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2026 fantasy football RB rankings - Week 5 start, sit running back rankings. Win more with our updated RB fantasy football rankings and tiers for Week 5.
The running back position is always plagued by injuries, and byes take Kenneth Walker III and Chuba Hubbard out of action this week. We're here to be your guide with our Week 5 fantasy football running back rankings for 2026. Where do trending names such as Emanuel Wilson, Bhayshul Tuten, Kyle Monangai, Bucky Irving, Quinshon Judkins, Rico Dowdle, and Alvin Kamara stand for Week 5? See below to find out.
Our RB fantasy football rankings for Week 5 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Week 5 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | 1 |
| 1 | 2 | Bijan Robinson | RB | 2 |
| 1 | 3 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | 7 |
| 1 | 4 | Derrick Henry | RB | 8 |
| 1 | 5 | Kyren Williams | RB | 9 |
| 1 | 6 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 10 |
| 2 | 7 | Chase Brown | RB | 11 |
| 2 | 8 | James Cook III | RB | 12 |
| 2 | 9 | Javonte Williams | RB | 14 |
| 3 | 10 | Jaylen Warren | RB | 17 |
| 3 | 11 | Ashton Jeanty | RB | 23 |
| 3 | 12 | Aaron Jones Sr. | RB | 24 |
| 3 | 13 | D'Andre Swift | RB | 25 |
| 3 | 14 | Jeremiyah Love | RB | 27 |
| 3 | 15 | David Montgomery | RB | 31 |
| 3 | 16 | Cam Skattebo | RB | 35 |
| 3 | 17 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB | 36 |
| 4 | 18 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | 37 |
| 4 | 19 | Bucky Irving | RB | 38 |
| 4 | 20 | Kyle Monangai | RB | 39 |
| 4 | 21 | Quinshon Judkins | RB | 44 |
| 4 | 22 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 46 |
| 5 | 23 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | 50 |
| 5 | 24 | RJ Harvey | RB | 53 |
| 5 | 25 | TreVeyon Henderson | RB | 56 |
| 5 | 26 | Rico Dowdle | RB | 58 |
| 5 | 27 | Omarion Hampton | RB | 59 |
| 5 | 28 | Tony Pollard | RB | 61 |
| 5 | 29 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | 63 |
| 5 | 30 | Braelon Allen | RB | 65 |
| 5 | 31 | Alvin Kamara | RB | 68 |
| 5 | 32 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | 71 |
| 5 | 33 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | 75 |
| 5 | 34 | Woody Marks | RB | 80 |
| 5 | 35 | Keaton Mitchell | RB | 83 |
| 6 | 36 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 98 |
| 6 | 37 | Blake Corum | RB | 101 |
| 6 | 38 | Will Shipley | RB | 102 |
| 6 | 39 | MarShawn Lloyd | RB | 103 |
| 6 | 40 | Samaje Perine | RB | 106 |
| 6 | 41 | Kaleb Johnson | RB | 117 |
| 6 | 42 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | RB | 119 |
| 6 | 43 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 124 |
| 6 | 44 | Tyjae Spears | RB | 126 |
| 6 | 45 | Justice Hill | RB | 132 |
| 7 | 46 | Najee Harris | RB | 135 |
| 7 | 47 | Kimani Vidal | RB | 138 |
| 7 | 48 | Kendre Miller | RB | 141 |
| 7 | 49 | Austin Ekeler | RB | 145 |
| 7 | 50 | Kaelon Black | RB | 151 |
| 7 | 51 | Mike Washington Jr. | RB | 153 |
| 7 | 52 | Jaylen Wright | RB | 154 |
| 7 | 53 | Raheim Sanders | RB | 158 |
| 7 | 54 | Ty Johnson | RB | 162 |
| 7 | 55 | Dameon Pierce | RB | 163 |
| 7 | 56 | Sione Vaki | RB | 166 |
| 7 | 57 | Tyler Goodson | RB | 172 |
| 7 | 58 | Sean Tucker | RB | 180 |
| 7 | 59 | Tyler Badie | RB | 185 |
| 7 | 60 | Joe Mixon | RB | 186 |
| 8 | 61 | George Holani | RB | 187 |
| 8 | 62 | Seth McGowan | RB | 192 |
| 8 | 63 | Demond Claiborne | RB | 195 |
| 8 | 64 | Kaytron Allen | RB | 215 |
| 8 | 65 | DeeJay Dallas | RB | 216 |
| 8 | 66 | Roschon Johnson | RB | 218 |
| 8 | 67 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | RB | 219 |
| 8 | 68 | Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | 227 |
| 8 | 69 | Nicholas Singleton | RB | 232 |
| 8 | 70 | Isaiah Davis | RB | 234 |
| 8 | 71 | Hunter Luepke | RB | 240 |
| 8 | 72 | CJ Donaldson | RB | 248 |
| 8 | 73 | Ray Davis | RB | 253 |
| 8 | 74 | Chris Brooks | RB | 258 |
| 8 | 75 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | RB | 262 |
| 9 | 76 | Ameer Abdullah | RB | 269 |
| 9 | 77 | Jaydon Blue | RB | 270 |
| 9 | 78 | Tahj Brooks | RB | 271 |
| 9 | 79 | Corey Kiner | RB | 274 |
| 9 | 80 | Dylan Laube | RB | 275 |
| 9 | 81 | Jordan James | RB | 276 |
| 9 | 82 | Jacob Saylors | RB | 280 |
| 9 | 83 | Alec Ingold | RB | 282 |
| 9 | 84 | Reggie Gilliam | RB/TE | 283 |
| 9 | 85 | Rasheen Ali | RB | 284 |
| 9 | 86 | Julius Chestnut | RB | 286 |
| 9 | 87 | Patrick Ricard | RB | 299 |
| 9 | 88 | Dare Ogunbowale | RB | 302 |
| 9 | 89 | Bam Knight | RB | 303 |
| 9 | 90 | Craig Reynolds | RB | 304 |
Week 5 Fantasy Football Running Back Outlooks
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) logged a limited practice session on Wednesday due to a groin issue, per the team's official injury report. Croskey-Merritt recorded 2026 season lows in Week 4 in carries (nine), rushing yards (15), and rushing yards per attempt (1.7). He also had two receptions for 35 yards. Austin Ekeler, who recently signed back with the Commanders, outperformed Croskey-Merritt on the ground on fewer carries with 29 yards on four rushes (7.3 yards per carry).
Ultimately, the Commanders were defeated 30-13 against the Indianapolis Colts in London in Week 4. Of note, fellow running back Rachaad White (shoulder) returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday after missing the game against the Colts in Week 4.
Croskey-Merritt leads the Commanders with 56 rushing attempts for 157 yards and a touchdown, but he has been inefficient with an average of just 2.8 yards per carry. Croskey-Merritt's participation throughout the rest of the practice week will be telling, but he does not appear to be in danger of missing a Week 5 matchup with the New York Giants as of now.
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (foot) did not practice Wednesday due to a foot issue, according to the team's official injury report. Of note, Pollard also did not practice last week on Wednesday ahead of Week 4 before logging full practice sessions on Thursday and Friday.
Ultimately, he was active and played 34 offensive snaps in a 24-18 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Pollard rushed 16 times for 48 yards (3.0 yards per carry) and scored a touchdown against the Ravens, while also adding two receptions for two yards. He is Tennessee's leading rusher with 54 carries for 221 yards and a touchdown. Pollard has also recorded eight receptions for 24 yards. While his status for the rest of the week is worth monitoring moving forward, his absence on Wednesday was most likely precautionary.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving has failed to give fantasy managers much value over the last two weeks. Irving has been less effective on the ground lately, but that'll hopefully change in Week 5. The 24-year-old draws a juicy matchup against the Dallas Cowboys defense on Thursday.
A defensive unit that has allowed four rushing touchdowns and nearly 100 rushing yards per game through its first four contests. The absence of Baker Mayfield (thumb) could mean that the Bucs try to pound the ball on the ground with Jalon Daniels under center. Irving has seen 15 or more carries in three of the first four games this season. He'll offer RB2 upside for the Thursday Night matchup in Dallas.
Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson assumed the role of the clear workhorse RB1 in his team's offense in Week 4, and rewarded fantasy managers with a 27.0 PPR fantasy point game thanks to a massive volume of touches. He carried the ball 21 times for 81 yards and one touchdown and caught three of his four targets for 29 yards and another score in the game. This level of volume for any RB in a good offense can't be ignored.
While the return of RB Zach Charbonnet (knee) is imminent, he's coming back from an ACL injury, and he may take several weeks to ramp back up to full participation in practice and start meaningfully eating into Wilson's workload. The Seahawks teased the signing of veteran RB Joe Mixon, but opted against it after a physical, meaning Wilson will be set up as the RB1 for the next few weeks.
The impending return of Charbonnet will certainly lower Wilson's fantasy trade value, meaning he can be had for much cheaper than his scoring upside would suggest, making him a recommended buy-low target for fantasy football ahead of Week 5.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Emanuel Wilson, Bhayshul Tuten, Kyle Monangai, Bucky Irving, Quinshon Judkins, Rico Dowdle, Alvin Kamara. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 5.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 5 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 5 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 5 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 5 for Emanuel Wilson, Bhayshul Tuten, Kyle Monangai, Bucky Irving, Quinshon Judkins, Rico Dowdle, Alvin Kamara:
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