Fantasy Football Rankings: Hayden Winks’ RB Blueprint for Week 2

September 16, 2026

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It’s here — Hayden Winks drops his running back Blueprint for Week 2 of the 2026 fantasy football season. Stay tuned as Hayden will update this space with even more running back analysis on Friday.

1. Jahmyr Gibbs (at BUF) – 124.5 proj. total yards

There is no stopping this train. Gibbs had 28.4 expected half PPR points (RB1) in his first game, further continuing a legendary RB1 overall trend in games without David Montgomery. The Lions are projected for 25.0 points (eighth) on the road on a short week against the Bills, who were torched by David Montgomery and Woody Marks just last week.

2. Bijan Robinson (vs. CAR) – 127.5 proj. total yards

Cooper Rush was dreadful in Week 1, but it was so bad that he had no choice but to just throw it quickly to Robinson. Bijan had 19.1 expected half PPR points on a 45% target share. Insanity!!! A similar approach could be needed with Rush likely getting another start and star LG Chris Lindstrom in the concussion protocol.

The Panthers are a great draw while Atlanta gets its own stuff together. They were lit up by both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai just last week, as we all remember. The Falcons are projected for 20.5 points (22nd) at home.

3. Christian McCaffrey (vs. MIA) – 102.5 proj. total yards

Last May, Kyle Shanahan said this about CMC’s role: “I want him to have more juice. I want him to be fresher. He doesn’t have to take that beating when it’s unnecessary. I’m hoping we can have some other guys step up more this year so you don’t feel like you need him on the field every play.” They have that with third-round rookie Kaelon Black, who was a trusted player for the National Champion Hoosiers and Fernando Mendoza. He was great in protection and offered just enough short-area burst with high-end vision to be a complement rusher, too.

The duo rotated immediately in Week 1, and they finished with 26 snaps each on early downs. The difference in Week 1 was CMC handled 10-of-12 late-down snaps, which makes total sense, of course. McCaffrey still had 14.6 expected half-PPR points (RB13), despite the rotation and despite the 49ers finishing without a goal-line carry. It’s reasonable to assume McCaffrey will finish with a large share of goal-line attempts in addition to the pass-game role, even if Black steals plenty of between-the-20s early-down carries.

There will be plenty to go around against the tanking Dolphins, who could not stop Ashton Jeanty receptions in Week 1. The 49ers are projected for 29.5 points (second) at home.

4. Derrick Henry (vs. NO) – 88.5 proj. total yards

There are no signs of decline for King Henry. In 33 games with Lamar Jackson since 2024, Derrick Henry is half-PPR’s RB5 with an 18-106-0.94 rushing line. He’s also first in the efficiency metrics, too; rush yards over expected (+32%), EPA per carry (+0.09), and yards per carry (5.8).

They fed him 24 carries in Week 1, but they tinkered with how they got to some of those runs now that Lamar Jackson is fully healthy and they have new OC Declan Doyle calling plays. Yahoo’s Nate Tice explained this well on Football 301 Week 1 Recap Show, if you want more on that.

The Saints were just gashed by Jahmyr Gibbs, specifically on the ground, something that DC Brandon Staley has been okay with if it means preventing explosives through the air. That’s exactly what Henry wants to hear. The Ravens project for 27.5 points (third) at home as 7.5-point favorites. Confidence is high.

5. Kenneth Walker (vs. IND) – 103.5 proj. total yards

Walker might be a league winner. He handled his 29th touch of Week 1 with 11 minutes remaining, and he was excellent throughout the game. His balance and agility are at the very top of the league, and the Chiefs unleashed him with far more “at you” runs from under center. His 21.3 expected half-PPR points made him the RB3 overall this week, and the situation really reminds me of LeSean McCoy, Jamal Charles, Brian Westbrook, etc. He had a drop on an angle route but they also did target him six times despite a huge lead.

The matchup is a clean one here. The Colts couldn’t stop Derrick Henry in Week 1, and they are changing their Green Dot player on defense after Week 1 because their communication wasn’t good enough. That’s never a good sign. In the Colts’ last four games, they’re allowing 150.5 rushing yards per game (seventh-worst). The Chiefs project for 26.5 points (seventh) at home as 6.5-point favorites.

6. Jonathan Taylor (at KC) – 109.5 proj. total yards

In 14 games with Daniel Jones, Taylor is the RB1 on RB2 overall usage in half-PPR. Despite a difficult draw with the Ravens in the opener in clear negative game script, Taylor was a top-eight back in fantasy points and usage. He looked excellent on tape, and Daniel Jones was healthy enough to execute the offense but not healthy enough to threaten Taylor as a scrambler or zone read player. That’s a good sweet spot for Taylor.

The Chiefs looked faster up front with part-time rookies showing juice, and they confused Bo Nix in Week 1 in the secondary. This is not a clean matchup at all. Last year, the Chiefs were 25th in fantasy points allowed to RBs and 25th in rushing yards. With Kenneth Walker potentially bleeding out the clock on the other side, there’s probably fewer chances here on the margins. The Colts project for 20.0 points (24th) in Arrowhead as 6.5-point dogs.

