Running Back Pricing In 2026 Auctions

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The auction draft rooms this summer have been interesting. While the serpentine draft world is fawning over running backs, auction drafters have largely refused to change their style heading into the two heaviest draft weekends of the year. Instead, running backs ‐ outside of Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson ‐ are still taking a backseat to wide receivers in total dollars spent. Though the top options are still going to command a hefty price tag at running back, there are as many cheap options as ever, and auction drafters seem content with that. That is where we make our move.

I am taking prices from five different auctions spread over the last eight weeks and looking for trends that should help you in your auctions. We are using a typical setup of 16-man rosters with a $200 salary cap in a full point-per-reception format. Let's take a look.

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If you want to have Gibbs or Robinson this year, you are going to have to throw down a hefty stack of your salary cap. There are not many years when the top options have as much separation as these two do, and part of that is the uncertainty at the position after they are off the board.

It's understandable, though, as I can tell a story where most of the guys in the top 12 right now have question marks in some capacity. Christian McCaffrey has missed a lot of practice this month with "soreness," Omarion Hampton and Kenneth Walker have never had 300+ touches in an NFL season, De'Von Achane plays for an offense that could finish in the bottom third of the league and the list goes on. As a result, I have seen prices of $53 or $54 for the top two guys, but I have also seen them hit $70. That is a big spread. Whatever the case may be, you will have to budget around $60 if you want to corral one of these two, and preparing to spend more would be smart.

After that, things settle in, with prices falling into the $40s for just about every running back who typically goes in the Top 12, all the way down to Derrick Henry at RB12. That is not a hard-and-fast rule, however, as some rooms are treating the bottom of that range ‐ Henry, Kenneth Walker and Omarion Hampton ‐ a little more cautiously. It is not uncommon for Henry to stay in the $30s, while Walker and Hampton barely break $40.

I am pushing harder than ever to get more money into my starting lineup in auctions, but I have never been one to spend $60+ on a single player in typical 12- or 14-team leagues. That changes a bit in 10-team leagues, but I have found that my builds aren't as strong when too much of my cap is invested in one player. My advice is to let someone else go after Gibbs or Robinson and concentrate on your favorite guy in the next couple of tiers.

I have been targeting Chase Brown and Saquon Barkley in that range because I think they have the fewest questions, and I can marry that with prices that are a bit lower than they probably should be. Fantasy gamers in a snake draft don't have the option of getting themselves juiced up on a running back they love because they can either pick him or they can't when it is their turn. In an auction, however, the attitudes of the community can change a player's price, and Barkley has consistently gone for less than market value.

If you are having trouble choosing from that cluster of players but don’t want to spend on Gibbs or Robinson, James Cook is still an enticing auction play. He is certainly not cheap ‐ he’s gone for $50, $49, and $48 in recent auctions ‐ but that tight grouping is fairly representative of his pricing. If you can land Cook in that range, or for a few bucks less, that's a strong bet to make and one I am on board with.

My approach to elite running backs this year has been to let the top two guys go, grab the best value from the next big group (or Cook if the price is right), and then move on.

Getting two from this group is not impossible, but I think there is so much value further down the board that it isn't necessary. Let's talk about some of that value.

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The term "dead zone" running back has been around for a few years, and the idea persists. The problem is that it is predominantly a snake draft concept, not an auction one. Yet, it continues to be applied to auctions.

The idea behind a dead zone running back is that the bust rate on that particular archetype is higher, while the opportunity cost of using a draft pick in that zone shuts you out from taking an elite tight end or valuable wide receiver. However, the dead zone has shifted to the wide receiver position, and beyond that, the flexibility of auctions allows you to spread your risk across more running back combinations. The ability to grab multiple mid-tier running backs is an advantage auctions give you that snake drafts do not. As a result, snake drafters moving into auction rooms are discounting the value of this group of runners and leaving seasoned auction drafters a buffet of value to feast on.

