As draft season heats up, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, and I are all updating our Fantasy Football Tiers for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. To try to make mine a little bit different, my tiers are based almost exclusively on my 2026 PPR projections. I say almost, because at running back, the Josh Jacobs situation is unprojectable. He has now been placed on the Commissioner Exempt list which could be where he stays until his legal troubles are resolved. For now, I have Lloyd projected as the team's lead running back and Jacobs ranked with the backups. I would draft Lloyd in Round 5 or Round 6 and I would not draft Jacobs before Round 10. There are a couple of other tweaks, but for the most part I will tell you below where these guys project and when I would draft them. Let's jump right in.
Tier 1
Gibbs and Robinson are the only backs I have projected for more than 20.5 PPR Fantasy points per game. These are arguably the two best running backs in football and the top two consensus picks in our rankings. They are both supremely talented, projected for workhorse roles, and entering their prime. There is not much more you can ask for out of an RB1. Gibbs gets the slight edge for RB1 because of the quality of their offenses, but barring injury, I would expect these two to be battling for the number one overall pick for the next three seasons.
Tier 2
Jonathan Taylor
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey and Taylor are two points clear of RB5 in my projections and almost close enough to Gibbs and Robinson to be in the same tier. But they don't feel quite as insulated, which is why they're in Tier 2. I did ding McCaffrey due to his camp tightness though that may have been planned. Regardless, he remains a league-altering pick in the second half of Round 1. If he stays healthy, he may be the top-scoring player in Fantasy Football; on top of the tightness, he has age and workload concerns, and wasn't near the same back in the running game last year. I would currently draft James Cook ahead of McCaffrey, but that is based on risk, not projection.
Tier 3
De'Von Achane
James Cook
Chase Brown
Achane and Cook are the last two running backs that I have ranked in Round 1, with projections between 17 and 18 PPR FPPG. Brown is just below them, but closer to Cook than he is the tier below. All three of their profiles are quite a bit different. Cook has scored 32 touchdowns over the last two seasons and led the NFL in rushing last season. Achane thrives on receptions (145 over the last two seasons) and efficiency (league-best 5.7 yards per carry) in 2026. Brown has elite partial seasons, but when the 1B has been healthy, he hasn't been worth a first-round pick. Cook is the better floor play at the end of Round 1, but Achane has more upside. The question is how to solve the seeming conflict between Malik Willis' low running back target rate and the fact that the Dolphins don't have anyone else to throw to. I do expect Achane to set a career high in rush attempts if he stays healthy.
Tier 4
Derrick Henry
Saquon Barkley
Kenneth Walker III
Omarion Hampton
This group all projects for around 15 FPPG and are all guys that could be worth Round 1 picks. I'm not drafting Henry or Barkley as high as they project because of age and injury concern, but if they stay healthy they could beat expectations once again. We expect Hampton to benefit from a new offensive coordinator and better offensive line play. Walker has been a training camp riser with all the talk about him being a workhorse in Kansas City and specifically with the Chiefs seeming focus on throwing him the ball more often. I still think the profile is a little bit risky due to Patrick Mahomes' history and the fact that Walker has never played a full season as a workhorse, but he's up to early Round 2 for me and ranks as RB8.
Tier 5
Travis Etienne
Breece Hall
Ashton Jeanty
Kyren Williams
D'Andre Swift
Quinshon Judkins
Javonte Williams
Marshawn Lloyd
Rhamondre Stevenson
The Tier 6 backs project between 12.5 and 13.5 FPPG but the young guys have far more upside than that. Jeanty and Hall would be higher if not for injury concern and Stevenson has been a riser as he continues to hold off TreVeyon Henderson. If you want to bet on Jeanty at the two-three turn, then grab Mike Washington, Jr. in Round 7 I wouldn't blame you. But the rest of these guys should not be drafted until the three-four turn at the earliest. You may find Judkins in Round 5 or Stevenson in Round 6, which makes them targets. Lloyd projects slightly higher than his rank, because his rank accounts for the risk that he's behind Jacobs again by midseason.
