Week 2 Running Back Preview: What's Ken Walker Got for an Encore?
Top 50 Fantasy RBs for Week 2
Let's dig into the reasons you should -- or shouldn't -- play these guys.
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1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Played Thursday night
2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Robinson proved QB-proof in the opener, racking up 173 total yards despite an ugly outing from Cooper Rush. Next up is a Panthers defense that Bears RBs just obliterated for 224 rushing yards and 4 TDs last week.
3. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
McCaffrey ceded more work than expected to rookie Kaelon Black in the opener, with Black leading 14-10 in carries. CMC still caught five passes on a team-high 8 targets, keeping his receiving value intact. He remains a locked-in RB1 with the 49ers implied for a slate-high 29.25 points.
4. Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs
Walker finished as the RB2 overall in Week 1 after turning 23 carries into a league-leading 173 rush yards. Walker was responsible for 6 targets in his Chiefs debut, the fifth-highest mark of his career. The high-usage, high-efficiency RB gets a Week 2 matchup with a Colts defense that gave up the fourth-most rushing yards last week.
5. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
The Jeanty breakout appears to be officially underway, with the second-year RB finishing as the RB4 in Week 1 with 32.7 PPR points. He was productive as both a rusher and receiver but was in exclusive company. Bijan Robinson was the only other RB to achieve at least 15.0 receiving PPR points. Jeanty projects to be a matchup-proof RB1.
6. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Taylor was responsible for a 95% carry share in Week 1, which led all RBs and was 7.1 percentage points higher than the closest back. The Colts RB turned that into 25.1 PPR points, good for an RB8 finish on the week. The Chiefs defense gave up the second-fewest rushing yards of Week 1, but that’s not nearly enough to knock Taylor down the Week 2 rankings.
7. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Played Thursday night
8. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Henry continues to perform at age 32, rushing 24 times for 144 yards and 3 TDs. He also caught a 19-yard pass. The new Ravens offense leaned into snaps under center with outside and inside zone rushes to give Henry multiple lanes. It worked for a strong performance. Now, he faces a Saints offense that was just torched by Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions for 163 yards and 2 rushing TDs. Henry’s lack of pass catching keeps him from being a top-3 RB this week, but he’s right on that border.
9. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Barkley overcame lackluster blocking in Week 1 to average 5.5 yards per carry. There's reason for some concern here over the full season, but a Week 2 visit to Tennessee should allow for plenty of carries and running room.
10. De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
Achane underwhelmed in his 2026 debut, managing just 66 total yards on 15 touches against Vegas. The matchup gets tougher against a 49ers defense that allowed only 7 points to the Rams in Week 1. San Francisco also enters this game with extra rest after playing last Thursday night. Achane remains an RB1, but it's tough to project a huge game this week.
11. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Brown was heavily utilized in the Bengals' season opener, joining just five other RBs to handle at least 50% of his team's rushing attempts and a 15% target share in Week 1. The Texans present a tougher matchup. But as a high-usage RB on a high-scoring offense, Brown projects as a fringe RB1 regardless.
12. Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Williams started rough against the Giants but now gets a Washington defense he beat up in 2025. Williams tallied a 19-116-1 rushing line in the first meeting and went 13-54-1 in less than half a game before leaving with injury in Week 17.
13. Breece Hall, New York Jets
Hall led Braelon Allen in snap share, 59% to 40%, and carry share, 65% to 29%, in Week 1. Allen actually held the edge in route rate, 38% to 31%, but Hall handled the backfield's only two goal-line rushes. The result: a strong 19.8 fantasy points. Next comes an underwhelming Packers defense that remains without Edge Micah Parsons.
14. Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
Hampton handled 57.1% of the Chargers' rushing attempts while accounting for 100% of the team's rushing TDs. But between a costly fumble and no targets being thrown his way, Hampton finished Week 1 as the RB33. Hampton ranked top 10 among RBs in target share last season, which signals a likely uptick in receiving volume. That gives him a high-end RB2 projection for Week 2.
15. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Williams accounted for the team's only TD in a 27-7 opening-week loss to the 49ers. The fifth-year RB led Blake Corum by just one carry, though, 11-10. We’ll be watching to see if that holds after Corum began cutting into Williams’ usage last year. The Giants’ defense will also bear watching after a strong Week 1 against the Cowboys. That’s not a large enough sample, though, to make us worry about the matchup for last year’s top scoring offense.
16. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Hubbard operated as Carolina’s clear lead back in the opener, playing 69% of the snaps, out-carrying Jonathon Brooks 10-4, and out-targeting him 3-2. He gets a neutral Week 2 matchup vs. the Falcons and should draw more volume than he did last week as a 2.5-point favorite.
17. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Irving led Kenneth Gainwell in usage across situations in their first game together. That included running more pass routes and beating Gainwell 7-1 in targets. We'll see whether the split continues that way, but it's noteworthy given Tampa signing the new guy off a 73-catch season in Pittsburgh. We're betting Irving does better than the mere 8 carries he got at Cincinnati last week, which was likely limited by the Bengals playing most of the game from well ahead.
18. D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
Swift looked excellent in Week 1, piling up 124 yards and 3 TDs on 18 carries. He remains the clear lead back ahead of Kyle Monangai, especially after signing a contract extension earlier this month. Swift was limited in practice with knee and ankle injuries, but there's been no indication either issue will significantly affect him against Minnesota.
19. David Montgomery, Houston Texans
Montgomery enjoyed the third-highest scoring week of his eight-year career with 28.9 PPR points. While he's unlikely to repeat his three TDs from last week, his high-rushing workload against a Bengals defense that gave up the most rushing yards last season projects him for an RB2 finish with upside beyond that.
20. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
TreVeyon Henderson being inactive in Week 1 led to a heavy Stevenson workload: 23 touches for 95 yards. But Henderson will return this week. Stevenson will still lead, but Henderson will get the occasional carry and target. The Steelers struggled against Bijan Robinson last week and could get slashed by Stevenson this week. He should be a solid RB2 this week and could find the end zone.
21. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Mason landed on injured reserve this week with a thumb injury, removing a player who handled a 54% carry share and 23% route rate in Week 1. Jones might not jump to true workhorse usage, but his workload should grow against a Bears defense that finished Week 1 second-worst in rushing yards before contact per attempt.
22. Cameron Skattebo, New York Giants
Skattebo handled 18 rushing attempts for 81 yards and a TD in his first game since the tibia fracture that ended his 2025 in Week 8. The second-year RB ranked ninth among all RBs in rushing points with 14.1, but the lack of targets limited Skattebo to a RB18 finish. His 12.9% target share last year makes a quick rebound likely. The Rams D he’ll face this week could still prove tough, though, in spite of its soft Week 1 performance against the Niners.
23. Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals
Love carried 11 times and saw 4 targets in his debut last week, and he likely would have gotten more work in a closer game. Tyler Allgeier out-carried him 9-1 in the fourth quarter of Arizona’s easy win. The Cardinals seem committed to slow-playing their first-round rookie, but we still expect at least a bit more action in Week 2. The concern is the matchup with the Seahawks. Seattle ranked fourth vs. RBs last year and held Rhamondre Stevenson to 2.8 yards per carry in this year’s opener.
24. Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
Price basically played the same role in his debut that Ken Walker did for Seattle last year, controlling early-down snaps and carries but losing a lot of passing-down snaps and goal-line work. That leaves Price in RB3 territory for now. He should get better game script this week, though, with the Seahawks 4-point favorites against the Cardinals.
25. Travis Etienne, New Orleans Saints
Etienne had a solid PPR game last week despite only 9 rushes for 46 yards. He did catch 7 of his 9 targets for 32 yards. RB Kendre Miller matched his carry total, and Alvin Kamara will be back after going inactive in Week 1. Jonathan Taylor did have success against the Ravens defense. Baltimore allowed 5.2 yards per carry, fifth-worst of Week 1.
26. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Warren was outsnapped by Rico Dowdle (57.8% for Dowdle to 35.9%). Dowdle also ran more routes (21-13). Warren still out-touched Dowdle 15-10, but that only produced 73 yards. The Patriots were solid against the run last week against the Seahawks, 20 carries for 84 yards. That doesn’t bode well for Warren, so he sits as an RB3 who likely needs a TD to pay off.
27. Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
Judkins fell short of 3.0 yards per carry while garnering just 12 rushes against a tough Jacksonville run defense in Week 1. This week looks only mildly more friendly. The Bucs ranked 13th in run-defense DVOA last year and are perennially challenging against the run. They limited Cincinnati's Chase Brown to 56 yards on 16 carries (3.5 per rush) in Week 1.
28. Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Dowdle played more than Jaylen Warren in Week 1 with 57.8% of snaps to Warren’s 35.9%. Dowdle also ran more routes (21 to 13), but he did little with those snaps: 8 rushes for 15 yards and 2 catches for 6 yards. Dowdle and Warren split goal-line carries as well. The Patriots were solid against the run last week against the Seahawks, allowing 84 yards on 20 carries. Dowdle should be treated as an RB3 who will need a TD to succeed.
29. Kenneth Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gainwell played just nine fewer snaps than Bucky Irving in Week 1 but trailed him in pass routes and drew just 1 target (to Irving's 7). That chips away at Gainwell's primary upside path and makes him clear bench fodder for Week 2.
30. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Croskey-Merritt easily led Washington's carries in Week 1 and found the end zone to deliver a nice fantasy line. But he also lost a fourth-quarter fumble that helped doom his team and didn't return to the field after that. HC Dan Quinn still expressed confidence in the second-year back this week, and he should maintain his role. But there's clear risk that any fumble could abruptly end any JCM outing. That requires some caution in deciding whether to use him.
31. Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tuten looked sharp in his first week. He had 16 touches for 88 yards, looking more explosive than Chris Rodriguez and the other RBs. He also forced five missed tackles, top 5 in the league in Week 1. The Broncos also led the league in missed tackles for the week at 28. The downside is that Tuten only had one catch and played 48.2% of snaps. Rodriguez also took the lone goal-line carry. Tuten is the better back but may have to settle into RB3 range if the split remains. The Broncos did get chopped up by Kenneth Walker and Emmett Johnson last week, so Tuten could break a big run offer flex upside.
32. TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots
Henderson should be back this week after injury kept him off the field in Week 1. Henderson still figures to trail Rhamondre Stevenson this season, especially with reports that pass blocking remains an issue. The positive is that the Patriots may want to get the ball to Henderson in space with A.J. Brown on IR. Henderson sits in RB3 territory while we wait to see how much work he gets.
33. MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
Lloyd handled the lead rushing role in the opener but didn't do much with it, carrying 13 times for 37 yards. Chris Brooks actually beat Lloyd in snap share, 55% to 45%, and route rate, 22% to 15%. Mix in Green Bay's unproven O-line, and Lloyd looks like no more than a flex option against the Jets.
34. RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
Harvey split with J.K. Dobbins in Week 1, garnering 7 touches to Dobbins’ eight. Harvey primarily played passing downs while Dobbins led the running, like their role split last year. The Broncos get another tough matchup against a Jaguars D whose 3.9 yards per carry allowed in 2025 ranked fourth-toughest. That toughness against the run could push more passing volume, which would help Harvey. But we’ll also have to watch his hamstring injury.
35. J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos
Dobbins and RJ Harvey split in Week 1. Harvey’s hamstring injury could impact his Week 2 availability and boost Dobbins’ touch outlook. But rookie Jonah Coleman would be a passing-down option if Harvey can’t go. And the Broncos face a Jaguars D ranked fourth last year by limiting RBs to 3.9 yards per carry. They also shut down the Browns in Week 1. Dobbins' lack of receiving makes him a TD-dependent, low-floor option.
36. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
Corum's increased rushing usage to end last season carried over into Week 1 of 2026. Through the first 23 games of his career, Corum was responsible for zero games of least 10 rushing attempts. But in the 12 games since, the third-year RB has surpassed that mark eight times. Corum hasn't overtaken Kyren Williams, but his increased usage lands him as a fringe RB3 for Week 2.
37. Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears
Monangai looked explosive in the opener, turning 10 carries into 100 yards and a score. He averaged a massive 7.90 yards after contact per attempt, according to Pro Football Focus. But Monangai’s mere 26% carry share gives him a low floor, and this week’s matchup with the Vikings figures to be significantly tougher than last week’s Panthers. We'll also need to monitor the hamstring injury that has limited him in practice.
38. Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Spears split playing time evenly with Tony Pollard in Week 1 just like he did in the preseason. That included a 14-7 lead over Pollard in pass routes. That aspect could help him even more against an Eagles team that arrives as a 7-point favorite.
39. Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Pollard split playing time near-evenly with Tyjae Spears in Week 1, playing just one more snap, leading 7-3 in carries, and running half has many pass routes (14-7). We're not expecting much offensive success against Philadelphia this Sunday, which bodes ill for the nominal rushing leader and potentially helps the preferred passing-down back (Spears). Of course, neither guy's actually attractive as a fantasy option in an offense that totaled just 195 yards in the opener.
40. Woody Marks, Houston Texans
Marks trailed well behind Montgomery in Week 1 touches but edged him in playing time and matched his route rate. Marks also ran more efficiently. We’ll see if that earns the second-year back more touches going forward. For now, though, he remains buried in RB4 territory.
41. Rachaad White, Washington Commanders
White nearly matched Jacory Croskey-Merritt in Week 1 playing time but trailed well behind him in carries (16-7) and ran just one more pass route. He'll gain some upside if JCM fumbles his way out of another game as he did late in the fourth-quarter loss to the Eagles. But Washington's No. 2 back holds little appeal otherwise.
42. Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers
Black handled a surprising 15 touches in the opener, with much of that work coming before the 49ers pulled away. He also looked explosive on limited opportunities. Sunday brings an excellent matchup against a Miami defense missing run-stuffing DL Kenneth Grant. The concern is Black's groin injury, which limited him in Thursday's practice. Even if active, he'll be a risky RB3 or flex option.
43. Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals
Allgeier out-carried Love 17-9 last week, but 9 of his carries came nursing a lead in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals are 4-point underdogs to the Seahawks this Sunday. Unless they spring another upset, Allgeier is unlikely to get that much volume again. He remains a weak fantasy play.
44. George Holani, Seattle Seahawks
Holani tallied 8 carries and 1 target in Seattle’s Week 1 committee. Price is clearly Seattle’s best RB, so don’t be surprised if his role grows at Holani’s expense soon. Holani would be a desperation Week 2 fantasy start at best.
45. Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers
Mitchell played on Sunday after being limited with a hamstring injury during the week. He handled 19.0% of the carries behind Omarion Hampton while producing a 0% target share. But this week, Mitchell is expected to enter Sunday healthier in a matchup that has historically found good production for QB Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense. Mitchell’s speed offers some big-play upside if you’re desperate for a flier.
46. Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Brooks popped for a 48-yard reception in the opener, but it was 1 of just 5 total touches behind Chuba Hubbard. Brooks could eventually push for more work, but we’re not expecting it in Week 2. He belongs on fantasy benches.
47. Christopher Brooks, Green Bay Packers
Brooks managed only 7 carries and 1 target in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. The matchup improves against a Jets defense that didn't record a single run stuff (defined as a gain of zero or negative yards) against Tennessee in Week 1. Still, Brooks' limited workload leaves him as only a desperation option in deep leagues.
48. Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Johnson handled 21.1% of Chiefs rushing attempts in the opener. The rookie also hauled in both of his targets for 44 receiving yards. He showed impressive running but remains only an intriguing handcuff.
49. Brian Robinson Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Robinson was out-carried 21-9 by Bijan Robinson in the opener and managed just 3.4 yards per rush. He gets a Panthers defense on Sunday that got obliterated for 224 rushing yards and 4 TDs by Bears RBs last week, but Robinson would be a desperation fantasy start.
50. Braelon Allen, New York Jets
The Jets were able to lean run-heavy while playing from ahead against Tennessee, helping Allen reach 10 carries for 40 yards. He drew only 1 target, though, and another favorable game script is less likely against Green Bay. Allen remains a bench stash.
