Breakouts win leagues. Fantasy football differs from other sports in the sense that a few players really can make-or-break your week and season. It is not like baseball, where you want to build a deep team to compete over a very long season. In football, the lineup is smaller, and the scoring is more big-play […]

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (neck) suffered a stinger during Friday's preseason contest against the New York Jets, head coach John Harbaugh told Dan Duggan of The Athletic. A stinger is a temporary nerve injury that sends a sharp pain down the arm. The injury isn't expected to be very serious and […]

Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne (ankle) is undergoing further evaluation after he suffered an ankle injury during Friday's preseason contest against the Houston Texans, head coach Dave Canales told Sheena Quick of FOX Sports Radio1340. Etienne had just one carry for two rushing yards prior to his departure. The Georgia product was relatively uninvolved […]

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (neck) cleared concussion protocol and has returned to the sideline for the remainder of Friday's preseason game against the New York Jets. According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Tracy won't return to the contest, but he's expected to be fine going forward. It sounds […]

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley cooled off a little last season relative to the year prior, but he's still worth drafting as a top-12 running back in 2026 fantasy drafts. Barkley had 1,413 scrimmage yards and a modest nine touchdowns last season, ranking as the RB14 in PPR leagues. He has been a top-14 […]

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine isn't expected to have a very consistent role out of the backfield behind Chase Brown. However, we should see him get involved on some passing downs, and he's also a decent handcuff option for managers who are already planning to draft Brown. Last year in Cincy, the veteran running […]

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (neck) left Friday night's preseason finale against the New York Jets after a big collision, and it looked like trainers/doctors were checking his neck, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. Tracy left the field and walked directly into the locker room with trainers. Before his injury, […]

The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. writes that it is "easy to anticipate a far more under-center ground game coming" for Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown in 2026. Brown at one point called the Bengals a "top-five, top-10" defense during training camp. "They've been causing us problems all camp," Brown said. "Offensively, we started to […]

Washington Commanders running back Rachaad White (hamstring) is not active for the team's preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Friday, according to Commanders.com. It is not a surprise that White will not play in the final preseason game after injuring his hamstring in training camp practice last Wednesday. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (lower body) and Jeremy […]

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (lower body) is not active for Friday's preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens, per the team's official website. Croskey-Merritt tweaked his lower body in training camp practice last Thursday, and although the injury is not believed to be serious, the Commanders have held the second-year back out as a […]

It's usually pretty easy to find players that you like for the upcoming season and provide all the reasons why fantasy managers should draft those players. But writing about which players to fade can be a bit more challenging. Don't get me wrong, there are certainly some things to like about the players that I'm […]

The best time of the fantasy sports season is about to begin. In a few days, the 2026 NFL season will kick off and mark the beginning of the regular season. However, before kickoff, managers must meet with their leaguemates and draft their teams. While some may use a simple random generator, there are many […]

We are now days away from the fantasy football season kicking off. The NFL Combine, draft, and Hall of Fame Game are now things of the past. With draft season in full force, it’s time to identify players that offer the best return on your investment. Fantasy Championships aren’t won by players selected in the […]

Fantasy Football players naturally obsess over who to take with their first-round pick, and many take their positive and negative ruminations past the first round. Fantasy leaguers will stay up late at night and wake up early, thinking about how to flesh out their first two or three rounds. The flow of every single fantasy […]

Drafting a player at a high cost who ends up disappointing can be detrimental to your chances of claiming a fantasy football championship. In this piece, we will take a look at some of the early-round players that members of the RotoBaller fantasy football staff will be fading in this year's drafts. Read ahead as […]

Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason continues to look like more than just Aaron Jones Sr.'s backup. Mason rushed for 758 yards and six touchdowns on 159 carries last season, and Minnesota doesn't appear interested in pushing him back into a minor role. The team's current unofficial depth chart lists Jones OR Mason at running […]

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 […]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell could lead the team in all-purpose yards this season, according to Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report. That sounds like a bold call with Bucky Irving still expected to lead the backfield, but Gainwell did exactly that for Pittsburgh last year. He finished 2025 with 1,656 all-purpose yards, piling […]

Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis has strengthened his case as a late-round handcuff after a productive preseason. Davis turned seven touches into 53 scrimmage yards against Carolina, then started with James Cook III resting against Cleveland and handled seven carries for 21 yards and a touchdown while adding a 10-yard reception. Ty Johnson (lower […]

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said the team is still monitoring running back Ashton Jeanty's (ankle) status heading into the Week 1 regular-season opener, "but we're counting on him," according to Levi Edwards of the team's official website. Jeanty initially could not put any weight on his leg last Sunday when he was […]

Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. appears to have earned a real role alongside Ashton Jeanty (ankle). Head coach Klint Kubiak said Friday that both backs will prepare to "play a lot of football" when Jeanty is healthy, according to Sam Warren. Kubiak also made it clear that the workload could change from […]

San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black appears to have a firm grip on the No. 2 job behind Christian McCaffrey, according to Matt Barrows. Black carried four times for 28 yards in Thursday's preseason finale against Las Vegas, including a 14-yard run, and finished the preseason with 61 yards on 12 carries. The rookie […]

ESPN's Jeff Legwold writes that rookie fourth-round running back Jonah Coleman is "squarely" in the team's backfield rotation and "will get plenty of work" in his first NFL campaign. Coleman only had one 13-yard run in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons, and that was all head coach Sean Payton needed to see. The […]

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard is finishing August with some momentum behind his redraft outlook. Pollard has produced whenever Tennessee has used its starters this preseason, totaling 34 yards and a touchdown on six carries while also catching a 33-yard pass from Cam Ward against Seattle. He followed that with another strong showing during […]

Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby has quietly strengthened his redraft case throughout his first full training camp with the team. Bigsby remains firmly behind Saquon Barkley, but Philadelphia's current depth chart has him second at running back ahead of Will Shipley, and he has regularly mixed in with the first-team offense this summer. A […]

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler is expecting New York Giants running back Najee Harris to get his first game action with the team in their preseason finale on Friday night against the New York Jets, which will be his first action in the NFL since tearing his Achilles with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 of […]

Houston Texans running back David Montgomery has strengthened his redraft outlook as the regular season approaches. Head coach DeMeco Ryans has called Montgomery a "number one back," and Houston has spent much of camp managing the veteran's workload to keep him fresh. When the Texans turned him loose during an August 18 joint practice with […]

It's wonderful to smash your early fantasy football picks, but little else compares to finding a league-winner in the rubble of those final rounds. The following 25 players tend to be available later on, with more included to cater to both shallow and deeper formats alike. While reliable depth and a steady floor can come […]

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins has steadied his redraft outlook after an early-August injury scare. Dobbins left practice on August 10 with a soft-tissue issue, but Sean Payton said at the time he expected the veteran to be fine. Dobbins returned to individual work the next day and said after Denver's second preseason game […]

Playing primarily with the third-team offense, Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Gregory Desrosiers led all players with 118 rushing yards on only nine carries in Thursday night's preseason loss to the Rams. The undrafted free agent out of Memphis bounced off a pair of would-be tacklers early in the fourth quarter for a 34-yard […]