The Herd with Colin Cowherd: FantasyPros – 2026 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings and Tiers (Ep. 1967) February 21, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of FantasyPros dives deep into the early consensus rankings and tier breakdowns for running backs heading into the 2026 fantasy football season. Hosts Joe Pisapia (Joey P.), Andrew Erickson, and Jake Seeley (The Athletic) spar over the top RB contenders, share their personal rankings, dissect player value, and debate looming questions about usage, team changes, workload risk, and aging stars. The group emphasizes process over reactivity as they try to make sense of an RB landscape emerging from a 2025 ‘renaissance’ but facing plenty of new uncertainty.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Top Tier Running Backs and Debate Over Christian McCaffrey (00:40 – 09:20)

• Bijan Robinson is the unanimous RB1.
• Jahmyr Gibbs lands at RB2 by consensus.
• Christian McCaffrey (age 30, heavy usage in 2025) comes in at RB3—sparking the episode's hottest debate.

Andrew Erickson:

• Disagrees with consensus, ranks McCaffrey at RB10.
  • "For using my rankings, that bet you just won't draft Christian McCaffrey in 2026—and I'm okay with that." (03:11)
  • Cites historical data: RBs with 400+ touches rarely repeat as RB1s.
  • Points to declines in efficiency and absence of George Kittle as blocking impact.

Jake Seeley:

• Places McCaffrey at RB3—but not above WRs in overall drafts.

  • "The biggest thing is, if you go into this process, understand like, we don't take the value at the end of the season and be like, haha, that's what I was right. You have to understand the process of why you understand the risk here." (07:12)
  • Sees Kittle’s health and offensive scheme as pivotal, but says CMC's pass-catching keeps his floor high.
  • Emphasizes the tight grouping of several RBs—values in the first round are close.

• Consensus: Taylor, Hn, Cook, Ashton Genti, and others make up the rest of Tier 1-2.

2. The Ashton Genti and Chase Brown Tiers (09:23 – 14:33)

Ashton Genti

• Joey P.: ECR at 7, Jake at 11 due to rookie QB, new coach, and shaky offensive line.
• Jake: Highlights unhealthy volume and poor line play; compares Genti’s potential to Saquon Barkley’s final Giants season.
  • "He was averaging negative yards before contact. He still finished with nearly 90% of his yards after contact." (09:41)
  • Needs offensive upgrades for top-5 upside.

Chase Brown

• ECR 10, Andrew Erickson at 7.
• Erickson: Praises spike in production when Bengals had QB stability.
  • "RB7 in points per game from week seven onward at 18.3. And then when we saw Joe Burrow return... RB3 from weeks 13 through 17." (11:54)
  • Notes versatility and bell-cow potential.
• Jake Seeley: Lower (RB12) out of concern for potential RB committee additions and lack of a new contract.

3. Kyren Williams and Breece Hall – Polarizing Value Picks (16:33 – 20:31)

Kyren Williams

• Split between top-10 and ECR 16.
• Jake Seeley: Defends Williams as “most productive fantasy RB people want to murder.”
  • "He has never not been top 10 in points per game and he's actually been top 10 overall every single year..." (17:15)
  • Notes stable role, McVay’s usage patterns, and recent contract extension.

Breece Hall

• Andrew Erickson: Has him as RB12, thinks he’ll be an RB1 away from Jets.
  • "He's going to be a fantasy RB1 on a team not named the New York Jets." (18:55)
  • If franchised by Jets, drops to around RB18.
  • Points to strong offseason landing spots like Arizona, Kansas City, Houston.

4. Rookie Running Back Uncertainty – Jeremiah Love and 2026 Class (20:31 – 26:18)

Jeremiah Love

• ECR 11, Erickson has at 15 as landing spot placeholder.
  • Explains rookie RBs typically finish around RB18.
  • "I think that we all get carried away sometimes with oh, I want to get the rookie running back when maybe the better bet is for him to, you know, have a so-so rookie year and then buy him in year two." (22:42)

Team Fit & Draft Impact

• Joey P.: Notes that strong teams with high draft picks (Ravens, Chiefs) could dramatically shift rookie values this year.
• Jake: Warns of overhype if Chiefs select a RB, citing past with Edwards-Helaire.
• Andrew: Ties potential Chiefs interest to possible staff connections at Notre Dame.

