Ranking The Top 10 Second-Year Fantasy Football Running Backs: Broncos RB RJ Harvey Barely Makes The Cut

The 2025 rookie running back class turned out to be a strong one. However, a lot can change from year to year. We are going to rank the top 10 second-year running backs for the 2026 fantasy football season.

1. Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers

Right when Hampton took over as the starter last season for an injured Najee Harris, he went down with a leg injury of his own, which cost him eight games. In his limited sample size, he flashed massive upside and gave fantasy owners a reason to be excited.

Hampton is set up to be a breakout fantasy superstar in 2026. The Chargers' offensive line should be much better and hopefully healthier this season, and he doesn't have any real competition to take away significant touches in the backfield. The talent and opportunity are both there. Hampton has RB1 overall upside, and we expect him to finish as a top-five fantasy running back this season.

2. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders

Jeanty fell well short of his loft expectations last season. He was drafted as a fringe first-round pick in fantasy drafts last season, but posted just 975 rushing yards, 346 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns in an extremely up-and-down season. While he did flash a very high ceiling, much more often he came closer to his very low floor. However, many of his shortcomings can be blamed on the Raiders' horrible offense.

We know he has the talent to be great, so you should not be giving up on him. Don't be afraid to go back to Jeanty this season as a low-end RB1. Hopefully, first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza will give their offense a significant boost once he gets under center.

3. Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns

Despite offseason issues, Judkins exploded out of the gates as a rookie once he got on the field in Week 2. However, he was clearly held back by the Browns' sluggish offense at points last season. Judkins has the talent, but it's not a lock that the Browns' passing attack will see major improvement this season.

He will also be coming off a major leg injury he suffered in late December, when he broke his fibula and dislocated his ankle. Drafting him becomes a matter of risk and reward. We are buying low on Judkins. We believe he has everything it takes to be a star and has plenty of upside. His reward is well worth his risk.

4. Cam Skattebo, New York Giants

By Week 2 of his rookie season, Skattebo was a fantasy contributor and immediately became a fan favorite. He established himself as the clear-cut starter and continued to impress. Unfortunately, he only lasted eight games before suffering a major leg injury. The good news is, he looks like he should be healthy for training camp, and the Giants did not address the position this offseason in any significant way. That is a great sign that he will be healthy and ready to roll this season.

We are projecting Skattebo to lead this backfield. With his knack for finding the end zone and skill as a pass-catcher, he has as much upside as any second-year back listed and could finish the season as a fantasy RB1 if things break his way.

5. TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

There is a significant gap between Skattebo and Henderson. It was an odd rookie season for Henderson, who finished the year as the fantasy RB21 overall. He saw alarmingly limited work in the first half of the season, then exploded when Rhamondre Stevenson went down with an injury.

However, once Stevenson was back and healthy, he went back to a limited role despite how dominant he was as the lead back. The Patriots essentially sidelined him in the NFL Playoffs. His workload this season is very much a mystery. Henderson will have major upside and can win you your matchup on any given week, but he is also risky because the coaching staff seems to love Stevenson.

6. Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars

Tuten saw limited work in 2025, but the Jaguars moved on from Travis Etienne Jr this offseason, which has opened up a huge opportunity for him to take over the starting job in Jacksonville. However, we don't want to just ignore the fact that he will be competing with Chris Rodriguez for touches. We aren't yet as confident as some that Tuten is locked into a bell-cow role this season.

Tuten could be anything from a bell-cow back to the RB2 behind Rodriguez, or in a three-man committee. He has high-end RB2 upside; nevertheless, he is unproven and also comes with risk.

7. Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears

Monangai should ascend into a much larger role in his sophomore campaign. The Bears' backfield projects to be similar to what we saw in Detroit with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery when Ben Johnson was the offensive coordinator there.

We aren't so sure that Swift is clearly the more talented back as their ADPs would suggest. It will be intriguing to see how this backfield plays out. Don't be shocked if Monangai emerges as the top back in Chicago or in a 50/50 split, in what should be one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.

8. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

Croskey-Merritt had an inconsistent rookie campaign, which came with unfair expectations for the seventh-rounder. However, he did flash his potential and came on strong in the fantasy playoffs, scoring four touchdowns in three games.

With Chris Rodriguez gone, we expect JCM to handle the bulk of the carries this season, with Rachaad White handling the majority of the passing-down opportunities. While he may be a one-dimensional back who we expect almost nothing from in the passing game, he should see enough volume on the ground to make him a valuable flex option with upside.

9. RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Harvey was always an overhyped mid-level prospect who entered his rookie season with unreasonable expectations because of the perception that Sean Payton creates valuable fantasy running backs. That hasn't proven to be true in any significant way during his stint in Denver.

While Harvey does have big-play and PPR upside, he's never going to be a back who sees a ton of volume. The addition of rookie Jonah Coleman in the 2026 NFL Draft is going to further dilute the running back snaps in what looks like a potential full-blown committee for the Broncos. Harvey should be a fine flex option with upside, but you shouldn't count on him for consistent production every week.

10. Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins

There were quite a few options we had to choose from for the last spot, including Woody Marks and Dylan Sampson. However, we went with Gordon because we believe he has the clearest path to a major role on his offense. De'Von Achane is great, but he's a smaller back who probably shouldn't be slammed between the tackles in what projects to be a lost season for the Dolphins.

If Gordon can beat out Jaylen Wright for the RB2 job in Miami, he should see plenty of early-down work between the 20s and perhaps the majority of the goal-line work as well. That's enough for him to lock up the final spot on this list.

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