Finding breakout players is one of the biggest ways to create an advantage in Fantasy Football. Whether you’re drafting them in Redraft leagues before the rest of your league catches on or trading for them in Dynasty before their value takes off, identifying the right breakout candidates can be the difference between making the playoffs and bringing home a championship. If you’ve followed my content for any length of time, you already know the goal is simple: help you Play 2 Win.
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Many Fantasy Football terms are defined differently, so I need to clarify what I mean by a breakout. Your definition, my definition, and the definition of countless others for a Fantasy Football breakout may have some similarities, but can also be looked at completely differently at the same time. I define a breakout as a player who can take a substantial leap in Fantasy Football production or a player who can have an immediate Fantasy Football scoring impact, which in either case is a major positional advantage in lineups for a given year.Â
This year I have six running back breakouts to highlight. Let’s get it!
8 RB Breakouts for Fantasy Football in 2026
1. Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs)
Kenneth Walker III has finished three of his four seasons played with 900+ rushing yards, and two of those seasons were at 1,000+. As a rookie in 2022, Walker scored a career-high nine rushing touchdowns, and in 2024 through just 12 games played he caught a career-high 46 balls.
In 2025, KWIII split a backfield with Zach Charbonnet, but still managed 1,027 yards and other metrics that popped. Via Playerprofiler, Walker finished the year for the position 12th in yards per touch, sixth in evaded tackles, and third in breakaway runs. Due to a Charbs injury in the NFL Playoffs, Walker absolutely exploded when operating as a workhorse, which led to a Super Bowl MVP Award:
- NFC Divisional: 19 attempts for 116 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, three receptions for 29 yards, and 35.5 Fantasy Points
- NFC Championship: 18 attempts for 62 rushing yards, rushing touchdown, four receptions for 49 yards, and 21.1 Fantasy Points
- Super Bowl: 27 attempts for 135 rushing yards, two receptions for 26 yards, and 18.1 Fantasy Points
This production led to an offseason payday from the Chiefs on a three-year, $43.05 million deal. Patrick Mahomes looks like he will be ready for Week 1 following his 2025 ACL injury and can finally play with a running back who can hit the 1,000+ yard rushing mark. Something he has never had. Rookie Emmett Johnson could play a role in this backfield, but is more so a high-upside handcuff. A potential workhorse role in the Kansas City Chiefs offense can mean picking up where Walker left off in the NFL Playoffs, and finally having the major Fantasy Football season we have been waiting for.
2. Omarion Hampton (Chargers)
The Chargers selected Omarion Hampton with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Hampton would go on to play just nine games due to a severe ankle injury, finishing his rookie campaign with 124 carries for 545 yards and four touchdowns along with 32 receptions for 192 yards and a receiving touchdown. The biggest rushing flash came in Week 4 with 128 yards on the ground, and through the air he had a season-high 59 receiving yards in Week 3.
For Fantasy Football, Hampton produced 16+ Fantasy Points in 4/9 games played (44.4%) and 20+ Fantasy Points in 3/9 games played (33.33%), which shows plenty of upside.
This offseason, the Chargers hired Mike McDaniel as their new Offensive Coordinator, who should elevate this entire offense. Tyler Biadasz and Cole Strange were signed in Free Agency for the Offensive Line, and the Chargers also drafted Jake Slaughter in the second and Travis Burke in the fourth to add depth there. On top of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater returning from injuries. Hampton flashed dual-threat usage with plenty of upside in the touchdown and general Fantasy Football scoring departments. Checking the boxes of being a dual-threat back, on a solid offense that is rising, and healthy should mean a big sophomore leap for Hampton in 2026.
3. Ashton Jeanty (Raiders)
The Raiders selected Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as a highly regarded prospect who drew massive Fantasy Football hype before the season. Despite finishing as the RB11 in Fantasy Football in 2025, the season was short of Fantasy expectations vs. where Jeanty was being drafted. For the season, Jeanty finished with 266 carries for 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns, along with 55 receptions for 346 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. Jeanty finished seventh in both rushing attempts and receptions, and his playmaking behind a poor line was evident via Playerprofiler by finishing seventh in yards created and fourth in evaded tackles for the position.
Jeanty finished seven weeks with 15+ Fantasy Points as a rookie, with three spike weeks: 33.5 Fantasy Points (Week 4), 24.8 Fantasy Points (Week 12), and 31.8 Fantasy Points (Week 16).
