Sportsnaut
It’s time for another 2026 fantasy football season, with the arrival of NFL training camp bringing with it drafts across the globe. The top running backs will once again go off the board early, so we’re highlighting some mid- and late-round options to target in fantasy drafts.
Let’s dive into our list of running backs you should target for fantasy football this season. For this exercise, we’ll focus on ESPN’s average draft position.
Javonte Williams blossomed last season with the Dallas Cowboys, recording over 1,300 scrimmage yards with 13 total touchdowns in 16 games. We think he’s capable of doing a little more this fall. Dallas clearly loves to use Williams near the goal line (T-fifth in carries from inside the 5-yard line) and this offense figures to be one of the best in the NFL in 2026. Williams is absolutely capable of averaging over 4.6 yards per carry again and even if he doesn’t contribute a ton on passing downs, it’s not easy to find 1,100-plus rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns. We’d pick Williams before Josh Jacobs (26.0 ADP), Kenneth Walker III (28.6 ADP) and Cam Skattebo (43.6 ADP).
Related: Underrated Fantasy Football QBs to Target for 2026
We’d understand fantasy football managers being hesitant about investing draft capital in any Cleveland Browns skill player outside of Harold Fannin Jr. It also doesn’t help that Quinshon Judkins spent his first full offseason recovering from a gruesome leg injury and he averaged just 3.0 yards per carry in his final 10 games before the season-ending injury. However, we like the improvements made to the Browns offensive line this offseason and there’s no denying his explosiveness as a ball-carrier. We already view Judkins as a mid-tier RB2 for the upcoming season and with the workload he’ll handle, we think Judkins’ upside is a low-end RB1.
Related: 2026 Dynasty QB Rankings
TreVeyon Henderson wasn’t quite the fantasy football darling everyone hoped for in his rookie season, at least not initially. The New England Patriots brought him along slowly, with the 5-foot-10 back handling just 53 carries (6.6 per game) in his first eight contests. He was unleashed in the second half of the season. From Weeks 9-17, Henderson averaged 14.1 carries and 75.9 rushing yards per game with 8 rushing touchdowns and a 5.4 yards-per-carry average. He also helped out in the passing game (122 receiving yards on 19 receptions). We believe the player who averaged 89.4 scrimmage yards per game with 9 total touchdowns in the second half will be the version of Henderson we get in 2026. The RB1 upside is real.
Related: 2026 Dynasty TE Rankings
David Montgomery was an excellent complementary back for the Detroit Lions, and now he gets his shot to be the primary ball-carrier again. We recognize the Houston Texans‘ offensive line...
