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Quincy analyzes the fantasy football bust candidates at running back due to crowded backfields. Avoid these RB committees in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Running back fantasy value typically comes from players who receive the vast majority of work in their offense. Players who fit that mold are becoming scarcer as teams look to keep their backfields healthy for playoff time. As such, players like Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, and Christian McCaffrey are highly coveted for their volume.
Running back committees can also have value, but they typically fall in the RB2 to flex range. There is simply not enough volume to carry your team. Beyond a simple committee, there are always a handful of backfields that are nebulous as we head into the season. There is no clear front-runner, and a team may signal that they will rotate more than two backs.
Fantasy managers need to stay away from nebulous situations. At minimum, none of the players in those backfields can be backbones for your team. These players may be worthy of late-round dart throws should they emerge for their teams, but nothing more. Let's dive in and check out which backfields you should avoid during the 2026 draft season.
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Fantasy Football Backfields to Avoid - Carolina Panthers
Rico Dowdle is out in Carolina as the team looks to move forward with Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks. Hubbard lost his job to Dowdle in 2025 after a calf injury affected his efficiency and overall effectiveness. Brooks is entering his third season in the NFL, having only played three games in his career due to two ACL tears.
There are a lot of unknowns in this backfield. Hubbard seems like the frontrunner, but the team has signaled that it would like Brooks to take on a growing role in the offense. However, Brooks is completely unknown himself. He had one productive year in college after playing behind Robinson at Texas, and we have not seen anything from him in the pros.
Chuba Hubbard Remains the Projected Lead Back in Carolina https://t.co/jyisAcfydY
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) July 31, 2026
Hubbard is also a wild card. Much of his lack of efficiency in 2025 can be attributed to injury, but he still played in 15 games. We have seen him be a dominant force in the past, so it is hard to believe that his ability suddenly evaporated.
What is more, this offense should be solid, but not elite. If these two backs are not elite themselves, then it is hard to believe that they will be major difference makers in fantasy in a solid-at-best offense. Neither one is costing much in drafts, but Brooks is rising to a point where it may even be difficult to take a late-round dart throw at him. I'd steer clear.
Fantasy Football Backfields to Avoid - Denver Broncos
When healthy, J.K. Dobbins is one of the best pure running backs in the league. He is hyper-efficient as an early-down back. Dobbins' problem has always been with staying healthy. He has only played in at least 15 games in a season once in his career. That is a problem the Broncos seem to be seeking to address with rookie Jonah Coleman.
Coleman is entering the fold with an archetype similar to Dobbins. At 5-foot-8 and 220 lbs, Coleman is perfectly suited to handle early down and short-yardage work. He has impressed throughout training camp, suggesting that touches could be headed his way sooner rather than later. Dobbins hovered around 16 carries per game in 2025. Any reduction in volume would substantially hurt his fantasy value.
Jonah Coleman Has Another Great Practice, Continues To Impress At Camp https://t.co/SrSj8HOWAG
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 9, 2026
Further complicating this backfield is the presence of RJ Harvey. Harvey was underwhelming on the ground in 2025, but he was solid as a receiver out of the backfield. If he soaks up the passing-down work, Dobbins and Coleman will lose plenty of value in PPR formats.
Head coach Sean Payton is no stranger to using multiple backs. Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II combined as a great backfield in New Orleans back in the day. Payton is not afraid to play players to their strengths and keep players fresh. This backfield will do much better for the real-life Denver Broncos than it will for fantasy managers in 2025.
Fantasy Football Backfields to Avoid - Washington Commanders
The Commanders' running back room is full of players who could all play substantial roles this season. Notably, Rachaad White and Jacory Croskey-Merritt are the team's top two options. Kaytron Allen is an intriguing rookie, and Jeremy McNichols could see touches here and there.
Croskey-Merritt enjoyed a respectable rookie season in 2025, but he was used almost exclusively as a rusher. With just nine receptions on 13 targets, Croskey-Merritt would need to be hyper-efficient on the ground and repeatedly find the end zone to deliver consistent fantasy value.
White, on the other hand, has been an RB1 in the past, albeit off volume. However, White's superpower is in the passing game. As such, White and Croskey-Merritt have complementary skill sets that will hurt each other's value.
