Top-10 RBs
Ranking these players correctly could be the difference between winning your league and missing the playoffs entirely.
#10. Kenneth Walker III (KC)
Walker is trading Seattle's mid offensive lines for one of the best interior units in football, and he arrives with a contract that says the Chiefs plan to feed him.
Signed a 3-year, $45M deal ($28.7M guaranteed) to become KC's lead back following Isiah Pacheco's departure
Led the NFL in juke rate (31.7%) and ranked 6th in evaded tackles (80) last season… exactly the kind of elusiveness that plays behind an elite interior line
Joins a Chiefs offense that ranked 31st in the league in 15+ yard runs, and Walker has been the league's RB3 in explosive runs since 2022
Between real money invested, a talent-and-scheme upgrade, and a Mahomes offense that badly needs more explosive plays on the ground, Walker's touch share should look nothing like his Seattle platoon days.
#9. Ashton Jeanty (LV)
I’m not super confident in Jeanty, but he finished as the RB15 as a rookie despite playing behind the worst offensive line in football… and that supporting cast just got a serious upgrade.
Posted an 84.3% opportunity share (1st in the NFL) as a rookie, proof that bell-cow usage was never the question
Raiders signed Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, described as the single most important offseason move for Jeanty after Las Vegas ranked 30th in run blocking
New HC Klint Kubiak and OC Andrew Janocko are building the offense around Jeanty as a featured weapon in both the run and pass game
The volume and the talent were already elite as a rookie. Now he finally gets an offensive environment that lets it show up in the box score.
#8. Saquon Barkley (PHI)
Barkley came back to earth after his historic 2024 run, but the workload never left, and a scheme change could open up a new dimension to his game.
Still ranked 4th in the NFL in opportunity share (80.3%) even during a down efficiency year — the ball is still firmly his
New OC Sean Mannion takes "total authority" with a Shanahan/McVay-style zone scheme, the same system that historically funneled heavy receiving work to the lead back
A.J. Brown's trade to New England leaves a massive target-share vacancy in Philadelphia, and even a fraction of that volume raises Barkley's ceiling
The efficiency dipped in 2025, but the workload plus a fresh, more pass-friendly scheme make him a real bounce-back candidate.
#7. Omarion Hampton (LAC)
In his healthy stretches as a rookie, Hampton was already producing RB1 numbers, and this is one of the best offensive environments in the league for him to build on that.
Commanded a 69.7% opportunity share and caught 32-of-34 targets (94%) once he became the lead back after Najee Harris's injury
New OC Mike McDaniel replaces Greg Roman, bringing a more efficient, explosive rushing scheme to Los Angeles
Was on pace for roughly 300 touches and 60 receptions before a fractured ankle ended his season early — proof the team trusts him with a full workload
Health is the only thing that stood between Hampton and a top-five ceiling as a rookie, and everything else is already pointing up.
#6. Chase Brown (CIN)
Brown's per-game numbers were already RB7-caliber last season, and that was with half the year lost to a Jake Browning-led offense… a healthy, full-time Joe Burrow changes the equation.
Averaged 17.2 PPR points per game with Burrow under center across the last two seasons, per Evan Silva of ETR
Piled up 88 targets (4th among RBs) and 69 receptions (5th) last season, which is a true dual-threat role in both the run and pass game
OC Dan Pitcher and HC Zac Taylor return with full continuity, and Cincinnati didn't draft a single running back, so his featured role is locked in for 2026
Between the receiving volume and a full season next to a healthy Burrow, Brown's floor and ceiling both point toward another RB1-caliber season.
That's the list. Five of the best backs you can draft as your RB1 this season. Part 2 coming tomorrow.
-Joe