Here we’ll look at the incoming second-year running backs, sorted by their current consensus ADP. We’ll take a look back at their rookie campaigns and what needs to go right for them to be fantasy hits in 2026.
The 2025 season wasn’t some outright disaster for Ashton Jeanty but we can all acknowledge it was a disappointing fantasy campaign. After being drafted as a consensus Round 1 to 2 turn player, he finished as the RB17 in points per game. Much of that was due to chaos on offense, stemming from the coaching staff, which had a particularly debilitating impact on the offensive line. The Raiders ranked 31st in yards before contact on running back runs in 2025, which shows how poorly they blocked up front and how little space Jeanty was afforded.
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Things should be very different now that Klint Kubiak has been hired as the head coach. You know what you’re getting with Kubiak: a run game that’s going to have a clear vision and cohesion. All of that was sorely lacking in Vegas last season. Adding Tyler Linderbaum as the center helps in the talent department, as well.
Fantasy managers have already baked in an Ashton Jeanty leap with this early ADP. I was a skeptic of Jeanty at this cost last year, but this season, I’m in.
Omarion Hampton led all rookie running backs in yards from scrimmage per game last season with 81.9. He was good when he was on the field, finishing with 3.35 yards after contact per rush. We just didn’t see him return to full form after missing a long stretch of the season with an ankle injury he suffered in Week 5. However, we saw enough in 2025 to say Hampton is definitely good and capable of carrying the load.
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He should get an instant boost to his outlook this season with Mike McDaniel hired on as the offensive coordinator. The team also clearly showed their hand with their player acquisitions by adding fullback Alec Ingold and blocking tight end Charlie Kolar in free agency and doubling back for David Njoku after the NFL Draft. This team wants to lean into heavy formations and run the ball with volume while being efficient through the air.
You can make an argument that Hampton fits McDaniels’ run game better than Greg Roman’s gap-based world, given his rushing style. According to Fantasy Points Data, the Chargers ranked 30th in outside zone runs in 2025, while the Dolphins finished with the seventh-most.
While at first blush, Hampton’s ADP of 17th overall might feel highly aggressive given how little we’ve seen, but when you consider all these positive changes and his crystal clear talent, the enthusiasm is warranted.
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Rumors swirled all through the offseason that the Giants were looking to hook a big fish in free agency or the NFL Draft at the running back position but neither materialized. That means that Cam Skattebo now has a shot to offer an encore on his rookie season where he led this class with 14.5 fantasy points per game.
Now, it’s worth looking under the hood to note that the Giants weren’t some dominant run game in the weeks where he was handling heavy volume (Weeks 3 to 7 prior to injury early Week 8). They ranked 18th in EPA per RB rush, 21st in yards per RB rush, 26th in yards after contact per RB rush, and 18th in success rate. New York just happened to be fourth in RB rushes during that time.
However, it’s perfectly reasonable to assert that the offensive line and structure of the unit were bigger culprits than Skattebo himself. The new Giants brass has done a lot with additions along the offensive line, beefing out the tight end room, adding Pat Ricard at fullback and hiring Greg Roman as a run-game czar to fix that. If everything comes together and the defense is better in 2026, the Giants may well end up being a strong run-heavy team. If he’s healthy, it’s hard not to see Skattebo at the very least leading a committee in this backfield, if he’s healthy. That last variable is key to track after he missed most of the season with a major injury.
If Quinshon Judkins wasn’t coming off a late-season fractured fibula and dislocated ankle, he would be much higher on this list. Yes, he plays for the Browns; hardly the bastion of offensive fireworks. We can only get so excited about a lead back on a team that won’t be projected to score many points with its quarterback situation.
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That said, the Browns overhauled an offensive line that was miserable last season and a ground game that was generally lifeless. Cleveland ranked dead last in yards before contact per running back rush attempt and 28th in EPA per rush. And yet, Judkins trailed only Hampton in rushing yards per game among this class and that was without a real offseason of ramp-up amid legal issues. When healthy, he proved himself a powerful, explosive runner who was targeted on 22% of his routes.
Todd Monken is a creative offensive mind with a strong recent track record of designing good run games. That’s an upgrade over what we saw last season. Depending on his health reports this offseason through training camp, Judkins may well end up a priority target for me in this range.
From a bottom-line perspective, TreVeyon Henderson had a good rookie season. He finished second among the group with 911 rushing yards (5.1 per carry) and scored 10 total touchdowns in the regular season.
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However, so much of Henderson’s production came in games where Rhamondre Stevenson missed time. It’s also quite difficult for me to get out of my head that the Patriots, during their run to the Super Bowl, gave the rookie 35 touches to 70 for Stevenson. Their snap rate was 31% to 70.3%. Through the regular and postseason, Stevenson took his 232 touches for 1,291 yards and Henderson took his 250 for 1,241. There’s a chance this split looks exactly like it did last year.
