Latest / Fat Daddy Sports / 2026 Fantasy Football RB Rankings: My Top 12 Running Backs | Ep. 013
Transcript
- Craig: Well, welcome back to the kitchen here on Bat Daddy Sports. I am your Fat Daddy host, Craig. And hey, we are on a mission right now, on a journey to the first 100 subscribers here on YouTube. If you find something valuable here, if you like what you see, go ahead and drop a comment, drop a like, and hit that subscribe button. Help us to reach that first 100 subscribers. That would mean the world to me. I love talking fantasy football and I love hearing from you guys. So ⁓ drop a comment. Let me know what you want to see more of, and be sure to hit that subscribe button. Let's jump into it. Here we are, part two on our running back ranks. ⁓ part one, I ranked running back 24 through 13. Today we are looking at the big dogs, running backs 12 through running back one. These are guys that are RB1. These are guys that you can leave your draft with, feeling very confident that they are going to give you that top 10 to 12 ⁓ production level week in and week out. And certainly over the course of the season. ⁓ but let's stop talking about it. Let's get into it. We will start off this list at number 12 in Green Bay. A guy who is a touchdown machine since coming over to Green Bay. They have figured out the secret potion to get more touchdowns. That is Josh Jacobs. And ⁓ if they're inside anywhere inside that 10-yard line, it's going to Josh Jacobs. He is getting into the end zone. ⁓ a guy who was on pace. I mean, he was a top, I I believe top five back last year, maybe a maybe definitely a top ten, but I think a top five back last year before that injury, he was on fire, and then he tried to come back, and it just wasn't a good thing for the Packers or for Josh Jacobs. Had a little bit of off the off the field issues this offseason, but that seems to be cleared up. I think if you are leaving your draft with Josh Jacobs on your team, especially if he's your RB two, ⁓ that is a smash play. He's somebody that I'm trying to get in my drafts. I love the talent there. ⁓ I have really no concerns about him in Green Bay. He's going to score a lot of touchdowns. Josh Jacobs, running back 12, moving forward, is a guy that I am I'm pretty low on and I've been pretty low on over the years. He had a big year a few years ago. That's Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia. I've talked at lengths on this channel about my hesitations with that Eagles offense this year. I'm nervous about the pass game. I'm nervous that teams are going to just load up and dare, dare them to beat them in the air. ⁓ and that's gonna negatively impact Saquon Barkley. I think that ⁓ you know, the tush push is obviously still in play. That takes away some of those short yardage carries from Saquon. I I'm just a little bit lower than a lot of people on Saquon this year. His current ADP on sleeper is running back eight right now. So I'm a little bit lower than consensus. ⁓ and I'm okay with that. I'm not wildly different, but a little bit lower. ⁓ I think I think he's gonna struggle this year. ⁓ another running back that ⁓ it all depends on the volume. ⁓ this is a guy that he is currently going as running back five. I have him as running back ten, and it's really just the product around him, much like I talked about last episode with Brees Hall. ⁓ it's Devon Achan in Miami, running back 10 for me. Love the talent, love the upside, but you take away the short yardage dump off merchant that is to replace him with a mobile running back that's going to just scramble in those situations where he could dump it off like Tua always did to Devon. You take away Mike McDaniel as the offensive coordinator, head coach. There's a lot to worry about with Devon Achan. Now On the flip side, Jeff Halfley has come out and said that, you know, 40, 45 times a game, Devon Achan's gonna get the ball. Obviously, I don't think that that's a real number, but I do think he's going to be involved a ton. ⁓ he's gonna have to be if this team wants to be competitive. I don't know that he can hold up to a full season of having a ton of work ⁓ and a ton of hits and just an offense that really is not capable of doing a whole lot. So I'm a little bit lower on him. I have him at running back 10. Could go higher. We'll see. Next on my list is a guy that I am very high on, ⁓ and that is Chase Brown. He is currently going as running back 10. I have him as running back nine. I love that Bengals offense when they're all healthy. And right now, knock on wood, they're all healthy. I think Chase Brown is electric from anywhere on the field. He's going to get a ton of work in Cincinnati. No one really threatening for that job. So Chase Brown, somebody I'm very high on, can catch the ball, can run the ball. He can do