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RotoBaller's Week 5 college fantasy football running back rankings for 2026. Set winning CFB fantasy lineups with these RB rankings for the top Power 4 players.
Bye weeks come in full force in Week 5, meaning college fantasy football managers will be without key running backs like Nate Sheppard, Justice Haynes, Caleb Hawkins, Jordon Davison, and more. That makes start-sit calls at RB much more difficult, so we're here to help. Below are our top 100 college fantasy football running back rankings for Week 5.
These rankings will be updated throughout the week as injury news rolls in. Below, see where key chain-movers such as Jadan Baugh, Lee Beebe Jr., Cam Cook, Fluff Bothwell, Micah Ford, Dylan Edwards, and more stand among all others.
Be sure to bookmark our college fantasy football news feed for the latest breaking news, injury updates, and more. CFB alerts are also available in our mobile app.
Week 5 College Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Position |
| 1 | Jadan Baugh | FLA | RB |
| 2 | Adam Mohammed | CAL | RB |
| 3 | Kendrick Raphael | SMU | RB |
| 4 | Lee Beebe Jr. | IU | RB |
| 5 | Aiden Flora | ISU | RB |
| 6 | Dilin Jones | LSU | RB |
| 7 | Jamal Rule | NEB | RB |
| 8 | Fame Ijeboi | PUR | RB |
| 9 | LJ Martin | BYU | RB |
| 10 | Shavane Anderson Jr. | SYR | RB |
| 11 | Cam Cook | WVU | RB |
| 12 | Antwan Raymond | RUTG | RB |
| 13 | DeSean Bishop | TENN | RB |
| 14 | Fluff Bothwell | MSST | RB |
| 15 | J'Koby Williams | TTU | RB |
| 16 | Jamal Roberts | MIZ | RB |
| 17 | Ousmane Kromah | FSU | RB |
| 18 | CJ Baxter | UK | RB |
| 19 | Cole Tabb | CIN | RB |
| 20 | Micah Ford | STAN | RB |
| 21 | Aneyas Williams | ND | RB |
| 22 | Dylan Edwards | KU | RB |
| 23 | Ty Clark III | WAKE | RB |
| 24 | Cameron Dickey | TTU | RB |
| 25 | Jeremy Payne | TCU | RB |
| 26 | Turbo Richard | IU | RB |
| 27 | Mekhi Nelson | NEB | RB |
| 28 | Nate Frazier | UGA | RB |
| 29 | Makhi Hughes | HOU | RB |
| 30 | Evan Dickens | BC | RB |
| 31 | Daniel Hill | ALA | RB |
| 32 | Kyson Brown | ASU | RB |
| 33 | Damon Ferguson Jr. | PITT | RB |
| 34 | Jaziun Patterson | MSU | RB |
| 35 | Marcellous Hawkins | VT | RB |
| 36 | Jeffrey Overton Jr. | VT | RB |
| 37 | Rueben Owens II | TA&M | RB |
| 38 | King Miller | USC | RB |
| 39 | Bo Jackson | OSU | RB |
| 40 | Keyjuan Brown | LOU | RB |
| 41 | Duke Watson | UCF | RB |
| 42 | Mark Fletcher Jr. | MIA | RB |
| 43 | Javian Mallory | MIA | RB |
| 44 | Gideon Davidson | CLEM | RB |
| 45 | Gi'Bran Payne | CIN | RB |
| 46 | Sedrick Alexander | VAN | RB |
| 47 | Ca'Lil Valentine | ILL | RB |
| 48 | Tylik Hill | SYR | RB |
| 49 | Jordan Marshall | MICH | RB |
| 50 | Jeremiah Cobb | AUB | RB |
| 51 | Dawson Pendergrass | BAY | RB |
| 52 | Kedrick Reescano | ARIZ | RB |
| 53 | Deuce Lawrence | WAKE | RB |
| 54 | Kamari Moulton | IOWA | RB |
| 55 | Jekail Middlebrook | UVA | RB |
| 56 | Demon June | UNC | RB |
| 57 | Abu Sama III | WIS | RB |
| 58 | Nolan James Jr. | ND | RB |
| 59 | EJ Crowell | ALA | RB |
| 60 | Isaac Brown | LOU | RB |
| 61 | Jayden Scott | NCSU | RB |
| 62 | Ju'Juan Johnson | SYR | RB |
| 63 | Savion Hiter | MICH | RB |
| 64 | Micah Welch | COLO | RB |
| 65 | Jabree Coleman | SC | RB |
| 66 | Chauncey Bowens | UGA | RB |
| 67 | Caleb Komolafe | NU | RB |
| 68 | Waymond Jordan | USC | RB |
| 69 | Ahmad Miller | SYR | RB |
| 70 | Isaiah Mozee | NEB | RB |
| 71 | Braeden Jackson | IOWA | RB |
| 72 | Aidan Laughery | ILL | RB |
| 73 | Ja'Kyrian Turner | PITT | RB |
| 74 | Carson Hansen | PSU | RB |
| 75 | Duke Clark | FLA | RB |
| 76 | Riley Wormley | USC | RB |
| 77 | Sutton Smith | ARK | RB |
| 78 | Isaiah Augustave | SC | RB |
| 79 | Ja'Kobi Jackson | OSU | RB |
| 80 | Darrion Dupree | WIS | RB |
| 81 | Jason Patterson | UK | RB |
| 82 | La'Vell Wright | PITT | RB |
| 83 | Iverson Howard | MD | RB |
| 84 | Nathan Mcneil | IOWA | RB |
| 85 | Benjamin Hall | UNC | RB |
| 86 | Dramekco Green | SMU | RB |
| 87 | Grayson Rigdon | ASU | RB |
| 88 | Daune Morris | TENN | RB |
| 89 | Xai'Shaun Edwards | MIZ | RB |
| 90 | Kwinten Ives | NEB | RB |
| 91 | TJ Thomas | MINN | RB |
| 92 | Braylen Russell | ARK | RB |
| 93 | Derrick McFall | SMU | RB |
| 94 | Trae'shawn Brown | ALA | RB |
| 95 | Malachi Coleman | WIS | RB |
| 96 | Jovantae Barnes | UK | RB |
| 97 | Davion Gause | NCSU | RB |
| 98 | James Peoples | PSU | RB |
| 99 | Ashten Emory | CAL | RB |
| 100 | Xavier Brown | UVA | RB |
Week 5 College Fantasy Football Running Back News, Outlooks
Lee Beebe Jr., Indiana
