The Perfect Fantasy Football Landing Spots for These 4 Top Running Back Free Agents
The National Football League is right in the middle of its offseason. The Super Bowl is 4 months removed, and Week 1 is 3 months away. A lot of action is yet to ensue over the course of this offseason, and the most eye-catching of those actions to come will happen in free agency. At the running back position, we find four explosive players who still have life. Where that life may be most alive is with the landing spots below.
Joe Mixon
The days of Mixon as any team's RB1 are beyond us. The 30-year-old Mixon has endured injuries in recent years, and any future football will have him as only a handcuff, minority playing option. The best place for that? Kansas City.
The Chiefs could use a quality backup to Kenneth Walker III. Mixon, a veteran, could provide just that to this run-first Chiefs offense. In 2026, Walker is poised to be a high-volume option for Andy Reid's offense, and he can easily deliver a top-5 fantasy football season at his position. That would bode well for Mixon, who would be the handcuff. If they signed Mixon and Walker missed time, Mixon would be a must-start in fantasy football. We want him on the Chiefs as a contending football team with future Hall of Famers spread around.
Najee Harris
Harris had a quick stop with the Chargers that resulted in time lost to injury. The torn ACL Harris still has Harris' return date in question, but he should be good to go early in the season, if not Week 1.
At 28 years old, Harris still has plenty of great football ahead of him. We look for a landing spot where Harris can be a complementary option, perhaps with the upcoming Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders are not a hot destination, but they can lead to playing time for Harris. Ashton Jeanty projects to play in high volume, but not exclusively. Klint Kubiak worked a 1-2 punch of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in Seattle. He may wish to do the same and do it with Harris instead of the rookie flyer draft pick that is Mike Washington Jr.
Austin Ekeler
The Green Bay Packers would offer a nice fit for the veteran running back. Ekeler will be healthy and back for training camp. While Josh Jacobs has legal issues on top of being injury-prone, playing time is right there for Ekeler. Neither Chris Brooks nor MarShawn Lloyd is a highly touted option in the Packers' option backfield. They are mediocre backups. Matt LaFleur may be wise to bring in not just any running back, but a veteran one in Ekeler that also offers dynamic pass-catching ability that goes more east-to-west than Jacobs' north-to-south skillset.
Nick Chubb
Chubb is at the tail end of his career. He is literally on his last legs. If he can find any fantasy football value, it must be behind a strong offensive line and with minimal depth chart competition. The Cowboys fit that demand quite well.
Javonte Williams will start with no threat to his workload. If Chubb joined the Cowboys, he would neither threaten nor be threatened. However, if Williams ever went down. Chubb would surely be able to gain playing time alongside Malik Davis, who seemingly has an upper hand over the year-two running back, Jaydon Blue.
Truth be told, Chubb lacks much to be desired, but if there is a shining light in the distance for any viability, it is in that Dallas star.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.