NFL Backfields Shaping Up to Be 2026 Fantasy Football Nightmares

The 2026 fantasy football season is inching closer by the day. With several weeks of training camp practices and the initial slate of NFL preseason games in the books, there's plenty of new intel for managers to sift through.

While these practices and exhibition contests have shuffled fantasy rankings, the running back position still looks as top-heavy as ever. With only a small handful of high-volume, matchup-proof stars to choose from—all of whom will be drafted in the first few rounds—managers will undoubtedly find themselves sifting through heaps of unproven young players, past-their-prime veterans and injury-prone talents with the goal of finding the best possible options for their fantasy lineups.

While some of these unheralded prospects will break out early and certain older vets will find a way to stave off Father Time for at least one more season, a few backfield configurations already look doomed before the season even kicks off. Whether they're too crowded, don't have a strong supporting cast or simply lack talent, these platoons won't have a strong fantasy impact in 2026.

With that in mind, let's highlight a few of these nightmarish backfields and point out why you should try to avoid drafting the running backs who comprise them.

Fantasy points, rankings, average draft position (ADP) and other metrics courtesy of FantasyPros using PPR data.

Arizona Cardinals

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The Arizona Cardinals finished the 2025 campaign as the second-worst rushing team in football, an issue they prioritized fixing with the selection of Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall.

While Love provides Arizona with one of the most exciting running back prospects to enter the league in years—and the earliest drafted since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall in 2018—there is real potential for the Notre Dame product to underwhelm in fantasy.

Love already suffered a scary injury in the preseason, a high-ankle sprain that is likely to keep him sidelined until the 2026 opener. The rebuilding Cardinals may opt to further protect their prized investment by limiting Love's snaps and leveraging the immense amount of backfield depth the club has accumulated.

With Tyler Allgeier and James Conner working behind Love, the Cardinals have one of the NFL's deepest backfields. The coaching staff will likely choose to spread the touches around as often as possible, keeping each of these players in the mix on a weekly basis.

While Conner is coming off a major injury ahead of an age-31 season—his 10th in the NFL—he boasts a solid 4.4 yards per carry average for his career and seems to have some tread left on his tires.

Allgeier opened his career with a 1,000-yard rushing season with the Atlanta Falcons before sliding into a complementary role behind Bijan Robinson. Despite working behind one of the game's best running backs, Allgeier still garnered at least 150 touches, 600 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.

Even Arizona's RB4 spot is far more competitive than most. Regardless of whether Trey Benson—a third-round pick in 2024—or Bam Knight (an eight-game starter for the Cards last year) wins the job in training camp, Arizona will end up with a surprisingly competent fourth option rounding out the backfield.

Because of this platoon approach, it's unlikely that any member of Arizona's backfield will truly stand out in 2026. There aren't enough touches to go around, especially if the Cardinals find themselves playing from behind and abandoning the run as they often did last year.

Carolina Panthers

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The Carolina Panthers' ground game was average at best last year, but they at least had a clearcut fantasy standout with Rico Dowdle leading the way. With Dowdle departing in free agency, this unit has little clarity and could be one of the toughest to figure out in 2026.

The main candidates to carry the rock this season are Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks. Each carries a fair share of red flags that should give any manager pause before selecting them near their current ADPs.

While Hubbard is only a year removed from finishing as fantasy's RB14, he plummeted to RB32 over the first eight weeks of 2025 before being replaced by Dowdle in the starting lineup and seeing his workload significantly decrease. He tallied a meager 52.4 fantasy points the rest of the way and comes into 2026 with real concern about his ability to return to form.

Brooks is an even riskier option, as injuries have been the unfortunate story of his NFL career. A series of ACL injuries have limited him to just three games in total and his production in those contests was almost non-existent. Despite missing all of 2025 while recovering from yet another surgery, Brooks is set to see plenty of action in 2026 if he can stay healthy.

It remains to be seen which back will open Week 1 as Carolina's starter. Hubbard seemed to have the inside track due to his experience, but is now dealing with a tricky hamstring injury.  That ailment, coupled with Brooks' clean bill of health and a vote of confidence from head coach Dave Canales, gave the backup some momentum heading into the preseason opener.

Expectations should be tempered following Brooks' ugly three-carry, five-yard rushing performance against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. While he did catch his lone target for nine yards, Brooks has yet to show he's capable of living up to the hype surrounding him when he became the first RB off the board in the 2024 draft.

Given Hubbard's regression last year and new hamstring ailment he recently picked up, coupled with Brook's longstanding injury concerns, it's best to avoid this nightmarish backfield altogether during your fantasy draft.

Minnesota Vikings

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The Minnesota Vikings backfield is one that managers will want to avoid during their draft. While top options Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason are both lingering until the 9th round or later in most formats, neither profiles as a viable fantasy starter this year.

Jones turned back the clock when he came over from the rival Green Bay Packers in 2024 before struggling last season. The nine-year vet dealt with several injuries that ultimately sidelined him for five games. He was ineffective in the contests he did suit up for, with a 9.9-point average only ranking 33rd at the RB position.

Mason was far healthier last year than his aging counterpart, but he still failed to move the needle. After landing in the Twin Cities following a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, Mason managed to tally just 128.9 points across 16 games. His 8.1 points per game average ranked No. 45 amongst RBs.

This two-man platoon has an even lower ceiling this season. Jones capped out with a high of 15.7 points in the 2025 opener, while Mason had just one game with more than 12.6 points last year despite being the team's clear lead back in five contests. No Vikings RB had a weekly finish inside the top-five and only once—when Mason finished as the RB7 with a 23.6-point showing in Week 3—did they earn a top-10 placement.

While the Vikings opted against making any significant acquisitions to improve their backfield this offseason, sixth-round rookie Demond Claiborne does have a chance to steal some playing time away from the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. If Minnesota's top backs get injured or are ineffective, he could get some run as the team tries to find a spark.

Consider Claiborne a decent late-round dart throw in deeper leagues, but stay away from the established entities in this backfield unless they slip well past their current ADP.

Washington Commanders

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The Washington Commanders have several intriguing running backs on their roster, but none stand out for their potential to be anything more than bye-week and injury fill-ins for fantasy purposes.

While the Commanders did rank a stellar No. 4 in rushing last year, the team didn't have a single back finish inside the top-30 at the position in fantasy. Rookie seventh-rounder Jacory Croskey-Merritt was the most productive with 140.3 points on the year, but his wild inconsistency made him tough to rely on. Croskey-Merritt had double the number of RB40 or worse weeks (eight) than he did RB10 or better performances (four).

Although JCM no longer must contend with Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Austin Ekeler for touches following their exits this offseason, Washington brought in several new backs to replace the outgoing incumbents. The most notable of these acquisitions are veteran Rachaad White and sixth-round rookie Kaytron Allen.

Assuming Croskey-Merritt becomes the nominal starter, White is likely to earn the second-largest workload in 2026. He's been a lackluster back for much of his career, but excels as a pass-catcher and should see notable volume as the team's top third-down option. He was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starter for much of the 2025 season due to Bucky Irving's injury woes, finishing the year as the RB32 with 143.0 fantasy points.

Allen will likely garner a few touches per game to open his career, especially if he continues to shine throughout the remainder of the preseason. The rookie led the Commanders with 23 carries for 85 yards and a score last week, becoming the first RB in over a decade to log 20-plus totes with no negative plays during an exhibition contest.  

While this collective level of talent could help the Commanders remain a force on the ground in 2026, none of the individuals offer real fantasy value. This is a situation that most managers are going to want to stay far away from if possible.