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2026 fantasy football RB rankings - Week 1 start, sit running back rankings. Win more with our updated RB fantasy football rankings and tiers for Week 1.
Getting consistent production out of your running backs is always key to picking up wins, and we're here to help you identify the top starts for the opening week with our updated Week 1 fantasy football running back rankings. Below, see where trending ball carriers such as Ashton Jeanty, MarShawn Lloyd, J.K. Dobbins, Jeremiyah Love, Breece Hall, Chuba Hubbard, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rico Dowdle, and Bhayshul Tuten stand, among all other RBs.
Our RB fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Week 1 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | 1 |
| 1 | 2 | Bijan Robinson | RB | 3 |
| 1 | 3 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 4 |
| 1 | 4 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | 7 |
| 1 | 5 | Chase Brown | RB | 8 |
| 1 | 6 | Saquon Barkley | RB | 10 |
| 2 | 7 | Derrick Henry | RB | 11 |
| 2 | 8 | De'Von Achane | RB | 12 |
| 2 | 9 | Omarion Hampton | RB | 13 |
| 3 | 10 | Javonte Williams | RB | 14 |
| 3 | 11 | James Cook III | RB | 16 |
| 3 | 12 | Kenneth Walker III | RB | 17 |
| 3 | 13 | Kyren Williams | RB | 19 |
| 3 | 14 | D'Andre Swift | RB | 24 |
| 3 | 15 | Ashton Jeanty | RB | 25 |
| 3 | 16 | Breece Hall | RB | 27 |
| 3 | 17 | Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | 29 |
| 4 | 18 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 30 |
| 4 | 19 | Cam Skattebo | RB | 32 |
| 4 | 20 | Bucky Irving | RB | 34 |
| 4 | 21 | David Montgomery | RB | 37 |
| 4 | 22 | Jaylen Warren | RB | 43 |
| 5 | 23 | Quinshon Judkins | RB | 44 |
| 5 | 24 | Tony Pollard | RB | 49 |
| 5 | 25 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | 51 |
| 5 | 26 | Jeremiyah Love | RB | 54 |
| 5 | 27 | Rico Dowdle | RB | 55 |
| 5 | 28 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB | 56 |
| 5 | 29 | MarShawn Lloyd | RB | 60 |
| 5 | 30 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 67 |
| 5 | 31 | Jadarian Price | RB | 69 |
| 5 | 32 | Jonathon Brooks | RB | 70 |
| 5 | 33 | Jordan Mason | RB | 73 |
| 5 | 34 | Rachaad White | RB | 80 |
| 5 | 35 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | 81 |
| 6 | 36 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 82 |
| 6 | 37 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | RB | 85 |
| 6 | 38 | Blake Corum | RB | 87 |
| 6 | 39 | Aaron Jones Sr. | RB | 94 |
| 6 | 40 | George Holani | RB | 104 |
| 6 | 41 | Mike Washington Jr. | RB | 107 |
| 6 | 42 | Kyle Monangai | RB | 111 |
| 6 | 43 | RJ Harvey | RB | 113 |
| 6 | 44 | Tyjae Spears | RB | 120 |
| 6 | 45 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | 121 |
| 7 | 46 | Woody Marks | RB | 128 |
| 7 | 47 | Dylan Sampson | RB | 129 |
| 7 | 48 | Tank Bigsby | RB | 130 |
| 7 | 49 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 139 |
| 7 | 50 | Chris Brooks | RB | 141 |
| 7 | 51 | Keaton Mitchell | RB | 144 |
| 7 | 52 | Samaje Perine | RB | 153 |
| 7 | 53 | Malik Davis | RB | 154 |
| 7 | 54 | Justice Hill | RB | 157 |
| 7 | 55 | Braelon Allen | RB | 164 |
| 7 | 56 | Emmett Johnson | RB | 166 |
| 7 | 57 | Corey Kiner | RB | 167 |
| 7 | 58 | Kimani Vidal | RB | 172 |
| 7 | 59 | Sean Tucker | RB | 174 |
| 7 | 60 | Jaylen Wright | RB | 181 |
| 8 | 61 | Najee Harris | RB | 187 |
| 8 | 62 | Jacob Saylors | RB | 189 |
| 8 | 63 | Ray Davis | RB | 201 |
| 8 | 64 | Sione Vaki | RB | 202 |
| 8 | 65 | Ty Johnson | RB | 203 |
| 8 | 66 | Jonah Coleman | RB | 206 |
| 8 | 67 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | 217 |
| 8 | 68 | Kaleb Johnson | RB | 221 |
| 8 | 69 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | RB | 226 |
| 8 | 70 | Kaelon Black | RB | 229 |
| 8 | 71 | Kyle Juszczyk | RB | 233 |
| 8 | 72 | Audric Estime | RB | 236 |
| 8 | 73 | Rasheen Ali | RB | 242 |
| 8 | 74 | Devin Singletary | RB | 244 |
| 8 | 75 | Seth McGowan | RB | 247 |
| 9 | 76 | Isaiah Davis | RB | 255 |
| 9 | 77 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | 260 |
| 9 | 78 | Hunter Luepke | RB | 262 |
