Fantasy football season is here, and one of the most important aspects of the game is identifying busts and avoiding them. The hardest position to do that at is running backs. It is the position that will make or break your season, so you have to get these right. These are the running back busts to avoid in 2026.
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
After a massive fantasy season in 2025, CMC is being drafted as a top three fantasy running back this season. He is far too risky to buy into that and draft him that high. Now on the wrong side of 30, he is coming off the biggest workload of his career with 311 carries and 102 receptions. That does not bode well for an already oft-injured back.
Last season was also one of the least efficient of his career, which shows that he’s slowing down after a career that’s put a lot of miles on his body. His 3.9 yards per carry last year were his lowest since his rookie year in 2017, excluding 2020 when he failed to make it through Week 3.
With the looming injury risk and declining efficiency, we can’t buy into McCaffrey at his ADP. It would take a significant discount for us to consider drafting him.
Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
We saw Jacobs’ volume drop last season, and he has already had a bit of an up-and-down career. He has dealt with off-field issues this offseason and, at 28 years old, should get up over 2,000 career carries this season.
He has always been a pretty consistent touchdown producer, but it’s his rushing and receiving yards that declined last season, and we are worrying continue on that trajectory. Jacobs is being drafted as a fringe RB1, and better options are being drafted behind him.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Despite playing a full 17-game season for the first time in his career in 2025, Williams saw his volume drop, and he had the fewest touchdowns of his career since his rookie season. The reason for his decline in production is the usage of Blake Corum.
The Rams coaching staff is saying that we should expect a near 50/50 split this season between the two backs. With Corum stealing carries and touchdowns, it severely limits the high ceiling that Williams once had.
Breece Hall, New York Jets
Hall has always had the talent to be great, but he has been dragged down by the Jets organization. We have no reason to believe that will change this season. Going from Tyrod Taylor to Geno Smith is a lateral move, and this offense still isn’t going to score many points.
This year, Hall has the added obstacles of dealing with a bunch of other weapons competing for limited production, and Braelon Allen should be back and healthy. We want nothing to do with anyone in this Jets’ offense.
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