It’s that time of year again. You and your co-worker friends stand by the coffee maker in the breakroom, favorite mugs in hand, debating who should be the RB1 in fantasy football. Normally, it’s a clear-cut answer. This year, however, there’s an actual debate, and it feels like there’s no wrong answer.
Back in May, the consensus on Underdog had Bijan Robinson as the anointed RB1. Jahmyr Gibbs started gaining some steam and overtook the top spot. The two have separated themselves, making this a two-person race for the top spot.
Was the shift warranted? Let’s break down both cases and determine who should be crowned RB1 for 2026.
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The Case for Fantasy Football RB1: Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs?
The Case for Bijan Robinson
Since entering the league in 2023, Robinson has established himself as an elite running back. After finishing as the RB9 in PPR during his rookie campaign, he has finished as a top-three running back ever since. His rushing yardage has also climbed every year, including from 976 to 1,478 yards last season.
If you faced Bijan last year in the fantasy playoffs, I apologize for bringing back painful memories. He went off in every single game from Weeks 15 to 17, scoring nearly 100 PPR fantasy points. Nearly 40 of those points came in the championship game in Week 17.
Despite playing in an offense ranked just 15th by Pro Football Focus (PFF), Robinson remained heavily involved in the passing game. He was one of only two running backs to run over 400 routes, with Christian McCaffrey being the other.
Whoever wins the quarterback job between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. should not impact his fantasy outlook.
Robinson finished as the RB2 in PPR fantasy points per game with Penix last season. If Tua wins the job, Bijan’s outlook remains strong.
Tua peppered De’Von Achane with 85 targets, which resulted in 67 catches. Achane averaged 1.56 yards per route run and had the second-highest target share among running backs last season. That bodes well for Bijan.
Tua’s arm strength has been in question for years. Last year he ranked 26th in pass attempts of 20+ yards while being 10th in passes behind the line of scrimmage.
There’s no question how great Robinson is on the ground, but if he sees more volume in the passing game, we could see more performances like the ones he had during the fantasy playoffs.
The Case for Jahmyr Gibbs
The fantasy arc for Gibbs is quite similar to Robinson’s. He finished 10th in PPR scoring in 2023, climbed up to RB1 overall in 2024, and most recently finished as the RB3 behind Robinson.
The biggest reason Gibbs should be the RB1 is that he no longer shares the backfield with David Montgomery. Last year, Monty hoarded just over 42 percent of the red-zone snaps and vultured away six touchdowns.
We have yet to see 300 carries from Gibbs, but that’s firmly in play now because Isiah Pacheco was just a shell of himself last season with the Chiefs. Through the first eight weeks before injuring his knee, Pacheco averaged just 41.1 rushing yards per game.
During that stretch, among 32 qualifying running backs, he ranked 31st in explosive run rate, 24th in missed tackles forced per attempt, and never received a single carry inside the five-yard line, per Fantasy Points Data Suite.
Gibbs has 675 career rushing attempts compared to Robinson’s 805, and has produced at the same level. You have to wonder what it would look like if he ends up with an even larger workload.
Detroit has the better offense than Atlanta. PFF ranked the Lions as the fifth-best offense, which naturally gives Gibbs more red-zone opportunities.
In fact, he outcarried Bijan in the red zone by 17 carries while sharing time with Montgomery. Even a modest increase could be enough to warrant him being the RB1.
The Verdict
It’s really splitting hairs when deciding between these two backs. With it being so close, my tiebreaker comes down to the better offense. More trips to the red zone equals more chances to score touchdowns. Add in the absence of David Montgomery, and Gibbs could finally top 300 carries. That slight edge is enough for me to make Gibbs my RB1 in 2026.
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