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Matt's dynasty running back trade targets. His fantasy football RBs to buy in dynasty leagues in 2026, including Breece Hall and more.
One thing fantasy football managers must always be wary of is the age cliff and how quickly an asset is approaching. When we consider adding running backs via trade, we need to determine what a reasonable return on our investment would look like. Do you want a running back to win now as a championship window closes, or are you looking to build long-term?
Keeping in mind that when we evaluate the running back position, we are looking at it in two- to three-year windows, as the shelf life is much shorter than that of, say, their wide receiver peers. Here are four running backs who fantasy managers look to add to a contending roster or to a roster that is a few years out.
For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.
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Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs
In fantasy football, sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to boost the value of an asset. For Kenneth Walker III, not only does he benefit from a change in scenery, but that change also opens workhorse opportunities that weren’t possible in Seattle.
Last season, Walker's fantasy ceiling was capped by Zach Charbonnet, who often vultures touchdowns. Fantasy managers would watch as Walker would help lead the team down the field, only to give way to Charbonnet when the Seahawks got inside the 10-yard line. In PPR formats, Walker and Charbonnet averaged 11.3 fantasy points per game.
In four seasons, Walker has 133 receptions and a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including 1,027 rushing yards (4.6 per carry last year). Walker finished with 297 rushing yards, 11 receptions, and 138 receiving yards ahead of Charbonnet, yet Charbonnet outscored Walker 12 to five in terms of rushing touchdowns. Make it make sense.
Kenneth Walker III TOUCHDOWN. Seattle starts fast.
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/iH8SOGpK5o— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026
When Charbonnet went down (ACL) in the NFC Divisional Round against the 49ers, it was Walker who stepped up. With an increased workload in the playoffs, Walker would accumulate 417 total yards of offense in three games, average 4.8 yards per carry, score four rushing touchdowns, and earn Super Bowl MVP after churning out 135 yards on the ground on 27 rushing attempts.
Walker’s current ADP in dynasty startups suggests he is being drafted as the RB10 and being selected early in the fourth round. With rookie Emmett Johnson poised to back up Walker, Walker should be in line for the lion's share of the touches out of the backfield, with Johnson coming in on occasion as a change-of-pace option for the Chiefs.
Breece Hall, New York Jets
Despite already entering his fifth NFL season, people tend to forget that Breece Hall just turned 25 years old at the end of May. What people also forget is that because the New York Jets were so bad last season, Hall was quietly having a very good season.
BREECE HALL GIVES THE JETS THE LEAD ON THE SCREEN PASS
CLEvsNYJ on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/8Dt13i1OPp
— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
In 2025, Hall finished with career highs in carries (243) and rushing yards (1,065) while putting up a respectable 4.4 yards per carry average within a subpar offense.
In a season of inconsistent quarterback play led by Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook, Hall emerged as the second option in the passing game as he was tied for second on the team with 36 receptions and third in receiving yards with 350.
Those receiving totals were the second lowest of his career, as he has quietly posted 169 receptions and 1,424 receiving yards over the last three seasons. The 169 receptions over that period are the sixth most among running backs, while the 1,424 receiving yards rank fourth.
As Hall enters the prime of his career with little to no competition in the run or passing game out of the Jets backfield, when you look at dynasty ADPs, he is still coming off the board late in the fourth round as the RB13. HC Aaron Glenn has stated he would like to have a “three-headed monster” in the backfield; you all know the meme that automatically comes to mind.
The Jets didn’t just sign Hall to a new three-year, $45.75 million extension to have him give way to Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. We are looking at a running back coming off a season in which 447 of his rushing yards came off contact and an explosive run rate that was the fourth highest.
With the additions of Omar Cooper Jr., Kenyon Sadiq, and Geno Smith, New York's passing game will certainly be better than it was a season ago. It can’t be worse than dead last again (140.3 passing yards per game), which in turn should open additional opportunities in the run game for Hall.
Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Do you remember when the Carolina Panthers selected Jonathon Brooks in the second round (46th overall) in the 2024 draft? If you don’t, that’s ok. Many fantasy enthusiasts don’t.
Brooks was the first running back selected that year, being selected ahead of Bucky Irving, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kimani Vidal, Jaylen Wright, Trey Benson, and Braelon Allen, all of whom have more career rushing yards than Brooks. Even Xavier Worthy and Brian Thomas Jr. have more rushing yards than Brooks.
Since being selected by the Panthers, Brooks has suited up in just three NFL games and carried the ball nine times for 22 yards. That’s it. Yet, here we are talking about Brooks as a dynasty buy. Why is that? It’s because of the talent. If Brooks can shed the injury-prone tag that has haunted him since college, there is league-winning upside in what he has to offer.
In 23 collegiate contests at Texas, Brooks averaged 6.2 yards per carry. During a senior season cut short by injury, Brooks churned out 1,139 rushing yards on 187 attempts, finding the end zone on 10 occasions. If not for the ACL injury coming at the end of the season, Brooks would have found himself as a first-round selection.
JB busting out the moves
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/mlmEf0uS18
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 1, 2024
Looking at recent startups, Brooks has a current ADP of 127.6, locking him in at the 11th round in most drafts and making him the 33rd running back off the board. Considering Chuba Hubbard's 2025 struggles that eventually opened up an opportunity for Rico Dowdle to become the Panthers' lead back, there is a path to fantasy relevance for Brooks in 2026, especially in PPR formats.
Last season, Dowdle out-touched Hubbard 275 to 164. If Hubbard falters once again now that his calf is 100%, the door would be kicked wide open for Brooks to assume a larger role within the offense.
Carolina signed AJ Dillon this offseason, who is not much of a threat in passing situations. The cost to acquire Brooks may never be cheaper, considering a pair of seconds may be the highest you’d pay to acquire his services. HC Dave Canales has gone on record saying that JB looks good in both the run and pass games and wants to get him involved out wide and in the screen game.
Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears
D'Andre Swift enters 2026 in the final year of a three-year, $24 millon deal, meaning at season's end, Swift will become an unrestricted free agent. When that contract expires, Swift will be 28 years old and have seven seasons under his belt. He will be facing a crossroads in his NFL career at which a majority of NFL running backs see a significant decline.
With Swift expected to hit the market, it opens things up in the Bears backfield for second-year running back Kyle Monangai. Last season, the seventh-round selection out of Rutgers forced his way on the field, increasing his snap share throughout the season, finishing with a 31% share and an impressive 44% snap share over the final few weeks, including the playoffs.
Kyle Monangai scores his first NFL TD!
NOvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tlabBDz5Mb
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
Fantasy managers also should have noticed that when the Bears were down in the red zone, the touches for Swift and Monangai were nearly even, with Monangai earning 19 carries inside the red zone to Swift’s 18. Looking at Monangai’s final season at Rutgers, that makes plenty of sense as he was a hammer inside the five, hitting paydirt on 13 occasions.
Swift has always found himself in some timeshare or situation that was moving into a timeshare, topping 1,000 yards in two of his six seasons, often being shoehorned into the passing-back role.
However, since 2023, Swift has seen 225 or more rushing attempts in each season. That said, Monangai has workhorse potential as he finished his final 24 collegiate games with 498 carries (20.75 carries per game) and back-to-back 1,200-yard rushing seasons.
In the one game Swift missed in 2025 due to injury, Monangai was a fantasy winner, producing 176 yards on the ground on 26 carries. The most carries Swift saw in any contest last season was 21, and that was the only time he had more than 20 rushing attempts in any game.
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