FantasyPros Staff | Sun, Aug 23rd 2026, 3:03am EDT

4 Fantasy Football League Winners Experts Draft (2026)

We asked our Featured Pros for their favorite early and late running backs to target in 2026 fantasy football. Here are the players they think have league-winning upside to help you dominate your season. Check out a few fantasy football league winners experts target in drafts.

2026 Fantasy Football League-Winning Running Backs

What RB between RB6-20 in our consensus half-PPR RB ADP has the most league-winning upside?

Kenneth Walker III (RB – KC)

“Kenneth Walker III is the easy choice here. Coming off a Super Bowl MVP season with the Seahawks, he now finds himself on a Chiefs squad that has long sought a true workhorse running back for as long as Patrick Mahomes has been there. After yielding some touches to talented backfield mate Zach Charbonnet, Walker now finds himself as easily the most talented back on this roster. Look for Walker to set career highs in carries, yards, and targets, which will return first-round fantasy value. Jump on the Walker train now; it’s only going to pick up speed. By this time next year, he will be a top-five fantasy pick.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)

“Kenneth Walker III. The Chiefs haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher in Patrick Mahomes‘ eight seasons as a starter, but Walker is about to change that. Mahomes is coming off a major knee injury, so Walker is going to play a big role in the Kansas City offense. He showed in last season’s playoffs that he can thrive in an expanded role. Walker had more than 100 scrimmage yards in all three of Seattle’s playoff games and scored four touchdowns. It’s worth remembering that once upon a time, Andy Reid was the playcaller for some epic RB seasons by Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook. If opposing defenses continue to throw two-high-safety looks at the Chiefs as often as they have in recent years, Walker will go bonkers this season.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

“While there is major risk associated with Kenneth Walker III, the upside is enormous after trading Seattle for Kansas City. In Seattle last season, Walker was reduced to being a part of a committee with Zach Charbonnet. Now in Kansas City, Walker stands to achieve career highs in carries, yards, and touchdowns, as the lone wolf at running back for the Chiefs. With Patrick Mahomes on the mend from a torn ACL, and no clear competition in the Chiefs backfield, Walker has clear top-5 upside in 2026 if he can remain healthy.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

“Chase Brown. Currently ranked as my RB5. Once Joe Burrow returned to the lineup last season, Brown’s production spiked, averaging an impressive 20.6 half-PPR points per game and ranking as the RB3 across Weeks 13-17 (averaging a 61% snap share). Through the last two years, Brown has averaged just shy of 1,000 rushing yards and nearly 1,400 yards from scrimmage. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, the former 5th-round draft pick will be looking to finish 2026 on his highest note to date. List of RBs last season with at least 400 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards: CMC, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, De’Von Achane, and Chase Brown. Happily drafting him ahead of Ashton Jeanty and Saquon Barkley. Even with a projected snap split with Samaje Perine (70-30%) based on preseason Week 1 usage…Brown should still smash versus the Bengals’ third-easiest league schedule.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

“Chase Brown (RB9) carries legitimate league-winning upside as a locked-in workhorse. He operates in one of the league’s most efficient offenses when healthy, with virtually zero competition in Cincinnati’s backfield. The 2025 baseline speaks for itself: 300+ touches, almost 1,500 total yards, and 11 total TDs. The unlock for 2026 is TD efficiency; if the Bengals can protect more leads (translating to positive game scripts and more rushing volume near the goal line), Brown’s profile shifts from back-end RB1 to elite, high-end RB1 territory. At RB9, the gap between cost and ceiling is narrow.”
– Jacob Piccolo (TrueRGM)

“Chase Brown has the most league-winning upside for me in this range. He already has the workload, receiving role, and scoring environment, but he is still being drafted below the truly elite backs. I view him as a lighter version of Gibbs or Bijan, with several ways to score points every week. If Cincinnati stays healthy, Brown has a legitimate path to finishing as the overall RB1.”
– Jay Henry Ocho (Jay Henry Ocho)

What RB outside the top 20 in our consensus half-PPR RB ADP has the most league-winning upside?

Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAC)

“Bhayshul Tuten has enormous upside in 2026, if he can separate himself from the pack. Tuten is currently listed as the co-starter atop Jacksonville’s RB depth chart with Chris Rodriguez, yet it is Tuten that Jags HC Liam Coen has raved about at every possible point imaginable. If Tuten can secure high-leverage short-yardage and goal-line touches away from Rodriguez, and even LeQuint Allen, Tuten could become a star for the Jags and for fantasy managers in 2026.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

“Bhayshul Tuten is my favorite RB outside the top 20 (RB25 in ADP), and I think he’s a great value in Round 4. Jacksonville has 260 vacated rushing attempts, giving Tuten a massive opportunity to take over this backfield. More importantly, Liam Coen loves scheming up his running backs as weapons in the passing game. The Jaguars ranked fourth in the NFL in RB screen routes last season, while Travis Etienne trailed only Christian McCaffrey in screen routes and targets. I’d be more worried about Tuten as my RB1, but as an RB2 in Rounds 4-5, I love the upside.”
– Brady Auer (BA Sports Podcast)

“For me, it’s Bhayshul Tuten. He’s a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. He runs with a tremendous burst and plays on a good offense. With respect to Chris Rodriguez, I think Tuten is the most electric RB in Jacksonville. When it comes to Bhayshul “Rootin'” Tuten, his talent is obvious. He’s the fastest RB north, south, east, and west of the Pecos, according to Yosemite Sam Ringo. Ringo’s comp: Tuten reminds me of a smaller version of former Bronco and Redskin, Clinton Portis.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)

“Bhayshul Tuten is the answer outside the top 20. The market is still pricing in uncertainty, but Travis Etienne is gone, and Liam Coen has already shown he can create major fantasy value for his lead back. Tuten was efficient in the red zone as a rookie, can contribute in the passing game, and has the explosiveness to produce league-winning weeks. If he takes control of the Jacksonville backfield, his current RB2 price will look ridiculous.”
– Jay Henry Ocho (Jay Henry Ocho)

“I like what we’ve been hearing out of camp about Bhayshul Tuten recently. Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley, who covers the Jaguars, recently said that the second-year back was dominating in joint practices against the Panthers and “looked like an absolute star.” That’s music to your ears if you’re targeting Tuten in Round 5. Travis Etienne’s departure frees up nearly 300 touches. Some of the early-down work will go to Chris Rodriguez Jr., but Tuten will get plenty of opportunities on an offense that scored the fourth-most rushing touchdowns in 2025. We know Tuten has insane straight-line speed — he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at last year’s NFL Combine. If we combine that explosiveness with substantial volume, Tuten will easily pass his RB25 price tag and crush for fantasy managers this season.”
– Wolf Trelles-Heard (FantasyPros)

“One running back outside the top 20 with real league‑winning upside is Bhayshul Tuten. After an injury‑shortened rookie season, he’s expected to open 2026 as Jacksonville’s lead back with Travis Etienne now in New Orleans. Reports out of camp say he’s been one of the most impressive players on the field and was nearly unstoppable in joint practices this week. He caught 10 passes on 14 targets in limited action last year, and with a full workload he could realistically climb into the 50-60 reception range. That blend of receiving growth, opportunity, and early‑camp buzz gives him legitimate breakout potential at his current ADP.”
– Lawrence Iacona (FantasyPros)

Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)

“Jonathon Brooks (RB35) is the late-round league-winner if you’re betting on talent over situation. Yes, two ACL tears in the same knee make availability the primary risk factor, but the path to volume is clear. Chuba Hubbard‘s inefficiency is well-documented; he lost the starting job last season to near-journeyman Rico Dowdle. Brooks has the skill set to claim lead-back duties if healthy. The schedule is a headwind, as Carolina ranks dead last in RB strength of schedule for 2026, and the offense remains a work in progress. But at RB35, the cost is minimal relative to the upside: a healthy Brooks profiles as a volume-based RB2 with weekly RB1 spike weeks, making him a significant value over his current ADP.”
– Jacob Piccolo (TrueRGM)

“Jonathon Brooks is the player outside the top 20 who immediately jumps out to me. Injuries have kept us from seeing whether the player who showed so much promise in college can translate that talent to the NFL. At RB31, though, I’m willing to bet on that uncertainty because the acquisition cost leaves tremendous room for profit. If Brooks is finally healthy and becomes the player Carolina originally invested in, he has the kind of upside that can dramatically outperform his draft price.”
– Stephen Floyd (Draft With Doug)

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