Klink Kubiak was hired this offseason as the New Head Coach for the Raiders, after serving as the Offensive Coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks. The Raiders have two new quarterback upgrades in veteran Kirk Cousins and 2026 NFL Draft first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders paid up for center Tyler Linderbaum, signed guard Spencer Burford, and spent a third-round pick on guard Trey Zuhn this offseason. Outside of Brock Bowers, there are no solidified pass-catchers in this offense that has one of the weakest wide receiver rooms in the NFL. This should keep Jeanty’s pass-catching numbers up. Running back Mike Washington Jr. was selected in the fourth round, but should likely serve as a handcuff with some complementary work to Jeanty. Volume is King; Jeanty will have that, and pairing this with dual-threat talents could mean a big sophomore leap in a better Raiders situation than last year.
For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2026 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!
4. Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals)
The Cardinals spent up in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick, despite signing Tyler Allgeier this offseason and still rostering both James Conner and Trey Benson. Love totaled 2,882 rushing yards, 63 receptions for 594 receiving yards, and scored 42 total touchdowns for Notre Dame through three seasons. Love was extremely productive at Notre Dame despite splitting work with Seahawks first-round rookie Jadarian Price. Love is a three-down back with dual-threat abilities, elite speed and explosiveness, and makes guys miss.
If you did not fade Bijan Robinson last year because of Tyler Allgeier, then do not worry about Allgeier’s impact on Love. Love is that talented. Talented enough to be in the conversation with Bijan and Jahmyr Gibbs someday. The Cardinals led the NFL in passing attempts last season, but some of that was due to the lack of a run game; even if they do sling it this year, that could mean 50-60 catches for Love. The dynamic playmaking abilities of Love will translate greatly to Fantasy Football in year one, especially with defenses needing to worry about the likes of Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Michael Wilson at the same time. An instant top-12 Fantasy finish is in store for Love as a rookie.
5. Quinshon Judkins (Browns)
The Browns selected Quinshon Judkins in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Judkins played 14 games in 2025 before his season was cut short due to a severe right ankle dislocation and a fractured fibula in Week 16. Judkins rushed 230 times for 827 yards, scored seven rushing touchdowns, and caught 26 balls for 171 yards on the year. The rushing upside was evident with six weeks of 75+ rushing yards, with a high of 110 in Week 5. The three-rushing-touchdown game in Week 7 shows the potential in that department as well.
Judkins scored 15+ Fantasy points five times as a rookie, and in two of those games he scored over 21 Fantasy Points. This is impressive given how poor of a situation it looked to be on paper as a running back for the Browns last season.
This offseason, Todd Monken took over as the Head Coach for the Browns as the former Offensive Coordinator for Derrick Henry and the Ravens. Monken has his new Henry in Judkins. Most important was the offensive line haul that included Spencer Fano (ninth overall pick in the NFL Draft), Zion Johnson (Free Agency), Elgton Jenkins (Free Agency), Parker Brailsford (NFL Draft), and Tytus Howard (trade). The Browns added wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston via the NFL Draft as well to improve the offense, with Deshaun Watson likely set to take over at quarterback. Major positive changes for Judkins to take a sophomore leap, pending he is back to 100% to start the season.
6. Cam Skattebo (Giants)
Cam Skattebo was selected by the Giants in the 2025 NFL Draft in the fourth round. Skattebo played in just eight games due to a season-ending open right ankle dislocation, tibia/fibula fracture, and a ruptured deltoid ligament in Week 8. Through those eight games, Skatt rushed 101 times for 410 yards and scored five rushing touchdowns, as well as caught 24 balls for 207 yards and scored two receiving touchdowns. This production includes Week 1, where he only touched the ball four times, and Week 8, when he got hurt after four touches as well. Standouts in this sample size include 98 rushing yards and three rushing touches in Week 6 and 61 receiving yards in Week 3.
If we look at Weeks 2-7 when Skattebo was earning work, he finished with 13+ Fantasy Points in all six of those games with highs of 24.1 (Week 3) and 31.0 (Week 6) points. That’s an average of 19.1, which would be elite rookie Fantasy numbers, during that sample size.
The Giants hired John Harbaugh this offseason as their new Head Coach, who has experience implementing a workhorse running back from his recent years with the Ravens in Derrick Henry. Francis Mauigoa (guard) was selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to add to the offensive line. Fullback Patrick Ricard was brought in, who can help create lanes for Skattebo as well. All of Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, Odell Beckham Jr, and rookie Malachi Fields were added to the wide receiver room, and Isaiah Likely was signed to be the new TE1. We will have Malik Nabers back from injury, and a full season of Jaxson Dart as the starter. Based on what we saw last season, the recovery from injury, and boosts to the environment, we should see a sophomore leap for Skattebo, which should be his Fantasy Football breakout. Do-it-all, playmaking grinder.
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