RB Sleepers For 2026: Jonathon Brooks Drumbeat Builds

What is a fantasy football “sleeper” these days? The fantasy landscape has become exponentially larger over the past decade, so finding undervalued players is harder than ever. Guys who might’ve cost a 10th-round pick in 2010 might be closer to a fifth-round pick in 2026.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t still find values. There are still plenty of “league-winners” each season, even if they’re not quite as easy to identify as in years past.

Let’s dive into three running backs that have the potential to outperform expectations in 2026.

Running Back Sleepers for 2026

Jonathon Brooks | RB | CAR

The drumbeat for Jonathon Brooks continues to build in Carolina, and his price tag continues to rise across the fantasy industry. No RB has seen a bigger bump over the past seven days on Yahoo, and Brooks is up to RB36 in terms of consensus ADP.

Brooks is the big reason why the Panthers were comfortable with Rico Dowdle leaving this offseason. They selected him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the first player selected at the position. While Brooks has been limited to just three total games through his first two seasons, NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reports that the Panthers have “expectations” of Brooks becoming the lead back this year.

There’s no denying Brooks’ talent if healthy. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry during his collegiate career, and he had 1,139 rushing yards in just 11 games in his final season. He also added 25 catches for 286 yards, so he’s a capable pass-catcher as well.

Chuba Hubbard remains in Carolina, but he’s coming off a subpar campaign last season. He eventually lost the starting job to Dowdle, and his yards per attempt dipped from 4.8 to 3.8.

If Brooks can carve out a 1A role in Carolina, he should be set up for success. The Panthers offense had plenty of success running, with their offensive line ranking fifth in Run Blocking, per PFF. They were also 25th in Dropback Over Expectation (DBOE), so they were one of the most run-heavy teams in football.

Dowdle finished as RB16 last year in 0.5-PPR scoring, and he was a legit RB1 when Hubbard was out with injury. In fact, he turned in three weeks where he was a top-three scorer at the position, so Brooks has significant upside if he can grab a similar role.

Chris Rodriguez | RB | JAX

By all accounts, the Jaguars appeared headed for a committee backfield in 2026. Bhayshul Tuten should be the de facto starter, but Chris Rodriguez will handle most of the “power back” responsibilities. Add in LeQuint Allen on passing downs, and this could just be a situation to avoid.

However, Tuten and Rodriguez were listed as co-starters on the Jaguars’ first unofficial depth chart. Things could certainly change between now and the beginning of the year, but the price difference between Rodriguez and Tuten is simply too great to ignore. Tuten is the consensus RB25 in terms of ADP, routinely coming off the board inside the first 60 picks. Rodriguez is RB44, and he’s barely being drafted inside the top 140. That doesn’t make a ton of sense.

While Tuten should get more carries than Rodriguez this season, most of those should come between the 20s. The high-value touches near the goal line should definitely skew in Rodriguez’s favor. That was apparent in the team’s first scrimmage, with Tuten giving way to Robinson near the end zone and Allen on passing downs.

If Rodriguez can get to double-digit carries per week, that should be enough for him to have some fantasy relevance. The Jaguars were sixth in rushing TDs per game last year, and Rodriguez should get the majority of those in 2026.

Woody Marks | RB | HOU

Woody Marks has been an afterthought for most of the offseason. He wasn’t particularly impressive last year after being thrust into a heavy workload as a rookie. Joe Mixon missed the entire season, and Nick Chubb was ineffective in his absence. It resulted in Marks taking on more responsibility as the year progressed, and while he had some impressive performances in that role, he didn’t ultimately do enough to keep it for Year 2.

The team brought in David Montgomery this offseason, and he should serve as the team’s starter this season. That will force Marks back into a complimentary role, which is obviously not ideal for fantasy purposes.

However, it should allow Marks to focus on doing what he does best—specifically, catching passes out of the backfield. Marks has reportedly “adapted smoothly” to his expected new role, while head coach Demeco Ryans said he has seen a “Year 2 jump” from Marks.

At a minimum, it’s enough to give Marks just a bit of standalone value. That’s not really being reflected in his price tag, with Marks coming off the board as RB45 across the industry.

Marks also has plenty of contingent upside if Montgomery were to suffer an injury. That’s not unheard of for a 29-year-old running back, and Montgomery has missed three games in two of the past three years.