James Cook wonders if he will finally start catching the ball more in 2026, Jahmyr Gibbs adjusts to life without David Montgomery, and Kenneth Walker III gets familiar with his new Chiefs home.
Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Updated 9/13 at 11:45 AM ET. Removed Alvin Kamara. So much for that.
Week 1 Running Backs
| 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | vs. NO |
| 2 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | at PIT |
| 3 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | at LAR |
| 4 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | vs. BAL |
| 5 | De’Von Achane | MIA | at LV |
| 6 | James Cook | BUF | at HOU |
| 7 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | vs. WAS |
| 8 | Derrick Henry | BAL | at IND |
| 9 | Chase Brown | CIN | vs. TB |
| 10 | Omarion Hampton | LAC | vs. ARI |
| 11 | Kenneth Walker III | KC | vs. DEN |
| 12 | Javonte Williams | DAL | at NYG |
| 13 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | at SEA |
| 14 | Breece Hall | NYJ | at TEN |
| 15 | Travis Etienne Jr. | NO | at DET |
| 16 | Kyren Williams | LAR | vs. SF |
| 17 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | vs. MIA |
| 18 | Jeremiyah Love | ARI | at LAC |
| 19 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | at CAR |
| 20 | David Montgomery | HOU | vs. BUF |
| 21 | Cam Skattebo | NYG | vs. DAL |
| 22 | Quinshon Judkins | CLE | at JAC |
| 23 | Jadarian Price | SEA | vs. NE |
| 24 | Bucky Irving | TB | at CIN |
| 25 | Bhayshul Tuten | JAC | vs. CLE |
| 26 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | vs. ATL |
| 27 | MarShawn Lloyd | GB | at MIN |
| 28 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | vs. CHI |
| 29 | Kyle Monangai | CHI | at CAR |
| 30 | Tony Pollard | TEN | vs. NYJ |
| 31 | Kenny Gainwell | TB | at CIN |
| 32 | Rico Dowdle | PIT | vs. ATL |
| 33 | J.K. Dobbins | DEN | at KC |
| 34 | Blake Corum | LAR | vs. SF |
| 35 | Rachaad White | WAS | at PHI |
| 36 | RJ Harvey | DEN | at KC |
| 37 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS | at PHI |
| 38 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAC | vs. CLE |
| 39 | Jordan Mason | MIN | vs. GB |
| 40 | Jonathon Brooks | CAR | vs. CHI |
| 41 | Woody Marks | HOU | vs. BUF |
| 42 | Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN | vs. GB |
| 43 | Chris Brooks | GB | at MIN |
| 44 | Keaton Mitchell | LAC | vs. ARI |
| 45 | Jonah Coleman | DEN | at KC |
| 46 | Tyjae Spears | TEN | vs. NYJ |
| 47 | Dylan Sampson | CLE | at JAC |
| 48 | Mike Washington Jr. | LV | vs. MIA |
| 49 | George Holani | SEA | vs. NE |
| 50 | Emmett Johnson | KC | vs. DEN |
| 51 | Ray Davis | BUF | at HOU |
| 52 | Kaelon Black | SF | at LAR |
| 53 | Tyler Allgeier | ARI | at LAC |
| 54 | Nicholas Singleton | TEN | vs. NYJRB Notes: As I rationalized several times over the offseason, we are betting on talent with De’Von Achane. The good news for Week 1 is, this is probably one of the rare times we can bet on game environment, too. Although the Dolphins’ opener is on the road in Vegas, they are “only” 3.5-point ‘dogs, likely their “shortest” road line of the season. A big Week 1 won’t necessarily be proof of 2026 Achane concept, but it would still sure be nice. … No one was pounding the table for Saquon Barkely this offseason, myself included. Perhaps that will change after he faces a Commanders run defense that was one of the league’s worst in 2025 as a healthy home favorite. … True to my word, I ended up with zero Omarion Hampton shares in my “managed leagues.” Not a boast, just a fact. I could really be sweating after Week 1. Fan though I wasn’t, Hampton is facing an awful Cardinals defense as a two-score home favorite. The odds are very slim my anti-Hampton bet gets off to a good start. |
With the game kicking off mere hours after this article is set to be published, there’s not much more to say than: Rhamondre Stevenson goes from borderline RB2 to borderline RB1 in TreVeyon Henderson’s absence. For his part, Hendo should be considered on the wrong side of questionable for Week 2 after failing to practice in any capacity in the run up to the opener. … I can think of few worse ways for a running back to begin their career than as a two-score road underdog. So is Jeremiyah Love’s life in the desert. This will be a tough road to hoe. We just have to hope there will be more high-value touches than anticipated in what could prove to be a drastically underrated offense. … Blake Corum received most of the summer’s “lurking RB2 threat” concern, but I have been more dialed in on Kyle Monangai in Chicago. Unlike Kyren Williams, D’Andre Swift’s snap percentage already fell below 60 percent in 2025. Then again, also unlike Kyren, Swift’s backup missed much of August with injury. Monangai appears set to suit up for the opener, but I’m expecting business as 2025 usual for the Bears’ backfield against the Panthers. We’ll see how quickly that changes moving forward.