Tier 6
Bucky Irving
Jeremiyah Love
Cam Skattebo
Rico Dowdle
Tony Pollard
Jaylen Warren
Bhayshul Tuten
David Montgomery
TreVeyon Henderson
We have reached the borderline RB2/flex range of the projections. These guys are projected between 11.5 and 12 FPPG, though there is certainly more upside than that. If someone wins a clear RB1 role in Pittsburgh, then my projection will be way too low for that guy. While there was plenty of shuffling in this tier, and a few guys fell out of the tier, the most notable name here is Love's. I expected him to start the year in a committee with Tyler Allgeier, then gradually become the clear lead back. Now we're unsure if he will play Week 1 and it may take longer to earn the role I expect. Still, I rank him above everyone in this tier and would draft him before a few guys in the tier above. Just know where I am drafting him is based on upside, not his projection.
Tier 7
RJ Harvey
Jadarian Price
Jonathon Brooks
J.K. Dobbins
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
I separated this tier out a little bit because these five all project as flexworthy players without any sort of an injury. Depending on your roster build that may matter a lot. In more shallow leagues, you may want some of the guys in Tier 8 before them. The one exception is Price, who I really struggle with. I could see him producing like a Tier 4 back early in the season, but once Zach Charbonnet is back I am very scared of Price's floor and upside. Brooks, like Price, has a ton of upside. But I do think once Chuba Hubbard is back we get a full blown committee in Carolina. Croskey-Merritt is the guy I have drafted the most in this tier, because he is drafted two to three rounds later than Price and Brooks.
Tier 8
Kyle Monangai
Blake Corum
Jordan Mason
Aaron Jones
Woody Marks
Kenneth Gainwell
Rachaad White
Chuba Hubbard
Mike Washington, Jr.
Josh Jacobs
We can pretty much throw the projections out at this point. That's exactly what you should do in drafts once you get to the backup running backs. For the most part, there are two groups represented here: starters I don't trust to stay starters and handcuffs with benefits. A few of them of them I expect to be startable as flexes in Week 1, but not much more. Washington is a big riser after an excellent camp and Jeanty's injury scare. Washington may have done enough in the preseason to turn the Raiders backfield into a committee even when Jeanty is healthy. If you want to take Jacobs off your draft board completely, I don't blame you. If you want to draft him a round earlier than these guys on the hope he plays this season, I get that too.
Tier 9
Zach Charbonnet
Tyjae Spears
Chris Rodriguez
Tyler Allgeier
Tank Bigsby
We have reached the running backs that are exclusively backup running backs, though some may object to a few of the names above being called exclusively backups. That's what separates them from the backs in Tier 10: I do think there is a chance these guys are deep flexes even when the starters are healthy. Tracy and Spears should have a role on passing downs and Rodriguez should be the goal-line back to open the year. He played in college for Liam Coen and he's probably more of a professional running back than Tuten. My current expectation is that Rodriguez and Tuten split early downs in Tuten's favor while LeQuint Allen handles the majority of third downs and two-minute drills. What Tuten managers have to hope is that Rodriguez doesn't steal short-yardage touchdowns.
Tier 10
Brian Robinson, Jr.
Dylan Sampson
Isiah Pacheco
Jonah Coleman
Braelon Allen
Emmett Johnson
Coleman, Allen, and Johnson are the risers. Johnson in particular looked fantastic in the preseason and could be a league winner if Walker misses time. Allen has a chance for a bigger role early in the season if Hall isn't completly healthy. Robinson and Pacheco are zero percent exciting, but they should see 15 touches per game if the starter gets hurt.
Tier 11
Tyrone Tracy
Alvin Kamara
Nicholas Singleton
Demond Claiborne
Keaton Mitchell
Kimani Vidal
Jaydon Blue
Kaytron Allen
Ray Davis
Jaylen Wright
Najee Harris
Tracy and Kamara are big fallers. Kamara, obviously, because of his injury. He had already lost a step and now we don't know when he'll be healthy. Tracy may lose the RB2 job to Najee Harris and the RB3 job to Devin Singletary. I wouldn't be that surprised if he got cut, and that may be better for his Fantasy value.
