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Wild Card NFL playoffs fantasy football running back rankings for PPR scoring (2026). Set winning lineups with our Wild Card weekend rankings for fantasy football.
It's time to compete in NFL postseason leagues and DFS contests, and we'll continue to be your guide through the playoffs! We're back with our Wild Card Weekend fantasy football PPR running back rankings for 2026 to help. Where do key chain-movers at RBs like James Cook, Travis Etienne Jr., Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, Woody Marks, TreVeyon Henderson, and more stand, among all others? Navigate the table below to find out.
Our running back fantasy football rankings for Wild Card Weekend are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find key fantasy football outlooks from our RotoBaller staff, as well as the "Who to Start?" tool. Also, be sure to check our 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.
Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!
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Wild Card Round PPR Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | James Cook III | RB | 4 |
| 2 | 3 | Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | 5 |
| 2 | 4 | Kyren Williams | RB | 6 |
| 2 | 5 | Saquon Barkley | RB | 8 |
| 2 | 6 | Jaylen Warren | RB | 10 |
| 3 | 7 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 11 |
| 3 | 8 | Josh Jacobs | RB | 13 |
| 3 | 9 | TreVeyon Henderson | RB | 14 |
| 3 | 10 | Woody Marks | RB | 15 |
| 3 | 11 | D'Andre Swift | RB | 16 |
| 3 | 12 | Rico Dowdle | RB | 23 |
| 3 | 13 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 26 |
| 3 | 14 | Kyle Monangai | RB | 28 |
| 3 | 15 | Blake Corum | RB | 31 |
| 4 | 16 | Kimani Vidal | RB | 37 |
| 4 | 17 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | 39 |
| 4 | 18 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 44 |
| 5 | 19 | Tank Bigsby | RB | 46 |
| 5 | 20 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB | 51 |
| 5 | 21 | Jawhar Jordan | RB | 54 |
| 5 | 22 | Ty Johnson | RB | 55 |
| 5 | 23 | Ray Davis | RB | 57 |
| 5 | 24 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 58 |
| 5 | 25 | Kyle Juszczyk | RB | 66 |
| 6 | 26 | Chris Brooks | RB | 67 |
| 6 | 27 | Jaret Patterson | RB | 68 |
| 6 | 28 | Ronnie Rivers | RB | 78 |
| 6 | 29 | Hassan Haskins | RB | 80 |
| 7 | 30 | Dare Ogunbowale | RB | 82 |
| 7 | 31 | Will Shipley | RB | 83 |
| 7 | 32 | Nick Chubb | RB | 84 |
| 7 | 33 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | RB | 85 |
| 8 | 34 | D'Ernest Johnson | RB | 89 |
| 8 | 35 | A.J. Dillon | RB | 91 |
| 8 | 36 | Jarquez Hunter | RB | 92 |
| 8 | 37 | Kaleb Johnson | RB | 94 |
| 8 | 38 | Trevor Etienne | RB | 97 |
| 8 | 39 | DeeJay Dallas | RB | 99 |
Wild Card Weekend Running Back Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell continued to function as one of his team's most trusted offensive weapons in Week 18, recording 74 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 13 touches in a win over the Baltimore Ravens. While Gainwell scored his touchdown as a rusher, he did most of his work as a receiver, hauling in eight catches for 64 yards on nine targets. The 26-year-old finishes his 2025 season with 1,023 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games played.
He earned at least seven targets from Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in four out of the team's final five games. Gainwell will be a free agent once Pittsburgh's 2025 playoff run ends, so he's uncertain to be back with the Steelers next season. However, he could be a valuable PPR option for fantasy managers in 2026, particularly if he ends up playing alongside Rodgers in Pittsburgh for a second straight year.
Ty Johnson, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson recorded his first two touchdowns of his career in Week 18's 35-8 win over the New York Jets, handling 13 carries for 36 yards while adding two catches (two targets) for 20 yards as a receiver. Both of Johnson's touchdowns came from six yards out, with the first one coming on the ground to cap a 13-play, 84-yard drive, and the second coming on a receiving touchdown that marked the Bills' final score of the regular season in the fourth quarter.
Johnson played behind Ray Davis, who handled 21 carries for 151 yards, but he earned the high-value touches in the offense with James Cook resting after the first drive. The 28-year-old became the 21st player this season to post at least 200 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards with five total touchdowns, and he is the only one to do so while playing fewer than 40% of the offensive snaps for the season.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson had seven carries for 131 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Miami Dolphins. He also caught two passes for an additional 22 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. All in all, Stevenson had 153 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots officially locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture. It was very encouraging to see both Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson co-exist in New England's backfield for the second week in a row.
The 27-year-old running back has six touchdowns over his last three games, and he ranks as a top-five running back in full-PPR leagues since the team's bye week. He should remain heavily involved as a short-yardage and receiving threat when the Patriots play in the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Chargers next weekend.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Wild Card fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like James Cook, Travis Etienne Jr., Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, Woody Marks, TreVeyon Henderson. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups.
Wild Card Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Wild Card Weekend. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Wild Card Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Wild Card Weekend (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 Wild Card Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Wild Card searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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