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RotoBaller's Week 2 college fantasy football running back rankings for 2026. Set winning CFB fantasy lineups with these RB rankings for the top Power 4 players.
It's Week 2 time already in college football, and whether you got strong production out of your running back room or not, Week 2 start-sit decisions are calling! We're here to guide your lineup calls with our running back college fantasy football rankings for Week 2.
RotoBaller's Week 2 CFB fantasy running back rankings include the top 90 ball carriers. These rankings will be updated throughout the week as injury news rolls in. Below, see where key chain-movers such as Jadan Baugh, Darius Taylor, Nate Sheppard, Jordon Davison, Joe Jackson, Nate Frazier, Turbo Richard, J'Koby Williams, and more stand among all others.
Be sure to bookmark our college fantasy football news feed for the latest breaking news, injury updates, and more. CFB alerts are also available in our mobile app.
Week 2 College Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Position |
| 1 | Jadan Baugh | FLA | RB |
| 2 | Wayne Knight | UCLA | RB |
| 3 | Darius Taylor | MINN | RB |
| 4 | Kewan Lacy | MISS | RB |
| 5 | Aneyas Williams | ND | RB |
| 6 | Cam Cook | WVU | RB |
| 7 | DeJuan Williams | MD | RB |
| 8 | Wayshawn Parker | UTAH | RB |
| 9 | Jeremy Payne | TCU | RB |
| 10 | Isaac Brown | LOU | RB |
| 11 | Ja'Kyrian Turner | PITT | RB |
| 12 | DeSean Bishop | TENN | RB |
| 13 | Jordon Davison | ORE | RB |
| 14 | Nate Sheppard | DUKE | RB |
| 15 | Joe Jackson | KSU | RB |
| 16 | Nate Frazier | UGA | RB |
| 17 | Sedrick Alexander | VAN | RB |
| 18 | Turbo Richard | IU | RB |
| 19 | Waymond Jordan | USC | RB |
| 20 | Makhi Hughes | HOU | RB |
| 21 | Evan Dickens | BC | RB |
| 22 | J'Koby Williams | TTU | RB |
| 23 | Marcellous Hawkins | VT | RB |
| 24 | Caleb Hawkins | OKST | RB |
| 25 | Adam Mohammed | CAL | RB |
| 26 | Cameron Dickey | TTU | RB |
| 27 | Kamari Moulton | IOWA | RB |
| 28 | Cam Edwards | MSU | RB |
| 29 | Mark Fletcher Jr. | MIA | RB |
| 30 | Dierre Hill Jr. | ORE | RB |
| 31 | Duke Watson | UCF | RB |
| 32 | Daniel Hill | ALA | RB |
| 33 | Chris Johnson Jr. | CLEM | RB |
| 34 | Jamal Rule | NEB | RB |
| 35 | Raleek Brown | TEX | RB |
| 36 | Kendrick Raphael | SMU | RB |
| 37 | Jekail Middlebrook | UVA | RB |
| 38 | Shavane Anderson Jr. | SYR | RB |
| 39 | Kwinten Ives | NEB | RB |
| 40 | Jayden Scott | NCSU | RB |
| 41 | Mekhi Nelson | NEB | RB |
| 42 | Dawson Pendergrass | BAY | RB |
| 43 | Jamal Roberts | MIZ | RB |
| 44 | Antwan Raymond | RUTG | RB |
| 45 | Bo Jackson | OSU | RB |
| 46 | LJ Martin | BYU | RB |
| 47 | Fame Ijeboi | PUR | RB |
| 48 | King Miller | USC | RB |
| 49 | Lloyd Avant | OU | RB |
| 50 | Jeremiah Cobb | AUB | RB |
| 51 | Carson Hansen | PSU | RB |
| 52 | Justice Haynes | GT | RB |
| 53 | Fluff Bothwell | MSST | RB |
| 54 | Keyjuan Brown | LOU | RB |
| 55 | Dilin Jones | LSU | RB |
| 56 | Ty Clark III | WAKE | RB |
| 57 | Anthony Woods | UCLA | RB |
| 58 | Tylik Hill | SYR | RB |
| 59 | Trey Cooley | WASH | RB |
| 60 | Nolan James Jr. | ND | RB |
| 61 | Kyson Brown | ASU | RB |
| 62 | Matt Fuller | SC | RB |
| 63 | Hollywood Smothers | TEX | RB |
| 64 | Ca'Lil Valentine | ILL | RB |
| 65 | Jordan Marshall | MICH | RB |
| 66 | Nathan McNeil | IOWA | RB |
| 67 | Kedrick Reescano | ARIZ | RB |
| 68 | CJ Baxter | UK | RB |
| 69 | Abu Sama III | WIS | RB |
| 70 | Micah Welch | COLO | RB |
| 71 | Rodney Fields Jr. | KSU | RB |
| 72 | Sutton Smith | ARK | RB |
| 73 | Jeffrey Overton Jr. | VT | RB |
| 74 | Gi'Bran Payne | CIN | RB |
| 75 | Demon June | UNC | RB |
| 76 | Caden Durham | LSU | RB |
| 77 | Dylan Edwards | KU | RB |
| 78 | Rueben Owens II | TA&M | RB |
| 79 | Gideon Davidson | CLEM | RB |
| 80 | Javian Osborne | ND | RB |
| 81 | Agyeman Addae | UCF | RB |
| 82 | Aiden Flora | ISU | RB |
| 83 | Isaiah Mozee | NEB | RB |
| 84 | Jabree Coleman | SC | RB |
| 85 | Isaiah Augustave | SC | RB |
| 86 | Derrick McFall | SMU | RB |
| 87 | Grayson Rigdon | ASU | RB |
| 88 | Ismail Mahdi | ARIZ | RB |
| 89 | Re'Shaun Sanford II | HOU | RB |
| 90 | Brandon Tullis | MSU | RB |
Week 2 College Fantasy Football Running Back News, Outlooks
Jeremy Payne, TCU
TCU opened the season with a 15-10 loss to North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland. Carolina's defense held TCU to 286 yards of offense. RB Jeremy Payne had 142 of those yards on 25 carries. Payne showed why he was a first-round pick in every draft with his tough running in a losing effort.
