Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Is it cliche? Of course it is, but that doesn’t make it wrong.
I don’t think you have to have your 2026 fantasy football rankings flushed out right now, but being generally aware of where things stand will give you an edge on your competition: having a frame of reference is critical and allows you to tweak things as the offseason progresses as opposed to playing catch up in the days leading into your draft.
So let’s get started with some way-too-early running back rankings!
Running Backs Ranked 1-8
1) Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions
3) De’Von Achane | Miami Dolphins
4) Christian McCaffrey | San Francisco 49ers
5) Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts
6) James Cook | Buffalo Bills
7) Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8) Ashton Jeanty | Las Vegas Raiders
You want to hear something crazy?
Devin Singletary‘s fantasy production per carry.
If that’s the change you make. One minor tweak. Give a potentially generational running back the per carry fantasy production of someone who is essentially league average, and guess what we have?
Using that math, Jeanty moves from PPR RB16 (minimum eight games played) to RB8, and that’s exactly where I currently have him slotted. The math just worked out in that manner, but the growth potential is off the charts if the Raiders get anything close to league average play from their offensive line.
BUY Ashton Jeanty in dynasty🚀
Despite a bumpy rookie year in Vegas (3.7 YPC, poor OL), @MattOkada notes his top-10 avoided tackle rate + leading Raiders in scrimmage TDs/YDs.
Raiders fixing it w/ #1 pick + $100M cap. RB1 upside ahead 👀 pic.twitter.com/r4bzMowVgJ
— FTN Fantasy (@FTNFantasy) January 7, 2026
Heck, if they improve from “disastrous” (31st in our PFSN Team OL Impact metric, 14.4 grading points behind their 2024 mark) to “bad,” Jeanty probably lands as an RB1.
Vegas was hesitant to use their sixth overall pick as an asset out of the backfield as a pass catcher early, but with 40 receptions over his final 10 games, who is to say he can’t post similar counting numbers (1,223 rushing yards and 77 catches) to what Jahmyr Gibbs gave us in 2025?
Running Backs Ranked 9-14
9) Saquon Barkley | Philadelphia Eagles
10) Omarion Hampton | Los Angeles Chargers
11) Chase Brown | Cincinnati Bengals
12) Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens
13) Josh Jacobs | Green Bay Packers
14) Breece Hall | New York Jets
Breece Hall’s Case for a Rebound
The Jets drafted Breece Hall in 2022 with the hope that he’d fix an offense that was fresh off of a PFSN Offense Impact rank of 27th. The logic was sound, but despite him producing over PPR expectations in every season of his career, their average ranking in our grading system since is 27.8.
The team has failed the player, and that is why everyone expects Hall to land elsewhere this offseason as he explores unrestricted free agency. The landing spot will determine his exact value, but I’m very confident in saying that he’ll find himself in a better situation (40.3% of his carries last season came against a loaded box, something that isn’t going to repeat if his new employer has anything close to league average QB play).
Hall has sat out just two games over the past three seasons and has showcased high-end versatility (76 catches in 2023). In today’s age of analytics, it’s become clear that teams don’t add a running back to build around; they bring in a bellcow to a ready-made situation.
I’m not going to project a team at this moment, there are a lot of moving pieces, but as long as he moves on, I expect him to push for low-end RB1 honors.
Running Backs Ranked 15-24
15) TreVeyon Henderson | New England Patriots
16) RJ Harvey | Denver Broncos
17) Travis Etienne Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars
18) Kyren Williams | Los Angeles Rams
19) Kenneth Walker III | Seattle Seahawks
20) Cam Skattebo | New York Giants
21) Javonte Williams | Dallas Cowboys
22) Quinshon Judkins | Cleveland Browns
23) Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks
24) D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears
