Over the past several years, we’ve seen a shift in the minds of fantasy football managers to prioritize the WR position early on in drafts.
However, the NFL is moving more towards heavy 12-personnel packages, which could significantly limit the overall impact of WRs further on down draft boards. This also allows for more opportunities for RBs to be factors again – particularly in the passing game.
How does that affect and shape the overall RB landscape as we go into 2026? Who should be your top priorities to target when you’re on the clock at every level of your draft?
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2026 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
1 | Bijan Robinson, ATL
2 | Jahmyr Gibbs, DET
3 | Jonathan Taylor, IND
4 | Christian McCaffrey, SF
5 | James Cook III, BUF
6 | Ashton Jeanty, LV
7 | De’Von Achane, MIA
8 | Omarion Hampton, LAC
9 | Chase Brown, CIN
10 | Saquon Barkley, PHI
11 | Derrick Henry, BAL
12 | Kenneth Walker III, KC
13 | Jeremiyah Love, ARI
14 | Kyren Williams, LAR
15 | Breece Hall, NYJ
16 | Josh Jacobs, GB
17 | Cam Skattebo, NYG
18 | Javonte Williams, DAL
19 | Travis Etienne Jr., NO
20 | Quinshon Judkins, CLE
21 | David Montgomery, HOU
22 | TreVeyon Henderson, NE
23 | Bucky Irving, TB
24 | D’Andre Swift, CHI
25 | Bhayshul Tuten, JAC
26 | Jadarian Price, SEA
27 | Jaylen Warren, PIT
28 | Rico Dowdle, PIT
29 | Chuba Hubbard, CAR
30 | Tony Pollard, TEN
31 | Rhamondre Stevenson, NE
32 | RJ Harvey, DEN
33 | Kyle Monangai, CHI
34 | Blake Corum, LAR
35 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WAS
36 | J.K. Dobbins, DEN
37 | Aaron Jones Sr., MIN
38 | Kenneth Gainwell, TB
39 | Chris Rodriguez Jr., JAC
40 | Rachaad White, WAS
41 | Jordan Mason, MIN
42 | Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG
43 | Tyler Allgeier, ARI
44 | Woody Marks, HOU
45 | Jonathon Brooks, CAR
46 | Zach Charbonnet, SEA
47 | Tyjae Spears, TEN
48 | Isiah Pacheco, DET
49 | Keaton Mitchell, LAC
50 | Dylan Sampson, CLE
51 | Alvin Kamara, NO
52 | Tank Bigsby, PHI
53 | Brian Robinson Jr., ATL
54 | Braelon Allen, NYJ
55 | Emanuel Wilson, SEA
56 | Jonah Coleman, DEN
57 | James Conner, ARI
58 | Emmett Johnson, KC
59 | Kimani Vidal, LAC
60 | Sean Tucker, TB
61 | Ray Davis, BUF
62 | Mike Washington Jr., LV
63 | Kaytron Allen, WAS
64 | Nicholas Singleton, TEN
65 | Jaylen Wright, MIA
66 | Ollie Gordon II, MIA
67 | Devin Neal, NO
68 | Kaleb Johnson, PIT
69 | Trey Benson, ARI
70 | MarShawn Lloyd, GB
71 | Kendre Miller, NO
72 | Demond Claiborne, MIN
73 | Chris Brooks, GB
74 | Isaiah Davis, NYJ
75 | Ty Johnson, BUF
76 | Justice Hill, BAL
77 | Malik Davis, DAL
78 | DJ Giddens, IND
79 | Jordan James, SF
80 | Jaydon Blue, DAL
81 | Emari Demercado, KC
82 | Najee Harris, LAC
83 | Brashard Smith, KC
84 | Seth McGowan, IND
85 | Samaje Perine, CIN
86 | Jerome Ford, WAS
87 | Devin Singletary, NYG
88 | George Holani, SEA
89 | Adam Randall, BAL
90 | Isaac Guerendo, SF
91 | LeQuint Allen Jr., JAC
92 | Joe Mixon, FA
93 | J’Mari Taylor, JAC
94 | Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN
95 | Kaelon Black, SF
96 | Jarquez Hunter, LAR
97 | Trevor Etienne, CAR
98 | Tahj Brooks, CIN
99 | Audric Estime, NO
100 | Kareem Hunt, FA
101 | Bam Knight, ARI
102 | Will Shipley, PHI
103 | Nick Chubb, FA
104 | Michael Carter, TEN
105 | Eli Heidenreich, PIT
106 | Austin Ekeler, FA
107 | Jawhar Jordan, HOU
108 | Raheim Sanders, CLE
109 | Raheem Mostert, LV
110 | Terrell Jennings, NE
111 | Dameon Pierce, PHI
112 | Antonio Gibson, FA
113 | Rasheen Ali, BAL
114 | Roschon Johnson, CHI
115 | Kyle Juszczyk, SF
116 | Jam Miller, NE
117 | Damien Martinez, GB
118 | Alec Ingold, LAC
119 | Patrick Ricard, NYG
120 | Khalil Herbert, FA
121 | Dylan Laube, LV
122 | Hunter Luepke, DAL
123 | Max Bredeson, MIN
124 | Tyler Goodson, ATL
125 | Adam Prentice, DEN
The Top RBs to Target in Fantasy Football
David Montgomery, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans clearly looked at their offense last season and didn’t like what they saw. They have significantly overhauled their offensive line to become more physical and dominating in the run game, which should help take pressure off of CJ Stroud and help them control the clock with their defense.
However, they didn’t have the right pieces in place to assist in that with Nick Chubb and Woody Marks last year. Chubb left after his contract was up, but Marks doesn’t exactly profile as a true workhorse option and that’s why they went aggressively after Montgomery on the trade market to address a critical need.
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The narrative surrounding Montgomery though is that he’s lost a significant step and is no longer capable of being a competent lead back for a backfield. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Out of all qualified rushers last season, per NextGen Stats, David Montgomery finished with the 11th-most Yards Over Expected per Rush Attempt with .8. This was more than players like Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor, Breece Hall, Saquon Barkley, and Kenneth Walker.
Longevity in Houston is probably a good discussion point – in regards to how long specifically Montgomery will be able to handle a sizable workload over the course of the next few years – but that doesn’t necessarily matter for redraft leagues. Houston is going to lean on Montgomery heavily this season and then most likely look to the 2027 NFL Draft class for his long-term replacement.
He’s going to have a substantial workload this season, both as a runner and receiver out of the backfield, and he’s currently flying under the radar in redraft leagues. He’s a player that will most likely continue to rise in my fantasy football rankings from where he is now over the course of the rest of the offseason.