7. Ashton Jeanty (at LAC) – 96.5 proj. total yards

Jeanty was excellent in his debut, showing no signs of a low-ankle sprain. He was the RB5 on RB2 overall usage (22.7 expected half-PPR points). He played 74% of the snaps, which is a tad below last year, but who cares, if the Raiders are going from unwatchable to competent on offense? He handled 23-of-30 RB carries ahead of rookie Mike Washington Jr. and handled 20% of the team targets (6-of-30).

Jeanty’s receiving role is the real headliner. They motioned him out of the backfield on occasion, and he finished with 18 air yards (most RBs are in the negatives) because he ran real RB routes. He caught both of his screen targets, both of his choice route targets, his lone play-action leak target and his lone downfield return-route check-down target. Other defenses will play it better than that, but that level of work will absolutely come in handy in negative game scripts. This was as encouraging of a start as any Jeanty drafter (sadly, not me) could’ve hoped.

The Week 2 matchup may look difficult on paper — the Chargers allowed the 28th-most fantasy points to RBs last year — but their unit didn’t feel as potent in Week 1 without star DC Jesse Minter. Jeremiyah Love gave them trouble when bouncing it to the perimeter in particular. The betting markets still have their concerns with the Raiders on the road, only projecting them for 18.5 points (28th) as 6.5-point dogs.

8. James Cook III (vs. DET) – 100.5 proj. total yards

The Bills offense appeared to change away from Cook and more to the pass game in Week 1. Buffalo had a 48% neutral pass rate last year and a 56% neutral pass rate despite facing the Texans’ DBs and EDGEs. Cook only had 13 carries in the victory after averaging a league-leading 18.3 in 2025. Josh Allen had a Tush Push TD, and on fourth-and-1, then when Josh Allen went Wildcat. Cook also fumbled in open space. His target share did at least climb from 8% to 13% in this small sample to even things out, but 8.4 half PPR points on 11.4 expected isn’t the greatest start for a Round 1 pick.

The matchup is a decent one in Week 2. The Bills are projected for the most points of Week 1 while hosting the Lions, who went to OT against the Saints because their secondary couldn’t stop anyone. Detroit is better against the run to some degree, but explosives through the air increase the odds of a red-zone TD for Cook.

9. Saquon Barkley (at TEN) – 91.5 proj. total yards

The Eagles’ run game was hit and miss. Barkley looked awesome individually, showing great long speed and tackle breaking ability (seven of them, per PFF). He was only awarded 0.2 yards before contact, however. There were a few unblocked blitzers who hit him for big losses, and LG Landon Dickerson (IR, knee) shouldn’t have been playing. The good news is the other four linemen looked great. That Commanders defense will be chaotic, and it was a solid debut for OC Sean Mannion in the run game to me.

Barkley only had one reception, but there was a swing pass that went backwards for a “run,” a reception called back on a hold and a drop in the flats on top of a slot WR bubble screen to him. He typically wasn’t that involved as a receiver, so that’s encouraging.

The matchup in Week 2 is tasty. The Titans defense remains a work in progress despite real investments this offseason. Both Breece Hall and Braelon Allen ran it well against them (152 rush yards was seventh most of Week 1), and the Eagles are a whole different story than the Jets. Philly projects for 23.25 points (15th) as touchdown favorites on the road.

10. Javonte Williams (vs. WAS) – 86.5 proj. total yards

Williams looks like a league-winning pick if you snagged him in Round 4. With Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah waived and Malik Davis (hip) on IR, Williams only has newly-signed Emari Demercado and FB Hunter Luepke behind him. They combined for just 10 routes, while Williams turned 22 routes into six targets. He had 27% of last year’s receiving fantasy points in this Week 1 debut. It’s a complete no-contest in terms of the rushing work, and the Cowboys have a fringe top-five offense. He was the RB6 in usage last year and the RB9 in usage in Week 1. This is what a low-end fantasy RB1 looks like. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The matchup is pretty good. The Commanders showed up well against the Eagles in Week 1 with new DC Daronte Jones, who comes from the Brian Flores chaos tree. first-round LB Sonny Styles and new SS Nick Cross were monsters in Week 1, too. That said, the Commanders were fourth-worst against fantasy RBs last year, allowing 142 rushing yards per game (third worst). Dallas projects for 27.5 points (fourth) as 4.5-point home favorites. That’s ideal game script for Williams.

11. Omarion Hampton (vs. LV) – 82.5 proj. total yards

Hampton had a concerning Week 1. His fumble was inexcusable and is another example of the slop currently in his game as a 23-year-old, but the environment around him showed its downside. Rookie C Jake Slaughter was slaughtered due to a lack of play strength and by not getting to his assignment in time. RG Cole Strange was equally as bad this week.