2026 Week #2 Market Preview - The Running Backs

by Michael Nazarek (RELEASED - 9/15/2026)

Editor's Note: Below you will find a portion of our 2026 Fantasy Football Weekly Newsletter Market feature for Week #2. If you'd like to read about all positions including our Free Agent Player Rankings, please click HERE to order our 2026 Weekly In-Season Fantasy Newsletters.

Let's see if you've heard this before... The first week of the 2026 NFL season was inconsistent. It's always that way. What have we learned? It's only ONE WEEK. Patience is the key to winning. Of course, if someone in your league wants to dump under-performing QB Joe Burrow or RB Saquon Barkley in your lap at a bargain price, snatch him up now! Those owners are panicking for nothing and are well on their way to a losing season. Obviously, they are not reading this newsletter, so don't hesitate to take advantage! Now, let's get into this week's fantasy "Market"...

 

THE QUARTERBACKS

 

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-- QB Potpourri --

 

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THE RUNNING BACKS

 

-- The Texans Running Game Examined --

 

It was a tale of two games within the game for the Houston Texans on Sunday. RB David Montgomery started the game by dominating snaps, playing 13 of the first 15. By the middle of the game, Montgomery handled the fourth, sixth and nearly all of the eighth drive, while RB Woody Marks led the fifth and seventh. The Texans passed the ball on their final two drives, leading Marks to receive 17 of the final 20 snaps of the game. Montgomery dominated touches at 23 to 10, and a two-to-one touch ratio seems on track moving forward. Of course, Montgomery had a big game from a fantasy perspective thanks to his three scores. Bottom Line: Montgomery is likely a safe fantasy start (RB2) in most games moving forward, while Marks is a much riskier RB3 for fantasy, barring an injury to Montgomery.

 

-- The Cardinals New Running Game --

 

The Arizona Cardinals have a new toy and they want to ensure he's not injured moving forward. As a result, rookie RB Jeremiyah Love was eased into action on Sunday. He and RB Tyler Allgeier shared the early-down, short-yardage and goal-line work. The surprising part of the rotation was Allgeier playing the majority of third downs and two-minute drill snaps. All through his time with the Falcons, Allgeier was primarily an early-down back and rarely played in those passing situations. Arizona dominated time of possession, allowing the offense to run a high number of plays, which led both tailbacks to double-digit touches. Love got out of the game without issue, so don't be surprised if he's eased into more of a workhorse role eventually in this offense. Of course, there is the chance the Cardinals will continue doing what works if they keep winning, so this situation is one to monitor in the coming weeks.

 

-- The Vikings Adjusted RBBC --

 

The Minnesota Vikings modified their running game to start 2026. RB Jordan Mason received nearly as much playing time as RB Aaron Jones on Sunday. Mason played more than 50% of the early-down snaps, while Jones remained the primary passing-down back. Mason ran the ball 15 times, while Jones saw 12 carries, with both scoring touchdowns. Unfortunately, neither player caught a pass in the game. Bottom Line: This adjustment makes Mason the more valuable fantasy player moving forward by a hair, as long as the Vikings are winning or at least keeping the contests close. That said, both backs are decent RB3s for fantasy as long as they are both healthy.

 

-- The Commanders New RBBC --

 

The Washington Commanders have a new RBBC for 2026. RB Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt played the early-down snaps, while RB Rachaad White handled the third-down snaps. However, Croskey-Merritt played only 63% of the early-down snaps. That is better than his average from last season, except from Weeks #6-#9. As for the goal line work, both rookie RB Katron Allen and White were involved. While Croskey-Merritt scored in this game, you can expect White and maybe Allen to score some times in the future. In other words, Bill remains a RB3, but one with a low floor for fantasy if he doesn't score. White maintains some flex value in PPR leagues. Allen should remain benched for fantasy barring an injury to Bill or White.

