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Aidin Ebrahimi's 5 must-have running backs for 2026 fantasy football PPR leagues. His top studs and league-winners at RB, including Kyren Williams and more.
Draft season is upon us, and running back is arguably the most important position you have to nail down. You can always get a high-value QB in late rounds, and overstock on WRs in the middle rounds, but for running backs, you absolutely have to draft a top-tier starter and a couple of competent backups.
Even when doing the Zero-RB strategy, you still have to put a lot of faith in the first RB you take in, let's say, round 5, and you still have to provide him with adequate cover. This is especially true in PPR leagues, where a true workhorse RB who can score both rushing and receiving touchdowns can absolutely transform your team.
Without further ado, here are five running backs who could smash their ADPs in 2026 PPR leagues (not necessarily elite pass-catching RBs), sorted by their ESPN PPR ADP. None of the running backs in my 2026 TD risers article will feature, though I highly recommend targeting those players as well. Make sure to use discount code AIDIN for 50% off RotoBaller's Premium Packages to dominate your fantasy leagues!
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Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Last year, I made the fatal mistake of thinking Derrick Henry would finally regress following an outstanding debut campaign with the Ravens in 2024. However, despite the team around him falling apart, Henry still had a standout year.
He finished second in rushing yards and was the only player in the top three with an offensive line ranked outside of the top 10, per PFF. His 5.2 yards per carry also tied him with James Cook III for first among all running backs with at least 250 carries in 2025.
The Ravens are in an interesting position heading into 2026; they still want to contend and finally make a run to the Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson under center, but John Harbaugh will no longer be there for the first time since 2008.
Jackson's injury-riddled 2025 left us with more questions than answers, but he's still being drafted in the third round of most fantasy drafts, and his overall value hasn't dropped off much. This is in stark contrast to Henry, whose value has fallen from a top-five RB pre-2025 to the RB10.
Once again, Henry produced great numbers in a bad situation last year, and hasn't suffered any major injury setbacks in his NFL career other than his broken foot in 2021.
The Ravens don't have a quality backup, which means Henry will be asked to carry the offense once again, something he is more than capable of. In case you needed a reminder, in 2025, a "down year," Henry became the only RB in NFL history with four seasons of over 1,500 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Unlike Henry, Javonte Williams was a player I was really high on entering the 2025 season, and he rewarded me, and plenty of other fantasy managers, very well. Williams was the PPR RB3 from Week 1 to Week 5, and was the RB11 until his final game of the season in Week 17.
Williams' great play turned his one-year, $3.5 million "prove-it" deal into a three-year, $24 million extension this offseason, and the Cowboys are starting to feel like this new contract is a bargain.
According to Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas News, Williams has been outstanding in training camp, so much so that the Cowboys "don't need to see too much of him in the preseason."
Williams has also earned the trust of his head coach. Brian Schottenheimer named him to the Cowboys' 11-man leadership council two weeks ago, which means a lot to Williams, but he still has a chip on his shoulder.
"I've still got a lot more to prove," Williams told Hoyt. "I at least want to go to the Pro Bowl and definitely want to get to a Super Bowl with the team."
Last season's harsh Pro Bowl snub was a tough pill to swallow for a player who scored 13 touchdowns from scrimmage, but it could motivate him to reach even greater heights and finish in the RB7-RB10 range, aided by the team's young and rapidly improving offensive line.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Since 2023, only seven RBs have recorded more PPR points than Kyren Williams. His tally of 790.4 PPR points during that span is more than the likes of Jonathan Taylor, Breece Hall, and Josh Jacobs. Unfortunately, Williams has never gotten the respect that he truly deserves.
"If I'm getting yards after contact…I think that's a testament to my guys that are blocking down the field."
Inside Rams Camp | @CommunityAmerCU pic.twitter.com/8qLA4l3ddV
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 2, 2026
He's currently being drafted in the same range as Jeremiyah Love, Omarion Hampton, and Cam Skattebo, three players with a combined 17 NFL games between them.
Now, I'm all for banking on young players, but Williams is someone who has racked up at least 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns from scrimmage in each of the last three seasons.
His 44 total touchdowns rank third amongst all players throughout that time, and he hasn't missed a game due to injury since November 2023.
Following the additions of Myles Garrett and (almost certainly) Aaron Donald, the Rams are heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl, and Williams, who was drafted a few months following their triumph in Super Bowl 56, is working hard to become a champion.
According to USA Today's Brock Vierra, Williams has been "All-Pro good" in training camp and is continuously finding holes and breaking off huge runs.
While backup RB Blake Corum has plenty of potential, it'd be foolish for the Rams to stop feeding the hot hand of Williams during their Super Bowl window.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of underrated running backs, Jaylen Warren has been criminally underrated for quite a while. The best receiving back on this list so far, Warren had the best season of his career in 2025, as he put up 1,291 yards and eight touchdowns from scrimmage while averaging 13.6 PPR points per game.
One of the main criticisms of Warren amongst fantasy experts is his low number of "big games", but his 143-yard, two-touchdown game against Detroit in Week 16 or his 127-yard outing against the Bengals in Week 7 tell a different story.
For a player who had never started a single game before 2025, Warren did a great job as the team's RB1 and is expected to continue that role despite Rico Dowdle's arrival.
Warren won't dominate your fantasy league, but his eighth-round ADP is quite low for someone who finished last season with 217.1 PPR points and will have a significantly better playcaller (Mike McCarthy) in 2026.
Kenny Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Let's finish with Warren's partner in crime on the 2025 Steelers, Kenny Gainwell, who had to work hard to win over the hearts of the Steelers' famously passionate fanbase.
KENNETH GAINWELL HOW
TD STEELERS 😱
PITvsDET on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/sZg9uFqkMF
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025
He eventually became a fan favorite, racking up 680 yards and five touchdowns from scrimmage in his final eight regular-season games to help the team win the AFC North.
Gainwell was named the Steelers' 2025 MVP, but the team was not willing to pay him as much as Warren. He signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason, where he will be a seamless fit and appears ready to replace Rachaad White's production.
According to Pewter Report’s Adam Slivon, the Buccaneers have established a clear dynamic in their RB room so far in training camp; Bucky Irving has received most of the handoffs, while Gainwell has emerged as a dynamic receiving back by catching many short screens and swing passes to the outside.
Baker Mayfield lacked a true "safety net" option last year, and Gainwell could be a great checkdown option for him, much like he was for Aaron Rodgers.
The 2025 Bucs had a predictable offense down the stretch, as it was obvious the team would run when either Bucky Irving or Sean Tucker was on the field and pass when Rachaad White was out there.
However, there will be an element of unpredictability in the Bucs' backfield this year, as Gainwell told Sports Illustrated's River Wells that the team has "a bunch" of packages they can use with both RBs on the field, which raises the ceiling for more explosive receiving plays.
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