Fantasy Football Running Back Tier Rankings: Christian McCaffrey Drops To Tier 3

The two most important tools for fantasy owners are rankings and tiers. Tiers are valuable because they group players together who are at a similar value. They allow fantasy owners to know when a big drop-off at a position is coming. These are our RB Tier rankings.

Tier 1

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

Robinson and Gibbs are the top running backs this fantasy season, and both should be under consideration for the first-overall pick in 2026 fantasy drafts.

Tier 2

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins

Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers

James Cook, Buffalo Bills

The four running backs in tier 2 should all be locked-in stars with a high floor and the upside to finish as the fantasy RB1 overall. Hampton could be the name that jumps out at you here, but that's just how confident we are in him this season.

Tier 3

Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders

Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs

This tier features three aging running backs with a ton of tread on their tires, and three running backs in their prime, who will be looking to make the leap into tier 2 this season. Brown is on the fringe of tier 2 and tier 3 already.

Tier 4

Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals

Breece Hall, New York Jets

Travis Etienne Jr, New Orleans Saints

Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers

Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys

Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns

These are the locked-in RB2s who will have the opportunity to climb into the RB1 conversation if things break their way this season.

Tier 5

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cam Skattebo, New York Giants

D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

David Montgomery, Houston Texans

Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks

This group of running backs is the fringe RB2/RB3 options. All of them have RB2 upside, and a few of them, like Irving, Skattebo, and Price, could be legitimate RB1 contenders.

Tier 6

TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

The backs in tier 6 all have a ton of upside, but also come with a lot of risk. We've either seen them all be great or the opportunity will be there. There is just no way to be sure they'll make the most of their opportunities.

Tier 7

Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears

Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Kenneth Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

JK Dobbins, Denver Broncos

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

Rachaad White, Washington Commanders

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings

These backs should be flex options or weekly streaming options. There are a few of them that could jump up a tier or two this season, like Kyle Monangai, Rachaad White, and Jordan Mason. That is far from a sure thing, though.

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