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Updated 2026 fantasy football rookie RB rankings. See the top rookie running backs and draft targets, including Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Jonah Coleman, Mike Washington Jr., and more.
We're inching closer to the start of the 2026 NFL regular season, meaning tons of first-year players are getting ready to debut. As training camps move forward, it's time for an updated look at our rookie fantasy football running back rankings for 2026.
The updated 2026 rookie RB rankings are constructed by 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, see where key ball carriers such as Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Mike Washington Jr., and Jonah Coleman stand, among all others.
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, and crush your 2026 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!PPR rankings | Half-PPR rankings | Standard rankings | Rookie rankings | Superflex rankings | Dynasty rankings | Who To Start? | Injuries | Matchup Ratings | Strength of Schedule
Fantasy Football Rookie Running Back Rankings
Check out our PPR fantasy football rankings and standard (non-PPR) fantasy football rankings as well:
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Pos |
| 1 | 1 | Jeremiyah Love | RB |
| 2 | 2 | Jadarian Price | RB |
| 3 | 3 | Jonah Coleman | RB |
| 3 | 4 | Emmett Johnson | RB |
| 3 | 5 | Nicholas Singleton | RB |
| 4 | 6 | Mike Washington Jr. | RB |
| 4 | 7 | Demond Claiborne | RB |
| 4 | 8 | Kaelon Black | RB |
| 4 | 9 | Kaytron Allen | RB |
| 5 | 10 | Adam Randall | RB |
| 5 | 11 | Seth McGowan | RB |
| 5 | 12 | Jam Miller | RB |
| 6 | 13 | J'Mari Taylor | RB |
| 6 | 14 | Roman Hemby | RB |
| 6 | 15 | Jaydn Ott | RB |
| 7 | 16 | Noah Whittington | RB |
| 7 | 17 | Terion Stewart | RB |
| 7 | 18 | Robert Henry Jr. | RB |
| 7 | 19 | Rahsul Faison | RB |
| 7 | 20 | CJ Donaldson | RB |
2026 Fantasy Football Rookie Running Back Outlooks
Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes that the Arizona Cardinals' plan "is to try and not overload" rookie first-round running back Jeremiyah Love in his first NFL season. Love has flashed the home run ability that made him the third overall pick from Notre Dame in April, but the Cardinals want to find "the right rotation" between Love, veteran James Conner, and newcomer Tyler Allgeier in new head coach Mike LaFleur's offense. Allgeier was part of a similar platoon last year with the Atlanta Falcons, sharing work with the ultra-talented Bijan Robinson.
Allgeier still managed 143 carries last year and a career-high eight rushing touchdowns in 17 games. Fantasy managers in single-year formats may want to knock Love down a few pegs on their draft boards after this news. The 21-year-old still has an incredibly high long-term ceiling with true workhorse potential, but it sounds like the Cardinals don't want to unleash him just yet. If that's truly the case, Love should be considered more of an RB2 going into his rookie season instead of a surefire RB1 for fantasy managers.
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders rookie fourth-round running back Mike Washington Jr. has the "potential to grow into a second option in the backfield" in 2026 in his first year in the league behind RB1 Ashton Jeanty, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Washington has a nice blend of size (6-foot-2, 228 pounds) and speed (4.33-second 40-yard dash) and rushed for 1,070 yards (606 yards after first contact) and eight touchdowns at the University of Arkansas last year. He added 28 receptions for 226 yards and another touchdown as a pass-catcher.
The Raiders expect Jeanty to have a heavy workload under new head coach Klint Kubiak, but "that shouldn't take away from Washington playing meaningful snaps" in his first year in the league as the top backup in Vegas. Washington took reps with the second team and occasionally with the first-team offense during the offseason program. The 23-year-old has a clear path to RB2 duties, but he still has plenty to clean up, including ball-security issues he showed in college. He'll be trying to hold off undrafted rookie RB Roman Hemby in training camp.
Nicholas Singleton, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans running back Nicholas Singleton fell to the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, which in some scenarios would be enough to remove him entirely from fantasy draft boards ahead of his rookie season. In Singleton's case, he lands in a running back room with enough question marks to still present an intriguing opportunity.
Veteran Tony Pollard has run for 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons with the Titans and in four straight campaigns, dating back to his time with the Cowboys, but he had nearly as many fumbles as touchdowns in 2025 and has seen his receiving production on the decline each year since 2022. Former third-round pick Tyjae Spears has dealt with injuries and watched his efficiency drop off considerably since a 2023 rookie season in which he forced a true 50/50 split with future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry.
A new coaching staff in Tennessee could lean on the veterans early in the year, but Singleton has the size and athleticism to handle a three-down role and the versatility to work in both the run and pass games. With Titans rookies reporting for training camp on Thursday, he will soon face his first challenges of handling pass protection in an NFL offense, often the biggest hurdle in first-year running backs finding the field, but if he can handle himself in that regard, the door remains open for Singleton to carve out a fantasy-relevant role as a rookie.
Who Should I Draft Tool
Read more about the Who Should I Draft tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Mike Washington Jr., Jonah Coleman, Emmett Johnson. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football drafts.
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 Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research and update it constantly throughout the preseason. 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.
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 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.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Mike Washington Jr., Jonah Coleman, Emmett Johnson:
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