RB Targets
5 guys with reasons to take them on draft day...
Travis Etienne (NO)
Etienne didn't just get a fresh start in New Orleans, he got handed the backfield. And the all the arrows are pointing in the right direction.
Signed a 4-year, $52 million deal ($13M/year), the highest total contract value ever given to an RB, and rewarded that faith by finishing 2025 as the overall RB11 with 1,399 yards from scrimmage and a career-high 13 total touchdowns.
Ranked 5th in red zone touches (62) and 8th in carries (260) last year… and the Saints just reworked Alvin Kamara's deal, cutting his salary from a possible $11.5M down to $6M, a clear signal of where the touches are trending.
Draws the single easiest strength-of-schedule environment for running backs in the league, now running behind an upgraded line that added guard David Edwards on a 4-year, $45M deal.
Some are hesitant given the uncertainty around a new-look Saints offense, but a workhorse role, a receiving floor, and the softest schedule in football make Etienne a value swing in every draft.
Kenneth Walker (KC)
Walker leaves Seattle's shaky lines behind for an elite Chiefs interior, and the Chiefs made him their fourth-highest-ever-paid running back this offseason.
Signed a 3-year, $45M deal with $28.7M guaranteed to become the clear lead back after Isiah Pacheco's departure.
Led the NFL in juke rate (31.7%) and ranked 6th in evaded tackles (80) in 2025: elite tackle-breaking ability now paired with a Chiefs offense that ranked just 31st in 15+ yard runs and needs the juice.
Finished 2025 with 1,027 rushing yards and a Super Bowl MVP award, and returning OC Eric Bieniemy plans to install more under-center gap-scheme runs designed to maximize his vision.
Durability is the one real question mark, but a $30M guarantee, an upgraded line, and a coordinator building the offense around his skill set make Walker one of the better bets in the middle rounds.
Omarion Hampton (LAC)
Hampton's rookie breakout got interrupted by injuries, but the per-game numbers before that were already RB1-caliber.
Averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game (12th overall) and commanded a 69.7% opportunity share once he took over as the lead back after Najee Harris went down.
Caught 32 of 34 targets (a 94% catch rate) and logged 28 red zone touches in just 9 games — receiving work and goal-line usage in the same package.
New OC Mike McDaniel arrives with a more efficient, explosive rushing scheme, and the Chargers' strength of schedule flips from one of the toughest in football to a top-17 matchup slate.
If the ankle issues stay in the past, Hampton has every ingredient (volume, touchdowns, scheme upgrade) to be a true difference-maker.
D'Andre Swift (CHI)
Swift quietly put together a career year in 2025, and he heads into this season as Chicago's unquestioned lead back.
Finished as the overall RB15 (14.3 PPG) with career highs of 1,087 rushing yards and 1,386 total yards from scrimmage, leading the Bears in carries, yards, and touchdowns.
Ranked 8th in yards per touch (5.4) and 6th in yards per catch (8.8) among backs, and is one of only two running backs (alongside Derrick Henry) to finish top-24 in six straight seasons.
Logged 41 red zone touches (16th) and 10 total touchdowns while playing in a Ben Johnson scheme he already knows inside and out from Detroit.
The Bears' line took some hits this offseason, which tempers the outlook slightly, but proven volume, receiving work, and total scheme continuity still make Swift a high-end RB2 with low-end RB1 upside.
Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)
Gibbs was already producing RB4 numbers in a timeshare. Now he's the unquestioned engine of one of the league's best offenses.
Posted 21.7 fantasy points per game (4th) with 274.1 weighted opportunities (4th), 89 targets (3rd), and 62 red zone touches (4th), all while still splitting the backfield with David Montgomery.
Montgomery was traded to Houston in March, leaving Gibbs as the clear-cut Lions RB1; free-agent addition Isiah Pacheco isn't viewed as a threat to his workload.
His strength-of-schedule for running backs jumps from 25th easiest all the way to 3rd easiest in 2026… one of the largest SOS swings at the position in the entire league.
A top-five offense, zero remaining backfield competition, and a dramatically friendlier schedule make Gibbs about as close to a lock as this format gets.
So that’s the list. These 5 backs all have the pedigree to help your fantasy team this year.
-Joe