had 280 carries and only 1,140 yards on the ground, a huge drop from his 345 carries and 2,005 yards in 2024. The good news is that Kevin Patullo is gone. While the new offensive coordinator has a lot of unknowns, it feels like it can't get worse … right? According to ESPN, scoring dropped from 27.2 (ranked seventh) to 22.3 (19th) points per game this season, offensive efficiency went from fourth best in the NFL to 19th and the ground game went from 179 yards per game (second) to 116.9 (18th).

This is a bet on Barkley, and I am going to be trying to get him everywhere at a discounted cost.

10. Bucky Irving | TB

Another year, another offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay fired Josh Grizzard after one year as offensive coordinator after the offense finished 21st in yards per game (320.4) and 18th in points scored per game (22.4). Bucky Irving was only able to play in 10 games last season due to ankle and shoulder injuries, but getting healthy this offseason should put him on pace for a stellar 2026. Plus, Rachaad White is set to hit free agency, which means more opportunities could be coming Irving's way.

11. Chase Brown | CIN

Chase Brown is a key offensive piece for the Bengals, and rumor has it that his representation is in talks with the team regarding a new deal. He started all 17 games last season and was 11th in the NFL in scrimmage yards with a team-high 1,456. He was also sixth among all running backs with 437 receiving yards. I'm expecting much of the same since the Bengals kept Zac Taylor around and that means solid fantasy outings from Brown.

The Best Of The Rest ...

12. Josh Jacobs

13. Derrick Henry

14. Kyren Williams

15. TreVeyon Henderson

16. Travis Etienne

17. Cam Skattebo

18. Kenneth Walker

19. Breece Hall

20. RJ Harvey