Fantasy football running back rankings
9 running backs, ordered by where drafters are taking them in PPR scoring.
Updated Oct 7, 2026 at 9:26 PM ET
Standard RB: drafters are taking Jahmyr Gibbs first on the board, ahead of the other 8 running backs ranked here. 7 of these running backs already carry a live player market, and those figures come from the market rather than a draft-order guess.
Running back is the steepest position in fantasy football because the workload is concentrated: the back who takes the carries and the goal line work scores far more than the man behind him on the same team, and that split can change in a single week.
This is the season board. The week is priced separately: Week 5 RB rankings from market data, or every position for Week 5 on one page.
Parlae start or sit calls this season: 2,267 right of 3,916 graded, 4,926 published. Misses stay up. See the record.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 7, 2026 at 9:26 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number
checked 5 minutes ago
What changes in this view
Running backs are the position drafts panic about, because the workload is concentrated: a back who gets the carries and the goal-line work scores far more than the one behind him on the same team, and that split can change in a single week.
This view keeps only running backs and re-numbers them 1 upward in PPR scoring, so a pass-catching back sits higher here than he would on a standard board. Every pick number is the same consensus average draft position used on the full board.
How to draft running backs this season
Running back is the position drafts panic about, and the panic has a real cause. Value at this position comes from workload rather than efficiency, and workload is concentrated: on most teams one back takes the majority of the carries and the work near the goal line, and the back behind him gets a fraction of the scoring even when he is nearly as good. That makes the top of this list far more valuable than the middle, which is the definition of a steep position.
The same concentration is what makes the position volatile. A change in one team's workload split moves two players at once, in opposite directions, and it can happen between one week and the next. That is why running back pick numbers move more between our snapshots than any other position, and why a running back board goes stale faster. The pick numbers here are refreshed from live drafts rather than from a preseason article written once in July.
Reception scoring matters more here than most drafters expect. A back who catches passes on third down accumulates a point per catch in PPR on top of his rushing work, which lifts him above a pure runner with similar rushing production. This board is ordered in PPR. The standard scoring cut of the same board pushes the goal line runners back up.
Where the tier breaks fall, and what they mean
Tiers at running back tend to be short and numerous, which is what a steep position looks like when you cut it honestly. Because each break is a real drop in expected workload rather than a rounding of the list, the cost of waiting one more round is higher here than anywhere else on the board: when a tier at running back empties, the next name is genuinely worse rather than merely later.
- Tier 1 (9 players): Jahmyr Gibbs, James Cook III, Saquon Barkley, Chase Brown, Kenneth Walker, Omarion Hampton, Ashton Jeanty, Jeremiyah Love and 1 more
Tiers recomputed from the live board on Oct 7, 2026 at 9:26 PM ET, inside this view's own pool.
What the market prices for these running backs
| # | Player | Tier | Bye | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jahmyr GibbsRB DET | 1 | 6 | 90.5 rush yds, 37.6 rec yds, 4.6 catches, 76% TD |
| 2 |  James Cook IIIRB BUF | 1 | 7 | 75.5 rush yds, 12.5 rec yds, 52% TD |
| 4 |  Chase BrownRB CIN | 1 | 6 | 67.5 rush yds, 58% TD |
| 6 |  Omarion HamptonRB LAC | 1 | 7 | 38.5 rush yds, 37% TD |
| 7 |  Ashton JeantyRB LV | 1 | 13 | 60.6 rush yds, 23.5 rec yds, 3.5 catches, 54% TD |
| 8 |  Jeremiyah LoveRB ARI | 1 | 14 | 48.5 rush yds, 11.5 rec yds, 2.6 catches, 55% TD |
| 9 |  D'Andre SwiftRB CHI | 1 | 10 | 60.4 rush yds, 13.5 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 44% TD |
| 10 |  Bijan RobinsonRB ATL | 1 | 11 | 89.6 rush yds, 26.5 rec yds, 3.5 catches, 69% TD |
| 11 |  Derrick HenryRB BAL | 1 | 13 | 85.3 rush yds, 5.5 rec yds, 57% TD |