it all. And that offense is going to be in a lot of scoring positions. Chase Brown, get him in every draft that you can, especially if you go running back in that first round and you can snag Chase Brown in the second. Perfect. Perfect start to the draft. Next on the list is a guy in a new place. And ⁓ he is in Kansas City in an offense that desperately needs a run game with no competition there. He's going to catch passes. He's going to run the ball. He's going to score a lot of touchdowns. And it is Kenneth Walker. ⁓ comes over from Seattle after having that magical Super Bowl run, being the Super Bowl MVP. And I think he is ready to prove something in Kansas City, signs that big contract in the offseason. And Kansas City has desperately needed a running back for years. Andy Reid has desperately needed a running back. And we've seen it over the years. When Andy Reid has that. stud running back, he features him a lot. And I think that's going to be the case. Eric Bieneme comes back as offensive coordinator after working with the run game over in Chicago last year, which that run game was nothing to scoff at. I I think between Bienemy and Reed and Pat Mahomes, I I think Kenneth Walker's going to have a huge year this year. I have him as running back eight. Another guy I believe is having a big year due to just a much better offense this year, and that's Omari and Hampton in Los Angeles. I've talked at length about my love for the Chargers offense this year with Mike McDaniel coming over from Miami and just a better offensive line. ⁓ they get some guys back from injury, they bring in some new faces. I think Los Angeles offense is going to be lethal. I I am a little worried about Keaton Mitchell taking some of those reps from Hampton. ⁓ I wasn't so worried about a month ago, but as training camp has gone on, there's been a lot more hype for Keaton Mitchell. I still don't think Mitchell will get more than maybe eight to ten touches a game, but that's still probably I don't know, four or five more than I thought he was going to a month ago. So we'll see what he does. But I I'm expecting Hampton to catch a lot of passes and score a lot of touchdowns. I can see Hampton definitely reaching that double. Double digit touchdown mark ⁓ and being inside that top five. I'll keep him at number seven to be safe. On to running back number six going out to Las Vegas. It's Ashton Genty, a guy who was drafted high last year in fantasy football and was a letdown. But that is kind of the theme with rookie running backs is we get very hyped on them. We draft them. We want to have that next superstar. And then they kind of disappoint based on where you drafted them. This year, Ashton Genty is priced pretty good. I and I know that that Las Vegas team is much better than they were. Better coaching. Clint Kubiak comes over from the Seahawks, where he coached Kenneth Walker to that Super Bowl MVP and just a a solid run game all year long for the Seahawks. I think Ashton Genty is going to be used a ton this year. He could kind of do it all. A freak athlete, especially at his size. He's a top six running back for me easily all day long. If I if I could, you know, if I'm at the back end of the first round, even at the beginning of the second round, if I go say Justin Jefferson, Ashton Genty, if that falls to me like that, perfect. Love that start. I really like Ashton Genty's skill set and I think he's gonna have a big year for the Raiders. Moving on to the top five, this is a guy who is currently going as running back three on sleeper ⁓ in the ageless wonder that is Christian McCaffrey. I'm a little bit nervous just based off of the workload, the age, the ⁓ substation next to the 49ers training facility. Really the whole Forty Niners offense right now just getting banged up left and right. ⁓ an offense and a team that I'm I'm very high on. I still am. I was earlier in the offseason, I still am. I'll stand by it. I think McCaffrey's gonna get a lot of work. ⁓ I just worry about his longevity, his injuries. ⁓ I there's nobody there that's gonna chew into his workload. I mean, he's Christian McCaffrey, he's a unicorn, one of one. I can't move him any lower than five. I I just feel like there's a couple guys that maybe I would take before him if if it were my spot in the draft. And that's why I bumped him down. I mean, I think he's he's a top five talent, he's a top three talent. He's a stud. He's one of my favorite players. Love Christian McCaffrey. Just too many question marks for me to take him any higher this year. Moving on to number four, a guy that I think is going to score a ton of touchdowns this year. James Cook in Buffalo. That Buffalo offense is going to be exciting. Josh Allen's going to be slinging it all over the field. And I think James Cook is going to capitalize