The 2025 NFL regular season, and therefore the fantasy football season, is officially over. Aside from whatever changes the playoffs can have on player values, the next major milestone in the fantasy calendar is free agency.
This year, we have a solidly intriguing class of free agent running backs. The 2026 class of unemployed RBs doesn’t have as many big names as 2024 (the year in which Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs all changed teams, among others), but it’s certainly better than last year, in which Najee Harris headlined a fairly uninspiring group.
This article will take a look at some of the top available names, analyzing their potential fantasy values for 2026 redraft leagues and beyond in Dynasty formats. However, there will be no potential cap casualties, cut candidates, or trade targets here. I’m not even going to get into the mess of restricted free agency. This article is about genuine unrestricted free agents, who are guaranteed to hit the open market. With that in mind, let’s get started.
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Top 2026 Free Agent Running Backs
Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
If he isn’t given the franchise tag by the Jets, it’s all but guaranteed that Hall will sign the largest contract of any free agent back this offseason. I’ve always held the opinion that the 2022 second-rounder is slightly overrated by the general fantasy community, but he’s still just 24 years old and has a genuine dual-threat skill set. Hall only reached 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time this season, but he has averaged 90 yards from scrimmage per game for his career despite playing on some truly terrible Jets teams.
Whoever signs Hall will likely plan to use him as their lead back. That, combined with his reputation (deserved or not) as a borderline elite talent, likely leaves the floor for his 2026 ADP as an RB2. If he lands in an exciting situation (perhaps with a certain team that already tried to trade for him at the deadline and desperately needs juice in the running game), he could easily be an RB1.
Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
This is an interesting one. Like Hall, Walker was a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Also like Hall, Walker has never quite lived up to the lofty expectations many fantasy managers have had for him. Even as the Seahawks emerged as arguably the league’s best team this season, Walker finished as just the RB24 in half-PPR points per game.
Of course, the elephant in the room is Walker’s usage. He spent the 2025 season in a near-perfect 50/50 committee with Zach Charbonnet; Charbonnet has been a constant thorn in Walker’s side (or at least the sides of his fantasy managers) over the last three seasons.
The question now is whether Walker’s new team (assuming he leaves Seattle) will trust him with a larger workload than the Seahawks did. The easy answer is yes — he even proved last season that he is capable of being featured in the receiving game (46 receptions in just 11 games). Still, it’s not that simple. Walker has a bit of a reputation as a boom-or-bust back, and it’s well-deserved. This season, he ranked eighth out of 64 qualified RBs in explosive rush rate, but also 46th in success rate (per SumerSports).
If he ends up with a team willing to feed him the rock consistently despite occasional struggles, Walker’s big-play ability could make him a legit fantasy stud. However, pay close attention to the competition in his landing spot — his boom/bust profile does open him up to losing more work than we might expect to a more consistent Charbonnet-like teammate. Walker’s upside in the right landing spot is league-winning, but the wrong fit could lead to yet another frustrating season.
Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAC)
After a very underwhelming 2024 season, Etienne bounced back with an excellent 2025 season in Liam Coen’s offense. He racked up 1,107 yards and seven scores on the ground, also adding 292 yards and a crazy six touchdowns through the air. His 13 total trips to pay dirt ranked eighth among skill position players.
However, I would argue that Etienne is still a clear tier below the two previous backs. For one, he’s slightly older, turning 27 by the end of the month. There are also more question marks about his talent. Where Walker and Hall ranked third and 11th, respectively, in PFF Rush Grade this season, Etienne was a more mediocre 35th out of 59 RBs. His 0.17 yards over expected per carry (according to NextGenStats) also ranked just behind Walker (0.18) and well behind Hall (0.59).
Etienne should still land in a spot where he is at least allowed to compete for a team’s lead job, but he’s not guaranteed a starting role. After all, there were legitimate questions coming into this season whether he would lose the RB1 spot in Jacksonville to Tank Bigsby and/or Bhayshul Tuten. I wouldn’t be surprised if fantasy managers find themselves in a similar spot next draft season, tempted away from Etienne if there are younger, flashier names in his new home. Time will tell if that is a mistake; it certainly was this year.
Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
Williams was a free agent last season, too, eventually signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cowboys. If we can call that a “prove-it” deal, Williams certainly proved it. As the bell-cow in Dallas’ offense, he rushed for 1,201 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns. This was easily the most productive year of his career.
Perhaps even more important than the raw production, Williams also posted some positive marks on the efficiency front. He averaged 0.62 yards over expected per carry (NextGenStats), ranked ninth out of 64 RBs in EPA per carry (SumerSports), and was 15th out of 59 in PFF Rush Grade (PFF, duh). He appears to have finally regained some of the juice that he lost to a knee injury four games into his sophomore 2022 season after a promising rookie year.
