2026 Fantasy NFL Free Agent Running Backs: Part 1

Aidan Weingartner
2026 Fantasy NFL Free Agent Running Backs: Part 1

2026 NFL Free Agency is right around the corner, which means that a LOT will change across the fantasy football landscape over the next couple of months. New scheme implementations, multiple already established veterans being positively or negatively affected throughout this entire cycle, and most importantly, notable player movement and new landing spots.

In today’s 2026 Fantasy NFL Free Agent Running Backs: Part 1, I am going to be looking at two different angles for all of these free agent running backs: what their 2026 fantasy football outlook would look like if they stayed with their current team, and what their 2026 fantasy football outlook would look like if they went somewhere else, highlighting what that specific landing spot could be.

Najee Harris

Najee Harris has been somewhat controversial among the fantasy community throughout his NFL career. Some people have avoided him in drafts completely every single year due to his lack of pop and explosiveness, and others have viewed him as a value in drafts. It’s very strange. Is Najee Harris the most explosive and athletic running back in the world? No, but he can still get the job done and find fantasy success through volume and high-value goal-line touches in an NFL offense.

Due to a torn Achilles, Harris played only three games last season, so we might as well just throw that data out the window and play the veteran RB. Since entering the NFL in 2021, Harris has never had fewer than 255 carries in a season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, showing he can handle a ton of volume year in and year out.

It is highly unlikely at this point, but if, for some reason, Najee Harris resigns with the Los Angeles Chargers next month, that would absolutely CRUSH his fantasy value. He would sadly become pretty much irrelevant for fantasy managers, as Omarion Hampton is the CLEAR bellcow in LA going forward, and has a VERY bright future ahead of him for many years to come. Najee Harris would be nothing more than a high-end handcuff at best in this scenario, unfortunately.

I am fully expecting Breece Hall to switch teams in free agency next month, which will leave the New York Jets with a clear hole at the RB position. I am not someone who views Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis as RB1 types in the NFL, as some other people do. So the team will need to find an upgrade there, and to me, that front office will want to save money at that position to fill other bigger holes on the roster. They will likely have to settle for a cheap veteran bridge-type option, and Najee Harris fits that description perfectly.

Harris to the Jets should excite fantasy managers because he would be the clear lead back there and likely the focal point of an offense that, if I were to guess, will once again not have very good QB play.

Travis Etienne

Travis Etienne has been a very perplexing player for fantasy football. One year, he’ll be great, and the next, he’ll be at best average. It’s very frustrating to assess and have to deal with. Luckily for Etienne’s free agency outlook, though, he just came off a great season for his standards, averaging 13.9 fantasy points per game in Half PPR scoring, which was good enough for RB13 on the season.

I personally believe that the best path to fantasy success for Travis Etienne is to return to Jacksonville. Continue to play under an offensive genius in Liam Coen and build off of the amazing season you just had. Trevor Lawrence finally had his breakout season at the QB position in 2025, so it should only continue to get better from here going forward. Oh, and before you ask…no, Bhayshul Tuten doesn’t scare me one bit here. Tuten is a former Day 3 draft pick who is good for a few touches per game in the receiving department, and nothing more.

Although I would personally disagree with it, there is always a chance that Travis Etienne could go elsewhere in free agency to capitalize on the stellar season that he just had and cash in on a big payday. If this were to happen, the Tennessee Titans make perfect sense in my eyes. At first glance, you might not think that the Titans need an RB, but in reality…they do.

Tony Pollard will most likely be cut to save money at some point within the next month, and Tyjae Spears has proven in his NFL career that he is nothing more than an explosive change-of-pace receiving back, unfortunately. Tennessee needs to start building around Cam Ward, and that starts with getting a true bellcow back that can both run and catch at a high level like Travis Etienne.

Javonte Williams

So I don’t mean to brag here, but pretty much everybody was leaving Javonte Williams for dead last summer while I was pounding the table for him in drafts and everywhere else. I looked at the offensive infrastructure already established in Dallas, looked at Williams’ clear path to touches in that backfield, and stood by my convictions. It was great. But I don’t want to just brag here forever, let’s actually contextualize Javonte Williams’ 2025 season, shall we?