Indiana running back Lee Beebe Jr. took over after Turbo Richard left Friday's win over Northwestern with a lower-leg injury and delivered the biggest game of his career, rushing 24 times for 203 yards and a touchdown. Beebe had already logged 14, 16 and 17 carries over Indiana's first three games, so this was not a one-week role appearing out of nowhere. He now has 398 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 71 carries.
Richard's status for Week 5 remains uncertain, while Khobie Martin is still out until around midseason. Even if Richard returns soon, Beebe has been a regular part of Indiana's two-back rotation all year. He is a priority waiver add, and his value jumps further if Richard misses Saturday's trip to Rutgers.
Jeffrey Overton Jr., Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. needs to be added after what happened at Boston College. He handled 25 carries for 209 yards and the go-ahead 76-yard touchdown, then added three catches for 19 yards. Overton is now at 409 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 60 carries, along with 10 receptions for 114 yards and another score.
Marcellous Hawkins still had 10 carries against Boston College, but Overton dominated the workload and has been the more productive back through four games. RotoBaller's latest player update says he appears to be Virginia Tech's RB1 and should be added in all leagues. That fits the evidence. Overton is a must-add wherever he remains available, not merely a short-term streamer after one big game.
Cam Edwards, Michigan State
Michigan State running back Cam Edwards (knee) will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, head coach Pat Fitzgerald announced Monday. Edwards injured his right knee early in Saturday's 31-13 loss to Nebraska and was carted off after rushing four times for 16 yards and catching one pass for 23 yards.
He finishes the season with 304 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries, along with four receptions for 35 yards. Jaziun Patterson took on the bulk of the backfield work after Edwards went down, finishing with 16 carries for 54 yards and Michigan State's only touchdown. Marvis Parrish had three carries for six yards, so Patterson has the early edge for additional work as the Spartans reorganize the backfield.
Ja'Kyrian Turner, Pitt
Pitt running back Ja'Kyrian Turner (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for Week 5 against Virginia Tech. The sophomore running back has been dealing with an undisclosed injury all season and has been limited to just one game. In his only game this season, Turner was limited to 11 carries, rushing for 39 yards and catching 4 passes for 69 receiving yards.
Turner was suited up for Pitt's Week 3 matchup against Syracuse but did not play, and he did not suit up for the team's Week 4 matchup against Bucknell. Virginia Tech is one of the toughest fantasy matchups for running backs, allowing only 83.3 rushing yards per game. Because of the tough matchup and uncertainty about whether Turner will play, fantasy owners should have a backup plan in place.
Savion Hiter, Michigan
Michigan running back Savion Hiter set a season high with 14 carries against Iowa but turned them into only 53 yards, adding one reception for 19 yards. Jordan Marshall remained just as involved, rushing 11 times for 59 yards, and the two backs have continued to operate as a committee.
Minnesota has allowed only 97.8 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry through four contests, including just 40 rushing yards to Washington last week. Hiter has 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries this season, with both scores coming against UTEP. The increased Week 4 workload is encouraging, but the matchup and Marshall's presence still make Hiter difficult to trust. He is a deeper-league flex and a bench option in standard-sized leagues for Week 5.
Ty Clark III, Wake Forest
Wake Forest running back Ty Clark III earned his biggest workload of the season at Louisville and responded with 91 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Deuce Lawrence remained involved with 10 carries for 64 yards, but Clark handled both rushing scores and twice as many attempts.
Stanford is allowing 149.5 rushing yards per game and was gashed for 268 on the ground by Duke two weeks ago, including 154 yards and two rushing touchdowns from Nate Sheppard. Clark now has 235 rushing yards and three touchdowns through four games, with the Louisville workload providing the strongest evidence yet that his role is growing. Lawrence keeps the backfield from being completely secure, but Clark has a favorable enough setup to use as an RB2 or flex in Week 5.