5. Mid-Tier & Committee Backfields – Managing Risk (26:30 – 39:46)

Cam Scatteboo
Jake: Has him much lower (26 vs. ECR 19) due to playstyle, injury risk, and probable committee under Harbaugh:

• "He gives legitimately like there is no such thing as 110%. But the dude gives 200% because he's insane." (26:43)

Kyle Monangai

• Joey P.: Sees him as the "deep dish running back" (30:01), tough and Chicago-style. Should be monitored in case of Swift departure.

Tony Pollard

• Jake: Has him much lower than consensus (38 vs. 29).
  • "He's just Tony Pollard's replacement level... I don't want a piece of Tony Pollard. I just feel like there's nothing but downside at this point." (31:14)

Patriots Backfield (Stevenson & Travyon Henderson)

• Andrew Erickson: Expects close split and leans toward Henderson for upside, dropping Stevenson in ranks.

Hubbard & Dowdle

• Jake: Both may be replaced or stuck in timeshares, with little to no bell-cow opportunity.

Woody Marks

• Andrew: Fades him due to inefficiency, lack of draft capital, and strong likelihood Texans add competition:
  • "He was in the bottom percentile, last among all running backs and missed tackles, force per attempt." (37:55)

6. Deep Sleepers and Movers After Top 36 (39:46 – 42:09)

Jake Seeley:

• Sean Tucker (RB55):
  • "This just comes down to opportunity... Honestly, 55 is too low." (40:03)

Andrew Erickson:

• Tyler Allgeier (RB28):
  • "My guy's going to get the bag because... not a lot of tread on the tires... He's a really talented guy. It's not his fault that he's just been behind Bijan." (41:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “400+ Touch Curse” for RBs:
  Andrew: “Last 13 running backs to lead the NFL in touches, only one of them was a running back inside the top five the next season after seeing at least 400+ touches." (03:29)
• On confirmation bias in fantasy football:
  Jake: "It’s going to be confirmation bias at the end of the year if Christian McCaffrey gets hurt... if it works out the other way, it’s like ‘see, I told you.’" (06:44)
• On rookie RB hype and landing spot:
  Jake: "If he goes to the Chiefs, people are going to draft him as like the third or fourth running back off the board and that will be the mistake." (25:28)
• Fantasy “deep dish running back” analogy:
  Joey P.: "He's the deep dish running back. You can quote me on that one and you can clip this for social media because that's what Kyle Manangai is." (30:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Top 2026 RB Rankings & McCaffrey Debate........................00:40–09:20
• Ashton Genti, Brown, and Committee Risks....................09:23–14:33
• Kyren Williams, Breece Hall Value Arguments...............16:33–20:31
• Rookie RBs & Jeremiah Love Landing Spot Importance..20:31–26:18
• Mid-Round and Share Backfield Risks.............................26:30–39:46
• Deep Sleepers/Movers Outside Top 36.............................39:46–42:09

Summary Takeaways

• There’s wide debate about the aging elite (McCaffrey, Barkley) and the incoming rookies, with heavy emphasis on historical outputs after high-touch seasons.
• Value is especially tight among the top eight RBs—personal risk tolerance and process matter more than clinging to projections or last year’s outcomes.
• Rookies’ immediate impact will likely be determined by team context and NFL Draft outcomes.
• Volume, contract security, offensive line, and coaching trends are themes throughout, as are warning signs of overhype and confirmation bias.
• The podcast is a lively, data-and-history-driven look at how to approach ambiguous fantasy decisions before preseason clarity arrives.

Hosts:

• Joe Pisapia (Joey P., Fantasy Pros)
• Andrew Erickson (Fantasy Pros)
• Jake Seeley (The Athletic)