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  1. Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants
  2. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
  3. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Running back is the currency of dynasty fantasy football leagues. The easiest way to get deals done is to trade between competing teams and rebuilding teams. And, due to the high upside but also short shelf-life of running backs, they are the easiest pieces to include within those trades. They make the world go round.

And, every year when the NFL Draft comes around, some of these valuable fantasy football assets enter the Danger Zone. That’s especially true for later-round or undrafted players. It’s easy to forget the excitement there was for guys like Tyler Allgeier, Dameon Pierce, Michael Carter, or James Robinson following their rookie years. But teams don’t always view these assets the way we do in fantasy land, opting to replace Day Three backs with guys like Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall. That’s just the way she goes.

And we don’t expect the 2026 NFL Draft to be much different. That said, there really is one clear high-end back in Jeremiyah Love, and then it gets a bit murky after that. One NFL backfield will feel the pain here, while the assets who escape could see a big boost in value. Let’s look at a few backs who could see the biggest boost in value or biggest hit, depending on what their teams do this week in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

Fantasy Football Draft Winner Scenario

John Harbaugh is an old-school football guy. He wants to win by repeatedly smashing you in the face. And he’s bringing that brand of smash-mouth football to New York based on the moves he’s made so far. They already have incumbent tight end Theo Johnson, but he brought along move tight end Isaiah Likely. They also signed longtime Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard. On top of offensive line improvements, that is good news for the run game.

As it stands, Cam Skattebo is the starting running back for this team. He did dislocate his ankle, which included a broken fibula and ligament damage. But he told Rich Eisen that he’s already jogging and expects to be ready to go for OTAs. That would put him on track to be 100% by training camp. He looked solid running the RPO on a bad offense with Jaxson Dart, which could make him dangerous on a good offense. 

Fantasy Football Draft Loser Scenario

The New York Giants were rumored to be talking to some of the top backs in free agency. And, after not signing any of them, those rumors have transferred to the 2026 NFL Draft. Specifically, to potential superstar running back Jeremiyah Love. New York’s fifth overall pick has been a very popular mock draft spot for the young phenom this offseason.

Now the danger for Cam Skattebo has doubled. The Giants just recently traded away disgruntled defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick. Having another shot at an elite prospect at 10 could give the Ravens the confidence to take Love at pick five. Or maybe Love slides down to 10, and they get him anyway. Either way, it’s a scary situation for both Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy. I know Cam Skattebo is a young player, but the new regime has no loyalty to him - and we know how teams view Day Three picks. 

 

 


 

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders

Fantasy Football Draft Winner Scenario

This really extends to Rachaad White and everyone else in the running for touches with the Washington Commanders. The biggest incumbent threat to actually start for this team was bruiser Chris Rodriguez, who carved out some starts down the stretch for Washington. But he was poached away in free agency by his former college coach, Liam Coen.

As it stands now, Jacory Croskey-Merritt is poised to be the starting back here, working with Jayden Daniels, who makes life easy via the RPO. The Commanders pick at 7 overall, so they could easily add a top offensive lineman or a wide receiver to help move the football and get them into scoring range. They don’t pick again until the third round, and it is a top-heavy draft, so if that pick isn’t Jeremiyah Love, this whole backfield has a big sigh of relief.

Fantasy Football Draft Loser Scenario

Problem is, the Washington Commanders are among the favorites to draft Jeremiyah Love. If you go to a site like DraftKings, they are currently listed third, behind only the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals and ahead of the New York Giants. So there is a very real possibility that the 7th overall pick is used on Love.

If that happens, things get pretty bleak very quickly. If you really think about it, the Commanders basically have three guys on cheap deals competing for pass-down work in Rachaad White, Jerome Ford, and Jeremy McNichols. And the only run-down guy is a 7th-round pick in Croskey-Merritt, who are often viewed as replaceable. Given the room, it might not even have to be Jeremiah Love to disrupt the upside of these players. 

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Fantasy Football Draft Winner Scenario

Ashton Jeanty is awesome. And the hit rate, especially for fantasy football, is insanely high for players drafted where Jeanty was picked. Even Trent Richardson had 1,300+ yards from scrimmage as a rookie before things quickly headed south. Jeanty himself just had 1,300+ yards from scrimmage despite being behind in a terrible offense. And he quietly got 73 targets along the way.

The Raiders brought in Klint Kubiak and, perhaps just as importantly, offensive line guru Rick Dennison. They also signed top free agent lineman Tyler Linderbaum. They are set to draft a new franchise QB at 1.01 and possibly add more help along the way. They even have veteran Kirk Cousins to offer a high floor while Fernando Mendoza gets up to speed. Things are looking up for Jeanty. 

Fantasy Football Draft Loser Scenario

Well, we were allowed to live in that dreamland for a day or two until Klint Kubiak had to open his big mouth. He pretty quickly announced, after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, that he envisions a split backfield for them. Everyone who had Kenneth Walker or Zach Charbonnett in fantasy football last year knows what that means. Last season, Kenneth Walker carried the water between the 20s only for Zach Charbonnett to drink it in the red zone.

And why wouldn’t he do that after it successfully led them to a Super Bowl? As it stands right now, the Raiders do not have much meaningful competition in the room between Dylan Laube and Chris Collier. The hope here is that Jeanty is just head and shoulders better than any player they acquire in the draft, so he continues to get all the high-leverage work. But a split backfield, especially with a bruising back who could vulture touchdowns, would be quite the annoyance for fantasy football.