Every fantasy football manager knows how quickly things can change when it comes to one of the most physical positions in football — running back. Staying prepared and knowing which backs are next in line for touches will always give you an edge on the competition.
It’s also important to understand which backups have a chance to rise the depth chart based on talent, which ones are poised for a leading role when injuries strike and those who would max out as part of a less appealing replacement committee.
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Here’s how I’m ranking the top backup running backs based on their fantasy potential in 2026, following the NFL Draft.
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With the Rams not making any notable additions to the backfield, Corum maintains his spot as the top backup RB for fantasy. This comes after he took a major step forward in Year 2, earning a larger role behind Kyren Williams and ultimately finishing with 782 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns. His best production came in the second half of the season, when he topped 50 yards in seven of his last 10 outings, including 81 yards and a touchdown in Week 13, 131 yards and two TDs in Week 14, 71 yards and a score in Week 15 and 61 yards and a TD in Week 16.
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Williams and Corum, who will both turn 26 later this year, seem locked into a timeshare backfield, which makes Williams a fantasy RB2 while Corum is an RB3 with enticing upside in favorable game scripts. Corum also carries more fantasy value thanks to being the No. 2 back in a Sean McVay system that tends to turn any starter into a quality fantasy option. Bottom line, Corum is one injury away from being a top-12 fantasy back.
There are a few backfields that will be highly debated for fantasy purposes between now and Week 1. The Patriots are at the top of that list, with last year’s second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson often taking a backseat to Stevenson during his rookie campaign. Even with Stevenson heavily involved, Henderson ended the season with 911 rushing yards, 221 receiving yards and 10 total TDs. The 23-year-old was a top-10 fantasy back over the final eight weeks and flashed more than enough potential to think he’ll grow into a bigger role and become a weekly fantasy difference-maker as early as this season.
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That doesn’t mean Stevenson won’t have value. The veteran will still be used plenty and is likely going to see more touches than Henderson’s fantasy managers would like in 2026. Though he’s not as sexy of a fantasy selection as some of the other names on this list, Stevenson will have plenty of standalone value as a RB3/flex option. Just don’t be surprised when his touches slowly decline as the more explosive Henderson gains the coaches’ trust — which is why the sophomore is being drafted as RB20 while Stevenson is going off the board as RB28.
There aren’t many running backs who can brag that they posted over 1,300 scrimmage yards each of the past two seasons, but Dowdle is one of them. He accomplished the feat in 2024 with the Cowboys and again last season with the Panthers, when he overtook an injured Chuba Hubbard and erupted with a pair of 200-yard games before eventually cooling off down the stretch. Now, he joins the Steelers, where he’ll reunite with his former head coach Mike McCarthy, who knows him well from their time together in Dallas. That could result in Dowdle capturing a significant role in Pittsburgh’s offense and perhaps even replacing Jaylen Warren as the lead back at some point.
Pittsburgh also has last year’s third-round pick Kaleb Johnson, who doesn’t appear to be slated for much of a role, as well as this year’s seventh-round pick Eli Heindenreich, who is a jack of all trades that might carve out a few offensive touches. For now, Warren and Dowdle seem poised to handle the bulk of the workload in a timeshare that looks like it could be a frustrating one for fantasy, since it has the potential to shift in either direction on a weekly basis. That ambiguity makes Dowdle an interesting fantasy pick though, since we’ve already seen him rise to the top of uncertain backfields in recent years. Even if he remains behind Warren, Dowdle will have a chance to offer fantasy RB3 production while holding massive one-injury-away upside.
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The Bears were one of the backfields that could have been hit hard by an addition this offseason, but that move never materialized. That leaves D’Andre Swift as the lead back with Monangai as a very strong backup.
It took a month for Monangai to make his presence felt last year, but like most rookies, he did his best work after the bye. From Week 6 on, Monangai was the RB26 in fantasy points per game and finished the season with 947 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers are even more impressive when you realize that Swift was the RB10 during that same span and ended the year with 1,386 yards and 10 touchdowns of his own. The 60-40 split is likely to continue and, given how well Ben Johnson’s rushing attack has performed, Monangai will offer weekly fantasy RB3 results in the No. 2 spot.
Just don’t forget what happened in the lone game Swift was sidelined. In that contest, Monangai capitalized on a soft Bengals’ defense and poured in 176 rushing yards and 22 receiving yards. So there’s a serious ceiling waiting to be unlocked if Swift were forced to sit out at any point.
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A competition is brewing in the Jaguars’ backfield between 23-year-old Bhayshul Tuten and Rodriguez, who will turn 27 during the season. Rodriguez has been in the league for three years and hasn’t topped 500 rushing yards, so consider me skeptical that a fantasy breakout is coming for a veteran with very little upside as a pass-catcher. Even if Tuten fails to emerge as a true lead back, Rodriguez would find himself in a committee with a fantasy ceiling as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3.
