Fantasy analyst Joel Smyth goes over the most frustrating fantasy football backfields from 2025. How will teams like the conference champion Seahawks and Patriots look a season from now? With offseason changes galore, which talented RBs could have better scenarios in 2026?
Seattle Seahawks
Zach Charbonnet went from the top backup RB stash in 2025 drafts to a thorn in the side of Kenneth Walker III managers. Over the last few weeks, however, the talent of Walker has been on full display, showing why he was drafted inside the top 20 RBs last August. In his three games without Zach Charbonnet healthy, Walker has averaged an astounding 23.5 fantasy PPG. In comparison, overall RB1 Christian McCaffrey averaged 21.5 this season.
The main topic this offseason won’t be about the confidence in Walker’s talent, but about another round of changes in Seattle.
With Charbonnet going down with a late-season ACL tear, the chances of him being ready for Week 1 are up in the air. However, it also increases the likelihood of Walker resigning in free agency. Another factor to consider is the potential departure of playcaller Klint Kubiak. Although he praised Walker’s potential as a feature back this offseason, only one game saw a Seattle RB receive over 60% of the RB touches. Walker will need to either take advantage of Charbonnet’s potential early absence, establishing himself as a bellcow, or earn the favor of a new playcaller in Seattle. If either occurs, Walker’s ceiling with increased volume or red-zone work is top-notch.
The risk is that all the offseason changes will ultimately result in the same on-field situation. I would let the facts lead you to your draft-day decision rather than hurt feelings from the 2025 season.
New England Patriots
The other Super Bowl team had its own murky backfield in 2025. After drafting TreVeyon Henderson at the top of the second round, fantasy managers had to wait until an injury took Rhamondre Stevenson off the field to fully benefit. From Weeks 9-12 with Henderson as the feature back, the rookie averaged 19.4 fantasy PPG, as he looked to be on his way to becoming a league winner.
Then it all crumbled. After a classic post-bye rookie blowup game in Week 15 with 29.1 fantasy points, Henderson crossed 10+ points in one of his last seven games, which happened to be in a primarily useless Week 18 game.
The common complaint is, “Why is Henderson not being used more?!” The issue is that he has largely failed to provide a consistent reason to. The Patriots’ coaching staff trusts the veteran Stevenson far more, especially in key areas such as the red zone and passing game. Henderson needs to take the next step this offseason to be worth a potentially high ADP. Stevenson ranked third in yards after contact per attempt to De’Von Achane and Bijan Robinson, proving he is not just a backup role player who will be passed over by anyone. With the Patriots offense, Henderson won’t need bellcow volume, but the need for either increased receiving work or red-zone carries is high.
Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid has no shortage of elite fantasy running backs produced, but he has failed to have a top-20 RB over the last two seasons and has not had an RB1 since 2018 Kareem Hunt. The Chiefs offense has been dominant over the years, yet the RB production has been average — and split. Over the last three seasons with Matt Nagy as the offensive coordinator, KC running backs rank 32nd in explosive carries and, frankly, it’s not even close. Only 20 attempts have gone for 15+ yards (in three years!!), while the 31st-ranked team, the Las Vegas Raiders, had 26.
The ideal scenario is a new RB, whether through free agency or the draft, enters with Eric Bieniemy returning to Kansas City as the offensive coordinator, where he helped lead an explosive offense from 2018-2022. If the RB room does stay put, the odds of Isiah Pacheco or another RB returning into the top 20 still heavily increase.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In fantasy PPG, excludingtouchdowns, Bucky Irving would rank as the RB9. The obvious issue: he scored one rushing touchdown with zero goal-line carries. Whenever a play caller has a one-year stint — and it’s not because they received a promotion — some big fantasy names are bound to go down with them.
The positive is that, following the Josh Grizzard experience, Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense will have former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson enter the fold. After Bijan Robinson finished as the RB21 with Arthur Smith, Zac Robinson turned the superstar running back into the overall RB4 and RB3, respectively, the last two seasons. Irving can be a bounce-back candidate in 2026 with an improved offense and increased touchdown opportunities.
Carolina Panthers
For a short window, Rico Dowdle averaged 18.8 PPG from Week 5-11. The rest of the season, Dowdle scored an underwhelming 8.8 per game. An even bigger issue came in the NFL Playoffs. Dowdle’s 27.3% of the RB touches was the lowest since his mid-season breakout, as his volume became inconsistent with a healthy Chuba Hubbard. I wouldn’t expect much of a change if Dowdle were to return to Carolina, as Hubbard is signed to an expensive contract through 2028. For both running backs' sake, it may be better off for their fantasy upside if Dowdle were to chase a bigger contract elsewhere after his one-year stint with the Panthers.
