We have made it to the first full weekend of the preseason. There are six games tonight, three on Friday night, and seven games throughout Saturday. That means we are getting closer to when most people have their fantasy drafts, so the time to prepare is now. I’ve put together 10 tips for winning your league, including drafting two running backs in the first three rounds of single quarterback leagues.
Volume is the most important part of fantasy football. A great player who rarely touches the ball isn’t going to score as many fantasy points as a subpar player who constantly receives the ball.
Last season, 18 running backs averaged at least 17 touches per game last season, and those are generally the same running backs that you should target early this season. The only one of those running backs who doesn’t rank among the top 20 in our rankings is Travis Etienne Jr., who now will share a backfield with Alvin Kamara. The running backs who didn’t average 17 touches per game last season but are expected to this year are Kenneth Walker III, who is now with the Kansas City Chiefs and no longer shares a backfield with Zach Charbonnet; Cam Skattebo, who was a backup to begin last season; and third overall pick of the 2026 draft, Jeremiyah Love.
The rest of the backfields are expected to be two or three-man committees. Only a few running backs finished between 13-17 carries per game, and outside of Skattebo and Walker, all are expected to see a decrease in touches. Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren both garnered over 15 touches per game last season, but now share the Pittsburgh Steelers backfield. Kamara, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Woody Marks are all backups now. J.K. Dobbins, Tony Pollard and D’Andre Swift all have younger backs who are expected to see more time this season.
While there will be a couple of gems selected outside of the top 20 running backs, there is no guarantee you will be the fantasy manager to find them. To help make sure you have a balanced fantasy lineup, it’s important to have two running backs who are assured of volume as long as they stay healthy.
Check out my other nine tips in my 10 tips to win your fantasy football league article, and check out the preseason games tonight!
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