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With the conclusion of the 2025 fantasy football season, these 2026 fantasy football PPR rankings provide an initial look at how players might be ranked this summer.
Player movement in free agency will significantly impact the rankings, especially at running back. Currently, players expected to be unrestricted free agents are marked as “free agents” in the team column. We are still a week away from the deadline for underclassmen playing in the National Championship Game to declare for the NFL draft. The rankings will be updated after this date to include the upcoming rookie class.
Analysis for the top 10 players can be found at the bottom of the article. You can also click on the analysis column for one of those 10 players to jump to the analysis on that player.
Last updated: 5 a.m. Monday, January 19
RankNameTeamTierAnalysis1Bijan RobinsonFalcons1Details2Jahmyr GibbsLions1Details3Christian McCaffrey49ers1Details4De'Von AchaneDolphins2Details5James Cook IIIBills2Details6Josh JacobsPackers2Details7Jonathan TaylorColts2Details8Saquon BarkleyEagles3Details9Kyren WilliamsRams3Details10Ashton JeantyRaiders3Details11Omarion HamptonChargers312Chase BrownBengals313Derrick HenryRavens314Bucky IrvingBuccaneers415R.J. HarveyBroncos416TreVeyon HendersonPatriots417Cam SkatteboGiants418Kenneth Walker IIIFree Agent519Breece HallFree Agent520Quinshon JudkinsBrowns521D'Andre SwiftBears522Zach CharbonnetSeahawks523Tyler AllgeierFree Agent524Rico DowdleFree Agent525Javonte WilliamsFree Agent526Jaylen WarrenSteelers527Travis Etienne Jr.Free Agent628David MontgomeryLions629Blake CorumRams630Jordan MasonVikings631Chuba HubbardPanthers632Alvin KamaraSaints633Rachaad WhiteFree Agent634James ConnerCardinals635Woody MarksTexans636Kenneth GainwellFree Agent637Kyle MonangaiBears638Aaron Jones Sr.Vikings739Chris Rodriguez Jr.Commanders740Jacory Croskey-MerrittCommanders741Tony PollardTitans742Dylan SampsonBrowns743Trey BensonCardinals744Tyjae SpearsTitans745Keaton MitchellRavens746Rhamondre StevensonPatriots747J.K. DobbinsFree Agent748Braelon AllenJets749Kimani VidalChargers750Jonathon BrooksPanthers751Bhayshul TutenJaguars752Kendre MillerSaints753Sean TuckerBuccaneers754Emanuel WilsonPackers755Ray DavisBills756Tank BigsbyEagles757Joe MixonTexans858Tyrone Tracy Jr.Giants859Brian Robinson Jr.Free Agent860Jaylen WrightDolphins861Ollie Gordon IIDolphins862Isaiah DavisJets863Najee HarrisFree Agent864Will ShipleyEagles865Devin NealSaints866Isiah PachecoFree Agent867Samaje PerineBengals868Brashard SmithChiefs869Devin SingletaryGiants870Ty JohnsonBills971Justice HillRavens972LeQuint Allen Jr.Jaguars973Kareem HuntFree Agent974Jordan James49ers975Isaac Guerendo49ers976Antonio GibsonPatriots977Jerome FordFree Agent978Roschon JohnsonBears979Kaleb JohnsonSteelers980Trevor EtiennePanthers981Jarquez HunterRams982Jaleel McLaughlinBroncos983Sione VakiLions984MarShawn LloydPackers985Austin EkelerFree Agent986Bam KnightCardinals987Miles SandersFree Agent988Jawhar JordanTexans989Tyler GoodsonColts990D.J. GiddensColts991Malik DavisCowboys992George HolaniSeahawks993Alexander MattisonFree Agent994Chris BrooksPackers995Jaydon BlueCowboys996Tahj BrooksBengals997Kalel MullingsTitans998Phil MafahCowboys999Michael CarterFree Agent9100Nick ChubbFree Agent91. Bijan Robinson,Atlanta Falcons
Robinson ranks ahead of Gibbs due to the potential for improvement in 2026. The Falcons had a top-10 team in run-blocking grade last season, despite missing right tackle Kaleb McGary throughout the season. McGary was a top-10 run-blocking right tackle in 2022, 2023 and 2024 by run-blocking grade. He and the rest of the projected starting offensive line are under contract for 2026. Robinson should be able to break more long plays with an improved line.
