Should I Draft Kaelon Black, Jonah Coleman, Nicholas Singleton? Fantasy Football Outlooks for Rookie RBs

May 5, 2026

Should you draft Kaelon Black, Jonah Coleman, Nicholas Singleton in 2026 dynasty fantasy football rookie drafts? John's dynasty fantasy football analysis for three rookie running backs for 2026.

Rookie running backs can come out of nowhere to have big first seasons in the league and establish themselves as quality multi-year starters, often smashing their ADPs in the process. We saw this with Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, though his second season was much rockier than his first.

Running back, however, is the position we tend to see the most rookie success in, and you can get an edge in your dynasty leagues quickly if you draft a hit in the later rounds and trade him for his appropriate value after his first season.

San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black, Denver Broncos RB Jonah Coleman, and Tennessee Titans tailback Nicholas Singleton are three players who were taken in the middle rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, so their path to big workloads isn't totally clear. Neither is how they'll perform with the opportunities. But should you draft them in 2026 dynasty rookie drafts? Let's dive in.

Should I Draft Kaelon Black For Dynasty Fantasy Football?

Black was one of the latest in a long line of head-scratching picks by 49ers general manager John Lynch. Though he scored massively by drafting WR Deebo Samuel Sr. in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Lynch's track record of drafting offensive players has not been strong over the past six seasons.

Reaching for players like Danny Gray, Tyrion Davis-Price, Trey Sermon, Jalen Hurd, Cameron Latu, and others has left the 49ers without many offensive players that they drafted. They were quite successful in their picks for Samuel and WR Brandon Aiyuk (knee), at least until more recent developments.

#49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said Indiana RB Kaelon Black was the second-highest-rated RB on their board (implying Seahawks 1st-round pick Jadarian Price was not).

Here’s his explanation for why they loved him so much, via @RichEisenShow: pic.twitter.com/XlCyP0WjA4

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 30, 2026

Black wasn't ranked inside the top-15 running backs in the class by some consensus boards, but he was chosen in the third round as the third RB off the board.

This year's RB class wasn't super inspiring. The 49ers have had problems along the offensive line for years. RB Christian McCaffrey is pretty far ahead of Black, not to mention Isaac Guerendo, who is more explosive and still on the team. Black is a handcuff at best and unlikely to make much of an impact early in his career.

Should I Draft Jonah Coleman For Dynasty Fantasy Football?

Coleman is a much more interesting player to look at. His tackle-breaking ability in college was absolutely off the charts, though his athleticism wasn't. Long-term value might not be a big thing with many running backs in this class, but he's in a very good situation, at least in terms of the offense he plays in.

The Broncos have one of the NFL's best offensive lines and a likely future Hall of Fame coach in Sean Payton, who's regarded as one of the league's best-ever offensive play designers. The QB situation is very solid, and while there is backfield competition, Coleman could get significant work in a committee pretty soon.

Coleman also has some very impressive reps in pass protection under his belt. He'll be contending with RBs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey for snaps in the backfield, while veteran Tyler Badie likely gets pushed further down the depth chart along with Jaleel McLaughlin.

Jonah Coleman owning Sonny Styles in pass pro pic.twitter.com/Spatpw5wyk

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) April 25, 2026

Harvey struggled in pass protection. He's excellent in the open field and as a pass-catcher, though, so he should maintain some kind of role. Coleman, being the successor to Dobbins, seems likely. There might not be a ton of PPR upside, but we've seen Payton duos at RB have a ton of fantasy success in the past.

I'm optimistic about Coleman's production starting in 2027. Dobbins still has juice left, though he's battled injuries constantly over the last few seasons. Coleman is a nice handcuff for now and should have the potential to fill in for Dobbins and produce similarly.

Jonah Coleman is a FREAK athlete😳

Here our some of his best college highlights: pic.twitter.com/571wIZ46n2

— Bando (@BandoKnowsBall) March 17, 2026

Coleman's contact balance is impressive. Payton does a good job scheming the blocking from the offensive line, which should help him get to the second level and potentially be matched up with defensive backs often. That presents a size and strength advantage for him that he can exploit.

It's hard to see him becoming a workhorse in the next few seasons, though. Payton doesn't tend to have one, Dobbins is still around, and Harvey was a second-round draft selection in 2025, meaning he likely won't be just given up on in the next two seasons.

Coleman does have a lot of contingent value in case of injury to either of the other two RBs, though. He's probably worth taking in the middle rounds of rookie drafts, though his talent doesn't necessarily demand a big role right out of the gates. Dobbins had a high rate of explosive rushes last season and still plays with good strength and vision.

Should I Draft Nicholas Singleton For Dynasty Fantasy Football?

Singleton is easily the best athlete out of these players. He has fantastic speed, and though he didn't test at the 2026 NFL Combine, he likely runs the 40-yard dash in about 4.4 seconds. And he has the ideal size for the position, at six feet tall and over 220 pounds.

What he doesn't have is outstanding vision. A very bad habit of running into contact might make it a struggle for him to ever get consistent rushing reps at the next level. He can also struggle with elusiveness at times.

Getting exactly what the defense gives him, minus a little (or even a lot sometimes), might be Singleton's ceiling. Playing in a high-tier offense would help -- we've seen players like Guerendo have monster games, thanks in large part to playing in an elite offensive system like Kyle Shanahan's with the 49ers.

If you answered "No", congrats, you get to draft a different Runningback pic.twitter.com/Xopqin6P5t

— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) March 16, 2026

The Titans have Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator. He hasn't exactly been elite with the New York Giants in recent years, so that's probably not a huge advantage for the rookie. The Titans' head coach, Robert Saleh, is defensive-minded.

Tennessee doesn't have a great offensive line either. They also lack talent at wide receiver, even though rookie Carnell Tate should help with that. Quarterback Cam Ward, going into his second season, is far from proven -- he struggled his rookie year, though you can blame the lack of pass-catching and OL talent for a large part of his struggles.

The sheer explosiveness and size combo he possesses would make him great for best ball, especially as he gets a more defined role. But his draft capital was pretty disappointing. That said, there isn't a ton of competition in this backfield -- an aging Tony Pollard and a struggling backup in Tyjae Spears -- so we could be seeing a lot of Singleton pretty soon.

Nick Singleton (so far)

• 156 Carries
• 1,061 Rushing Yards
• 12 Rushing TDs
• 6.8 YPC
• 11 Receptions
• 85 Receiving Yards
• 1 Receiving TD

Singleton led the Big Ten in Yards After Contact per Attempt (4.58) pic.twitter.com/YNlRgYpDif

— College Football Report (@CFBReport) August 7, 2023

Singleton is an intriguing upside player that I recommend taking in the middle rounds. Upside is the most important factor to chase, and my analysis indicates that big strides in this team's blocking and overall offense could help Singleton make many explosive plays, which would help him beat his ADP.

At least the Titans didn't reach so hard in picking him. He was a solid value for them to draft, simply considering the "what if he maximizes his potential" scenarios.

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