Dynasty Fantasy Football Buys - 5 Running Backs to Target in Trades

January 26, 2026

Justin's dynasty fantasy football trade targets, 5 running backs to buy for dynasty leagues. His favorite undervalued sleeper RBs include Trey Benson, Kaleb Johnson, more.

The fantasy football offseason has arrived. Well, for redraft managers, it's arrived. For dynasty managers, there's no such thing as an offseason. You have to be prepared at all times to improve your roster. Even if your league isn't open for transactions, there's no harm in looking around at your league mates' rosters and planning what you'll do once you can start offering trades.

Running back tends to be one of the tougher positions to sustain in dynasty. The relatively short longevity of the position compared to quarterbacks and wide receivers is a big part of that, and it means that sometimes you've got to be aggressive in your attempt to add talent.

Here are five running backs you should be trying to buy in dynasty leagues right now. All five should be available without having to blow up your roster for them.

Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

I really thought Brashard Smith would be something in 2025. I'm not revising that: he'll really be something in 2026.

Expecting the converted wide receiver to be an impact NFL running back right off the bat after just one season playing the position in college was too much. A perennial contender like the Chiefs doesn't have time to develop a raw rookie like Smith.

Brashard Smith made some big impact plays on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/3tFU8dBJgJ

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 30, 2025

I do think it's notable, though, that with the Chiefs now eliminated from playoff contention, Smith saw four targets against the Broncos on Christmas Day. Ideally, he can be a very good receiving back for a healthy Patrick Mahomes at some point down the line.

Here's my hope for this offseason in Kansas City. First, the team lets its two free-agent running backs, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, walk. Maybe you bring Hunt back just to have a body, but ideally, the lead back for this team next season isn't on this roster. Maybe the team takes a big swing by drafting Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love in the first round.

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

Trey Benson had some solid showings in his four games to open this season, but a meniscus tear ended his season early. It sounds like he attempted to return later in the season but likely suffered a setback in practice as he tried to ramp up to game action.

The 2024 third-round pick showed a lot of promise in college due to his explosive ability to run between the tackles and absorb contact, but he suffered a major knee injury early in his college career. Multiple knee injuries are risky, but I know a lot of people still believe in Benson.

Five running backs averaged 2.50 yards after contact per attempt + a 20% missed tackles forced rate among players with 25 or more carries, per @FantasyPtsData.

-Cam Skattebo (before Week 6)
-Rico Dowdle
-Jonathan Taylor
-Bijan Robinson
-Trey Benson pic.twitter.com/BkVhhvdxJP

— Corbin (@corbin_young21) October 10, 2025

With Emari Demercado and Zonovan Knight hitting free agency and the Cardinals having a chance to save $8 million by moving on from James Conner, there's a chance that a healthy Benson could play a key role in 2026. Arizona won't go into the year with him as the clear lead back, but he should be in the mix for snaps. We've waited a long time, fellow Benson believers, and 2026 might finally be our year.

(It might also be a disaster. The way this seemingly minor knee injury has lingered definitely worries me, but if you can get Benson for an early second, I think you have to take the chance.)

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons

Tyler Allgeier has shown flashes of greatness in Atlanta, but there's only so much a guy can do when Bijan Robinson is ahead of him in the pecking order. Luckily for Allgeier's fantasy managers, the 25-year-old is a free agent this offseason and should have several suitors.

Despite Robinson's presence, Allgeier should surpass 500 rushing yards in Week 18, and he's found the end zone eight times on the ground. He's not a huge contributor in the passing game, but he can handle the pressure of an early down workload and might be able to find the end zone double-digit times if he lands in the right spot.

Of course, "the right spot" is the thing here. We don't know where Allgeier will end up, so we don't know what to really expect. More than likely, he winds up as the head of a running back committee, maybe somewhere like Houston or Kansas City. And hey -- that's fine! Sharing a backfield with Woody Marks or Brashard Smith is a great result.

There's also the scenario where he winds up with a stronger grasp on a lead-back role, maybe in Dallas if Javonte Williams gets a payday elsewhere, or in Minnesota if the team decides to move on from Aaron Jones Sr. Somewhere like that could give him RB2 appeal, and his dynasty price would soar as soon as he signed there. That's part of why you should take the risk and go after him before free agency.

Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

I don't know if Kaleb Johnson is a good football player. I mean, he's good in the sense that he's better than 99.9 percent of all football players in the world, but relative to the rest of the NFL, it's a mystery.

What I do know is this: Johnson was a third-round pick this past season who looked very, very good in college, and I can't imagine the Steelers just completely give up on the guy, even if he enters the final week of the NFL season with 28 carries for 69 yards and has been a healthy scratch the past two weeks.

Kaleb Johnson WOULD. NOT. GO. DOWN. 😤 #B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/Xx6h6jH4oF

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 30, 2024

Johnson was pretty clearly not ready for an NFL workload as a rookie, but that doesn't mean he needs to be written off forever. The Steelers are in the midst of a playoff battle and don't have time to work on development, but with Kenneth Gainwell set to hit free agency this offseason, Johnson has a shot to earn minutes as the primary backup to Jaylen Warren next year.

Here's the biggest reason to buy him, though: he should come at a major discount. Johnson was going as early as the late first round in rookie drafts last year, but now you can probably get him via trade for a late second this year?

It's risky considering his lack of production as a rookie, but the 2026 rookie running back class is fairly weak, so I'd rather take a chance on Johnson developing than wind up drafting someone with less talent in this upcoming class.

Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers

Do you think Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard are extremely good running backs, or do you think that the Panthers have managed to build an offense that puts its running backs in the best spots possible? It's a hard question to answer, but if you lean toward the latter, then you should probably try to add Jonathon Brooks this offseason.

Injuries have killed Brooks so far, as he's suffered ACL tears twice. His first, near the end of his final college season, led to a delayed start to Brooks' NFL career. The second, last December, cost him his entire second season. Out of a possible 34 regular-season games since he was drafted in 2024, Brooks has played in just three, totaling nine carries for 22 yards.

Is there a chance that those ACL injuries have essentially ruined any chance of Brooks being a productive NFL player? Yes, definitely, but that's priced into things already. You can get Brooks for a rookie third at this point, and a third-round rookie pick is a crapshoot anyway, so why not use it to grab someone who potentially has high-end talent on a team that seems built for strong running back performances?

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