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RotoBaller's updated Week 1 running back (RB) rankings for fantasy football in 2026. Read the weekend updates for our fantasy football RB rankings and win more.
Welcome RotoBallers! Week 1 has already begun, but we still have the main Sunday slate to prepare for. Below, you will find our updated Week 1 PPR rankings for running backs. On Friday, we learned that top Cardinals rookie Jeremiyah Love will be questionable for his NFL debut, while Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty is fully cleared.
Our running back fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are put together by Nick Mariano. In addition to his rankings, below you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football injury news for this week. There are always key injuries to keep track of, so be sure to check back until kickoff.
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Week 1 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football
Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, Standard rankings.
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | Bijan Robinson | RB | 3 |
| 2 | 3 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 4 |
| 2 | 4 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | 7 |
| 2 | 5 | Chase Brown | RB | 8 |
| 2 | 6 | De'Von Achane | RB | 10 |
| 3 | 7 | Saquon Barkley | RB | 11 |
| 3 | 8 | Omarion Hampton | RB | 13 |
| 3 | 9 | Javonte Williams | RB | 14 |
| 3 | 10 | Derrick Henry | RB | 15 |
| 3 | 11 | James Cook III | RB | 16 |
| 3 | 12 | Kenneth Walker III | RB | 17 |
| 3 | 13 | Ashton Jeanty | RB | 22 |
| 3 | 14 | D'Andre Swift | RB | 25 |
| 3 | 15 | Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | 26 |
| 4 | 16 | Breece Hall | RB | 28 |
| 4 | 17 | Kyren Williams | RB | 30 |
| 4 | 18 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 31 |
| 5 | 19 | Cam Skattebo | RB | 33 |
| 5 | 20 | Bucky Irving | RB | 35 |
| 5 | 21 | David Montgomery | RB | 41 |
| 5 | 22 | Jaylen Warren | RB | 42 |
| 5 | 23 | Quinshon Judkins | RB | 47 |
| 5 | 24 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB | 52 |
| 5 | 25 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | 53 |
| 6 | 26 | Rico Dowdle | RB | 58 |
| 6 | 27 | Tony Pollard | RB | 59 |
| 6 | 28 | Jeremiyah Love | RB | 60 |
| 6 | 29 | MarShawn Lloyd | RB | 67 |
| 7 | 30 | Jadarian Price | RB | 68 |
| 7 | 31 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 72 |
| 7 | 32 | Jonathon Brooks | RB | 73 |
| 7 | 33 | Jordan Mason | RB | 77 |
| 8 | 34 | Rachaad White | RB | 79 |
| 8 | 35 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | 81 |
| 8 | 36 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 83 |
| 8 | 37 | Blake Corum | RB | 84 |
| 8 | 38 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | RB | 94 |
| 8 | 39 | Aaron Jones Sr. | RB | 97 |
| 8 | 40 | Tyjae Spears | RB | 104 |
| 9 | 41 | George Holani | RB | 106 |
| 9 | 42 | Kyle Monangai | RB | 114 |
| 9 | 43 | Mike Washington Jr. | RB | 116 |
| 9 | 44 | RJ Harvey | RB | 124 |
| 9 | 45 | Woody Marks | RB | 126 |
| 9 | 46 | Dylan Sampson | RB | 127 |
| 9 | 47 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | 128 |
| 10 | 48 | Tank Bigsby | RB | 134 |
| 10 | 49 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 140 |
| 10 | 50 | Chris Brooks | RB | 141 |
| 10 | 51 | Keaton Mitchell | RB | 144 |
| 10 | 52 | Samaje Perine | RB | 152 |
| 10 | 53 | Justice Hill | RB | 159 |
| 10 | 54 | Braelon Allen | RB | 165 |
| 10 | 55 | Emmett Johnson | RB | 170 |
| 11 | 56 | Kimani Vidal | RB | 171 |
| 11 | 57 | Corey Kiner | RB | 174 |
| 11 | 58 | Jaylen Wright | RB | 176 |
| 11 | 59 | Jacob Saylors | RB | 185 |
| 11 | 60 | Najee Harris | RB | 189 |
| 11 | 61 | Jonah Coleman | RB | 198 |
| 11 | 62 | Kyle Juszczyk | RB | 200 |
| 11 | 63 | Alvin Kamara | RB | 201 |
| 12 | 64 | Kaelon Black | RB | 203 |
| 12 | 65 | Ty Johnson | RB | 206 |
| 12 | 66 | Emari Demercado | RB | 207 |
| 12 | 67 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | 219 |
| 13 | 68 | Kaleb Johnson | RB | 226 |
| 13 | 69 | Sione Vaki | RB | 227 |
| 13 | 70 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | RB | 231 |
| 13 | 71 | Ray Davis | RB | 233 |
| 13 | 72 | Hunter Luepke | RB | 234 |
| 13 | 73 | Audric Estime | RB | 240 |
| 13 | 74 | Rasheen Ali | RB | 244 |
| 14 | 75 | Devin Singletary | RB | 245 |
| 14 | 76 | Seth McGowan | RB | 252 |
| 15 | 77 | Isaiah Davis | RB | 260 |
| 15 | 78 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | 263 |
| 15 | 79 | Brashard Smith | RB | 265 |
| 15 | 80 | Nicholas Singleton | RB | 266 |
| 15 | 81 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | RB | 267 |
| 15 | 82 | Kendre Miller | RB | 271 |
| 15 | 83 | Israel Abanikanda | RB | 273 |
| 15 | 84 | Josh Williams | RB | 274 |
| 15 | 85 | Lan Larison | RB | 275 |
| 16 | 86 | Kaytron Allen | RB | 276 |