One Falcon who isn’t under contract is Robinson’s backup, Tyler Allgeier, whose 84.2 PFF offensive grade over the last two seasons suggests he should be a lead running back. Ideally, he will find a new team. That should increase Robinson and Allgeier's fantasy value. Robinson doesn’t have much room to increase his volume of touches, but he has room for more goal-line touches. Allgeier has more rushing touchdowns than Robinson this season, including four touchdowns from the one-yard line. Those carries will go to Robinson next season, leading to more touchdowns.
The Falcons made a coaching change, switching to Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach. Stefanski has typically utilized a two-man rotation at running back. That was at least partially because of Nick Chubb’s lack of receiving ability. In 2019, when Stefanski was the Minnesota Vikings‘ offensive coordinator, Dalvin Cook was typically playing over 70% of the team's offensive snaps when healthy and was RB2 in PPR points per game that season. Kareem Hunt had multiple games where he played 85% of the offensive snaps or more when Chubb was injured. Stefanski’s history of prioritizing running backs should be more of an asset than a liability for Robinson.
The main concern for Robinson at this point is whether Stefanski invests heavily at the running back position. If the backfield appears headed for a 60-40 split rather than a 75-25 split, that could be enough to move Robinson down a few spots.
2. Jahmyr Gibbs,Detroit Lions
Gibbs is a close second for the top overall spot. He’s similarly ranked in the top five each of the last two seasons, has a top-12 run-blocking offensive line, and everyone on the line is under contract for next season. There isn’t as much reason to believe Gibbs can improve on his performance the same way Robinson could.
David Montgomery is under contract for both 2026 and 2027. In recent weeks, Gibbs' playing time has increased at Montgomery's expense, which could prompt Montgomery to request a trade. Montgomery has become less of a problem for Gibbs’ fantasy value this season compared to the previous two, but if Montgomery leaves, Gibbs could be in store for a similar bump in rushing touchdowns.
Another minor concern is that the Lions still have more players to target in their offense, as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Isaac TeSlaa are all noteworthy, young options under contract next season. Robinson’s primary competition for touches in the offense is Drake London because Kyle Pitts is slated for free agency.
While head coach Dan Campbell is not going anywhere, Detroit changed offensive playcallers mid-season, and are looking for a new offensive coordinator. The play-caller may go back to giving Montgomery a big part of the offense. However, the way the offseason plays out could change who is first and second, but it would take a lot to go wrong for them to no longer be among the top few picks of 2026 fantasy football drafts.
3. Christian McCaffrey,San Francisco 49ers
McCaffrey led all running backs in fantasy points this season, and it was the fifth season he’s ranked among the top two. He uniquely achieved this, finishing 10th in rushing fantasy production among running backs, while his receiving fantasy production was good enough to rank among the top-10 wide receivers.
McCaffrey ranked second in rushing attempts but averaged 3.9 yards per carry and was no longer able to break long runs. His NGS tracking data suggests his top-end speed over the last two seasons wasn’t as high as it was during the first seven seasons of his career. While there is a chance McCaffrey’s rushing production bounces back, there is also a chance San Francisco starts letting another running back take some of the carries.
McCaffrey’s receiving production also happened in a year where the 49ers‘ receiving unit didn’t go according to plan. San Francisco thought that, by midseason, they could have a receiver unit of Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle. Aiyuk didn’t play this season. Pearsall missed six weeks in the middle of the season and was ineffective in his first three games back from injury. Kittle missed five games and wasn’t as effective his first two back. Jennings also missed two games.
Aiyuk won’t be back, Jennings is a free agent and Kittle could miss most of the season, but San Francisco will have a plan to replace them and have better receiving production from its wide receivers next year. McCaffrey could lead all running backs in receiving production next year while still having a notable decrease in production. There is a chance McCaffrey moves up these rankings if the 49ers have an underwhelming plan at wide receiver next season.
All three of the top running backs are somewhat dependent on an elite run blocker – right guard Chris Lindstrom in Atlanta, right tackle Penei Sewell in Detroit and left tackle Trent Williams in San Francisco. Williams will be 38 years old next season, making him the most likely to decline or suffer an injury.
While McCaffrey will be the top overall player again if everything goes right, there are more reasons to expect a decline from McCaffrey this season, given how he achieved his production and his signs of decline.
4. De’Von Achane,Miami Dolphins
Achane has ranked in the top six in fantasy points per game among running backs each of the last three seasons. Achane’s 91.0 rushing grade this season is the best among all running backs, but his situation hasn’t been as good as the top three running backs.
The Falcons, Lions and 49ers have been three of the top-12 teams in run-blocking grade in each of the last four seasons. The Dolphins have ranked in the bottom five in each of the last two seasons. The 49ers and Lions have been among the highest-scoring offenses, while the Dolphins have been in the bottom 12 in scoring each of the last two seasons. This has made it harder for Achane to match the other backs' touchdown totals.
The Dolphins' cap situation isn’t great, so there isn’t much reason to believe the offense will substantially improve this offseason, unless they can find the right quarterback. If there isn’t much difference, we can still expect Achane to be among the top few running backs in talent and the top few in opportunities. That combination is enough to keep him a top-five running back and a first-round fantasy pick.
Achane will also have a new head coach and offensive playcaller this season. Miami’s lack of options at other skill positions should help keep Achane as the focal point of their offense.
5. James Cook III,Buffalo Bills
Cook finished 11th in fantasy points per game among running backs in 2024, but he accomplished this while rushing for 16 touchdowns. He was drafted slightly later due to expected regression. A lot has gone right for Cook this year to suggest he can continue to be a great running back in 2026.
Cook’s carries per game took a dramatic leap from 12.9 to 19.1 this season. Part of this was the Bills running a little more frequently, and the other part was the team turning to Ray Davis less frequently. Cook averaged a high 5.3 yards per carry, which is slightly higher than his 5.1 career average. Sometimes, when a running back earns more rushing production, it comes at the expense of his receiving, but that wasn’t the case for Cook, who was right in line with last season.
The team’s run blocking moved up to sixth this season, and right tackle Spencer Brown led the way in his best NFL season. There was no weakness among the other four linemen. Cook’s PFF rushing grade declined slightly this season, but the improved offensive line led to a net increase in efficiency.
The Bills are in a rough spot salary-cap-wise, and two of their five linemen are slated for free agency. If the offseason doesn’t go well, there is a chance Cook will move down the rankings. Until then, Cook has moved into first-round consideration as one of the league’s better running backs in one of the league's best offenses because he has minimal competition for touches.
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The rest of the top 10 are generally the running backs we can be most confident will remain top-15 options by August. Nearly half the league is looking for a new offensive play caller, and a quarter of the league has their starting running backs hitting unrestricted free agency. Some running backs will end up in a perfect situation, leading them to crack the top 10, moving one or more players from this list down. However, it’s unlikely these running backs will fall too far down the rankings.
There have been eight running backs who finished in the top 12 in fantasy points per game at the position in both 2024 and 2025. Four of them have already been mentioned, while Jacobs is the best option of the remaining four.
Jacobs’ 92.6 PFF offensive grade over the last two seasons ranks third among running backs, which helps Jacobs stand out from the other running backs. He also plays in an above-average offense with a young, good quarterback and a generally stable offensive situation. Both Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks are restricted free agents, making it likely they return. Jacobs’ competition for touches seems unlikely to change. If everything goes right, Jacobs has the potential to be among the top few running backs, given his talent and the potential talent of the Packers' offense.
The biggest concern for Jacobs is injury. He missed the end of the 2023 season, and he played through injury throughout the second half of 2025. As long as Jacobs stays healthy, he should be remain a top-10 fantasy running back.
7. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Taylor is a higher-risk, higher-reward option than Jacobs. For most of the 2025 season, he provided more rewards than risks. He was the only running back with double-digit +1 graded runs in addition to five or more runs with +1.5 or better grades. Almost all of that occurred in the first 12 weeks of the season, where he averaged 25.7 PPR points per game. He only had one run of +1 or better over the final third of the season, as he averaged 13.3 PPR points per game during that stretch. Taylor’s 71.4 PFF grade over the last two seasons is the lowest of the running backs listed so far.