With all that said, it’s difficult to imagine Javonte landing in a more fantasy-friendly spot than the one he held this year as essentially the Cowboys’ entire backfield. If he stays in Dallas, he could repeat as a fantasy RB1. Otherwise, he’ll likely be an RB2 or RB3, depending on his new situation.
Rico Dowdle (RB – CAR)
Rico Dowdle’s 2025 was an absolute rollercoaster. Even after a productive 2024 as Dallas’ RB, he came into the year as the clear backup to Chuba Hubbard. Then, when Hubbard missed time with an injury, Dowdle exploded with a couple of the most impressive games of any RB this season. He took over (eventually) as the Panthers’ bell cow following Hubbard’s return, but his performances tailed off, and the backfield was more of a 60/40 committee by the end of the season.
This all leaves Dowdle in a very interesting spot heading into 2026. On the one hand, he had two of the top five games among RBs in yards from scrimmage this year, including an outing with 200 yards rushing. On the other hand, he finished the year 55th out of 59 backs in PFF Offense Grade and in a committee with Chuba Hubbard.
I don’t think any team will head into 2026 planning to use Dowdle as their clear RB1. Still, he might land a fantasy-relevant spot in a committee. Even if he doesn’t, this year showed that he has legitimately elite upside, albeit in an unconvincing kind of way.
J.K. Dobbins (RB – DEN)
It’s easy to forget with how fast the NFL moves, but J.K. Dobbins ranked third in the NFL with 772 rushing yards when he suffered a Lisfranc foot injury in Week 10. Of course, injuries have long been the knock on Dobbins, who has appeared in just 47 games since entering the league in 2020.
On the bright side, like Williams, Dobbins seemed to be trending in a positive direction on the efficiency front another year removed from some of his more traumatic injuries. He ranked fourth in the league in yards over expected per attempt, as well as 18th in PFF Rush Grade, 13th in EPA per rush, 12th in success rate, and seventh in explosive rate. This wasn’t just due to the Broncos’ excellent O-line, either, as rookie RJ Harvey ranked near the bottom of the league in all of those same categories.
Dobbins’ fantasy upside is still capped by the fact that he is essentially a non-factor in the passing game; he had just 11 catches for 37 receiving yards this season. However, assuming he recovers from his latest injury, he still can be a contributor on the ground. He also only just turned 27 years old. I wouldn’t bet on him being a clear starter in Week 1 of the 2026 season, but don’t be surprised if he is very fantasy-relevant at some point.
The Rest
The names above are the only running backs with realistic chances at being Week 1 starters in the 2026 season. Yet, any fantasy football manager knows that you don’t have to be a Week 1 starter to be fantasy-relevant, especially at the running back position. There are many more free agent RBs who could be worth considering in 2026 drafts, depending on their landing spots.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Tyler Allgeier, who has found himself in the unfortunate position of backing up Bijan Robinson over the last three years after posting a 1,000-yard season as a rookie. However, Allgeier’s efficiency metrics, which had previously been borderline elite, regressed this season, hurting my confidence that he will carve out a signficant role wherever he lands.
Kenneth Gainwell actually finished the 2025 season as a top-20 RB in half-PPR (and even higher in full PPR). Still, a lot of his success was based on his unique, receiving-heavy role in the Aaron Rodgers/Arthur Smith offense. I don’t think there will be many (if any) other teams willing to give the journeyman RB five targets per game.
Najee Harris did command the highest salary of any free-agent RB last year, but his market is likely to be less hot this offseason coming off a season-ending Achilles injury.
Kareem Hunt was actually very effective as a short-yardage hammer for the Chiefs this season, but that is his only positive skill at this point in his career. Isiah Pacheco is also a free agent coming out of Kansas City — maybe he can be more effective another year removed from breaking his fibula in 2024?
Rachaad White‘s days as a legit RB1 are over, but we know he’s capable of consolidating volume as a three-down back. Guys like Michael Carter, Jeremy McNichols, Brian Robinson Jr., and Jerome Ford could also certainly remain on the fantasy radar (at least for deeper Dynasty formats) if they land in the right spots.
With all due respect to Raheem Mostert and Nick Chubb, that officially does it for unrestricted free agent RBs who are likely to be on the fantasy radar heading into 2026. Keep an eye on where each of these guys lands this offseason, and you will be one step ahead of your leaguemates who are checked out until the NFL Draft in April.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