| 9 | 79 | Brashard Smith | RB | 265 |
| 9 | 80 | Nicholas Singleton | RB | 266 |
| 9 | 81 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | RB | 267 |
| 9 | 82 | Kendre Miller | RB | 269 |
| 9 | 83 | Alvin Kamara | RB | 272 |
| 9 | 84 | Lan Larison | RB | 276 |
| 9 | 85 | Demond Claiborne | RB | 277 |
| 9 | 86 | Roschon Johnson | RB | 279 |
| 9 | 87 | Kaytron Allen | RB | 280 |
| 9 | 88 | Bam Knight | RB | 289 |
| 9 | 89 | Dylan Laube | RB | 290 |
| 9 | 90 | DJ Giddens | RB | 291 |
| 10 | 91 | Will Shipley | RB | 292 |
Week 1 Fantasy Football Running Back Outlooks
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams has been a top-10 fantasy running back in PPR leagues over each of the last three seasons. Consistency has been a key theme for the Notre Dame product, who scored double-digit fantasy points in 14 of his 17 games last year. That higher-end floor should remain in place for 2026, as Williams gets ready to kick off the season against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. The biggest storyline to watch is how the Rams split backfield touches.
Williams has shown that he can be a workhorse back in the past, but the Rams made a deliberate effort to limit his workload last year so he could be healthy for a full season. If that happens again this year, Williams will remain an RB1 with touchdown upside, but Blake Corum could get onto the fantasy radar as an RB3/flex, too. Matchup-wise, the 49ers allowed the 14th-most rushing yards, 14th-most receiving yards, and 13th-most fantasy points.
Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell (hamstring) was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, according to the team's official injury report. Mitchell has been dealing with the hamstring injury for a little while, so it's actually somewhat encouraging that he was able to practice even in a limited capacity.
With that being said, his status for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals remains up in the air. Fantasy managers should monitor the Chargers' injury reports over the next two days to see if Mitchell's status improves at all. If he doesn't end up playing on Sunday, Kimani Vidal would step up as the Chargers' No. 2 running back behind Omarion Hampton.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. For the most part, the Commanders have a healthy roster heading into Week 1, but Croskey-Merritt is one of the few exceptions.
Given that he wasn't able to log a full practice to kick off the week, there's a chance that the 25-year-old could miss Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Fantasy managers should monitor his status in practice over the next two days. If he upgrades to a full practice, he should be cleared to play in the season opener. Otherwise, he'll likely carry an injury designation into the weekend. If he can't play in this divisional battle, Rachaad White would step up as the lead back, likely ranking as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (knee) returned to practice as a limited participant on Wednesday, according to Mike Garafolo. Kamara is finally back in the mix after being sidelined most of camp due to a sprained MCL.
It sounds like there is a chance that Kamara is cleared to play in Sunday's Week 1 contest against the Detroit Lions. Once healthy, Kamara is expected to be the co-starter alongside Travis Etienne Jr. this season. The veteran back can still make an impact on the field, but the presence of Etienne does hurt his overall value. Etienne would be a borderline RB1 if Kamara is out, so fantasy managers should stay tuned for more information.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Ashton Jeanty, MarShawn Lloyd, J.K. Dobbins, Jeremiyah Love, Breece Hall, Chuba Hubbard, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rico Dowdle, Bhayshul Tuten. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 1 for Ashton Jeanty, MarShawn Lloyd, J.K. Dobbins, Jeremiyah Love, Breece Hall, Chuba Hubbard, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rico Dowdle, Bhayshul Tuten:
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