As with any position group, there are degrees to this conversation. The higher-level guys in these tiers, such as Jeremiyah Love, Breece Hall and Josh Jacobs, are still commanding prices approaching $30. The rub is that you either have to commit to one of these guys as your RB1 in a balanced build, or be prepared to pay a bit of a premium at your RB2 spot if you want one of them.

The recent injuries to Love and Hall, along with the uncertainty around Jacobs and his possible suspension, are going to affect their auction prices, but exactly how much remains to be seen. It is worth taking the temperature on these players to see how deep the discount is. Gambling on one of them and then landing a nice value at RB3 as insurance is a play I am willing to make right now.

Otherwise, what can we expect from some of the other mid-priced runners? Kyren Williams is always a hot topic, and we have seen prices of $26 and $27 that are fairly representative of where he is going as a mid-$20s option. I have also seen him sink into the low $20s, including $21 in one room I was in. Again, that is a reflection of the attitude toward Williams in fantasy circles. He isn't going anywhere, and his touch count from last year (295) should be right around where he ends up this year as well. He has yet to finish outside the Top 10 at his position since his breakout season, despite managers predicting just that in each of the last two seasons. He represents an easy button at RB2 in your auctions.

Some other bell-cow backs are David Montgomery and Javonte Williams. Their prices hover in the low $20s in most leagues, and that makes them an important litmus test for your room. If those guys slip too low, don't think twice ‐ take the deal. Betting on the upside of the WR2 and WR3 tiers is not as easy as it used to be with heavier personnel packages becoming more prevalent across the NFL. Instead, grab backs like Montgomery and Williams in the low $20s and don’t worry about gambling on which WR2 is going to play enough to justify the inflated cost. Getting Montgomery for $22 feels like a steal when Terry McLaurin is going for $26 or $27.

A couple of other running backs worth mentioning are D'Andre Swift and Bhayshul Tuten. Even more so than Montgomery and Williams, these two are cheap for what they represent. We should not get in the habit of drafting too many Tony Pollard and J.K. Dobbins types unless we need some steady production after spending for upside. Swift and Tuten have that upside in spades. Neither should cost you more than $20, and both are projected to give you nearly what Montgomery and Williams can ‐ and likely as much as similarly ranked wide receivers in that range like Luther Burden. Getting Swift for $16 to $20 feels great when you watch Burden go for $24 to $26.

My play in auctions this summer is to take a look at an elite running back, and if I don't land one, I am more than happy to grab two of the mid-tier guys I have mentioned above and lean on their steady production and touchdown upside. That allows me to stay in the game at wide receiver and compete with the heavy spending by investing higher up in the WR2 range to secure pass catchers with more reliable volume.

Do not be afraid of this group of running backs. I like to grab a couple from this tier and increase my chances that one hits. Imagine if Hall plays Week 1 and ends up catching 65 passes for your fantasy team this season. Or Kyren Williams scores 10 touchdowns … again. None of this is far-fetched, and it is all cheaper than it should be.

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Rounding out your roster at running back is often going to be about finding as much upside as possible with very little cap after the room has pulled your money in other directions. In those situations, you do not want to give up on your goal of swinging big on backfields that could break in your favor and land you a solid fantasy producer. A perfect example is Tampa Bay, where they project as an ugly three-headed committee with Bucky Irving on early downs, Kenny Gainwell handling the passing-down work and Sean Tucker punching it in at the goal line. Spending $8 on Gainwell or $1 on Tucker at the end of your auction is an easy way to get a piece of the pie. If Irving misses time, you instantly land a flex-worthy or RB2-level asset. I would much rather take that shot than try to save money for Tony Pollard.

