Draft season is in the air, and we’re just a couple of short weeks away from knowing our favorite dynasty prospects’ landing spots. While last week I covered the best landing spots for each wide receiver prospect, today we’re talking about the running back position.
Unlike the wide receiver position, where I’m strongly in favor of drafting talent over situation, at running back, talent, draft capital, and offensive environment are too important to gloss over. For this reason, when picking the best landing spots, I’ll be heavily considering teams with strong offensive environments, respectable passing games, and plenty of opportunity.
Jeremiyah Love - Washington Commanders
By now some of you may be sick of me wish-casting offensive playmakers to the Commanders, but Jayden Daniels is somewhat comfortably the best quarterback among the teams picking in the top eight.
More importantly, Daniels has the tools to stress defenses both with his rushing ability and with his downfield passing, which will make Love even more efficient. Linebackers will second-guess themselves when Love is handed the ball, since they’ll have to double-check that Daniels isn’t actually keeping it and running himself. Defenses can’t just play heavy boxes either, since they have to respect Daniels’ ability to complete passes deep downfield.
While dynasty owners are sometimes leery of pairing their running backs with rushing quarterbacks, Daniels doesn’t have the same kind of rushing equity at the goal line as a Jalen Hurts, for example. Love should get plenty of chances to finish drives.
One slight concern is that during Daniels’ rookie season, i.e. his healthy one, the Commanders were only 26th in the NFL in targets to running backs. Rachaad White is also likely to work in as the receiving back. On the other hand, White simply isn’t the kind of player to influence roster decisions, and he’s absolutely no threat to steal rushing work. For his part, Love could be a special pass catcher, and long-term could be one of the top dual threats in the NFL.
Jadarian Price - Seattle Seahawks
In losing Kenneth Walker to free agency, the Seahawks lost a home run hitter who provided playmaking and explosiveness to complement the hyper-efficient Darnold to Smith-Njigba connection in the passing game. With Price in the fold, the Seahawks get their explosiveness back, allowing them to generate big plays through the air and on the ground.
In Price’s case, he has a long way to go before he’s a consistent between-the-tackles rusher against heavy boxes. With the Seahawks, he gets to attack downhill against lighter boxes and leverage his breathtaking open-field playmaking ability. The one downside is that with Shaheed’s stranglehold on kick and punt returns, we won’t get to see what an explosive option Price is in his own right.
While it’s unclear how much we can count on Zach Charbonnet to contribute going forward, if he’s healthy he’s a good fit next to Price as well.
Jonah Coleman - Jacksonville Jaguars
In Bhayshul Tuten, the Jaguars have an explosive back who showed some issues with vision and consistency in his rookie season. While I’m excited for Tuten going into 2026, it would be a gamble to count on him to be a three-down full-service back.
If Tuten is a sports car, Coleman is a Toyota Corolla. He’ll pass block, catch checkdowns, get north-south on early downs, and fall forward for extra yards. There is not a single flashy aspect to his game, but he’ll get what’s blocked and keep the offense moving along.
In Jacksonville, he lands in an ambiguous backfield where he could earn a starting role if he impresses, but even his median case is as a 1B back in an explosive offense.
Mike Washington Jr. - Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings aren’t a great landing spot for early production, considering Aaron Jones is coming back for one more season and Jordan Mason is in the fold. However, neither of these players prevent you from planning for the future. Notably, neither veteran rusher is particularly explosive.
In Washington, the Vikings grab a back with more high-end traits than Mason and the current-aged version of Jones. He brings more receiving chops and playmaking than Mason, but should be tougher and more durable between the tackles than late-stage Aaron Jones.
Overall, Washington can fill in wherever the running back room is lacking, while benefiting from a clear runway to a major role as soon as he shows he can handle it.
Emmett Johnson - Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have absolutely nothing behind Javonte Williams, and they pick up an excellent complement in Johnson. With 85 receptions over the last two seasons, Johnson slides right in as a pass catcher and change of pace back for a Cowboys team that failed to fill that role with Jaydon Blue just a season ago.
With his one-cut running style and lighter build, Johnson can knife through defenses that are stressed by the Cowboys’ vaunted passing attack, while providing a quicker and more agile rushing style than Williams can manage.
Kaytron Allen - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Bucky Irving entrenched in Tampa as their elusive runner with pass-catching ability, the Bucs could complement him beautifully with the bigger, stronger Allen. With his bruising, brutally efficient running style, Allen can add a new dimension to the Bucs’ rushing attack, one that was missing during the Rachaad White years.
In Allen’s case, he can finish drives for a team that should be projected to score a lot of touchdowns while facing down lighter boxes thanks to the Bucs’ downfield passing game. While a pairing with Irving prevents him from being a bellcow, I don’t think that’s his best NFL role, regardless.