2026 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: How to Draft RBs

Everything this offseason has built up to this point, when I release my strategy for drafting running backs in 2026 fantasy football drafts.

With the 2026 Draft Kit in place as a North Star for how to play the game of fantasy football, I also know some of you are here because you want to know how I am playing drafts out myself this summer.

You want the answers to the test.

That is what this week is all about.

I want to dive into how I am approaching drafts this year at each position this week, continuing with running backs.

I will also update this throughout the remainder of the offseason if we get any significant news that affects draft approaches.

Even those with the draft kit may not have read every word written this offseason.

At this stage of the offseason, I am operating under the assumption you have at minimum checked out the player rankings page.

If you read only one thing, I would push you to the individual player writeups in the positional tiers posts if you haven't already.

With that in mind, these pieces will not be overly stuffed with stats or fully in the weeds on the pros and cons of each player, but will instead focus on the approach to drafting the positions.

If you want further analysis on each player, check out those tiers, but here are some links to running-back-related content that has influenced our decision-making.

Running Back Fantasy Related Articles:

• Running Back Tiers
• Running Back Rankings
• Running Back Production Heading Into 2026
• Red Zone Points vs. Expectation: Running Back
• What We Can Learn From ADP: Running Back

Don't Miss Out on The Best Fantasy Football Coverage in the Business

Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.

From rankings to the best draft strategies, Sharp Football has everything you need to get ready for the fantasy season in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.

Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich's comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.

Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!

The Importance of League Settings

The most important thing to account for when entering any draft is your league settings.

The number of points your league rewards for receptions and the number of required starting spots for each position (including FLEX positions) impact the top-down strategy you should be approaching your league with more than anything else.

In leagues that do not reward full points per reception and reduce the required starting wide receivers, running backs (particularly depth) gain more traction as your draft progresses than the receivers.

In 0.5 PPR formats, running backs gain ground in non-best ball formats.

In terms of points per game in those formats, running backs occupied seven of the top 10 spots among the skill positions.

They occupied 12 of the top 20 spots.

In full-PPR formats, running backs and wide receivers split the top 10 in points per game 50/50, while running backs made up 10 of the top 20 spots in those leagues (Trey McBride was in there as a tight end).

Scoring settings matter.

The number of FLEX spots in your league matters.

If you are playing full-PPR formats and have to start three wide receivers (before even accounting for FLEX spots), wide receivers gain a point of emphasis in drafts.

You can win your league in many ways.

While it is great to have a plan before entering a draft, you still have to be able to adapt as things progress.

Especially at the running back position, things are fluid during the season.

We will have injuries, busts, and depth charts we were wrong about when projecting.

The running back position has been extremely fortunate in the injury department, especially up top last year.

Whether building a roster with a Zero-RB, anchor/hero RB, or RB-heavy approach, you can win.

This article will be about a top-down philosophy to the position, with draft targets to aid you in guiding any of those approaches.

2026 General Fantasy Running Back Thoughts