Ellis Bryn Johnson | Wed, Aug 19th 2026, 7:37am EDT

6 RB3s With RB1 Potential (2026 Fantasy Football)

It’s been an offseason to remember for the running back position. With Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor all receiving substantial deals, it’s no surprise that backs have returned to being the meta for fantasy football.

If you fall behind at running back in your drafts, it may seem difficult to catch up. However, there are a couple of names going as RB3s that could find their way into the top 12 at the position. My goal in this article was to select backs that have the opportunity to finish as an RB1 without injury to someone in their backfield.

As a result, whether it’s winning over the backfield or getting touches on a potent offense, these six backs could find their way into “league-winner” status in 2026.

Fantasy Football RB3s With RB1 Potential

Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAX)

I never thought a broken record could sound so good. Even though I have brought his name up all offseason, calling Bhayshul Tuten a “must-have” on May 8th, he is the perfect back for this article. Currently going as the RB23, Tuten is finally out of RB3 territory for the first time this offseason. Still, I have to mention him in this article.

Tuten was selected with the second pick of the fourth round in 2025. During the draft process, the coaching staff was vocal that he was a target for them right from the start.

Tuten is 5-foot-9 and 209 pounds and ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the combine. Entering the league as a hyper-athletic back with decent pass-catching ability, he was primed to be an every-down back in the NFL if the opportunity presented itself. Well, after only one season, the opportunity is here.

Travis Etienne Jr. is gone, and the lead role on one of the league’s most potent offenses is open. Tuten is only competing with Chris Rodriguez Jr. for the bulk of the carries. Rodriguez has never had a season over 500 rushing yards and has missed most of camp with a foot injury.

There were also reports that the team tried to sign J.K. Dobbins before he returned to the Broncos. It was no surprise that they were going to add to this backfield, but the fact that they didn’t get their first choice opens the door even more for Tuten.

The other backfield competition is LeQuint Allen, who is a pass protection specialist. If you are worried about his receiving involvement, let me share a stat that Josh Norris and Hayden Winks at Yahoo shared. Of Etienne’s 36 receptions in 2025, only one was on third down. As a result, Allen’s passing downs involvement should not hinder Tuten’s ability to operate as the lead back.

The offseason could not have gone better for Tuten. Whether it is being talked up by Liam Coen or gaining extra reps with the first team in Rodriguez’s absence, this is the textbook case for a breakout season. As fantasy legend JJ Zacharison says, “All roads lead to Bhayshul Tuten.”

David Montgomery (RB – HOU)

David Montgomery is a little harder to see the RB1 path. That said, if you squint and tilt your head a little, you can see where the potential lies for the back currently going as the RB24.

It’s no surprise that David Montgomery believes he can be a lead back in the NFL and carry a full workload. Towards the end of last season, he made it clear that he wanted another shot at a full workload on a different team. As a result, the Lions listened and traded him to the Texans.

Of all the landing spots, the Texans may have been the best. This team was desperate for a lead back and had very little standing in Montgomery’s way. With second-year pass-catching specialist Woody Marks and third-year sixth-round pick Jawhar Jordan, it is clearly Montgomery’s backfield.

The concern is that Montgomery was not very good with the Lions last season. Even though the Lions’ offensive line was injured, the Texans arguably trotted out the worst unit in the league in 2025. Houston addressed its weakness by drafting Keylan Rutledge and adding Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller. Reports out of camp are that this line looks vastly improved compared to last year.

How does Montgomery finish as an RB1? Considering their offense averaged the 13th-most rushing attempts and points per game last season, it’s not that the offense needs to improve as a whole. What needs to improve is their efficiency in the run game.

Their reliance on a mediocre run game last season should give Montgomery’s managers a lot of confidence that he will see a lot of volume. After all, it was only in 2024 that Joe Mixon finished as the RB9 in points per game, despite the offense scoring 1.7 fewer points per game than in 2025.

D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)

One of two backs to finish as a top 24 back in each of the last five seasons. It may not seem like it, but Swift has been one of the most consistent backs for fantasy. Last year, we saw the excitement for a Ben Johnson-led offence come to fruition. Whether you believe in Swift or not, there is no denying this offense.

Arguably the most hyped offense of the offseason is the Bears. With Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III apparently looking like prime Tony Gonzalez and Randy Moss, Swift has gone under the radar. Plus, his backfield mate, Kyle Monangai, is dealing with a soft tissue injury in camp. If either of these backs miss time, the other will be ranked as a top 12 player given this offense’s potency.

Last year, Swift was the RB15 on the season. With over 1300 total yards and 10 touchdowns, he was the clear leader of this backfield. As impressive as 7th-round pick Kyle Monangai was, Swift commanded the lion’s share of the work. Even after Monangai’s huge game against the Bengals, Swift saw 62% of snaps the following week.

This is a backfield tandem on an offense that can easily support both players. We also recently learned that Monangai will be missing a few weeks and potentially the start of the season with a knee injury. This opens the door for Swift to start the season as a clear RB1. With Swift being the lead guy, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this offense go nuclear and Swift to slide into the top 12. Of this list, I would be least surprised if Swift was the one to finish inside the top 12.

Tony Pollard (RB – TEN)

If you thought the case for David Montgomery was a stretch, let me tell you about Tony Pollard. Much like Montgomery, both veteran backs have limited competition to deal with. Behind Pollard is fantasy pipe-dream Tayjae Spears and 2024 promising prospect Nick Singleton. Notice I said “2024 promising prospect,” because his 2025 season made him slide to the 25th pick of the 5th round in this year’s draft.

With Singleton’s athletic prowess, there is a world he flashes this August and wins some touches. However, fantasy managers have had the same hope for Spears over the years, and that hasn’t worked out. As a result, it’s without a doubt Pollard’s job.

Since he is going to have the work, what will it take to finish as an RB1? Considering he saw 74% of the RB rush attempts last season, the workload shouldn’t be an issue. The issue is that with all of that work, he was 30th in points per game at the position. Most of that had to do with the offense being 30th in points per game with 16.7.

With fourth overall pick Carnell Tate added to this offense and Cam Ward entering his second season, this team should take a step forward. For Pollard to find his way into the top-12, we need a Drake Maye/Joe Burrow-esque second season from Ward. It may be hard to see that happening, but there is definitely a chance this offense scores league-average points per game, setting Pollard up for a nice season.

Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR) & Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)

The path here begins with one of these two winning the job. After all, we shouldn’t be surprised that the Panthers have the ability to produce an RB1. In 2024, Hubbard was 12th at the position in points per game. Last year, we saw Hubbard and Rico Dowdle individually combine for six top 12 weeks. Three of those weeks (Dowdle’s three top 12 finishes) were first or second on the week in fantasy points.

Even though Dowdle is now on the Steelers, not many offenses in the league can support a back having three separate 130-yard rushing games. Additionally, two of those performances were 183 and 206 rushing yards. That shows the potential upside of a Dave Canales run game.

If you could combine Hubbard and Brooks into one player, they could definitely produce RB1 numbers. Unfortunately, with both of them in this backfield, it will take one of them usurping the other to reach that ceiling.

Originally, I believed Chuba Hubbard from Sherwood Park, Alberta, is the most likely candidate to win over the backfield. That’s because we’ve seen him finish top 12 before, and he has vastly improved as a runner over the years. That said, his hamstring injury this August is very worrisome. With Brooks waiting in the wings, an injury that notoriously doesn’t go away could become a nail in the coffin. I’d be buying Brooks at his increasing ADP, but I wouldn’t forget about what we’ve seen from Hubbard in the past.

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL