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Should you draft Mike Washington Jr., Demond Claiborne, Kaytron Allen in fantasy football in 2026? RotoBaller's fantasy outlooks for these rookie running backs.
This year's rookie running back class was, unfortunately, not anywhere close to that of 2025 in terms of talent. But that doesn't mean that none of them could be productive for fantasy football this season.
Though they are very much the exception rather than the rule, late-round picks at any position can surprise and be start-worthy, especially in the case of injuries to the teams' starters ahead of them that will become relevant later.
Though it's unlikely we'll have the next Kyren Williams in this draft, it's not reasonable to expect league-winning production from a rookie late-round pick. But in deeper leagues it's more possible, and in best ball, there might be a home run among three rookie tailbacks we'll break down below. Let's dive in!
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Mike Washington Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
Washington is an elite athlete. He has the highest Raw Athletic Score, which measures speed, burst, and explosion when compared to height and weight, of any running back at the NFL Combine since 1987. He was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
He's 6-foot-1, 223 pounds, ran a ridiculous 4.33-second 40-yard dash, recorded 39 inches in the vertical jump, and leaped 10' 8" in the broad jump. Those numbers are nuts.
He lacks a lot of important RB traits, though. As great an athlete as he is, his broken tackle and yards-after-contact metrics in college were very poor. He'll need excellent blocking from the offensive line and a high-end offensive scheme to be consistent enough to be a fantasy starter.
MIKE WASHINGTON JR SHOWING OFF THAT 4.33 SPEED EARLY FOR 53.
Are the Raiders finally back? pic.twitter.com/9jsUJFe3tS
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) August 14, 2026
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak helped the Seattle Seahawks offensive line make a huge leap in 2025, and the Raiders signed one of the best centers in the league ahead of the 2026 season. Things are looking up in both those regards. Kubiak is the NFL's best offensive mind.
And starting RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) is believed to have suffered a sprained ankle during practice. Washington could be in line for more reps. It's possible the Raiders sign a free-agent veteran running back, though, as Washington is not ideally suited for a goal-line or short-yardage role.
Washington is at least worth a late-round flyer. It's a bit too risky to take him in the middle rounds if his ADP starts skyrocketing, though. Expecting him to step into the lead role in Jeanty's absence and be a workhorse RB is probably not the best idea.
Demond Claiborne Fantasy Football Outlook
Claiborne was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. That's pretty poor draft capital. He's currently slotted as the third running back on the Vikings depth chart, ahead of Zavier Scott and behind Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason.
The role that Claiborne could fill in for Jones and Mason doesn't seem minimal. Jones is 31 years old and heavily injury-prone, so we could see an injury push Claiborne to the backup spot on this depth chart. But Mason played well at times last season, and there's been positive buzz for him out of camp.
Mason is a powerful back who has shown good tackle-breaking ability in previous seasons, and is 27 years old and in his prime. Mason doesn't have much pass-catching upside, but Claiborne doesn't seem to, either.
What a run to kick us off on Day 3.@WakeFB RB Demond Claiborne with a speedy 4.38u.
2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/lLTUbZtWCh— NFL (@NFL) February 28, 2026
Claiborne is undersized at 188 pounds. His draft capital is evidence of teams not being high on his ability. If he were a more productive receiving back, things might be different. But it's hard to envision him having much of a role at all as long as Jones is still on the team.
Kaytron Allen Fantasy Football Outlook
There isn't much reason to draft Allen at all. The Commanders may be one of the NFL's most disappointing offenses relative to expectations in 2026. They lost their starting elite left tackle to a season-ending injury, and now their offensive line is in shambles. They also have little depth at the receiver position.
Allen hasn't generated any substantive positive buzz in the offseason and training camp. He's the RB3 on Washington's depth chart, behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt (undisclosed) and Rachaad White (hamstring).
"Bill" and White are likely to take the lion's share of snaps. White is a fantastic pass-catching and pass-blocking back, while Croskey-Merritt had a few big games last season but had struggles with contact balance. Allen is not worth even a flier in most leagues. Even if one of these two backs gets injured, it's hard to see much upside here.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Mike Washington Jr., Demond Claiborne, Kaytron Allen. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football drafts.
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Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
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