| 12 |  Jonathan TaylorRB IND | 1 | 13 | 88.5 rush yds, 15.5 rec yds, 2.6 catches, 64% TD |
| 13 |  Javonte WilliamsRB DAL | 1 | 14 | 73.5 rush yds, 14.5 rec yds, 2.7 catches, 66% TD |
| 14 |  Kyren WilliamsRB LAR | 1 | 11 | 69.6 rush yds, 19.5 rec yds, 2.7 catches, 62% TD |
| 15 |  Christian McCaffreyRB SF | 1 | 8 | 53.5 rush yds, 35.5 rec yds, 4.6 catches, 56% TD |
| 16 |  Aaron Jones Sr.RB MIN | 1 | 6 | 72.6 rush yds, 18.6 rec yds, 3.6 catches, 51% TD |
| 17 |  Kyle MonangaiRB CHI | 1 | 10 | 51.5 rush yds, 43% TD |
| 18 |  Braelon AllenRB NYJ | 1 | - | 70.6 rush yds, 14.5 rec yds, 2.3 catches, 49% TD |
| 19 |  Bhayshul TutenRB JAX | 1 | 7 | 66.5 rush yds, 9.5 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 50% TD |
| 20 |  Emanuel WilsonRB SEA | 1 | - | 60.6 rush yds, 10.5 rec yds, 1.7 catches, 53% TD |
| 21 |  Ollie GordonRB MIA | 1 | - | 46.5 rush yds, 13.5 rec yds, 38% TD |
| 22 |  Cam SkatteboRB NYG | 1 | 8 | 59.4 rush yds, 12.5 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 45% TD |
| 23 |  Quinshon JudkinsRB CLE | 1 | 11 | 59.5 rush yds, 15.5 rec yds, 2.6 catches, 41% TD |
| 24 |  Jacory Croskey-MerrittRB WAS | 1 | 7 | 55.3 rush yds, 8.5 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 39% TD |
| 25 |  David MontgomeryRB HOU | 1 | 8 | 46.5 rush yds, 8.4 rec yds, 1.5 catches, 46% TD |
| 26 |  Bucky IrvingRB TB | 1 | 10 | 51.6 rush yds, 12.5 rec yds, 2.6 catches, 33% TD |
| 27 |  J.K. DobbinsRB DEN | 1 | 10 | 51.5 rush yds, 4.5 rec yds, 0.5 catches, 40% TD |
| 29 |  Blake CorumRB LAR | 1 | 11 | 31.5 rush yds, 27% TD |
| 30 |  Tony PollardRB TEN | 1 | 9 | 48.6 rush yds, 7.5 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 29% TD |
| 31 |  Keaton MitchellRB LAC | 1 | - | 29.5 rush yds, 25% TD |
| 32 |  RJ HarveyRB DEN | 1 | 10 | 18.5 rush yds, 26.6 rec yds, 4.6 catches, 32% TD |
| 33 |  Chris Rodriguez Jr.RB JAX | 1 | 7 | 26.6 rush yds, 23% TD |
| 34 |  Jaylen WrightRB MIA | 1 | - | 21.6 rush yds, 28% TD |
| 35 |  Tyler AllgeierRB ARI | 1 | - | 27.5 rush yds, 12.5 rec yds, 2.2 catches, 31% TD |
| 36 |  Woody MarksRB HOU | 1 | 8 | 27.7 rush yds, 7.5 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 33% TD |
| 37 |  George HolaniRB SEA | 1 | - | 21.5 rush yds, 10.5 rec yds, 1.7 catches, 26% TD |
| 38 |  Najee HarrisRB NYG | 1 | - | 30.6 rush yds, 4.5 rec yds, 0.5 catches, 21% TD |
| 39 |  Rhamondre StevensonRB NE | 1 | 11 | 53% TD |
| 40 |  TreVeyon HendersonRB NE | 1 | 11 | 53% TD |
| 41 |  Breece HallRB NYJ | 1 | 13 | 52% TD |
| 42 |  Ty JohnsonRB BUF | 1 | - | 16% TD |
| 43 |  Kenny GainwellRB TB | 1 | 10 | 12.5 rush yds, 10.5 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 18% TD |
| 44 |  Justice HillRB BAL | 1 | - | 11.5 rush yds, 7.5 rec yds, 12% TD |
| 45 |  Tyjae SpearsRB TEN | 1 | - | 14.5 rush yds, 9.4 rec yds, 1.6 catches, 15% TD |
| 46 |  MarShawn LloydRB GB | 1 | 11 | 39% TD |
| 47 |  Rico DowdleRB PIT | 1 | 9 | 38% TD |
| 48 |  Tyler GoodsonRB DAL | 1 | - | 16.5 rush yds, 0.5 rec yds, 0.5 catches, 12% TD |
| 49 |  Isaiah DavisRB NYJ | 1 | - | 10.5 rush yds, 0.6 catches, 16% TD |
| 50 |  Rachaad WhiteRB WAS | 1 | 7 | 31% TD |
Heads up: this view currently has only 9 players with real consensus draft data, well under the 15 we require before we treat a board as complete. Very few drafts in this format have happened yet upstream, and we will not pad the list with numbers borrowed from another format. The page is left open so you can see exactly what does exist, and it fills in as the drafts come in.
Running back rankings
- 1. Jahmyr GibbsRB1 · DET · Tier 1 · bye 6 · 26 draftsno draft data
- 2. James Cook IIIRB2 · BUF · Tier 1 · bye 7 · 42 draftsno draft data
- 3. Saquon BarkleyRB3 · PHI · Tier 1 · bye 10 · 35 draftsno draft data
- 4. Chase BrownRB4 · CIN · Tier 1 · bye 6 · 37 draftsno draft data
- 5. Kenneth WalkerRB5 · KC · Tier 1 · bye 5 · 33 draftsno draft data
- 6. Omarion HamptonRB6 · LAC · Tier 1 · bye 7 · 35 draftsno draft data
- 7. Ashton JeantyRB7 · LV · Tier 1 · bye 13 · 26 draftsno draft data
- 8. Jeremiyah LoveRB8 · ARI · Tier 1 · bye 14 · 18 draftsno draft data
- 9. D'Andre SwiftRB9 · CHI · Tier 1 · bye 10 · 18 draftsno draft data
Other cuts of this board
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The pick numbers come from consensus average draft position across thousands of live drafts (Fantasy Football Calculator consensus ADP), covering 219 draftable players in total. Nobody here is given an invented projection.