- Dylan Sampson was one of the most efficient receiving backs in football as a rookie: His 1.86 yards per route run ranked second among all running backs, ahead of both Christian McCaffrey and Jahmyr Gibbs.
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Regardless of whether a fantasy manager employs a Zero-RB, Hero-RB or Robust-RB strategy, it makes sense to target at least one late-round running back with a realistic path to a starting role. By the 11th round, most of the league's projected starters are long gone, but every season, a handful of overlooked backs emerge as league-winning values. Last year, Javonte Williams, Rico Dowdle and Kenneth Gainwell were all available in the late rounds and went on to finish among the top 20 fantasy running backs.
The goal isn't necessarily to find a Week 1 starter. It's to identify players whose roles could expand dramatically if circumstances break their way.
Below are five running backs currently being drafted in the 16th round or later who have the potential to become weekly must-start fantasy options in 2026.
Last updated: Saturday, Sept. 5
Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers (ADP: 16.04)
Mitchell entered the league as an undrafted rookie with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and received his first carry in Week 9 of his rookie year. Over the following six weeks, he recorded 47 carries for 396 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per carry and at least 6.0 in five of those six games. A significant ACL injury late in 2023 sidelined him for much of 2024 and clearly affected his play upon his return. By 2025, he had settled in as Derrick Henry's primary early-down backup, averaging 5.8 yards per carry on a limited 4.5-carry-per-game workload.
Mitchell signed with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, joining a backfield that also includes 2025 first-round pick Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal, who played well in Hampton‘s absence last season. Despite his down 2024 campaign, Mitchell earned the highest PFF grade of the trio over the past three seasons, including the top receiving grade.
He is also the running back most closely tied to new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's preferred archetype. McDaniel brought Mitchell to Los Angeles himself, while Hampton and Vidal are holdovers. More importantly, Mitchell most closely resembles McDaniel's previous featured back, De'Von Achane. Achane, Mitchell, and Jaleel McLaughlin are the only running backs 5-foot-8 or shorter and 200 pounds or lighter to log at least 300 snaps over the past three seasons. That group joins Isiah Pacheco, Ty Chandler, Latavius Murray, and former McDaniel back Raheem Mostert as the only backs to run both a sub-4.40 40-yard dash and a sub-1.50 10-yard split at the combine while recording at least 300 snaps in a season.
The first week of the preseason was also encouraging for Mitchell, as he sat out alongside the starters. He played in the second preseason game, but only for two drives. There had been some concern that Kimani Vidal might remain the primary backup, but Vidal played while Mitchell sat in the opener and didn’t enter the second game until after Mitchell’s final snap. That usage suggests Mitchell is the clear second option on the depth chart.
Given those similarities to Achane, there is a real chance McDaniel ultimately prefers Mitchell over his other options. If Mitchell approaches Achane's level of production, he offers top-10 upside at the position.
Najee Harris, New York Giants (ADP: 20.08)
Harris was a first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021 and an instant fantasy success. He scored 300.7 PPR points as a rookie behind 1,200 rushing yards and 74 receptions, a catch total that led all running backs. In 2022, undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren immediately claimed the third-down role in Pittsburgh, cutting significantly into that receiving production. For the next three years, the backfield belonged to the two of them, with Harris carrying at least 250 times for over 1,000 yards every season.
He never missed a game across his four years in Pittsburgh, which is remarkable for that workload. He generally finished among the top-20 running backs in total fantasy production and graded out as a borderline RB2/RB3 on a per-game basis. Consistency was the appeal, though, not upside. He has never been an explosive runner, averaging 3.8 to 4.1 yards per carry in his career.
Pittsburgh was ready to move on after 2024, so he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers then drafted Omarion Hampton, pushing Harris into a backup role, and a torn Achilles in Week 3 ended both his season and his time there.
He signed with the New York Giants in the middle of training camp, joining head coach John Harbaugh, who faced him twice a year while running the Baltimore Ravens. Harbaugh's primary runners over the last decade have been Gus Edwards and Derrick Henry, and all three backs stand at least 6-foot-1 and weigh at least 235 pounds, so Harris fits the profile. The Los Angeles connections carry over too. He played under Harbaugh's brother Jim with the Chargers, and Greg Roman, that team's offensive coordinator last season, is now a senior offensive assistant in New York.
The Giants backfield also holds Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary, with Skattebo coming off a season-ending injury of his own. Harris' size and durability should earn him a place in the rotation, potentially including goal-line work, and he could take over as the lead back if Skattebo gets hurt again or never fully recovers.