Between his ankle injury and the endless, breathless Mike Washington Jr. “reports,” Week 1 expectations for Ashton Jeanty are low. That’s a shame since the Raiders are home favorites against what just might be the worst team in the league, Miami. Jeanty’s concerns are real. But the Week 1 decision is easy: Get him in your lineup (please send me $100 for telling you to start Ashton Jeanty). … If the summer Woody Marks “hype” — really just sober-minded reports — is to be believed, David Montgomery’s Texans usage will look far more like his Lions work than initially anticipated. Not ideal if you went all in during early-offseason best ball drafts, but not really a concern for summer managed-league drafters. Montgomery has a dictionary-definition RB2 role. … It was an unsettled summer in terms of Cam Skattebo reports, but we appear back where we started. He seems set for at least 65-70 percent of the Giants’ snaps, and probably a higher percentage of the high-value touches. I am monitoring this offense closely for signs of distress, but I see zero reason to rank Skattebo outside the top 24 for the opener.
The Jadarian Price returns will be some of the earliest of the season. In these final few hours of the “offseason,” I feel comfortable projecting him as a carries- and touchdowns-based RB2. … Bucky Irving burned me about as badly as anyone ever has in 2025. That makes it difficult to rank him absent new data points. For now, I’m going to assume the worst. High-dollar free agent addition Kenneth Gainwell will now be the primary pass-catching back, and Sean Tucker will lurk as a textbook vulture back. Irving is talented enough to turn the page on 2025 and quickly reascend to top-18 status, however. … As is the case with Omarion Hampton, it could be a bad week to be a Bhayshul Tuten fader. The Jags are mammoth home favorites vs. an overmatched Browns squad. The difference here is, Tuten’s touch competition is more immediate and pronounced. This is the kind of contest where Chris Rodriguez Jr. could be called upon as a “closer,” while LeQuint Allen got healthy in time to theoretically steal passing-game snaps. Perhaps more than any other player, I am most anxious to see the Week 1 Tuten returns. … How they found yet another Third Man for this Broncos backfield, it’s hard to say. Just know Jonah Coleman is there, lowering both J.K. Dobbins’ floor and RJ Harvey’s ceiling.
If Tuten is first on my list of players I need to see play, MarShawn Lloyd is a close second. Injury-cursed Lloyd has the opportunity of a lifetime in Josh Jacobs’ absence, but you would have to assume the Packers aren’t dying to immediately shovel 15-plus touches onto his plate. Maybe he quickly proves his health and resilience and indeed becomes a true starting back, but for now Lloyd needs to be treated as a high-variance FLEX. … Behind Lloyd, “system knower” Chris Brooks begins the season as a 14-team league second FLEX option (I say this from experience). … I’m extremely interested in the Titans’ running back deployment. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are both holdovers from previous regimes with expiring contracts. Day 3 selection Nicholas Singleton missed much of the summer with injury, but could quickly mire this committee into a three-man affair. … Few players began the offseason as positively as Jonathon Brooks. Few then closed as poorly. Brooks proved neither his explosiveness nor his health once the pads came on, battling nondescript soreness during the dog days of training camp. Whereas once he appeared to be a MarShawn Lloyd-style upside FLEX, he is now more of an RB4 stash-and-hold