It’s worth noting that last season, Tuten had over 100 touches and starter Travis Etienne Jr. was still a top-10 fantasy back on a per game basis. So Rodriguez will have a sizable role, while also providing his managers with one-injury-away upside in a very strong Liam Coen offense.
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Allgeier was a mainstay on this list as a member of the Cardinals, but was likely hoping to get a starting opportunity when he signed with Arizona in free agency. Unfortunately for him, the Cards decided to use the third overall pick on high-end prospect Jeremiyah Love — relegating Allgeier to backup duties once again.
Even in a supporting role, the veteran back has found a way to be productive for fantasy with seven touchdowns for the Falcons last season. Whether he gets that kind of usage in the desert remains to be seen, but the former 1,000-yard rusher is a premier backup who would crush as a top-20 fantasy RB — if Love was sidelined with an injury.
All of a sudden the Broncos’ backfield seems crowded. J.K. Dobbins has returned and will likely begin the season as the starter once again, but like every other campaign in his career, an injury seems inevitable. Prior to the draft, that put Harvey in a similar situation to last season, when he was RB9 on a per game basis (15.3 fppg) from Week 11 on, with four top-12 weekly finishes over his last six outings.
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However, Denver drafted Jonah Coleman in the fourth round, which complicates Harvey’s outlook. He no longer has the same one-injury away upside, since Coleman would likely step into the Dobbins’ spot if the veteran missed time. That doesn’t mean Harvey isn’t valuable for fantasy. As a rookie playing in a part-time role alongside Dobbins, Harvey was the RB33 (8.7 fppg) and a boom-or-bust flex option before the veteran got hurt. Just understand that Harvey would need multiple injuries to occur around him in order to unlock the top-10 fantasy ceiling we saw from him down the stretch last year.
Gainwell didn’t find a starting job in free agency, but he came away with the next best thing. In Tampa Bay, he’ll step into Rachaad White’s old role as an overqualified No. 2 back with weekly RB3/flex potential thanks to his pass-catching prowess. Last year in Pittsburgh, Gainwell caught 73 balls for 486 yards and three touchdowns, while finishing the year with over 1,000 scrimmage yards and eight total TDs.
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He also proved to be more than capable of handling the starting job when called upon. In the four games where Gainwell saw at least 15 touches for the Steelers, he posted 134 yards and two TDs in the first, 105 yards in the second, 122 yards in the third and 126 yards in the fourth. If Bucky Irving misses time again, Gainwell will immediately be in the conversation as a top-15 fantasy back, while giving up a small amount of work to Sean Tucker.
Robinson has quietly occupied a spot in my top-10 backup running backs for multiple seasons now. He’s only two seasons removed from posting 1,101 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns, while finishing as the RB21 in fantasy points per game as a member of the Commanders. He was a must-roster bench stash last season as the next man up behind Christian McCaffrey, who surprised everyone by staying healthy all season.
Now, Robinson joins the Falcons, where he’ll serve a similar role behind another superstar back in Bijan Robinson. Unlike a lot of the other names on the list, I don’t expect him to offer much in terms of flex value, but he would instantly vault into the top-20 fantasy RBs if Bijan suffers an injury.
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The Vikings almost moved on from Aaron Jones Sr. before a last-minute contract revision kept him in Minnesota. However, the veteran back will turn 32 in December and comes with an extensive injury history, including 11 missed games over the last three seasons. While Mason hasn’t pushed his way past Jones on the depth chart, he has been productive in his opportunities. Despite the struggles of the offense as a whole, when Jones was out of the lineup for over a month early in the season (Week 3 to Week 7), Mason was the RB16 in fppg.
And when Jones sat out Week 18, Mason had his second-highest yardage total of the season with 94 yards on 14 carries. With Kyler Murray’s arrival hopefully breathing life into the offense, Mason could be a sneaky stash who might emerge as Minnesota’s lead back if Jones hits the trainer’s table again. Just note that sixth-round rookie Demond Claiborne could factor into the mix as a lightning fast big-play threat, who would pair well with Mason. If Claiborne is up to the task, it would lower any potential fantasy ceiling Mason offered.
Just missed the top 10
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Backups who could challenge current starter
Rookies backups who could carve out a role
Backups with Flex potential
High-upside backups with question marks
Rookies backups who will challenge for No. 2 role
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Mike Washington Jr., Raiders
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Demond Claiborne, Vikings
Upside backups to stash
Former starters with unclear futures
Backups to stash in deep leagues
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Eli Heidenreich, Steelers
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