5 fantasy football running back sleepers to target on draft day

The best fantasy football drafters do not panic when the NFL‘s top running backs come off the board. They wait, watch the room thin out and pounce on backs whose price tags do not match their opportunity.

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All but one name below sits outside the top 50 at the position, yet each one has a clear route to touches, whether through explosive efficiency, a soft depth chart or a bell-cow starter one injury away from opening the door. Rookies, change-of-pace weapons and proven veterans all qualify.

Draft them late, stash them on your bench and let the value come to you while everyone else overpays.

More: Fantasy football sleepers: 4 undervalued quarterbacks flying under the radar in 2026

FANTASY FOOTBALL SLEEPER: Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

Former Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson should be on your radar as a late-round fantasy football sleeper flier

Johnson is the rare rookie handcuff who could earn a role on merit, and his half-PPR ADP near 182 on Underdog makes him close to free.

The Chiefs took the Nebraska product in the fifth round at No. 161 overall, and he already sits second on the depth chart behind Kenneth Walker III as training camp opens. His college receiving profile is what makes him more than a dart throw.

Over his final two seasons at Nebraska, he caught 85 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns on 103 targets, an 82.5% catch rate. In 2025 alone, the 5-foot-10 back ran for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns on 251 carries at 5.8 yards per attempt while adding 46 catches.

He lined up in the slot or out wide on 18% of his 2025 snaps, which fits Kansas City’s passing-game needs. If he beats out Emari Demercado for the RB2 job, he becomes a genuine flex option in an offense that produces points.

BRONCOS CROWDED BACKFIELD: Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos

Coleman is a bruising three-down back stuck behind a crowded depth chart, which is why his half-PPR ADP sits around 155 as the RB50. Denver spent the No. 108 overall pick on the Washington product, slotting him behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey.

The path is not wide open by any means, so you have to have an opinion to meddle in this backfield. Dobbins has battled injuries throughout his career, and Harvey may lack the size to hold a feature role. The 5-foot-9, 228-pound Coleman brings contact balance that turns stopped plays into extra yards, and he did not fumble on more than 450 college touches.

He also earned a rushing grade no worse than 86.7 across each of his past four seasons at Arizona and Washington, per PFF, and he offers the pass-protection and receiving chops head coach Sean Payton wants from his backs.

As a late-round stash with upside, Coleman is worth the cheap pick.

FANTASY FOOTBALL SLEEPER: Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell (34) runs for a gain during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Mitchell is the explosive change-of-pace back nobody wants to draft, and that is the mistake. He signed a two-year, $9.25 million deal with the Chargers and joins new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s outside-zone scheme, a system built to weaponize speed.

The 5-foot-8 back ran a 4.37 40-yard dash and has produced every time he touched the ball. In 2025, he averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 59 attempts for 341 yards, the top mark among running backs with at least 50 carries. His career average sits at 6.34 yards per carry across 112 totes in Baltimore.

Since 2023, he has broken off a run of 10-plus yards on 18.2% of his carries, the highest rate in the league among backs with at least 100 attempts. He sits behind Omarion Hampton, who finished his injury-shortened rookie year with 545 rushing yards, and Kimani Vidal.

Mitchell will not carry weekly value out of the gate, but his big-play rate and McDaniel fit give him flex upside if his role grows or Hampton misses time.

PATS RB1?: Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) celebrates with quarterback Drake Maye (10), wide receiver Efton Chism III (86) and wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Stevenson is more than the handcuff or sleeper, considering his half-PPR ADP of 74 as the RB31 suggests he has borderline value as a fantasy football starter. Bear in mind the Pats leaned on him big during last year’s postseason and the usage proves it.

Across New England’s four-game Super Bowl run, the veteran out of Oklahoma saw 17.8 touches per game to rookie TreVeyon Henderson’s 8.8, showing which back the staff trusted when games mattered.

In 2025, the 28-year-old ran for 603 yards on 130 carries at 4.6 yards per attempt while catching 32 passes for 345 yards and two scores in 14 games, finishing as the RB22 in per-game PPR scoring despite missing three games with a toe injury. He gained positive yardage on 77.7% of his carries and posted 948 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns on 162 touches.

Over his final five games, he averaged 20.0 full-PPR points per game. The Patriots stayed run-heavy and added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, keeping the offense functional. Even in a timeshare, Stevenson holds weekly RB3 and flex value for fantasy football managers with a much higher ceiling if Henderson gets hurt.

HANDCUFF: Brian Robinson Jr., Atlanta Falcons

Former San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. (3) celebrates after a play during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium. Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Robinson is one of the most valuable insurance sleepers in fantasy football, and his half-PPR ADP near 150 to 162 treats him like an afterthought. The Alabama product signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Falcons and now backs up Bijan Robinson, who has not missed a game in three NFL seasons.

The template is encouraging because last year Tyler Allgeier turned the No. 2 job behind Bijan into 143 carries and eight touchdowns, so the standalone touches exist if Atlanta stays run-heavy under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Robinson has cleared 700 rushing yards three times and posted 13.2 PPR points per game in 2023 and 11.4 in 2024 with Washington. Even in a limited 2025 with San Francisco, he ranked 10th among 51 backs with 90-plus carries in yards after contact per attempt at 2.46, and he has caught 79% of his career targets.

With only Tyler Goodson and Nathan Carter behind him, Robinson would step into a top-24 role the moment Bijan sat, which makes the late-round cost easy to justify.

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