Fantasy Football Rookie Running Back Rankings: (July Update) - Jonah Coleman, Kaelon Black, Nicholas Singleton, Emmett Johnson, more

July 3, 2026

RotoBaller's updated rookie dynasty fantasy football rankings. The staff tiered RB rankings reflect the 2026 NFL Draft and include the top 22 RBs.

If you haven't completed your rookie draft and are looking to crush your running back picks, you have come to the right place. Although this isn't the best crop of first-year running backs we've seen in recent years, there will be a few later-round players who make an impact early in their careers. Check out these updated dynasty fantasy football running back rankings below for your draft needs.

The updated 2026 rookie RB rankings are constructed by our elite team of Matt Donnelly, Phil Clark, Jackson Sparks, and Andrew Lalama. These rankings will be updated throughout the offseason, up until the start of the 2026 NFL regular season, based on training camp intel, preseason performances, injuries, and more. Below, check out where Jonah Coleman, Kaelon Black, Nicholas Singleton, Emmett Johnson, and more stand among all others entering their first year of NFL action.

In addition to these rookie rankings, in our 2026 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find RotoBaller's Dynasty League rankings. Don't head into the year without them! Bookmark that page, so that you may crush your 2026 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.

Fantasy Football Rookie Running Back Rankings

Check out our PPR fantasy football rankings and standard (non-PPR) fantasy football rankings as well:

2026 Fantasy Football Rookie Running Back Outlooks

Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks

After three years of sharing a backfield with one of the nation's best players, 2026 first-round pick Jadarian Price could find himself again splitting work for the Seattle Seahawks. The obvious difference is that, while he was the clear second option behind Doak Walker Award winner and third overall pick Jeremiyah Love, the torn ACL sustained by incumbent Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet during the team's Super Bowl run has left the door open for Price to claim lead back responsibilities to begin his rookie season, and perhaps caused too steep a rise in his ADP.

While sharing time with eventual Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in 2025, Charbonnet finished sixth in the league with 12 rushing touchdowns and was one of the NFL's most active backs near the goal line. With reports indicating that he is progressing well in his recovery, he could be back earlier than expected to reclaim the bulk of the team's most high-value touches and harm Price's chances of living up to his lofty expectations.

With Charbonnet in the final year of his rookie deal, there is plenty to be excited about in Price's dynasty future, but with the veteran's uncertain status to begin the year creating what could prove to be too wide a gap in their ADPs, Price is at risk of being overdrafted in 2026. One year after Walker finished as the RB22 with Klint Kubiak running the offense, Price heads into his rookie season as RotoBaller's RB24.

Adam Randall, Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens running back Adam Randall stands out from previous receivers turned running backs in that he's 6'2" and 235 pounds. While neither his background as a pass-catcher nor his impressive size consistently showed up in his one full season as a running back at Clemson, he has obvious tools with which to work and an opportunity to learn behind one of the best to ever do it.

With five-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry still projected to hold a bell cow role in first-time coordinator Declan Doyle's offense, little is expected of Randall in his first year, but with Henry turning 33 by season's end, opportunity could be on the horizon if the fifth-round rookie can continue to develop.

With his unique skill set allowing him to potentially fill in for either Henry or dedicated pass-catcher Justice Hill should injuries necessitate, there is still a path for Randall to contribute in year one, but still quite new to the position, the 21-year-old rookie profiles more as a dynasty stash with potential long-term upside.

Nicholas Singleton, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans running back Nicholas Singleton was a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and while Day 3 running backs have rarely found fantasy success, there is enough working in his favor to make him a worthwhile pick in the later rounds of rookie drafts. Singleton catches the ball well and has a rare blend of size and athleticism. While that skill set did not always translate into breakaway runs or broken tackles, his college production was still impressive, despite sharing the backfield with Penn State's all-time leading rusher, Commanders' sixth-round pick Kaytron Allen.

In Tennessee, Singleton's new running mates will be a 29-year-old Tony Pollard and fourth-year back Tyjae Spears, who has missed nine games over the past two seasons and watched his production drop year after year.

Having broken a bone in his foot during the Senior Bowl, it's possible that a healthy Singleton could have gone earlier in the draft, but with him falling as far as he did, to a team with no other back besides Kalel Mullings under contract beyond this season, the potential exists for him to become one of the more valuable rookies to emerge from an underwhelming draft class.

Kaytron Allen, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders rookie running back Kaytron Allen was one of the more productive running backs in college football during his time at Penn State, recording over 2,600 scrimmage yards and 25 touchdowns over his final two seasons for the Nittany Lions. However, Allen fell to the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Despite the draft day slide, Allen could have a chance to earn consistent playing time in the Commanders' backfield as a rookie. Between Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols, and Jerome Ford, Washington has several capable backs for Allen to compete with.

However, none of the Commanders' rushers other than Croskey-Merritt and Allen profiles as particularly high upside options. Allen's fantasy profile comes with some risk, as there's a chance he falls out of the Washington backfield rotation completely. However, the current lack of an obvious RB1 for the Commanders makes Allen an appealing dart-throw in the late rounds of redraft leagues.

Demond Claiborne, Minnesota Vikings

After recording 1,047 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns on 207 touches across 12 games in his senior season at Wake Forest, running back Demond Claiborne was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Claiborne is unlikely to see significant playing time in Minnesota as a rookie, as he enters the year with veterans Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason both firmly ahead of him on the running back depth chart.

However, neither Jones Sr. nor Mason is currently under contract with the Vikings beyond the 2026 season. Claiborne is undersized for an NFL running back, but he brings a speed element that could allow him to establish himself as a key piece of the Minnesota offense going forward. Given the clear long-term opportunity available in the Vikings backfield, Claiborne profiles as a worthy late-round dart throw for dynasty managers in rookie drafts.

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