Jon Denman poached a touchdown, denying Payne an even better day. TCU has an off week next week. The next game for the Horned Frogs is on September 12 against Grambling. Payne should be in your starting lineup for that game.
Nate Sheppard, Duke
Duke running back Nate Sheppard totaled 38 touches in a 17-3 win over Tulane on Saturday. The sophomore running back set a career high in rushing attempts with 35 and turned them into 227 yards and two touchdowns; he added three catches for 19 yards. Sheppard had an impressive freshman campaign totaling 1,132 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns despite only averaging five carries through Duke's first three games last season. He earned national recognition on The Athletics freshman All-American second team.
Needless to say, he's a must-start moving forward thanks to his monster workload.
Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech running back Justice Haynes will face 18th-ranked Tennessee in Week 2, so a tougher matchup awaits. He got 19 carries in Week 1 against Colorado, rushing for 64 yards; Haynes also caught a pass for four yards. That was his first game with the Yellow Jackets, after spending a season with Michigan and two with Alabama.
Tennessee dominated Furman in Week 1, winning 56-9. The Volunteers allowed just 221 yards of offense and just 43 rushing yards. After a so-so performance in Week 1, fantasy owners might be more skeptical of playing Haynes in a tougher Week 2 test. He was a high-end draft pick before the season, so some might be forced to start him still. On volume alone, Haynes could still deliver big, so fantasy owners should still trust the Yellow Jackets' running back until further notice.
Darius Taylor, Minnesota
Minnesota running back Darius Taylor was a fantasy star in Week 1, so he'll look to keep things rolling in a Week 2 matchup against Mississippi State. Taylor rushed for 56 yards and three touchdowns across 14 carries, while adding in 31 receiving yards on three receptions during Minnesota's rout of Eastern Illinois last week.
Mississippi State will be a much stiffer test. The Bulldogs rolled over UL Monroe last week, allowing 13 points and 278 total yards of offense. ULM had 138 rushing yards, though, so Taylor's outlook for the matchup ahead isn't too daunting. Fantasy owners should start Taylor in all setups and be confident in him delivering a quality fantasy showing, even if it comes just on volume statistics.
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
Star running back Kewan Lacy (leg) left the game for Mississippi early in the third quarter of the 41-38 win over Louisville. Lacy ran for 61 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game. During the broadcast, it was thought that Lacy had an ankle bruise.
Coach Pete Golding confirmed after the game that Lacy has a thigh bruise, and it is not thought to be serious. That's good news for fantasy owners. There is no reason to panic yet. However, Ole Miss may decide to commit more to limiting Lacy's carries. He toted the ball an FBS-leading 306 times in 2025. If Lacy misses time, Makhi Frazier is the back who will see an immediate increase in carries.
L.J. Phillips, Iowa
After recording just four carries for five yards in Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois last week, Hawkeyes running back L.J. Phillips Jr. (ankle) limped off the field during the first quarter with a high ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for a Week 2 rivalry matchup against Iowa State. CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported the nature of the injury, while Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz declared Phillips Jr. out. "He will not be ready this week, and we hope it doesn't last too long," said Ferentz, per the Iowa Hawkeyes' YouTube channel.
Phillips Jr. is in his first season with Iowa after spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career with the University of South Dakota. Last year with USD, Phillips recorded 1,921 yards and 19 touchdowns. In his stead, Kamari Moulton will handle a heavy load following a stellar 11-carry, 183-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Huskies last week.
