San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will be limited in training camp after a July 14 car accident where he collided with an SUV near his Northern California home, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Nick Wagoner. Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs, and his hand, needed over 40 stitches in his face, and […]

The Denver Broncos are "betting that (running back) J.K. Dobbins can replicate his performance across the first 10 weeks" of the 2025 season, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Dobbins got off to a hot start to his first season with Denver, recording 772 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 153 carries across 10 […]

Minnesota Vikings "executives, coaches, and teammates quietly raved" about rookie running back Demond Claiborne's movement skills this spring, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. A sixth-round pick out of Wake Forest, Claiborne recorded 2,350 scrimmage yards and 23 touchdowns across his final 24 games for the Demon Deacons. He enters 2026 firmly behind veterans Aaron […]

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine will turn 31 years old in September, but he has shown few signs of slowing down. In his return to the Bengals in 2025, he carried the ball 84 times, his most attempts since 2022, and while maintaining a 4.5-yard per carry average, he scored a career-high three rushing […]

The Arizona Cardinals spent the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on running back Jeremiyah Love, and the team's starting left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is excited to see what he can do to open up the Cardinals' offense. In an interview with Omar Ruiz following the first practice of training camp, Johnson […]

The backup running back job in San Francisco is up for grabs, and a player who will have a chance to claim it when the 49ers take to the field for their first practice of training camp is third-round rookie Kaelon Black. With four-time All-Pro Christian McCaffrey leading the NFL with 413 touches in 2025, […]

After scoring four touchdowns and racking up 420 yards on a 5.0-yard-per-carry clip as a 2024 rookie, San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo did not see the field for a single offensive snap in 2025, and beat writer Eric Branch believes his time in San Francisco could be over. In a posting of 25 […]

Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki is a "natural pass-catcher," and "the opportunity is there" for him to cut into presumed Lions RB2 Isiah Pacheco's touches, per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. A fourth-round pick in 2024, Vaki has mostly played special teams through his first two professional seasons and has just seven career NFL […]

Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic lists Baltimore Ravens running back Rasheen Ali as one of the players on the team's roster bubble entering training camp. A fifth-round pick by Baltimore in the 2024 NFL Draft, Ali has logged 26 touches across 21 games over the first two years of his professional career. With Derrick Henry […]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has already declared running back Bucky Irving (shoulder) as healthy following offseason shoulder surgery, but there are still some reasons for concern if you're considering drafting him in fantasy football. Irving burst on the scene as a rookie in Tampa in 2024 with 1,122 rushing yards and eight […]

Indianapolis Colts running back Seth McGowan has a simple path to fantasy relevance: beat DJ Giddens for the job behind Jonathan Taylor. The seventh-round rookie ran for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns at Kentucky, with another 126 yards on 19 catches. There is some appeal here. McGowan has the size for short-yardage work, and Taylor […]

Between Arizona Cardinals rookie first-round running back Jeremiyah Love and free-agent pickup Tyler Allgeier, it will be tough to predict how the backfield touches will shake out to begin the 2026 season. Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated writes that it doesn't feel as though the Cardinals "will fully name one ball-carrier as a labeled starter." […]

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams lost work to Blake Corum last season without losing his lead role. Williams finished with 1,252 rushing yards, 36 catches, and 13 total touchdowns on 295 touches, while Corum played 30.5% of the offensive snaps and handled 145 carries. The rotation helped keep Williams fresh. It also makes […]

Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton turned nine rookie games into 737 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns, enough to keep the breakout buzz alive after two ankle injuries disrupted his season. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry and caught 32 passes, so the appeal is not tied only to early-down volume. The runway also […]

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt made the most of 175 rookie carries, turning them into 805 yards and eight touchdowns while starting seven games. He also caught only nine passes. That gap matters more now that Washington has Rachaad White, Kaytron Allen, Jeremy McNichols, and Jerome Ford in the room. The Commanders believe he […]

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is already the most expensive player at his position in dynasty, and the case for paying that price remains easy to make. He led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards last season, pairing 1,478 rushing yards with 79 catches for another 820. That receiving workload can rescue a fantasy […]

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee), who was held out of the offseason program, participated in drills during the team's training camp practice on Thursday, per Cardinals Wire's Jess Root. It's unclear what exactly Benson did, but coming off a season-ending knee injury in 2025, the Cardinals are expected to ease both Benson and […]

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (ankle, foot), who was held out of the offseason program, participated in drills in Thursday's training camp practice, according to Jess Root of Cardinals Wire. Conner will most likely be eased back in this summer after he played in only three games due to the injury in 2025, but […]

A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II recorded 231 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns on 77 touches across 17 games. Gordon II began the year as Miami's RB2 behind superstar back De'Von Achane. However, he lost touches over the course of the year to fellow Dolphins […]

This premium article is part of our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit and a free sample of the expert analysis loaded up in RotoBaller's Draft Kit. Enjoy this premium article for free for a limited time. All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy football drafts are typically defined by the […]

This premium article is part of our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit and a free sample of the expert analysis loaded up in RotoBaller's Draft Kit. Enjoy this premium article for free for a limited time. All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Modern articles must start with finding common ground […]

The Denver Broncos selected running back Jonah Coleman out of Washington in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft, and he is slated to be the team's RB3, behind J.K. Dobbins (foot), whom they just re-signed to a two-year contract, and behind RJ Harvey, whom they spent second-round draft capital on in 2025. Coleman […]

The 2025 rookie class of running backs generated considerable excitement throughout the fantasy community surrounding their entrance into the NFL. Enthusiasm surged due to the exceptional depth within this talented class, as a group of these newcomers appeared destined to deliver sustained value to managers who selected them during the 2025 draft season. One year later, […]

There is always some value to find at the running back position in the middle rounds. Whether you are looking for a high-upside running back or a serviceable RB2 after the first few rounds, there are always running backs who emerge as sleepers. Last year, Javonte Williams, Jaylen Warren, Quinshon Judkins, and Travis Etienne Jr. […]

Running backs are perhaps the most important position to nail in fantasy drafts. Elite options are scarce, and the best backs are very consistent, providing your fantasy team with much less volatility than wide receivers. A strong running back stable can make or break your season. Given the scarcity of solid options at the position, […]

What was once a dying breed in fantasy football is having a rebirth after 10 different running backs finished the 2025 season with 300 or more touches, with Christian McCaffrey leading the way with 413 touches in the regular season, the most since 2014 when DeMarco Murray had 449 touches with the Dallas Cowboys. The […]

I'll admit that I'm slower to get into my fantasy football headspace than some folks. I cover basketball and baseball, too, and therefore I'm less glued to every offseason NFL transaction, combine video, or blurb about coaching tendencies and playing time speculation. But every year Netflix releases the newest season of Quarterback just in time […]

No fantasy football leagues are won because of which players fantasy managers draft in the first, second, or third rounds. Championships are won because of the golden gems drafted in the late rounds -- and I am not talking about kickers. It is easy for fantasy footballers to draft the likes of Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson, […]

It is almost time for fantasy football drafts to start. This means it is time to find out which rookies are worth taking and which ones should be left in the queue. July 6 starts the Scott Fish Bowl. It's the official start of the fantasy football season. There are 22 rounds, and many players […]

Below are Jamie Calandro's preseason 2026 fantasy football lineup rankings, including notes and analysis for RB, WR, TE, and QB. Jamie finished as the #3 overall most accurate ranker last season, among the most accurate rankers in the industry -- and is here today to bring you his full preseason rankings! It's important to remember […]