The NFL season is just around the corner as we get into the heart of summer. We’re just a few months away from kickoff, and it’s time to start building up our futures portfolio. In this article, we’re going to zoom in on the running back position and beat the futures bets for the 2026 NFL season.
Ashton Jeanty Over 950.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
If you drafted Ashton Jeanty in the first round of your fantasy football draft last year, you were probably disappointed. Outside of not capitalizing on that draft capital, Jeanty had a solid rookie season for the Raiders. He played in all 17 games for Las Vegas and had 975 rushing yards on 266 carries. All that was on the worst team in the NFL.
Now fast forward to 2026, I don’t think anyone has the Raiders winning the Super Bowl, but they should be a much-improved team. In my projections, Kirk Cousins will start a majority of, if not all of, the team’s games at quarterback, and that’s great news for Jeanty. Do what you did last year, with a year of experience, and a much better team? Sign me up.
Chase Brown Over 800.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
Chase Brown is one of, if not my favorite, running backs to target right now. Futures markets, dynasty fantasy football trades, best ball drafts, and when fantasy drafts get rolling. Brown is underrated in all markets, and he’s the guy on a great offense. The Bengals were a team rumored to be in the market to shake up their running back room this offseason, but they didn’t. They stood pat, showing us that Brown is their guy.
Let’s be honest, why wouldn’t he be? He’s crushed these numbers over the last two seasons, running for 990 yards in 16 games in 2024, then following it up last season with a 1,000-yard season on the ground, playing all 17 games. Good defense, bad defense, winning games, not winning games. It doesn’t matter. Brown has proven he’s going to show up; we know this offense will be electric and move the ball. The Bengals reaffirmed he is their guy. Smash play.
Omarion Hampton Over 875.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
What I’m looking to target right now is teams I think are going to be really good, and players who are on the verge but haven’t completely broken out yet. I am a proud holder of Chargers Super Bowl futures tickets already, and think they’ll be one of the best teams in the league. Jim Harbaugh loves to run the ball, and Hampton has shown the flashes that he can be the guy in LA.
He played in nine games last season and dashed for 545 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal aren’t going to steal the workhorse load from Hampton. This is another good offense, great team, with a dedicated #1 running back. Take advantage while we can!
TreVeyon Henderson Over 6.5 Rushing Touchdowns (+140)
The Patriots haven’t even begun to scratch the surface with TreVeyon Henderson yet. The young running back will still play side by side with Rhamondre Stevenson in 2026. That’s no reason for the Patriots, and us as bettors, not to look his way. We saw in 2025 that Henderson got his fair share alongside Stevenson. And when Stevenson went down with an injury, Henderson stepped up for some massive games.
He had nine touchdowns last season on the ground alone. In four different games, he had two rushing touchdowns. Some with Stevenson, some without. The Patriots will continue to use this explosive back, and his workload should be bigger in 2026. You are getting a great number here on a player who hit this and then some last season.
Kenneth Walker Over 7.5 Rushing Touchdowns (+120)
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker has joined the Kansas City Chiefs, giving the Chiefs something they haven’t truly had in the Patrick Mahomes era. A superstar capable running back. Walker hit this number in his first two seasons and got seven in his third season in Seattle. Most of that time, sharing the backfield with another “main” guy.
In Kansas City, Walker is the guy. They brought in Emmet Johnson, whom I absolutely love as a Husker fan, and can’t wait to see how they use him as a gadget guy. But when it comes to the rushing work, and especially around the goal line, when they need to punch it in. Walker is the guy. We won’t see any Patrick Mahomes tush pushes off another injury. Walker gets all the short-yardage attempts.