Javonte Williams finished as RB12 in fantasy points per game in Half PPR scoring, and amongst RBs with at least 200 carries, finished 9th in Explosive Run Rate. Within that same qualifier, Williams also finished 3rd in success rate and had the 3rd-lowest stuff rate. 2025 was an unbelievably productive bounce-back season for Javonte Williams.

This should be obvious at this point, but Javonte Williams’ clearest path to fantasy success is to just return to Dallas next season. It’s that simple. You just had your best season in the NFL by far, so why change things up? The Dallas Cowboys are a very high-powered offense led by a veteran QB in Dak Prescott, who has shown that he can support multiple high-level fantasy producers year in and year out, and Javonte Williams would once again have a lot of scoring opportunities here.

If you’re wondering what I think of Jaydon Blue heading into year 2 in the NFL…I couldn’t care less about this player if I’m being honest. Blue is a former Day 3 pick and couldn’t even get a game-day jersey as a rookie. He was a healthy scratch last year for the Cowboys for the majority of the season. I don’t even know if Jaydon Blue makes the team next year, as crazy as that may sound right now.

So let’s just say that Javonte Williams hypothetically leaves Dallas and goes elsewhere next month…where could he go where he would still maintain his high level fantasy production and fit in well? Well, I look at the Washington Commanders, who could stand to upgrade their RB position if you ask me. I like Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Chris Rodriguez to an extent, but they are very niche-limited players, I feel. Neither of them catches passes, like at all, which severely caps their fantasy ceiling at the end of the day. The Commanders need a volume back who can handle a lot of work in both the rushing and receiving game, and Javonte Williams would fit that need perfectly.

Rico Dowdle

I have always been a big fan of Rico Dowdle and believe he deserves more playing time than he has received so far in his NFL career. Dowdle is most likely in line for the biggest payday of his career by far, as it wasn’t hard to figure out who was the better RB in Carolina last year between Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard. To back that up, let’s compare the two. Amongst RBs that totaled at least 130 carries last season, Dowdle finished 21st in Explosive Run Rate, and Hubbard finished 41st in Explosive Run Rate…DEAD LAST. Rico Dowdle is the better RB. Plain and simple.

After the season, while speaking to the media, Rico Dowdle expressed his frustration with having to split carries with Chuba Hubbard for most of the season in 2025. He felt that he deserved to be THE GUY, and honestly…he probably is justified in saying that. So, Dowdle is clearly not returning to the Panthers next season based on those comments. The writing is on the wall here, and that relationship seems to be pretty sour at this point in time. For discussion’s sake, though, let’s say Dowdle resigns with Carolina for some reason… what would that mean for the player’s 2026 fantasy outlook?

Well, it would just be pretty much more of the same, unfortunately. Even though I personally think that Rico Dowdle is the much better RB between the two, Dave Canales and his staff seem to be big fans of Chuba Hubbard for whatever reason, and seem to prefer a true split backfield with the two players. A return to Carolina would not be ideal for Rico Dowdle, to say the least.

I am 100% expecting Rico Dowdle to switch teams in free agency next month, and there is one team in particular that sticks out above the rest in my eyes. The Kansas City Chiefs are in a VERY difficult cap situation this offseason, so although everyone keeps dreaming about these big-name RBs signing with the Chiefs, it’s just not going to be financially possible for the team to get those guys. So, they will need to find a somewhat cheap option to save money at the position with a player who has explosive upside like Rico Dowdle.

Dowdle in an offense like the Kansas City Chiefs should get fantasy managers beyond excited, as it is a dream fit once you really think about it. The Chiefs have neglected the RB position long enough. It’s time to change things up.

Breece Hall

Breece Hall is THE GUY at the RB position in free agency this year. If you need a young RB who can handle all the volume in the world and be a high target earner out of the backfield, Hall is your guy. Breece Hall is a player who is way more talented than his numbers would suggest, considering that he’s been on the JETS his entire career. In 2025, this player rushed for about 1,000 yards and averaged 4.38 yards per carry, which is right around the league average.

