Running back gets uncomfortable in a hurry, which makes getting the early tiers right even more important. Bijan Robinson holds down the RB1 spot, with Jahmyr Gibbs right behind him, while James Cook III and Jonathan Taylor round out a top four built around massive workloads and weekly touchdown upside.
The tougher calls start just behind them. How much should Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley’s track records matter? Is Ashton Jeanty already worth a top-five ranking? And how far should De’Von Achane fall when his PPR ceiling remains one of the highest at the position?
You can see where every running back stacks up against the rest of the player pool in PFSN’s overall PPR rankings, then test out different draft-day approaches with the PFN fantasy mock draft simulator.
Note: These rankings are a combination of both our fantasy experts, Kyle Soppe and Jason Katz.
Preseason Fantasy RB Rankings
1) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
2) Bijan Robinson | ATL
3) Jonathan Taylor | IND
4) James Cook III | BUF
5) Christian McCaffrey | SF
6) Saquon Barkley | PHI
7) Chase Brown | CIN
8) De’Von Achane | MIA
9) Derrick Henry | BAL
10) Kenneth Walker III | KC
11) Omarion Hampton | LAC
12) Ashton Jeanty | LV
13) Jeremiyah Love | ARI
14) Javonte Williams | DAL
15) Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
16) Josh Jacobs | GB
17) Breece Hall | NYJ
18) D’Andre Swift | CHI
19) Kyren Williams | LAR
20) Cam Skattebo | NYG
21) David Montgomery | HOU
22) Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
23) Quinshon Judkins | CLE
24) Jadarian Price | SEA
25) Jaylen Warren | PIT
26) Bucky Irving | TB
27) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
28) TreVeyon Henderson | NE
29) Chuba Hubbard | CAR
30) Tony Pollard | TEN
31) Kenny Gainwell | TB
32) Jonathon Brooks | CAR
33) Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
34) Jordan Mason | MIN
35) Blake Corum | LAR
36) Rico Dowdle | PIT
37) Kyle Monangai | CHI
38) RJ Harvey | DEN
39) J.K. Dobbins | DEN
40) Rachaad White | WAS
41) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
42) Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
43) Zach Charbonnet | SEA
44) Woody Marks | HOU
45) Tyler Allgeier | ARI
46) Isiah Pacheco | DET
47) Mike Washington Jr. | LV
48) Tyjae Spears | TEN
49) Tank Bigsby | PHI
50) Keaton Mitchell | LAC
Should I Draft Ashton Jeanty in Fantasy Football?
Rookie fever took over last season. Just about all of them were overpriced, even the ones that panned out. File Jeanty among the ones that did not.
Here is my problem with how the masses now view his rookie year. The prevailing take is that it was a complete disaster, and that is revisionist history. Was it a smooth ride? Absolutely not. But Jeanty’s ADP expectation based on his 1/2 turn price was roughly 16 to 17 PPG. He averaged 14.4. Disappointing? Yes. Disaster? Not quite. He did not burn fantasy managers completely. It was more like a mild char. He still put up 1,321 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on an abysmal Las Vegas Raiders offense.
Blame the situation, not the player. The Raiders were a mess up front, and a banged-up Brock Bowers gave defenses no reason to respect anything other than the run. Jeanty created on his own anyway. A staggering 83.6% of his rushing yards came after contact, third-best in the league against a back average of 70.1%. That is exactly how you survive when the blocking does not show up.
The back half of the season is the real tell. After a dead-quiet start, Jeanty ripped off three top-five weeks down the stretch, including a 188-yard, two-touchdown afternoon against the Houston Texans.
The usage was never in question either. Jeanty led the league in opportunity share at 84.3% and posted a 14.8% target share, the kind of receiving involvement that props up a floor even in bad game scripts. Over the past four seasons, only three rookie backs have earned five-plus targets in four consecutive games: Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, and Jeanty. That is the exact company you want to be keeping.
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If this feels familiar, it should. This is Robinson’s rookie year all over again, a generational talent buried by a broken situation for one season before everything turned.
The fix is already here. Klint Kubiak is one of the brightest offensive minds in the league, and his roster’s only real weapons are Jeanty and Bowers. Both are going to feast. Kirk Cousins opens the year as a clear upgrade under center, a statue who will happily dump the ball off to his back. Fernando Mendoza offers even more upside when he inevitably takes the job.
Now, we must address the elephant in the room: Jeanty’s mysterious ankle sprain. It’s great that it’s not a season-ender as we initially feared, but the vibes around it don’t feel great. At this point, I don’t think you can take Jeanty at the 1/2 turn anymore. How far should you let him fall? That really depends on a lot of factors, including your league and roster size. Just know, if you do take Jeanty, there is still a chance he misses a third of the season.
Should You Draft Cowboys RB Javonte Williams in Fantasy Football?
It doesn’t get much better than 2025 Williams. A guy who was largely an afterthought in fantasy drafts — a late-round dart throw — went on to finish as a fantasy RB1.
Williams was given the first shot at leading the Cowboys’ backfield with no guarantee of workload. His performance earned him the feature-back role.
The former Bronco had one of the best roles in the NFL. He commanded a 69% opportunity share, carrying the ball 252 times for 1,202 yards and scoring a total of 13 touchdowns. Williams averaged a career-best 15.2 fantasy points per game.
The volume was great, and it projects to be pretty great once again. And, as we know, volume is king in fantasy football. But… there are concerns.
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Despite the contract extension, Williams isn’t exactly an established guy who has no risk of losing opportunity. If he doesn’t play well, the Cowboys will turn to Malik Davis or perhaps Jaydon Blue to see if either can provide a spark. Williams should have a pretty sizable leash, but he’s not invincible. That means he needs to continue to perform to maintain his valuable fantasy role.
There is one major wart on Williams’ profile, and it’s his receiving ability. Williams earned just an 8.7% target share last season. When Dak Prescott threw him the ball, it didn’t go well. Williams’ 0.48 yards per route run ranked 30th among qualified running backs. Historically, running backs who average below 1.0 yards per route run frequently fail to meet ADP expectations the following season. It’s a major red flag.