 

-- The Giants Adjusted RBBC --

 

The New York Giants made a change in their RBBC during Sunday night's game. It appeared that RB Tyrone Tracy was set to be the primary change of pace back to starting RB Cam Skattebo, but Tracy fumbled on his second carry and was benched. Enter RB Devin Singletary. For the game, it was a traditional two-man share, with Skattebo handling most early downs and all of the short-yardage and goal-line snaps, while Singletary played in the clear passing situations and served as the primary backup on early downs. This role was great for Skattebo outside of the lack of passing down work. RB Najee Harris was inactive, so the threat of him stealing goal line work is mute for now. Bottom Line: Skattebo is a decent lower-end RB2 with low-end RB1 upside, while Singletary has some flex value in PPR leagues, as he caught four passes in the game, and one went for a score. If Tracy can't fix his fumbling issues, he will find himself traded or cut.

 

-- The Seahawks New RBBC --

 

The Seattle Seahawks made some changes to their RBBC in 2026. As expected, rookie RB Jadarian Price got the start and handled the early down work, while RB George Holani played all the snaps on third downs and during two-minute drills. Once the Seahawks got within five yards of scoring, RB Emmanuel Wilson entered the game. Price was explosive with his chances, but the backfield rotation limited his fantasy production. QB Sam Darnold's (oblique) health could also have a significant impact on Price's short-term fantasy value. Moving forward, Price should be more involved when Seattle is playing with a lead, but if Darnold misses real time, less favorable game scripts could consistently give Price a smaller share of the snaps. Bottom Line: Price is a RB3 with limited upside, while Holani has a bit of flex value in larger leagues. Yup, the biggest value on this team for fantasy remains JSN!

 

-- The Packers New RBBC --

 

The Green Bay Packers went to a two-man RBBC to begin the 2026 season. RB Marshawn Lloyd played 24 of 38 snaps on early downs and in short-yardage situations, while RB Chris Brooks played 24 of 30 snaps on third downs and during two-minute drills. This means Lloyd has slightly more fantasy value, but he gained only 37 yards on 13 carries and didn't catch a pass or score. Brooks ran seven times for 29 yards, but was also held without a catch. Bottom Line: Loyd is a RB3 for fantasy with limited upside, while Brooks has flex value for desperate fantasy owners. Until RB Josh Jacobs returns to action, it appears there is limited upside for this specific RBBC.

 

-- The Panthers New RBBC --

 

In a bit of a surprise, RB Chuba Hubbard was the clear leader for the Carolina Panthers in all situations of their running game on Sunday. Hubbard played in nearly 79% of non-garbage-time snaps compared to only 21% for RB Jonathon Brooks. Meanwhile, RB AJ Dillon played seven snaps with all of them coming in garbage time. For most of the game, Hubbard would generally play several plays over a few drives in a row, with Brooks taking two snaps on the third drive, four snaps on the sixth drive, five snaps on the 10th drive and two snaps on the 12th. While Hubbard dominated playing time and touches, he only topped Brooks in yards, 87-62, thanks to a 48-yard catch by Brooks. Now, it is very reasonable to assume that Brook's soreness this past week during practice could have led to his limited action. As a result, Brooks' role could easily grow. Bottom Line: Hubbard is a low-end RB2, while Brooks is a fair flex with a low floor for fantasy, making him an interesting BUY LOW candidate!

 

-- The Broncos New RBBC --

 

The Denver Broncos used only a two-man RBBC on Monday night in Kansas City. RB J.K. Dobbins was the early-down back, seeing a largely similar role to last season. Meanwhile, RB R.J. Harvey was the backup, as well as the third-down and two-minute-drill back. This meant Harvey largely took on both his role and RB Tyler Badie's role from early last season. The one exception was short-yardage situations, where Harvey shockingly took those snaps. Bottom Line: Both Dobbins and Harvey are both RB3s fo fantasy in a struggling Broncos offense, while rookie RB Jonah Coleman is a sit and stash for later in the season pick. Any way you slice it, the Broncos must improve their offensive play if anyone is to have any real fantasy value in this offense!