Beyond those surface-level numbers, though, he impressed tremendously metrically, as among RBs who saw at least 200 carries last season, he finished with the 3rd-highest Explosive Run Rate. Hall also finished with the 7th-lowest stuff rate in that same qualifier last season. Considering the situation that Breece Hall was in last season, this is all VERY impressive for the young RB.

I will be SHOCKED if Breece Hall returns to the New York Jets next season, as that relationship has seemed to run its course at this point, and Hall seems to be pretty fed up with Aaron Glenn and that New York coaching staff at this point. Hall requested a trade from the Jets at the NFL trade deadline last year, and, well… the team ultimately did not trade him, leaving him feeling betrayed by the organization. If Breece Hall were to stay put in New York, he would be exactly what he has been his entire career as a fantasy asset: a volume back on a bad offense who will have a limited ceiling in the TD department.

One destination I believe Breece Hall could fit into well is the Denver Broncos. At first glance, it might seem that the Broncos don’t need an RB because they have a second-round RB heading into year 2 in RJ Harvey. I like Harvey a decent amount, but he has a lot of issues as an NFL starting RB. He’s a dynamic pass-catcher out of the backfield in a high-tempo outside-zone scheme, but he doesn’t have the build of a prototypical bellcow back in the NFL, doesn’t absorb contact very well, and, most notably, is a VERY unrefined runner between the tackles and in short-yardage situations.

Denver needs to go all in on a Super Bowl run in 2026 by bringing in a true hammer at the RB position and someone who has a proven track record of being a high-level pass catcher out of the backfield as well. Breece Hall has all the tools in the world, and Denver just makes too much sense as a fit in my eyes.

Kenneth Walker

If Breece Hall is the gem of the free agent RB class this year, Kenneth Walker is right behind him, as the explosive RB is coming off a Super Bowl MVP and an all-time great postseason run. We all know that the name of the game with Walker is explosiveness, as amongst RBs that saw at least 200 carries last season, he finished 2nd in Explosive Run Rate.

Yes, you’re going to be frustrated with Kenneth Walker on a down-to-down basis in short-yardage and goal-line situations, as he only saw 27.6% of the Seahawks’ inside-the-5 carries last season, but who cares when he can rip off a 50-yard run at literally any given moment.

If you were to ask me just a couple of months ago whether Kenneth Walker would return to the Seahawks next season, I would’ve said there was no chance in the WORLD that he would, because Seattle LOVES Zach Charbonnet. Now, however, I am quite confident that Walker will indeed return to the Seattle Seahawks next season. Charbonnet tore his ACL in mid-January, so he will miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season. We have always begged for Kenneth Walker to get more volume from the Seattle Seahawks over the last couple of seasons, and well, it seems that we will finally get that in 2026.

The Seattle Seahawks have a bunch of notable free agents and extension-eligible players this offseason, so if Kenneth Walker ends up being the odd man out, the Houston Texans are a team that he could go to and find INSTANT fantasy success.

Houston NEEDS an upgrade over Woody Marks, pretty badly, honestly. For as much as Mark was touted as this great pass catcher coming out of college, he only averaged 2.3 targets per game as a rookie in 2025, and ranked 35th in yards per route run amongst RBs that saw at least 30 targets in 2025.

Plus, this is a player that leaves a LOT to be desired in the pure rushing game, as he totaled a well below average 3.59 yards per carry, and amongst RBs with at least 150 carries, ranked 27th in Explosive Run Rate, 26th in success rate, dead last in missed tackles forced per attempt, 28th in yards after contact per attempt, and 30th in yards before contact per attempt. All very lackluster numbers to say the least. Fix that offensive line and bring in Kenneth Walker…you’re going to have one HECK of a running game in 2026 and beyond.

Thanks for checking out my 2026 Fantasy NFL Free Agent Running Backs: Part 1. For more NFL Free Agent Positional Previews, click here. For all my other work here at Fantasy In Frames, click here.

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