Fantasy Football Running Back Fallers: 4 RBs Set to Lose Touches in 2026

May 24, 2026

Adam identifies four veteran RBs set to lose touches in 2026 fantasy football. His RB fallers for 2026 include Bucky Irving, Javonte Williams, Kyren Williams, and D'Andre Swift.

The lifespan of an NFL running back is shorter than that of most positions. They take a beating, play in and play out. And as they age, there's a chance they become less productive and are ultimately phased out.

In this article, we'll take a look at four veteran running backs set to lose touches in 2026. These guys have been very productive in the past, but for one reason or another, their opportunities are likely to decrease this season.

Sometimes coaches will surprise us and continue to ride their trusted vets, but that can't last forever. Buyer beware on draft day, these four veteran RBs are set to lose touches in 2026.

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After playing all 17 games as a rookie in 2024, Irving was forced to miss seven games last season as he battled through foot and shoulder injuries.

Irving finally returned in Week 13, but his role decreased. Rachaad White was on the field for 40% of the snaps, and Sean Tucker was given 10 red-zone carries. Simply put, Irving just wasn't used as much in the red zone last season.

Here’s the Bucky problem in 2026:

Last year, had 17 RZ rush attempts (9.8% of total carries). Of those 17, just six were inside the 10 (3.5%) and ZERO of them were inside the 5

In 2024 (w/ Liam Coen), had 37 RZ rush attempts (17.9%). 22 inside the 10 (20.1%) and 12 inside the 5

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) May 10, 2026

Per PlayerProfiler, Irving's route participation rate dropped from 58% before the injuries to just 42% after.

He went from being a workhorse of sorts to being in a three-back committee. Things could change in 2026 with Zac Robinson taking over as offensive coordinator for Josh Grizzard, but they also might not.

Sean Tucker is still there, and the Bucs wasted no time signing Kenneth Gainwell this offseason. Not only did they make him a priority in free agency, but they handed him $10M guaranteed. His $7M average salary per year is the 21st most among running backs.

Gainwell was awesome last season for the Steelers. He was also one of the best pass-blocking backs in the league, receiving the fifth-highest PFF grade (69.3). Compare that to Irving, who received the fourth-lowest PFF grade (22.6).

Many think Gainwell is just stepping right into the "Rachaad White" role for the Buccaneers. While that has some merit given his receiving and pass-blocking prowess, it sounds like he'll be a lot more than a guy who just spells Irving from time to time.

Zac Robinson Thinks Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell Have Similar Skill Sets https://t.co/Uj1p3BJqjT

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) May 12, 2026

It's overwhelmingly likely that Gainwell, at minimum, plays long-down-and-distance snaps, most third downs, and in the two-minute drill. That, in and of itself, alongside Tucker's siphoning of goal-line carries, is enough to suppress Irving's fantasy value in 2026.

Not to mention it's still unclear if Irving will even be fully healthy by the time training camp starts in July.

Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys

Williams finally looked like his former self in 2025. The Cowboys took a small chance on the oft-injured back, and it paid off in a big way (for him and for the team).

Williams set career-highs across the board. This included his first 1,000-yard rushing season and his first campaign with double-digit touchdowns.

His 28 rush attempts inside the 10-yard line ranked seventh most among running backs. That's how fantasy points are scored.

Most EXPECTED Fantasy Points/Game in the Red Zone
[among RBs in 2025]

Christian McCaffrey - 8.9
Javonte Williams - 6.4
Jonathan Taylor - 6.2
Derrick Henry - 5.4
Kyren Williams - 5.3
Josh Jacobs - 5.3 pic.twitter.com/KSYY3Ts0af

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) May 20, 2026

The Cowboys rewarded Williams with a three-year, $24M contract extension. So, why would they lighten his workload in 2026? "To help maximize the contract," says Cowboys beat writer Nick Harris.

Harris mentioned he'd be surprised if Williams gets 287 touches again this season.

They already started doing so at the tail end of last season. Malik Davis, who has been with the Cowboys organization since 2022, was given ample opportunities down the stretch. He even outsnapped Williams in two of the last three games.

Dallas will also begin training camp with a pair of backs it drafted in 2025, Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. It's no sure thing these guys push Williams for playing time, but they're finally healthy and do offer another level of explosiveness out of the backfield.

Make no mistake about it, Williams is still the clear lead back in Dallas. But this offense could reach new heights with younger, fresher backs entering the equation in 2026.

The Cowboys offense should thrive again this season, which makes Williams a good bet to score double-digit touchdowns for a second straight season.

However, opportunities in other areas of the field are likely to decrease as the team looks to add another dimension to the backfield this season.

Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

Here we go again (sigh). King Kyren was in this article last year, too. He still finished as a back-end RB1, but to my defense, his touches decreased significantly. In 2024, Williams had the second-highest opportunity share among running backs (82.8%). In 2025, that dipped to 64.8% (19th).

His increased efficiency, combined with his usage at the goal line (which he turned into 13 total touchdowns), helped him overcome the decreased workload. And there's no reason to believe that trend won't continue again in 2026, especially as Blake Corum continues to prove himself.

Corum received the seventh-highest PFF rushing grade last season. He also proved himself in pass protection, which is very important with an immobile quarterback in the pocket. And as the season grew older, Corum ate more and more into Williams' touches. Rightfully so, he was really good in his second season.

Blake Corum pic.twitter.com/yN5LQ8j2r8

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) April 30, 2026

Before the bye week, Williams out-touched Corum 127 to 45 (2.82:1 ratio). After the bye, he only out-touched him 168 to 108 (1.56:1 ratio). And a report surfaced a few weeks ago that mentioned this could be close to a "50-50 split" in 2026.

There will still be plenty of touches going Williams' way, but he's got a lofty price tag (Underdog ADP of 34.0) for a guy who could realistically see just north of 50% of the backfield opportunities.

Corum, meanwhile, has an ADP of 95.1. There's a lot of appeal there if he can really make this a 50-50 split backfield. And as always, the contingency upside is astronomical given the offensive environment.

D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

After a heavy workload in his first season with the Bears in 2024 (75.9% opportunity share), Swift began the 2025 season as the Bears' top dog.

That only lasted a few weeks, however, with Chicago having an early bye in Week 5. After that, rookie Kyle Monangai started becoming more and more involved in the offense. In fact, he got 173 carries to Swift's 199.

During that time, Monangai only trailed Swift 10.3 to 12.4 in expected fantasy points per game (per Fantasy Points Data). Part of that was due to Monangai adding value through the passing attack. From Week 5 on, he saw just one fewer target than Swift.

And now we're getting offseason clips of Monangai running routes:

Caleb Williams to Kyle Monangai pic.twitter.com/jxozMSWXjG

— Dave (@davebftv) May 20, 2026

In two playoff games last season, Swift had 34 opportunities to Monangai's 28. That's Ben Johnson and company putting some real trust in a rookie. That kind of stuff is sticky year-over-year. One can reasonably expect that trust (and more opportunities) will grow even more in Year 2.

Of course, that'll come at the expense of Swift, who already saw his opportunity share fall from 75.9% in Year 1 with the Bears to 61.3% in Year 2. Expect that to fall even more in Year 3 as Monangai becomes more and more comfortable with the offense in his second NFL season.

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