Outside of Taylor’s inconsistency, there is concern about who will be his backup this season. Indianapolis added D.J. Giddens in the fifth round of the draft and Khalil Herbert in free agency to be Taylor’s backup last season, but neither ended up working out, so Indianapolis instead added veteran Ameer Abdullah to be the backup. Taylor played 84.2% of the Colts' offensive snaps, leading all running backs. The Colts are likely to bring in a back who can take at least some of the playing time away from Taylor.
Taylor also has injury concerns. While he played every game last season, he missed at least three games in each of the three previous seasons. There is some uncertainty around the quarterback situation, as Daniel Jones is a free agent and coming back from injury. On the bright side, Taylor will keep his head coach and offensive coordinator.
Taylor will likely move up the rankings if Jones is back, his health seems fine, and the Colts' backup situation remains uninspiring.
8. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Barkley is similar to Taylor in that he’s had stretches of excellence and stretches of being only an RB2 option. Barkley was RB1 in 2024 but only averaged 14.5 PPR points per game this last season.
One big difference between Barkley’s 2024 and 2025 was the quality of the offensive line. Left tackle Jordan Mailata was still among the best left tackles in run blocking, but he was not nearly as dominant as the previous season. Mailata is more likely to play like 2025 than 2024 going forward, as it’s difficult to sustain the 2024 level of play. Right tackle Lane Johnson missed half the season due to injury and also wasn’t playing as well as a run blocker when healthy. He will be 36 years old next season.
The good news is that Barkley has graded notably higher than Taylor. The Eagles are also changing offensive coordinators, and ideally, the new coordinator will help the Eagles play more like 2024 than 2025 on offense. Barkley has over 2,100 career touches, so he is at a point where he could start declining, but that concern is also true for Jacobs and Taylor.
9. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
There is a lot to like about Williams going forward, but his backup, Blake Corum, is one big problem.
Williams is one of four running backs to finish top 12 in fantasy points per game in each of the last three seasons, and the other three running backs rank higher than him. His 80.8 PFF offensive grade is 16th-best among running backs.
He benefits from a lot of stability in a great offense. The Rams' 93.3 PFF offensive team grade was the best among teams this season. The team has plenty of cap space and no key offensive players slated for free agency. Sean McVay will remain the head coach, but there is at least a chance the Rams lose offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to a head-coaching job.
The only problem is that Williams spent the second half of last season in a rotation by drive with Corum. The two had identical 87.0 PFF rushing grades during the 2025 regular season. Williams was more consistent on a per-play basis, but Corum was better at breaking long runs. We can expect a similar rotation next season, which limits Williams' chances to finish among the top-five running backs.
While Williams might have the least upside of running backs in the top-10, he is very safe to finish as a low-end RB1, while several other running backs on this list have more wear-and-tear, are more likely to get injured, or have less certainty around how their offense will look next season.
10. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
Jeanty was the sixth-overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, which should have helped him become a top-10 fantasy running back in his rookie season, but a lot went wrong for Jeanty outside of his control.
The Raiders scored 241 offensive points last season, the fewest for any team. They earned a 53.0 team-run block grade, third-lowest. This led Jeanty to average 0.6 yards before contact per carry, second-lowest among running backs with at least 100 carries.
Despite this, Jeanty avoided 61 tackles in the run game, fifth-best among running backs. Jeanty had a 92.3 PFF run grade last season on plays where he had positive yards before contact, fourth-best among 25 running backs, which suggests Jeanty could be great in the right situation.
The Raiders will have a new head coach next season, and all signs point to Las Vegas drafting quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick of the draft. The Raiders have the third-most cap space. Most changes for the Raiders would likely be positive, but there is a small risk that the Raiders' next coach brings a running back who cuts into Jeanty’s playing time.
Jeanty is very likely to move from 10th as the offseason progresses, as his movement depends entirely on the Raiders' offseason.
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