The Commanders are committed to running the football more this season, so there will be solid volume in the offense as a whole. Additionally, none of the players in Washington's backfield are going particularly high in drafts, making them solid dart throws at the end of your draft. Still, this is not a backfield to hitch your wagon to.
Rather than plan your team's build around Washington's running backs, consider them additives for upside or depth. Somebody will have value here, but understanding who as we head into the season will be difficult.
Fantasy Football Backfields to Avoid - Tennessee Titans
Tony Pollard has recorded four straight 1,000-yard seasons, but he is approaching the running back age cliff. He has remained relatively efficient over that span as well. However, he has not been a significant contributor in fantasy despite finishing in the top 24 each of the last two seasons.
Tyjae Spears and his touches are not going away in this offense either. Pollard's receiving volume is especially impacted by Spears, who himself caught 45 passes in 2025. Pollard caught 33 balls in 2025. Those are not numbers that will make him a solid weekly starter.
Tony Pollard 65-yard TOUCHDOWN.
TENvsCLE on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/UZ9c5ifvfN
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025
The presence of rookie Nicholas Singleton also throws a wrench in this backfield. Early reports from camp suggest that Singleton may be competing for Pollard's workload. Singleton is a large, bruising back who can definitely handle a lot of volume. He is the perfect player to spell Pollard on early downs. Losing any bit of volume will hurt Pollard in fantasy.
Singleton is an intriguing prospect, but he is unlikely to receive enough volume to become fantasy relevant either. Spears has yet to finish higher than RB34 in his career, and has settled into a nice role as a change-of-pace back. Despite a projection for an upgrade in this offense overall, it is difficult to get behind any of these backs. At least they are cheap in drafts.
Fantasy Football Backfields to Avoid - Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings' backfield was once very valuable, but it is a bit precarious in 2026. The team brought back Aaron Jones Sr. after it seemed like a divorce was inevitable. Jordan Mason is also still in the fold. Jones' age is starting to catch up with him as the injuries continue to mount. Mason is still young and spry, but he offers almost nothing in the receiving game, making him a difficult start in fantasy.
It would behoove the Vikings to rotate both backs a bit more to keep them fresh. Given the fact that the team was prepared to get rid of Jones this offseason, it seems likely that Jones and Mason will be in an even more equal split, reducing both of their values.
Jordan Mason extends the Vikings lead to two scores
WASvsMIN on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PyNGFYGud8
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025
The fantasy community seems to be off the Vikings' train as well. Jones and Mason are both being drafted in the 12th to 13th round range. You do not need to spend up for them, but you would be missing out on intriguing players such as Michael Wilson, Kyle Monangai, and Makai Lemon should you choose to draft them. It is best to stay away and let someone else experience the frustration of a full-blown committee situation.
Fantasy Football Backfields to Avoid - Arizona Cardinals
Rookie Jeremiyah Love is an elite NFL prospect, but his fantasy draft cost is difficult to swallow given his situation in Arizona. Love is being drafted as a borderline RB1 in fantasy drafts, despite questions about his volume in Year 1. Rookie running backs drafted in the top 10 of the NFL Draft tend to be pushed up in fantasy drafts. Is anyone still reeling from Ashton Jeanty's rookie year?
Love is joining a backfield that already consists of a beloved James Conner and free agent signing Tyler Allgeier. Both players are solid backs. Neither is of Love's caliber, but they will likely factor into this offense in a big way.
How much each player will factor in is a huge question. We saw a situation like this before in Robinson's rookie year in Atlanta. Ironically, Allgeier was also there, poaching quite a bit of volume from Robinson. Robinson ultimately finished as the RB9, but there were some serious duds throughout that season.
To make matters worse, Love has not been the unquestioned RB1 in the Cardinals' offense this offseason. He is too talented not to be at some point this season. However, there is a world where he enters the year coming off the bench.
Love could be a great fantasy asset later in the year, but it feels like the Cardinals' new regime is going to play this the old-fashioned way and give deference to the veterans in the offense. Love's draft price is difficult to justify, and Conner and Allgeier will not have enough volume to be consistent fantasy assets on their own.
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Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonathon Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier:
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