At the same time, Henderson could just take a leap in his own right this offseason, particularly as a passing-down player, where he underwhelmed as a rookie. The Patriots’ running game as a whole (20th in success rate on running back runs) should be better after they added several tight ends and refurbished the offensive line. That was a hindrance to both backs last year. I don’t really come away from Henderson’s rookie campaign with a strong take about him either way.
Bhayshul Tuten’s 47% rushing success rate led all rookie backs last season and 27% of his carries went for a first down or touchdown. He wasn’t given much work last season but did execute when he got his opportunities. With Travis Etienne Jr. gone, there’s now more opening.
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Tuten won’t be alone in the backfield, as Chris Rodriguez Jr. was brought in to reunite with Liam Coen, who coached him in college, and passing down specialist LeQuint Allen Jr. will be back in his defined role. The nightmare-but-realistic scenario for Tuten would be that Rodriguez holds down the goal-line role while Allen’s protection skills keep him on the field in passing games. Tuten would then have to live off explosive early-down runs and designed work in the receiving department. That’s fine at his ADP but would limit the ceiling.
You saw real flashes of good fundamental running and receiving skills. There’s a real ceiling here if Tuten can take another step and have a strong offseason. He’s by no means a lock but a good upside bet in the 60s.
RJ Harvey – RB28, 74th overall
RJ Harvey is a tricky case. He led the rookies with 12 touchdowns from scrimmage and finished the regular season on a high note for fantasy managers. His 58 targets trailed only Ashton Jeanty among rookie backs. Still, I have no clear vision for how to value him as a leap candidate in 2026 and I’m not sure the Broncos do, either.
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In Weeks 1 to 10 with JK Dobbins as the clear lead back, the Broncos were 12th in yards after contact per rush on their running back runs. From Week 11 on, they ranked 30th while ranking eighth in yards before contact per running-back rushing attempt. Harvey largely flopped as a lead ball-carrier and didn’t add anything on his own to a well-designed run scheme and well-blocked concepts.
The Broncos brought back Dobbins and drafted Jonah Coleman, who is a consistent and smart three-down option, in Round 4. It looks like Denver knows Harvey needs at least one if not two, complementary forces in the backfield. That means he needs to be a real weapon on passing downs, as he was last season, to hold down a productive role. However, Coleman is a solid receiver and sturdy pass-blocker. He can eat into those snaps. There’s a bull case available for Harvey but it does involve another Dobbins injury and Coleman being less than just a guy in the league — both are not impossible.
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Of all the ADPs we’ve gone through so far, Kyle Monangai, who is barely hanging in the top-100, is one of my favorites. The Bears run game was electric in 2025 and the seventh-round rookie was a big part of that, averaging 46.1 yards per game and scoring five times. Monangai was a master of consistently churning out positive runs, gaining five-plus yards on a whopping 43% of his carries in the regular season, the best rate in the class.
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There’s some outside risk that the Bears rushing attack takes a small step back after Drew Dalman retired and with some uncertainty at left tackle. However, all that risk is baked in at 92nd overall.
What’s not baked in here is the odds that Monangai takes a step forward over D’Andre Swift in 2026. Swift is only 27 years old, so he’s not a cliff risk but there’s always a chance the rookie just improves in Year 2. From Week 10 on, Swift only out-targeted Monangai 24 to 16 and they split the work inside the 10-yard line evenly. Making headway as a receiver is the key for Monangai breaking out further but for now, he has standalone value and injury-based upside.
Other names to note outside the top-100 in ADP
Jacory Croskey-Merrit (RB39) has a shot to be the lead back in Washington this year, especially on early downs. He’s likely competing with fellow Day 3 draft pick Kaytron Allen, while Rachaad White holds down passing down duties.
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Woody Marks (RB46) likely lost any shot at the early-down gig when the team traded for David Montgomery. He could still hang onto some third-down duties but Montgomery is a capable blocker. He’s more likely just injury insurance in fantasy.
Dylan Sampson (RB54) got plenty of work as a rookie and even led the group that had over 100 opportunities by being the target on 28% of his routes. He’s a really quality pass-catcher and could even continue to contribute in that role alongside Judkins.
Ollie Gordon (RB62) had some run as a banger back and short-yardage specialist. He turned 29% of his carries into a first down or touchdown. Several members of the Dolphins offensive coaching staff from 2025 are still in place despite Mike McDaniels’ departure, so he has a shot to retain that gig.
Jordan James (RB68) faces competition from San Francisco’s latest foray into the mid-round running back world from rookie Kaelon Black. Whoever emerges from that battle will be a name to know on waiver-wire speed dial if Christian McCaffrey ever goes down.
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Jaydon Blue (RB73) had a disastrous rookie season and there’s little reason to expect him to push Javonte Williams for touches. However, he did finish on a high note with 16 carries for 64 yards and a score in Week 18. Maybe that’s enough for him to hang around, especially since Dallas didn’t add to the position.
Kaleb Johnson (RB75) is the biggest faller in the class after basically being shelved for most of his rookie season. There’s a chance he could emerge with a new coaching staff but they also signed Rico Dowdle and have Jaylen Warren back. It’s a long shot.
