Running back is the most important position in fantasy. Managers can generally find startable pieces on the waiver wire for any other position. Except for running back, and that is why it is so important to pick the right ones in drafts or eventually trade for the right ones. We’ll start with an ambiguous backfield where choosing the right player can provide hefty upside for fantasy managers.
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Running Back Draft Decisions
Rhamondre Stevenson or Treyveyon Henderson, New England Patriots
Weighing the risk and reward is everything here. These two running backs go right next to each other in drafts at RB. Henderson goes ahead in full PPR at RB25, with Stevenson right behind at RB26. Henderson has all the upside in the world because of his role in the passing game and his game-breaking speed. However, he is currently working off to the side with a mere three days until the NFL season. Pair that with the negative training camp reports, and it appears that the job is all Stevenson’s.
Their usage in the run to the Super Bowl last season reinforced that. Stevenson almost doubled Henderson’s carries. (58 to 30) Both running backs were inefficient, but Henderson, who is known for his explosiveness, averaged under three yards per carry and did not have a run longer than 15 yards.
I am cautiously optimistic regarding Henderson. That playoff run is half of the reason he is going in the sixth round. The truth is, Henderson had 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie year. I still prefer Stevenson at current ADP, but Stevenson’s upside is a high-end RB3 in a timeshare. Henderson could reach mid-RB2 levels. I prefer Stevenson because he’s more likely to deliver a ceiling outcome than Henderson and lead this backfield in touches again.
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals, or Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
A decision that many have already made by drafters on the round one turn this offseason. Two running backs in potent offenses with high-end RB1 upside. And both appear to be the workhorses for Week 1. Keaton Mitchell looks to be battling an injury, while Samaje Perine does not look to push Chase Brown for major work.
So the question is, how do you separate the two? The answer is in projecting Chase Brown’s receiving role. If Brown’s role is anything like it was at the end of the season, when he was averaging 21 touches per game, including 4.5 catches per game. His role should look similar to what he had at the end of the season. Brown had three quarterbacks in 2025. He averaged 19.4 PPR points per game with Joe Burrow. 16.6 with Joe Flacco and 9.3 with Jake Browning. And then 8.5 in Week 2, when Burrow left with an injury and Browning took over.
Brown’s slow start caused panic in the fantasy community. However, that feels out of the question now. Flacco is now firmly entrenched as the backup if something happens to Burrow, with the team’s stability at quarterback and Brown’s receiving upside. Brown offers high-end RB1 upside with a low-end RB1 floor.
Hampton, on the other hand, has a sky-high ceiling, with a much lower floor. A ton of positive changes for the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason. Mike McDaniel is now in the picture as offensive coordinator, and Joe Alt and Rahsawn Slater are healthy. Those moves will provide a boost for the second-year running back. Sadly, they already lost Tyler Biadasz for the regular season after a torn ACL in practice. Despite the injury, the Chargers will still have a top-tier offensive line. And with McDaniel at the controls, this offense can take the next step it couldn’t under Greg Roman.
Who to Choose?
Hampton does not have the receiving upside Brown does. However, to say he has none would be disingenuous. He had 38 catches in his senior season. And 32 catches in nine games in 2026. So Hampton offers upside there. If I were picking between the two, Brown would be my selection due to being tied to Joe Burrow and the team having a worse defense. It is splitting hairs, with not much of a gap between them. Hampton is a quality running back whose ADP is also justified. I’m going Chase Brown, but wouldn’t fault anyone who went the other way.
Rico Dowdle or Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jumping back into the ambiguous backfields. It feels like getting the Steelers running back room right will reward fantasy managers most. Rodgers won’t dramatically change his game heading into the last season of his career. His average depth of target (ADOT) was one of the lowest in the league at 6.1 yards per target, and Kenneth Gainwell was a league winner down the stretch. He ended the fantasy season with three RB1 finishes in the last four games. Now Gainwell provided an outlier, with the Steelers having the second-most targets at the position in 2025. However, the closest comparison is the 2024 New York Jets. The Jets, with Rodgers at the helm, finished with the fifth-most targets to running backs. So, one of these running backs is going to get the targets.
It is more about which one it will be. Jaylen Warren has the better receiving profile of the two. Rico Dowdle did get more targets last season, but that was largely because Gainwell was on the Steelers. Warren has the best season overall with 74 targets in 2023. That was good for sixth-most during that season.
Warren has the better profile for the role in this offense, but Dowdle has experience with Mike McCarthy from their time together in Dallas. And the team paid Dowdle for a reason. The number isn’t major enough at running back to dictate workload, but he is making just a tad more than Warren. Both are going within ten picks of each other in the sixth to seventh round of ADP. I prefer Warren at the earlier ADP for his pass-catching upside.
Final Thoughts
These running back decisions will define seasons. And there will be one or two surprise standouts as there always are. However, these choices at running back, along with other ambiguous backfields, will separate the great rosters from the pack. Picking right from these running backs greatly increases roster flexibility, trade value, and weekly points. So, including those two running back rooms I wrote about, focus on Carolina, Washington, and Minnesota. And best of luck to everyone as we start this fantasy season.
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