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2026 Free Agent Running Back Rankings
1. Breece Hall, Jets
Fantasy managers around the world have been clamoring for this day for a while now. With Breece Hall wasting his prime with the Jets, everyone – including Hall himself – will be cheering when he finally breaks out of New York. He is the embodiment of the Bugatti in the trailer park meme. Now there’s a chance the Jets use the franchise tag on him, but let’s hope they don’t ruin everyone’s fun.
Breece Hall’s Advanced Statistics and Statistics Profile
Hall is the cream of the crop in this year’s free agent RB class and deserves a chance to shine with a competent offense. Still just 24 years old, Hall is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season as a pro. Unfortunately, a lack of catches and scoring opportunities in a putrid offense led to his worst fantasy season per game, as he averaged just 13.0 PPR points per game.
He still has plenty left in the tank, though, and a change of scenery should do him some good. He’s a true three-down back who already has an overall RB2 annual finish (2023) to his name. If he lands in a better situation, Hall should be back in the RB1 conversation. If he stays in New York in 2026, send him to a high-end RB2 and pray things improve offensively for the Jets.
2. Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks
For the first time in his career, Kenneth Walker suited up for all 17 games in 2025. Unfortunately, durability didn’t translate into fantasy success. Like Hall, he is coming off his worst fantasy season per game, averaging just 11.3 PPR points per game. Thanks to Zach Charbonnet’s constant screeching at the goal line, Walker finished as the RB28 in average and RB22 in total points. Not great, Bob.
That said, Walker played well in OC Klint Kubiak’s system, posting a career-best 4.7 YPC and racking up over 1,300 total yards on 252 touches. His fantasy numbers just didn’t pan out as he only found payroll dirt five times.
It will be an interesting offseason for the 25-year-old former second-round pick. As the 2025 season progressed, many assumed Walker would leave town for greener pastures. Plans may have changed when Charbonnet tore his ACL in the playoffs; the Seahawks may now view Walker as a priority and push to re-sign him. If he returns to Seattle with a clearer path to volume, or signs somewhere he wants to show up, Walker has the ability to be a difference-maker in fantasy. However, we must pay attention to the landing site. If he ends up in a crowded backfield again, it could be another frustrating season for fantasy managers.
3. Travis Etienne, Jaguars
It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Travis Etienne in his five seasons as a pro. He joined his Clemson teammate Trevor Lawrence as a first-round pick in 2021 but missed his entire rookie year due to a Lisfranc injury. He came back the next year and rushed for 1,125 yards and five scores, and followed that up in 2023 by averaging 16.6 fantasy PPG on pure volume. Then his play collapsed in 2024 — Etienne went from RB3 overall the year prior to RB35 — while recording just 558 rushing yards and two total TDs.
Enter Liam Coen. With a new play-caller and a new scheme, Etienne played as a top back again in 2025, finishing with 1,399 yards and a career-high 13 TDs. If he stays in Jacksonville, Etienne has an edge at the low-end RB1, as he will likely continue to get enough work to make up for the mediocre efficiency.
Travis Etienne’s 2025 EPX Rating
Because of his age – he turned 27 in January – Etienne is a notch lower than the first two boys on this list. Meanwhile, Jacksonville drafted Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round last year, and he flashed at times as a rookie. Will the Jaguars decide to turn it around with Etienne after a successful season, or will they turn the page and roll with their younger back? We’ll know in a few weeks.
4. Javonte Williams, Cowboys
What a pleasant surprise Javonte Williams was in 2025. Anyone who became a hero or zero RB in his draft and got him late was rewarded handsomely. Dallas signed Williams to a one-year contract worth $3 million and got much more than they paid for. The veteran set new career highs in attempts (252), rushing yards (1,201), yards per carry (4.8) and TDs (13). That production resulted in a fantasy PPG average of 15.2, which was good for 11th among RBs.
I must say that in the second half of 2025 there was a noticeable decline. As of Week 9, Williams failed to post a single RB1 finish, which raises some concerns. If the Cowboys aren’t concerned about that drop in production and they bring Williams back, there’s no reason to think his role will be any different in 2026. In that scenario, he’ll be a mid-RB2 for fantasy purposes, with upside if he looks like the player we saw in weeks 1-8 last year. However, Williams’ prospects could become bleak if he hits the open market. If he were to go elsewhere, he could end up in a committee role, which would limit his fantasy ceiling.
5. Rico Dowdle, Panthers
You can’t say Rico Dowdle isn’t consistent. His final two seasons were mirror images in terms of final production. Both years he posted a 4.6 YPC and caught 39 passes. Over the two seasons, he averaged 1,078 rushing yards, 272 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
When Chuba Hubbard went down with a calf injury early in the season, Dowdle stepped up and broke ground with back-to-back 200-meter performances. Unfortunately, he fell out of favor late in the season and had just 15 touches for 45 scoreless yards in Carolina’s final two games.
Rico Dowdle’s efficiency statistics for 2025
I would be shocked if Dowdle is back with the Panthers in 2026. He wants to go to a team where he can get the bulk of the work, and Carolina’s RB room will be full with Jonathon Brooks returning from a torn ACL. If Dowdle dreams of starring, he’ll probably be disappointed. I don’t believe there will be a huge market for services. Dowdle will be 28 when the season starts and seems destined to split the workload rather than be a true workhorse going forward.
The best of the rest:
- Rachaad White looks like he has washed his hands of the Buccaneers and likely won’t return. He is a top pass-catcher out of the backfield, with 205 catches in four seasons. We’ve seen his ceiling — White finished as the RB4 overall in 2023 — so he can produce when given the details. My suspicion is that he reunites with his former college QB Jayden Daniels in Washington and replaces Austin Ekeler as the third down back.
- Teams looking for an early-down powerhouse could do a lot worse than Tyler Allgeier. After a 1,000-yard rookie campaign, the former fifth-round pick has averaged 614 yards in three seasons while playing second fiddle to Bijan Robinson. He is coming off a career-high eight rushing TDs and will only be 26 years old when the season starts, so there should be some competition for his services. Allgeier could be a cheap flex option for fantasy managers next year, especially when it comes to standard or mid-PPR scoring.
- JK Dobbins enjoyed some reassurance in his career with the Broncos last season. In 10 games, Dobbins rushed for 772 yards and four scores while averaging a 5.1 YPC. Unfortunately, his year ended the same way it did many times before — with an injury. It sucks that Dobbins was never able to stay healthy long enough to earn a decent contract with a team. In 2026 he will probably have to settle for a new one-year ‘prove it’ deal.
- When Kenneth Gainwell signed with the Steelers, everyone assumed he would just be a rotational back behind Jaylen Warren and rookie Kaleb Johnson. Instead, he played a prolific role, finishing 2025 with the fourth-most receptions (73) among all RBs. From Week 11 onwards he was a starting PPR asset, providing six weekly RB1 finishes for managers when it mattered most. Any team looking for a reliable option on third downs could add Gainwell, and fantasy managers should keep him on their radar as a later-round selection next year.
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Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him at X on @DynastyFFWolf.
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