| 16 | 87 | Demond Claiborne | RB | 277 |
| 16 | 88 | Roschon Johnson | RB | 280 |
| 17 | 89 | Dylan Laube | RB | 285 |
| 17 | 90 | Bam Knight | RB | 289 |
| 17 | 91 | DJ Giddens | RB | 293 |
| 17 | 92 | Will Shipley | RB | 297 |
Week 1 Running Back Outlooks for Fantasy Football
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd looks to hit the ground running in his first career NFL regular-season start in Week 1 as the Packers square off with the Minnesota Vikings. With Josh Jacobs (commissioner's exempt list) not playing in this contest, Lloyd is the starting running back and is expected to carry the bulk of the load for Green Bay.
Lloyd's lone game action in the NFL consists of exactly one game: Week 2 in 2024, where Lloyd touched the ball seven times (six carries, one reception) and turned that opportunity into 18 yards. Expecting Lloyd to produce with so little real game-time experience takes a leap of faith, but the Packers' brass are behind him.
For fantasy purposes, consider Lloyd more of a flex play in Week 1 against a middle-of-the-road Vikings front that allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs last season.
Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (groin) doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Sunday's Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Brooks was cleared to play after practicing throughout the week. According to Panthers head coach Dave Canales, he will face "no limitations" in reps. The 23-year-old missed all of last season with a torn ACL and has only logged three games over his two-year career.
He will likely split carries with backfield teammate Chuba Hubbard (hamstring), who was also cleared after dealing with a hamstring injury since mid-August. Brooks will face a Bears defense that allowed 134.5 rushing yards per game, ranking 27th in the NFL last year.
With a positive matchup, Brooks emerges as a FLEX option and is ranked 75th overall (RB32) for Week 1. Even with the split with Hubbard, Brooks should produce enough to be a solid option for fantasy managers in Week 1.
Aaron Jones Sr., Minnesota Vikings
Managers should view Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. as an RB4 when his team plays Green Bay in Week 1. The veteran occupies a defined role as the team's preferred pass-catching option out of the backfield, which should give him some appeal in PPR leagues, but managers will have to wait to see how Minnesota splits carries this season.
Backfield mate Jordan Mason certainly will take away touches, particularly valuable goal-line carries that often lead to touchdowns. Jones, however, could stealthily be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Minnesota's switch to quarterback Kyler Murray. Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner drew 3.4 targets per game playing a full season with Murray in 2024, and the Vikings' obvious strengths at wide receiver should give Jones regularly favorable matchups.
Against the solid Green Bay defense, however, Jones' output likely will depend on how he fares as a receiver. He's RotoBaller's No. 39 running back to open the season.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) is off the injury report and set to play in the season opener versus the Philadelphia Eagles. The second-year back looks primed to be the team's primary runner, with the expectation of working more into the pass game.
The development of Croskey-Merritt's receiving ability and pass protection were two areas where the coaching staff wanted to see improvement from the 2025 seventh-round pick, and the reviews from training camp were largely positive in both aspects.
After rushing for 805 yards and 8 touchdowns on limited touches last season, Croskey-Merritt has an opportunity to take another step in Washington's offense alongside a fully healthy Jayden Daniels. Free-agent signing Rachaad White is expected to play an impactful role as well thanks to his receiving skills, though he is not nearly as efficient or explosive a rusher as Croskey-Merritt.
The 25-year-old faces a stiff test in Week 1 against a stout Eagles front seven, though he still offers flex value with guaranteed touches and touchdown upside.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, Jordan Mason, Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kenny Gainwell. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that our 'Who Should I Start?' 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 fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (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 Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 1 for Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, Jordan Mason, Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kenny Gainwell:
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