 

-- The Steelers New RBBC --

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers modified their RBBC with a new player on board. RB Jaylen Warren started the game, handling the first and third drives, while RB Rico Dowdle handled the second and fourth. Both running backs received snaps on each of the following three possessions. Dowdle played the eighth drive, Warren the ninth. The Steelers only passed the football on the 10th and 11th drives, and Dowdle was the running back for both. Dowdle also played most of the snaps on the 12^th and 13^th drives. Bottom Line: This RBBC looks like a toss-up until someone grabs the bull by the horns. In other words, both players are RB3s for fantasy at this time, with limited upside and a fairly low floor for fantasy.

 

-- The Jaguars New RBBC --

 

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a new RBBC for 2026. Unfortunately, it was bad news for fantasy owners who drafted RB Bhayshul Tuten as a RB2. Tuten played more third-down snaps than anyone else, but lost out on the only goal line carry to RB Chris Rodriguez. Tuten led the team with 15 carries for 66 yards, but he failed to score and only caught one pass for 22 yards. Rodriguez played most of the short-yardage snaps and a very high percentage of the early-down snaps. Bottom Line: Tuten is a RB3 for fantasy right now, while Rodriguez has a bit of flex value in basic scoring leagues. Yes, it appears that Tuten will not be the workhorse back that some thought he would be in 2026.

 

-- RB Potpourri --

 

Let's take a look at some of the other more notable RB performances from last week... San Francisco 49ers RB Kaelon Black saw 15 touches last week against the Rams. Cincinnati Bengals RB Samaje Perine saw 8 touches on Sunday against the Buccaneers. Cleveland Browns RB Raheim Sanders saw 4 touches on Sunday against the Jaguars. Baltimore Ravens RB Justice Hill saw 7 touches on Sunday against the Colts. Atlanta Falcons RB Brian Robinson Jr. saw 9 touches on Sunday against Steelers. New York Jets RB Braelon Allen saw 10 carries on Sunday against the Titans. Tennessee Titans RB Tyjae Spears saw 5 touches on Sunday against the Jets. Kansas City Chiefs rookie RB Emmett Johnson saw 10 touches on Monday night against the Broncos.

 

THE WIDE RECEIVERS

 

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-- WR Potpourri --

 

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THE TIGHT ENDS

 

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-- TE Potpourri --

 

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The following is the initial in-season free agent player rankings list for the 2026 NFL season. If you're looking for a free agent off your leagues' waiver wire to fill a need (maybe depth), these are the players to consider...

 

FREE AGENT PLAYER RANKINGS

 

BLUE - Priority Waiver Wire Target

RED - Secondary Waiver Wire Target

 

Rank	Quarterbacks	Rank	Tight Ends
1	ORDER TO VIEW!	1	ORDER TO VIEW!
2		2
3		3
4		4
5		5
6		6
7		7
8		8
9		9
10		10
11		11
12		12
13		13
14
15			* - Could Start Due to Injury
	* - Could Start Due to Injury
Rank	Running Backs	Rank	Wide Recievers
1	Kaelon Black, SF ®	1	ORDER TO VIEW!
2	Emmett Johnson, KC ®	2
3	Kendre Miller, NO	3
4	Braelon Allen, NYJ	4
5	Tyjae Spears, TEN	5
6	Brian Robinson Jr., ATL	6
7	Devin Singletary, NYG	7
8	Jonah Coleman, DEN ®	8
9	Chris Rodriguez Jr., JAX	9
10	Chris Brooks, GB	10
11	Raheim Sanders, CLE	11
12	Samaje Perine, CIN	12
13	Justice Hill, BAL	13
14	Keaton Mitchell, LAC	14
15	George Holani, SEA	15
16	Ty Johnson, BUF (INJ)	16
17	Emari Demercado, DAL	17
18	Will Shipley, PHI	18
19	Seth McGowan, IND	19
		20
	* - Could Start Due to Injury	21
		22
		23
			* - Could Start Due to Injury
Rank	Place Kickers	Rank	Team Defenses
1	ORDER TO VIEW!	1	ORDER TO VIEW!
2		2
3		3
4		4
5		5
6
7
8
9
10

 

End.

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