8 Late-Round Fantasy Football Running Back Sleepers With League-Winning Potential (2026)

June 27, 2026

John Laghezza presents his 8 late-round fantasy football running backs with league-winning potential for 2026. His draft targets include Tank Bigsby, Emmett Johnson, and more.

The 2026 NFL season may still be a few months away, but there's no better time than the present to prepare for your redraft fantasy football leagues.

Having already completed at least 50 drafts, I can tell you the backend of this year's running back landscape is particularly interesting. Today, we'll look at eight potential league-winning fantasy football running backs with an average draft position after the 12th round.

So, let's dive into the best fantasy football running back sleepers. The ADP used for this article is courtesy of Sleeper.

Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins – ADP 211 | RB69

I decided to go worst-to-first and let the suspense build as we progress. Miami might be the most polarizing situation this offseason after undergoing a complete top-down overhaul from coordinator to quarterback. We've witnessed Malik Willis play winning football in the past, and it's entirely possible Bobby Slowik orchestrates a functional offense in 2026.

The bottom line is that any RB touch is a good touch in fantasy, and De'Von Achane logged north of 300 of them last season.

If something were to happen to him, that opens potential opportunities for Jaylen Wright to soak up that lead role. He is clearly the most explosive Dolphin tailback not named Achane. Wright out-touched and outperformed Ollie Gordon II by a mile after Miami's Week 12 bye. Remember, the final round is about ceiling, and Wright did manage a lovely 24 carry, 107-yard, one-touchdown line against the Jets in Week 14.

George Holani, Seattle Seahawks – N/A

Once we're closing in on the endgame of drafts, any player beginning the year as a clear number two deserves attention, especially when it's on a winning team, consistently showing a willingness to run the ball. Let's start with my utter lack of injury optimism for Zach Charbonnet, who tore his left ACL during the NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Normal recovery timelines for ACL tears generally range from nine months on the short side, so I'm expecting at least a month of opportunity out of the gate. Remember, there could also be a setback.

George Holani's 2025 stats won't pop off the page, but the UDFA out of Boise State earns my nod in the last round. He earned enough trust from the Seattle staff to command backup duties during their Super Bowl run. He'll also be backing up a rookie (Jadarian Price), which adds all sorts of uncertainty into the fold that could find him in the driver's seat for early goal-line touches.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets – ADP 172 | RB53

Historically, the Jets have given fantasy players very little in terms of backup RB production. That said, this recent rash of leaguewide running back health simply won't last forever, and Breece Hall averaged over 280 touches per season over the past three years. Personal Jets' fandom aside, Gang Green's being undersold in terms of offensive projections with an actual NFL-level quarterback under center.

Braelon Allen served as the Jets' RB2 through the first four weeks of 2025 behind Hall, until a sprained MCL suffered on special teams derailed his season. Most importantly was the backfield split before the injury when New York got close to the end zone. Allen commanded twice the red zone carries (six) and an equal number of targets (two) as starter Hall.

Point being, there could even be some undiscovered standalone value here.

MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers – N/A

Between a long list of compensatory lower-body injuries stemming from a 2020 ACL surgery, Green Bay's former 2024 third-round pick, MarShawn Lloyd, has amassed all of ten total snaps in his professional career to date. Oof.

Well, it's 2026, and by all intents and purposes, Lloyd's fully healthy, participating in every practice over the last three weeks. He's even garnering major praise from Packers RB Coach Ben Sirmans for his explosiveness, who says, “He can do things other guys can’t.” Hopefully, one of those includes lasting a full season.

I won't comment on Josh Jacobs' legal situation, but one thing's for sure: it isn't bullish. Green Bay's a consensus top-10 team, and if ESPN's Football Power Index is any indication, the Packers stand in line for lots of positive game scripts. A strong camp from Lloyd will absolutely rocket him up boards as a top contingency play.

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns – ADP 165 | RB52

Topping my handcuff list in full-point PPR formats is Dylan Sampson. He is clearly the distant backup in short down-and-distance or goal-to-go scenarios on the other side of Cleveland's coin. Sampson's the obvious pass-catching back on a very bad Browns team, which projects as a consensus bottom-3 squad in the league.

Without exaggeration, Sampson posted elite pass-catching metrics while quietly stunning in the aerial game. Out of 57 running backs with at least 75 touches in 2025, Sampson finished first in target per route run (28.0%) and tied for first in yards per route run (1.9)... with Bijan Robinson. Not bad company.

Dillon Gabriel is on the board!

He finds fellow rookie Dylan Sampson for the late score. pic.twitter.com/pAgPZoH1TK

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 14, 2025

Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs – ADP 146 | RB46

If history truly is doomed to repeat itself, perhaps you're better off skipping this next recommendation. Like so many other fantasy gamers, I've spent half a decade chasing the late-round RB dragon in Kansas City. Sure, Isiah Pacheco won leagues in 2021, but drafting Carson Steele or Brashard Smith, among others, after that yielded nothing but goose eggs.

This time around, the Chiefs' lead role is locked and loaded for Kenneth Walker III, leaving recent fifth-round pick Emmett Johnson to battle for the RB2 job with the aforementioned Pacheco off to the Motor City.

Usually, any backup job is always more likely to go to a player with NFL experience, or in this case, fourth-year UDFA Emari Demercado. However, there's no ignoring the constant stream of compliments from players and coaches alike about Johnson outside of camp.

Impressing Andy Reid isn't necessarily easy, and the veteran coach is already quoted as saying, “While he will be second fiddle to Kenneth Walker, there is no doubt Johnson will find some playing time in 2026.” Some contingency value on this offense is too high at a cost to pass up on.

Rookie Emmett Johnson has shown glimpses of another RB Andy Reid used to coach.@Huskerfootball x @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/xtgPtx37xO

— NFL (@NFL) May 4, 2026

Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals – ADP 122 | RB38

What a roller coaster ride for Arizona's newest Cardinal, Tyler Allgeier. Imagine going from being the NFL's hottest free agent signing to backup relegation on a bad team in a span of just six weeks. As soon as he thought the lead role was all but his, Arizona plunged him into an eerily similar situation to Atlanta by drafting Jeremiyah Love third overall.

That said, Allgeier has proven good enough between the tackles throughout his career to earn extremely valuable goal-line work, just ask frustrated Robinson drafters. It's very likely Love serves as the engine of the Arizona offense, right up until the red zone, where Allgeier may serve as the hammer with standalone value, especially in half-point PPR leagues.

Tyler Allgeier opens up the scoring with authority 😤

BUFvsATL on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/1zwXODTz1P

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2025

Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles – ADP 184 | RB58

Now, the pièce de résistance. When speculating on fantasy handcuffs, there are a few major components, namely team quality, player talent, and a direct pathway to volume in case of emergency. Philadelphia's Tank Bigsby decidedly checks every single box, and despite being a zero anytime Saquon Barkley suits up, he should really be drafted several rounds earlier with the other top backups.

The Eagles project for double-digit victories as a top-10 team in most power rankings, and that RB role down the stretch is extremely valuable.

Not only did Bigsby boast incredibly efficient rush metrics last year (5.9 Yards/Carry, +0.07 EPA/Attempt, 3.97 YAC/Rush, 0.43 Fantasy Points/Snap), but Barkley is nearly 30 years old and averaging over 333 touches per season since 2022. Eventually, that dam's going to break, making it easy to see Bigsby serving as one of the true difference makers in 2026.

THEY CALL HIM TANK FOR A REASON.

TANK. BIGSBY.

📺: #INDvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/e09rZPXBYK

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024

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