For the most part, I’d like to consider myself an optimistic fellow. The glass is half full, not half empty. It’s always the darkest right before dawn. Cue all the inspirational poster quotes you’d like to refer to here. Every once in a while, though, the tables are turned. Heck, I’m being told that I get to be picky and critical in this fantasy football article.
To quote Alice Cooper, “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” The gloves are off, and I get to share my thoughts on running backs that I’m lower on than most experts. Before I’m forced to dodge tomatoes thrown my way — keep in mind that my opinions here are my own. An inclusion of your favorite player is by no means a slight — I’m just offering a different viewpoint to consider.
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Fantasy Football Running Backs to Avoid
Here are a few running backs I’m actively avoiding at their current average draft position (ADP), along with my reasoning.
Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – NO)
Travis Etienne Jr. finished 2025 as the RB10, on the heels of a major bounce-back campaign from his disappointing prior season. Playing all 17 games for Jacksonville, Etienne rushed for 1,107 yards (11th-most in the league), averaging 4.3 yards per carry (YPC) with seven rushing touchdowns.
Etienne’s usage in the passing game dwindled from a volume perspective, but he scored six touchdowns as a receiver, which significantly inflated his value. During the offseason, Etienne was brought over to New Orleans and immediately assumed the lead role ahead of Devin Neal and Kendre Miller. Unfortunately for Etienne’s stock, the Saints recently brought back veteran Alvin Kamara, who will dramatically eat into his snap share during passing situations and on third downs.
Even though Kamara is on the wrong side of 31, he is a superior receiving threat to Etienne and will cap his upside. Etienne also showed troubling signs of running through contact and forcing missed tackles last year, so if he is operating strictly as an early-down option, that could spell trouble.
New Orleans has a solid offensive line, but I anticipate a more pass-heavy approach in 2026, with Tyler Shough entering his sophomore season. Currently ranked as the RB18 atop the fourth tier at the position, I’d pivot elsewhere for upside.
Bucky Irving (RB – TB)
Following an outstanding rookie season where he finished as the RB14, Bucky Irving cratered royally last season and became one of the more disappointing mid-round selections for managers. One can point to a foot sprain and a shoulder/AC joint injury as the main causes of his decline. However, even later in the season, when he was supposedly back to full strength, Irving wasn’t the same player and lacked the trademark explosive plays managers had become accustomed to seeing.
Irving’s YPC fell from 5.4 in 2024 to a horrific 3.4 last season, and he had just one start with more than 72 rushing yards in 10 starts. Even more troublesome is the offseason addition of Kenneth Gainwell, who was nothing short of fantastic last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rather than treating him as an obvious backup, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has referred to Gainwell as the “1B” option, and he has taken plenty of first-team snaps, with Irving still recovering from an offseason procedure.
With all of the bumps and bruises that Irving has accumulated during his short career, one has to wonder if this will be closer to a 50/50 split in carries than most originally thought. Considering that Irving is currently ranked as the RB21 and Gainwell the RB36 in our expert consensus rankings (ECR), I’d honestly rather wait and take the value.
Jaylen Warren (RB – PIT)
I wrote about the Steelers’ backfield situation earlier this week, pegging Rico Dowdle as one of my breakout players at the running back position. Therefore, it stands to reason that I’m not particularly high on Jaylen Warren.
Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly traits I admire about Warren — he maximizes his production on a per-touch basis and is an adept receiver who has averaged over 45 receptions per season over the last three years. He is coming off a career-best RB16 fantasy finish. With all that said, Warren should remain in his current role rather than ascend to being the featured back for Pittsburgh.
As a change-of-pace option who is an exceptional pass-blocker, Warren is a fantastic outlet for Aaron Rodgers in a pinch and excels in the hurry-up offense. That said, Dowdle is the more physically intimidating player, accustomed to early-down work and running between the tackles, and he’s coming off consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons on two different teams.
Dowdle is also familiar with new head coach Mike McCarthy from his tenure in Dallas, where he had a prominent role in 2024. Dowdle isn’t the same sort of receiving threat that Warren is, but he is hardly a detriment in that aspect of the game either. Considering that Warren is being drafted ahead of Dowdle, I’m happy to take the discount.
Denver Running Backs
Yep, I said all of them. There are certain teams that just give me a headache, and I’d rather not deal with the aggravation of chasing the “what ifs,” and Denver tops that list.
J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are being drafted in near-identical positions, with rookie Jonah Coleman breathing down their necks. When healthy, Dobbins has been excellent during his career, but the “when healthy” part is a major caveat.
We already have reports from Broncos training camp that Dobbins is dealing with some sort of soft-tissue injury, and the extent is not yet known. It is presumably something minor since we haven’t heard otherwise, but Dobbins scares me as someone I can’t fully rely on for a full season.
When Dobbins missed time last season, Harvey’s value catapulted up to near RB1 territory, thanks to his prowess as a receiver (catching 47 passes for 356 yards and five touchdowns). If Dobbins is on the field, Harvey’s upside is dramatically lowered, and that isn’t even factoring in the possibility of Coleman ascending the depth chart.
The fourth-round rookie out of Washington is an exceptional receiver and pass blocker, but he doesn’t have the same sort of burst as Harvey. If either player in front of him were hurt, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Coleman play his way into a major role in short order.
With so much uncertainty and the history of shenanigans at the position from head coach Sean Payton, I’ll just pass on this situation completely and sleep better at night.
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