on a lot of work this year for Buffalo. ⁓ he's gonna have a lot of multi-touchdown games. There's a lot to love about James Cook. I could I could make an argument for taking him at that ⁓ 105 position in the draft. I've taken him that high into mock drafts and really like what my team has turned into. I just think he's a lot higher than where he's going right now. In drafts, he's going as running back six. I have him as running back four. I could make an argument for him going higher than that, but I I just really like the opportunity that he has. He's on a good offense with a good quarterback. We'll see head coach Joe Brady. I I think he's gonna be a good coach. That's gonna be a phenomenal offense. And James Cook has done it. I mean, he's been a top top running back over the last few years. So why not put him inside the top five again this year? Big year incoming from James Cook. And number three, a guy that was dominating last year as the running back won until his quarterback got hurt and the entire season went to shambles. ⁓ a guy that I had on my team still helped bring me bring me the championship, but Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis. He gets Daniel Jones back, and that really opened up the offense last year. We'll see this year coming off of that injury for Jones, what he's capable of, if he can come back to how he was playing at the beginning of the year, because he was playing lights out. The Colts were playing lights out, and they really shocked the NFL world. Obviously, tail of two tapes there for the Colts. After the Jones injury, the entire offense sputtered out and 89-year-old Phillip Rivers was playing quarterback for him as they tried to make a playoff push. ⁓ obviously that's gonna hurt Jonathan Taylor's numbers, but I think had that season carried on, we may be talking about Jonathan Taylor as the number one running back going in drafts right now. Who knows? ⁓ he just signed that contract extension with the Colts. So the money is all settled. He's happy, he's good to go, he's healthy. I think a a big year from Jonathan Taylor. There's a lot of targets missing in that Colts offense with Michael Pittman going to the Steelers. And I think that Jonathan Taylor is going to fill that void. He's going to be used more in the passing game like he was early in his career. ⁓ the last few years, they've gotten away from that a little bit, and that's hurt his fantasy value. I think he's gonna, you know, he's gonna catch a lot of passes this year and score a lot of touchdowns. Phenomenal pick in the first round if you get Jonathan Taylor. And now moving on to the big Two, ⁓ the two, you know, consensus top two picks in all of fantasy football drafts, at number two for me is B. John Robinson. ⁓ I just I give that slight edge to Jameer Gibbs. I think that they're both phenomenal talents. They're both gonna score a ton of points for fantasy football this year. The the Falcons offense scares me a little bit. I like, you know, if Tua is there, if he's the starter, which I believe he will be. He's gonna have those dump offs like we talked about with Devon Achan last year. He's gonna dump it off to Bijan a lot this year. I think that Robinson's gonna have a phenomenal year. I'm hoping so. I've got him on my team as a keeper, really pulling for him to have a big year. ⁓ and then at number one, Jameer Gibbs. You know what you're getting there. ⁓ the only question mark is how much will his workload increase now that David Montgomery is gone? Isaiah Pacheco dealing with a knee injury already in camp for the Lions. We'll see if they go out and get a guy like James Conner, like we talked about. ⁓ I'm a little bit lower on Pacheco, just being a Chiefs fan and and watching him over the years. And he he just hasn't been the same since he had that leg injury a few years ago. He's been a little bit different player. I I worry about him hitting holes and making the right reads for the Lions. ⁓ a team that loves to run the ball, a team that values that running back too very highly. ⁓ I could see him going out and getting a guy like James Conner, and I think James Conner would eat into the workload of Jameer Gibbs, but if I'm picking at the 101, I'm not worried about any of that. I am my eyes are so big for Jameer Gibbs that I'm hitting draft so fast, draft board doesn't even know what hit it. Well, that's all I've got for you guys today. That rounds out my top twenty four running backs. Today we looked at running backs 12 through one, those bona fide RB ones for your team. ⁓ let me know down in the comments who you would have in that top 12. Somebody that I missed, somebody that you think I'm spot on with. Hit that subscribe button. Every subscriber helps hitting that goal of 100 subscribers. And I'll catch you guys on the next one. See ya.