Before we hit the truly $1-$3 players, there are some other players you can keep in mind as projecting to outperform their current cost:

• Chuba Hubbard and Jonathan Brooks may both fit the bill, oddly enough. Hubbard is hurt and won't be back until the regular season, maybe longer, but the Panthers are not handing Brooks 350 touches this year no matter how good he looks. I wanted nothing to do with Hubbard at $10, but he’s now going for $3 to $4 and represents a value. On the other hand, Brooks is still around $12 to $14 (though that continues to climb), and that is the definition of an asymmetric play. If he is on the field, he will smash that price.
• Jadarian Price may not amount to much, and the Seahawks are being coy about their plans, but it looks like he will get the chance to lead whatever committee they employ in Seattle. Taking him for around $8 to $10 is a play I am making.
• Rhamondre Stevenson and Jaylen Warren are cheaper than they should be as well. Stevenson often goes for less than $10, which is a steal for a guy who was a top-24 back when healthy. Warren is only a few bucks more and caught 40 passes last year despite Kenneth Gainwell hoovering up 73 catches himself.
• Speaking of Gainwell, he and Rico Dowdle are rarely topping $10 in auctions either. Those seem like easy-button pushes when you are rounding out your running back corps.
• Blake Corum merits mention here despite really fitting into the category below. He belongs here, though, because he has some standalone value despite essentially being a fancy, high-priced backup. He’s going to cost $8 to $10 in most leagues, so if Corum is your guy, you will have to budget for it.

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At the tail end of the auction, when most players go for $1 to $3, there are still some priority plays you can make. Two easy situations to exploit are finding the cheap pieces of muddy backfields and drafting pure backups who don't possess much standalone value. Most of those guys are only a couple of bucks, but for the sake of this conversation, we will include anyone who goes for up to $5.

Aaron Jones/Jordan Mason ‐ We saw Mason take off last year when Jones was briefly unavailable. Mason's drawing rave reviews in camp and looks ready to run with the opportunity. Jones is another year older, and drafters really don't want him. He is cheap, and if he is healthy, he is going to be startable.

Chris Rodriguez ‐ Tuten should run with this backfield, but Rodriguez was brought in for a reason. If he snares the goal-line duties and carves out a role, he could have some value on his own. If not, he is just a buck. If Tuten disappoints or gets hurt, Rodriguez is suddenly an RB2.

MarShawn Lloyd ‐ If you are nervous enough about Josh Jacobs that you don't want to bid $26 on a guy who has 30 touchdowns over the last two seasons, then you should be drafting Lloyd.

Tank Bigsby ‐ The cream of the backup crop, Bigsby is also drawing favorable comments from camp onlookers and is in position to grab a large share of the backfield if Barkley were to miss time.

Ray Davis ‐ A premium backup who people seem to forget about, Davis has already shown what he can do when James Cook doesn't play. If you’re a Cook manager, I would sleep better at night knowing I have Davis.

Tyrone Tracy ‐ The signing of Najee Harris puts a bit of a damper on things, but I think Tracy is going to play plenty. I also think the Harris signing was as much about Cam Skattebo as it was about anything else. Tracy is cheap, and he can produce if things clear up.

Tyler Allgeier and Braelon Allen ‐ See: Lloyd, MarShawn. If you are nervous enough about the health of the starters in the Cardinals and Jets backfields that you don't want to draft them, then you should be scooping up both of these guys whenever you can.

Remember that we are looking for two things late with our running back bids. We want guys in muddy situations that could clear up in their favor, or we want guys with a clear path to significant work should the starter miss time. There is no point in being invested in LeQuint Allen or George Holani when an injury to the starter does not do much for our fantasy teams. Pick guys with nuclear upside if things fall in their favor.

For most of my fantasy career, running backs in auctions have been expensive relative to their wide receiver counterparts. When NFL passing games had their renaissance and wide receivers gained value relative to running backs, the auction community took time to catch up with how it spent its money. That seems to be happening again as we head into 2026 auctions. There is so much value to be snatched up at running back that it is hard to screw it up. Taking a runner for your flex position is now easier and cheaper than it has been in more than half a decade, and investing extra money in your RB2 slot is more profitable than it has been in a long time. Take advantage of the slow adjustment to this trend in your auction rooms and go build a powerhouse running back corps.

This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Running Back Pricing In 2026 Auctions