He is a fine handcuff option. The upside doesn't match some of the alternatives, given New York's offense and his lack of big-play ability, but he is likelier than most handcuffs to hold some flex value, since he could climb to the top of this depth chart without anyone else getting injured.
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (ADP: 18.03)
Sampson showed some sparks during his rookie season with the Browns. His 80.6 receiving grade was eighth-best among running backs with at least 100 routes run, and his 1.86 yards per route run was second-most among backs, just behind Bijan Robinson and just ahead of Christian McCaffrey and Jahmyr Gibbs.
He wasn't very effective as a runner, but that was due to his offensive line. His 0.3 yards before contact per carry was tied for the second-lowest mark by a running back with at least 50 carries in a season over the last 20 years, and teammate Quinshon Judkins wasn't much luckier at 0.4 yards before contact per carry.
Cleveland completely overhauled its offensive line this offseason, drafting Spencer Fano at left tackle, trading for right tackle Tytus Howard, and signing interior linemen Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins. The unit may still project below league average, but it should no longer rank among the NFL's worst.
Sampson was part of a three-man rotation last season as the primary backup in all situations, with Judkins handling early downs and Jerome Ford handling third downs. Ford left in free agency and wasn't replaced by a free agent or draft pick; the only backfield additions were undrafted free agents unlikely to make the Week 1 roster. Sampson should see a substantial increase in playing time and efficiency, which could be enough to make him a flex option against the right opponents.
Judkins ended last season with a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula and might not be 100% to start the season. This makes Sampson more likely to be a starter at some point this season than the typical handcuff would be.
Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP: 17.08)
Johnson was an elusive running back at Nebraska. Our draft guide credited his outstanding vision and elusiveness, along with some of the quickest feet in the draft. He was also noted for being a natural receiver with the mentality of a pass protector. He is a lighter back who we compared to Tyjae Spears.
He was drafted in the fifth round by the Chiefs. Kansas City moved on from Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt this offseason, adding Kenneth Walker, Emari Demercado and Johnson in their place. Throughout the preseason, Johnson slowly but surely worked ahead of Demercado and Brashard Smith to become Kansas City’s primary backup. Demercado was released on cutdown day, further suggesting Johnson is the backup to roster in Kansas City.
Walker is expected to take on a three-down role. He’s unlikely to play more than 80% of the snaps, which should leave at least 20% for Johnson, likely including some third downs and two-minute drills. That alone is unlikely to give Johnson much standalone value.
However, Walker has an extensive injury history. He missed at least two games in each of his first three seasons and has appeared on injury reports with ankle, calf, chest, glute, hernia, knee, oblique and shoulder injuries during his career, often playing through them. That injury history led Seattle to limit Walker’s workload, with career lows of 13 rushing attempts and 1.8 receptions per game in 2025. Kansas City appears to view Walker as a focal point of the offense, and he could see career highs in touches this season.
There is no guarantee Walker misses time this season, but his injury history makes it more likely than it is for most backs. Johnson could see a feature role if Walker misses time, which isn’t true of all handcuffs. Kansas City’s offense is also generally better than the average offense, making Johnson more valuable than the typical handcuff.
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers (ADP: 17.01)
Black has the size and speed of a three-down back. He is near the middle of the pack in height and weight, while his speed, acceleration and change of direction all rate above average compared to running backs in this draft class.
The first concern is his lack of receiving production at Indiana. He averaged a solid 1.38 yards per route run in his final season at James Madison before transferring, but he rarely ran routes and was targeted even less often after transferring. His snap rate also never exceeded 45%, as he saw the field primarily on rushing downs.
Our draft guide noted he is better suited to zone-blocking schemes, and the data supports that. He averaged 5.5 yards per attempt on zone runs compared to 4.7 on gap concepts. The guide also noted he has occasionally been a half-step late identifying running lanes in power concepts and that his run game lacks true difference-making creativity.
Black was the only running back selected on Day 2 of the 2026 draft and is a strong fit for Kyle Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme. San Francisco has used a third- through fifth-round pick on a running back in five of the past six drafts, and the first four have not worked out.
To win the backup job, Black needed to beat out Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo. All three have dealt with injuries during training camp, but only Black was healthy enough for their second preseason game. He also played well ahead of James in the final preseason game, while Guerendo remains on the PUP list to start the season. While there is no guarantee Black remains the primary backup in San Francisco, he currently appears to be the handcuff.
Shanahan has said he wants to help Christian McCaffrey, and Black could fill that role. Given McCaffrey's history with injuries — which have cost him time in multiple seasons — Black would be a strong fantasy option if he misses time again.