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Matt's dynasty running backs to sell. His fantasy football RBs to sell in dynasty leagues in 2026, including Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Christian McCaffrey, and more.
When deciding whether to buy or sell in dynasty, it comes down to a simple rule of thumb. If you are clearly not a top-3 contender in your league, you generally want to sell.
Now, when trying to decide what to sell, the running back position is one you want to consider parting with first, considering the shelf life of most running backs is shorter than that of the wide receiver position. If you want to be a true contender down the road, you need to maximize your returns on your investments, which involves moving top-20 dynasty assets for draft capital and prospects.
So, let's look at five fantasy football running backs to sell in dynasty leagues. For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.
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Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Every time we try to count Derrick Henry out, he seems to produce. After Henry’s 2021 injury-shortened season, many believed that Henry was likely on the decline.
However, Henry’s demise appears to have been greatly exaggerated, considering that the four seasons that have followed have all resulted in 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, making him one of just two running backs (Tony Pollard) to enter the 2026 season on a streak of four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
THE KING. DERRICK HENRY. THE KING.
BALvsBUF on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/ye6WmtjPnv— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2025
We all know the running back age cliff usually comes into play once a running back turns 29. Henry, now 32, has seemingly avoided that despite his physical play. Once again, Henry is a prime candidate to fall victim to this theory when factoring in his age and his workload (307 carries) from a season ago, not to mention his 2,662 career regular season rushing attempts.
There are physiological factors at play here as well, as running backs often lose the fast-twitch response responsible for initial acceleration and for exploding in and out of cuts around the time they turn 30. Saying that, Henry is more likely to run through a defender than run around him, and plenty of business decisions have been made in the second level in seasons past.
Henry has proven to be an exception to the “rule," but at some point, something has to give, right? With Henry coming off a season in which he averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game (RB7), there is still plenty of value to be had, especially for a contender with fantasy football championship aspirations. For those looking to rebuild or retool, this is an excellent opportunity to get the best return on your investment before the wheels fall off.
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
Much like Henry, Christian McCaffrey is quickly approaching the fantasy football age cliff, and last time anyone checked, Father Time remains undefeated. Although McCaffrey averaged 25.3 fantasy points per game last season, he ranked 45th or worse among 65 running backs with 50-plus rushing attempts in yards per carry (3.8), yards after contact per attempt (2.75), and breakaway rate (16.7%).
What boosted McCaffrey’s fantasy value in 2025 was the involvement out of necessity with Brandon Aiyuk missing the entirety of the season, while Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings all missed extended periods of time as well.
San Francisco addressed the wide receiver issue with the additions of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk via free agency and the selection of De'Zhaun Stribling in the second round of this past April's draft. It’s hard to imagine, with those additions and a return to health for Pearsall, that McCaffrey would be in line once more for a 22.5% target share.
McCaffrey recently turned 30, and if that wasn’t enough of a red flag, we have also seen a trend of lost production in seasons following heavy workloads throughout his career. Back in 2019, McCaffrey accumulated 403 touches while totaling 2,392 yards. The following season, McCaffrey played in just three contests.
Then, in 2023, McCaffrey once again proved his value as a workhorse back, producing 1,542 total yards on 339 touches, only to follow that up by missing 13 games the following season due to injury. Last year, with the injuries, the 49ers' offense called upon McCaffrey time and time again, earning a career high 413 touches and 1,526 total yards.
Looking back on McCaffrey's nine-year NFL career, injuries have played a prominent role. Out of a possible 149 regular season games, McCaffrey has only suited up for 112 of those contests, meaning he has missed nearly 25% of his career games due to injury.
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Let me stress this, every back we talk about here has an opportunity to hit again in 2026. In fact, the expectation is that they have great 2026 seasons, allowing fantasy managers to get the best possible returns. Much like the previous two backs mentioned, Saquon Barkley, now 29, finds himself nearing that age cliff and has been a big-play volume-dependent option much of his career.
Saquon's been hurdling defenders since he entered the league 😏@saquon | @Eagles pic.twitter.com/oUuC5uDskk
— NFL (@NFL) June 10, 2025
Barkley is likely to be productive once more. Still, it’s worth acknowledging that we did witness some week-to-week volatility from a fantasy perspective, which led to an RB14 finish last season, as he averaged 14.5 fantasy points per game through 16 contests. Last season, Barkley recorded five top-12 fantasy finishes at the running back position. He also finished as the RB20 or worse on seven occasions.
We have an aging running back who has logged plenty of miles over an eight-year career and has a history of lower-body injuries. In 2020, Barkley suffered an ACL injury, which changed how he prefers to cut, leading him to rely more on two-foot planting and to adapt, especially to more outside-zone concepts.
Why does any of that matter? It comes down to fast-twitch and how it declines with age. The more often a running back is asked to make cuts, the more prominent the decline in production appears. When running backs hit the “age cliff,” we often see them appear in fewer cuts to reduce lower-body stress.
If you pay attention, there will be warning signs as to the exact moment you need to move on from Barkley. It may not be this year that we see a significant decline, but it’s better to get out a year early than a year too late.
Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
Like the other names on the list, Josh Jacobs falls into the category of assets the market is still willing to pay starter prices for. When evaluating the dynasty landscape, current ADP values Jacobs as the RB23, coming off the board in the back half of the seventh round.
Despite how he is viewed in the startup world, fantasy managers can lean on his body of work and name recognition as key selling points. Over the last two seasons, Jacobs has averaged 4.2 yards per carry and rushed for 28 touchdowns. Last season, Jacobs' 15.8 fantasy points per game helped him to a top-12 fantasy finish.
Expect Jacobs to have another solid season and flirt with RB1 fantasy status once again, which should result in the equivalent of first-round draft compensation around your league's trade deadline. Truth is, the now 28-year-old running back has averaged 301.3 touches per season in his seven-year career.
This is yet another back on this list who is entering the “age cliff” portion of their career with a history of carrying the load for their respective teams.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
It’s all about capitalizing on the market before it's completely gone. For Kyren Williams, the talk over the last couple of seasons has been, “When will Blake Corum take over?”
To this point, Williams has done an admirable job at keeping the young back at bay, limiting Corum to 218 touches through his first two seasons. During that time, in which many have called for Williams to be replaced, Sean McVay has leaned on his workhorse to the tune of 645 touches over that same two-year period. However, seeing as we are currently in offseason mode, we are once again hearing of a 50-50 split between the two backs.
In each of the last three seasons, Williams has finished as a top-10 fantasy running back, averaging 21.3 fantasy points, 17 fantasy points, and 15.5 fantasy points per game, respectively. In fantasy, we talk about touchdown regression and its impact on a player's production sustainability.
Since 2023, the top five running in rushing touchdowns are Henry (44), Jahmyr Gibbs (39), Jonathan Taylor (36), Williams (36), and Jacobs (34). If we look at total touchdowns, Williams’s 44 scores rank third.
With three consecutive RB1 finishes in fantasy and a current dynasty startup ADP of RB16, there is clearly a market for the 25-year-old Rams running back. Despite proven production, future competition in the backfield will spark debate about whether Williams can remain the guy, causing his market to fluctuate from time to time.
With Matthew Stafford’s career winding down, there may not be a better time to capitalize on Williams.
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