Fantasy Football Week 1 running back rankings

Every week, I’ll be putting together a list of the top 12 running backs in fantasy football. From week to week, some perennial top-12 RBs may not make the cut depending on matchup and whether they are at home or on the road, as well as whether they are banged up.

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This position, based on these factors, will be the most volatile throughout the season. But for wk. 1, mostly chalk is on this list.

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12. Kyren Williams-Rams:

Oct 12, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) avoids a tackle by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) during the second half of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The only reason Williams isn’t higher is the unknown factor of playing in Australia after such a long flight. This is a tough matchup for so many reasons. It is a divisional matchup against the 49ers that could be a prelude to the NFC Championship game. The loser of this game is immediately behind the 8-ball for a division title, so both teams won’t have the luxury of easing into the season.

And last year, the 49ers had the league’s No. 1 rushing defense. In the last three seasons, Williams has found the end zone 44 times, so regardless of the opponent, he does know how to score TDs. And what better opponent to face off against than one you see twice every year. 

11. De’Von Achane-Dolphins:

The Dolphins are offensively challenged and stand to rely heavily on the rushing game, with the biggest (and only) weapon. Achane is a dynamic RB who caught 67 passes last season for 488 yds and four TDs. In total, he had over 1800 yds and 12 TDs.

He goes to Vegas this week to play the Raiders, who were in the bottom third of the league last season against the run. This stands to be a low-scoring game, with Achane facing off against Ashton Jeanty in a battle of RBs.

10. Breece Hall-Jets:

This is a bad team, and they don’t have much going for them other than Hall. They have an easy matchup this week against the Titans in Tennessee. Last season, only the Vikings’ rushing defense was worse than the Titans’. Last season he eclipsed 1400 total yds and scored six total TDs.

He’s the only offensive weapon they have, and he will be leaned on in the rushing and passing game. He’s an under-the-radar RB this week.

9. Omarian Hampton-Chargers:

Dec 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (8) runs against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Hampton is now the clear RB1 for HC Jim Harbaugh, who has always loved a solid running game. On top of being a tough, hard-nosed runner, Hampton is also a very effective pass catcher out of the backfield. And with Justin Herbert, he has one of the game’s best passers getting him the ball.

Last season in only nine games, he rushed for 545 yds and caught 32 passes on only 35 targets. A healthy season will produce at least 1000 rushing YDs and 60 catches out of the backfield.

8. Kenneth Walker-Chiefs:

Walker makes his debut in wk.1 in Kansas City. What a whirlwind the last year has been for him. He’s coming off a season which produced 1027 rushing yds and 5 TDs. He won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and took the SB MVP award. And now, he’s playing for the team of the last decade, swooping in as their RB1. The Chiefs do face a tough Denver team with a stout defense, especially against the run… No. 5 last season.

With Patrick Mahomes back from his knee injury, my guess is that HC Andy Reid will try to ease him back and do his best to protect him. What better way than to run the ball often? Last year, Walker was forced to share time with Zach Charbonnet. He won’t have that problem this year. Look for him to be a workhorse for KC, especially this week.

7. Jonathan Taylor-Colts:

Taylor is perennially one of the best RBs in the game; he’s also one of the more under-the-radar players in the game. It may have to do with playing for Indianapolis, but regardless, make no mistake, he is one of the best in the game. 

In most years, the matchup against the Ravens would be troublesome, but last year the Ravens were only 26th against the run. The game is in Indianapolis, and Taylor should have a fairly easy time finding the end zone. He averaged over a TD per game, with 20 total TDs last year. And he just missed 2000 total yards. Triple digits in this game should be a formality.

6. Derrick Henry-Ravens:

Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) celebrates after the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

While Henry may be getting long in the tooth (he’s 32), the best time to play him is early in the season before he gets beat up. He faces off this week against the Colts in Indianapolis. They will do their best to stop him, with their defense that ranked 11th against the run last year. This is a nice spot for Henry in wk 1.

5. Ashton Jeanty-Raiders:

This will be the start of a fantastic year for Jeanty. His rookie campaign was solid, but his sophomore year will be even better. He starts the year at home against a weak Miami team that will be vying for the worst record and No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.

As a rookie, he rushed for 975 yds and a total of 1221 combined yds. He added 5 rushing and 5 receiving TDs. He’ll begin where he left off last year, only better. He’ll get over 100 total yds in this game and should find the end zone at least once.

4. Chase Brown-Bengals:

While the Buccaneers were fantastic last season against the run (no. 7), Brown is one of the best receiving RBs in the league.

Last year, on 88 targets, he caught 69 passes, with 5 receiving TDs. If he doesn’t beat the Bucs with his legs, he’ll do it in the air. Look for him to surpass 100 total yds and a TD either on the ground or in the air.

3. Saquon Barkley-Eagles:

Barkley is at home, facing off against the Commanders, who were 30th against the run last year. The question isn’t whether Barkley will get at least 80 yds…he will; the question is how many TDs will he rush for. That will depend on whether he gets them or QB Jalen Hurts gets them.

2. Bijan Robinson-Falcons:

Dec 29, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

This isn’t the best opponent for Robinson to face off against in wk.1. He’s going on the road to Pittsburgh, who ranked 13th against the run last year. But the team is deficient in their passing game, with Tua Tagovailoa as the starting QB.

They will be forced to hand the ball off to Robinson 25-30 times…which isn’t a bad thing. He IS their offense. And Pittsburgh doesn’t figure to score a ton of pts, which will lead to a low, grind-it-out type of game. 

1. Jaymyr Gibbs-Lions:

Barring an injury, Gibbs should be at or near the top of this list. He was the consensus No. 1 or No. 2 two-pick in most leagues. He faces off at home against a defensively challenged Saints team that only ranked 18th against the run last year. 

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