College Fantasy Football RB Preview: Passing-game role is paramount at position you should be targeting early and often
Last season, 24 running backs averaged 15 fantasy points per game (FPPG) or more, with six rushers eclipsing the magic 20 FPPG threshold. Yahoo Standard CFF leagues incorporate two starting running backs and two flex spots into their starting lineup, which means you can start up to four RBs on a weekly basis. So, if we expand the criteria to rushers who averaged 13+ FPPG, there were 40 runners who hit that line of demarcation when it comes to deciding what is an acceptable weekly score from your flex spots.
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The most effective way to identify value at the position is to evaluate how likely a runner is to produce 50+ points from receiving work. A consistent presence in the receiving game significantly raises the overall upside of a running back, as 14 of the top 20 RBs last season caught 25+ passes. All-purpose receiving weapons or heavy-usage grinders with goal line utility are the best indicators we have when looking for CFF relevant rushers.
More CFF Positional Previews
Running Back
Wide Receiver (Thursday)
Tight End (Friday)
Draft strategy
When evaluating running back draft strategy, it's important to understand that the first three rounds of drafts will be overwhelmed by RBs. Expect to see around 20+/- running backs taken in the first 30 selections of Yahoo 10-Team Standard CFF leagues. Running backs are the lifeblood of winning CFF teams, and with four total spots available to start RBs each week (2 RB/2 Flex) in Yahoo Standard leagues, stockpiling high-end rushers on competitive teams is a recipe for success.
Factoring in the 68-team Power Four conference player pool (including Notre Dame) you are working with, waiting on the running back position in favor of a QB/WR/TE-heavy build in the early rounds will leave you relying on high-variance rushers, who play for lower-echelon offenses and are unstartable against elevated competition. It's advisable to acquire four, bankable starting running backs in the first seven rounds before shifting focus to other positions.
Top-24 RBs
2026 College Fantasy Football Rankings
Half-PPR rankings
PPR rankings
Targets
Jadan Baugh, FLA - Full-sized ball-carrier with a ceiling somewhere between Marshawn Lynch and Rhamondre Stevenson. Expect him to emerge as a force under new Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, who was responsible for Kimani Vidal leading the country in rushing at Troy a few years ago.
Adam Mohammed, CAL - Ran for 100 yards twice as Jonah Coleman's backup, should handle a big workload for new defensive-minded head coach Tosh Lupoi. One of those 100-yard performances came against Lupoi's former team, Oregon, where he was the defensive coordinator. So it's no accident that Tosh went after Mohammed when he landed the Cal coaching gig.
Dierre Hill, ORE - One of the most explosive backs in the country who averaged an absurd 6.5 YAC last year. Hill will continue to get designed touches in space to accentuate his home-run hitting ability, and he has intriguing receiving upside after lining up wide or flexed out on 48% of his receiving snaps.
Marcellous Hawkins, VT - Elusive playmaker who is poised to take the RB1 role for new HC James Franklin. Hawkins' 36% broken tackle rate and 4.70 yards after contact averages suggest his meager one touchdown performance last year was more a product of dual-threat QB Kyron Drones' heavy gold-zone usage than any deficiencies on Hawkins' part.
Peyton Lewis, UVA - Physical freak who won the Virginia state 55-meter and 100-meter titles back in high school, Lewis punched in seven touchdowns for Tennessee last year. He is battling MTSU transfer Jekail Middlebrook for the starting job in camp, with the victor set to run behind a strong UVA OL that returns 165 starts of FBS experience.
Fades
Antwan Raymond, RU - Needs heavy volume and doesn't catch passes while playing on a weak team with a bad defense. Raymond checks in at 5'11", 205 pounds after logging a huge 244-carry workload, and now will run behind a rebuilding offensive line that loses three starters. Nine of his 13 rushing touchdowns last year came in the first five games, and scored just four TDs in his final seven contests. Enjoy the soft early-season schedule, but be prepared for some duds against the better Big Ten defenses.
Ahmad Hardy, MIZZ - Gunshot suffered in May means he likely misses the first month, making drafting Hardy in the first few rounds an extremely risky proposition. The talent is undeniable, but at SEC media days HC Eli Drinkwitz said he's 5-8 weeks of rehab away from being evaluated. With a soft September schedule, Hardy may be eased in before getting the full go for SEC play.
Cameron Dickey, TTU - Will invariably see decrease in carries with Quinten Joyner healthy and Ja'Kobi Williams poised to scarf up passing-down work. It would be foolish to expect another 1,000-yard, 15-TD season out of Tech's RB1 now that a dreaded three-way split is looming.
Quintrevion Wisner, FSU - A transfer from Texas, Wisner appears to be on the short side of a three-way backfield platoon. FSU HC Mike Norvell is infamous for the division of labor backfield ethos that usually results in unfavorable fantasy results for everyone involved. With rising sophomore RB Ousmane Kromah likely to lead the rotation, the former 1,000-yard rusher is unlikely to have fantasy relevance.
King Miller, USC - Clear RB2 unless starter Waymond Jordan can't recover from injury. Jordan was electric in his limited four-game audition, and stayed in L.A. despite getting hurt last season. Miller's only path to a CFF-worthy workload is an injury to Jordan, period. That's not worth a mid-round pick.
Top sleeper
Jamal Roberts, Missouri: A true boom-or-bust sleeper who will either be an every week, matchup-proof starter, or a clear RB2 behind a revitalized Ahmad Hardy. Perhaps Hardy returns immediately from his severe gunshot-related injury to carry the load in Week 1, but I don't think that's realistic. My guess is Roberts gets the vast majority of carries until sometime in October, at which point you will already have churned out multiple impactful starts against Missouri's soft early season slate.
