In August, 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, once you get to the backup running backs, their value becomes less about their projection and more about their upside if the guy in front of them suffers an injury. The big tweaks feature dings to Jeremiyah Love and Breece Hall due to their recent injuries. For Love, I am not sure how much this should deter you from drafting him if he falls to Round 4. High ankle sprains are no joke, but his value has to do with his immense upside in the second half of the season and he flashed plenty of that before he got hurt. 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 recent tightness that has kept him out of practice and he remains a league-altering pick at the end 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 and Chase Brown 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
Josh Jacobs
This is the point where the rankings and the projections diverge. Henry, Barkley, and Jacobs all project as clear RB1s between 16 and 17 FPPG in Fantasy Football but all have enormous question marks that cause me to rank them lower than their projection. For Henry, it's Father Time's undefeated record, and the fact that Henry lost his All-Pro center and fullback in the offseason. For Jacobs, it's off-field concerns as well as a pesky groin injury that remain unresolved as training camp progresses. For Barkley, it's his lackluster 2025. For now, Barkley and Henry should be drafted at the two-three turn, but Jacobs will be in Round 4 for me until we find out whether he'll be facing a suspension. If Jacobs is cleared, he may be the safest of the group.
Tier 5
This group all projects for around 15 FPPG and are all guys that could be worth Round 1 picks. We expect Hampton and Jeanty to benefit from new offensive coordinators and better offensive line play; in fact, many project them as top 10 backs already. I am not quite there but I do rank them there because of age and injury concerns in the tier above. 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 mid Round 2 for me and ranks as RB8.
Tier 6
Cam Skattebo
D'Andre Swift
Breece Hall
Kyren Williams
Quinshon Judkins
Javonte Williams
Travis Etienne
The Tier 6 backs project between 12.5 and 13.5 FPPG but the young guys have far more upside than that. Skattebo and Judkins are progressing well off devastating lower leg injuries, but how effective they will be remains to be seen. Hall was getting some workhorse buzz before his groin injury and I downgraded his projection to drop him into this tier. The biggest takeaway from this tier may be that you should draft Swift. He projects better than Williams and Etienne with Kyle Monangai playing a big role and Monangai may not be fully healthy for Week 1 after hyperextending his knee. Swift would be a top 12 back for me any weeks Monangai misses.
Tier 7
Tony Pollard
Rhamondre Stevenson
TreVeyon Henderson
Bucky Irving
Jeremiyah Love
Jaylen Warren
Bhayshul Tuten
David Montgomery
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 New England or 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 8
J.K. Dobbins
Jadarian Price
Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Kyle Monangai
Blake Corum
Aaron Jones
Woody Marks
Rachaad White
Chuba Hubbard
We can pretty much throw the projections out at this point. That's exactly what you should do in drafts. For the most part, there are two groups represented here: starters I don't trust to stay starters and handcuffs with benefits. Most of them I expect to be startable as flexes in Week 1, but not much more. If you told me someone was going to rise out of this tier in the next update, I would bet on Brooks. He has been one of the biggest draft risers at running back, and that's not just because of Hubbard's injury. If Brooks stays healthy, there is a chance he dispatches of Hubbard and moves up more than one tier.
Tier 9
Zach Charbonnet
Tyrone Tracy
Tyjae Spears
Chris Rodriguez
Tyler Allgeier
Mike Washington
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. Washington is a riser and one of my favorite true handcuffs to draft.
Tier 10
Alvin Kamara
Dylan Sampson
Isiah Pacheco
Brian Robinson
Tank Bigsby
Marshawn Lloyd
Jonah Coleman
Bigsby, Lloyd, and Coleman are risers behind veterans who have at least some elevated injury risk. Lloyd carries the added upside of Jacob's off-field concerns. What I am not sure about is whether any of these guys would become workhorses in the event of an injury; they may just be leading a messy committee, particularly Coleman because of the receiving prowess of Harvey.
Tier 11
Emmett Johnson
Braelon Allen
Nicholas Singleton
Demond Claiborne
Keaton Mitchell
Kimani Vidal
Jaydon Blue
Kaytron Allen
Johnson and Braelon Allen are the risers in this tier after preseason Week 1. Johnson looked very good for the Chiefs and played before Emari DeMercado, so I am hopeful he is ahead of schedule in becoming the handcuff to Kenneth Walker. Allen also looked good, as he has before this time of year, but his rise is because of Breece Hall's groin injury.
