Undervalued Backup Running Backs for Fantasy Football 2026

Yeah, watching the new season of Euphoria is cool, but have you ever identified undervalued late-round handcuff running backs with the upside to break fantasy football? And doing so in mid-April?

I get it: That NFL Draft thing still has to take place, unfortunate injuries will occur, and veteran backs will be signed closer to the season. Still, current uncertainty can present buying opportunities in fantasy land; clearer information will allow drafters to feel better about clicking backup RBs earlier in drafts.

Let's make like a rock and roll through two CHEAP running backs who sure seem to look a lot like the current frontrunners to handle some awfully fantasy-friendly handcuff roles in 2026.

Eagles RB Tank Bigsby

Current Underdog ADP: RB57 (184.2)
Ian's Fantasy Life Rank: RB49

Here's a funny thing about Mr. Tank Bigsby: He's been one of the best tackle breakers that the position has to offer over the past two seasons.

Sure, a lot of those numbers are from 2024, but Bigsby's time in Philly sure seemed to also indicate the 24-year-old bulldozer is a problem with the football in his hands. Small sample be damned: Bigsby averaged a whopping 5.9 yards per carry behind the same offensive line that held Saquon Barkley to 4.1—and he looked good doing it!

Bigsby isn't going to overtake Barkley; just realize the former Jaguar will be on the cover of every waiver wire article in the industry should an unfortunate injury force him into RB1 duties. There is HIGH-end handcuff upside here.

49ers RB Jordan James

Current Underdog ADP: RB62 (199.5)
Ian's Fantasy Life Rank: RB47

Kyle Shanahan spoke about Christian McCaffrey's monstrous 2025 workload (450 touches!) at the end of March, noting, "I know that I don't want Christian to have to take all of that. … We've got to get someone to help him."

I know, I know: Coaches regularly say this in the offseason, and then we look up in Week 1 and the starting RB racks up 25 touches and earns a Utilization Score that makes Dwain McFarland blush. Fantasy Life rankers all have CMC as the overall RB3 ahead of 2026.

However, it was Shanahan's next point that might be far more fantasy-relevant:

"Jordan James came on really strong at the end of last year, but he missed so much in the beginning. … He kind of just missed his window to pass some other people up. I wish I would have got him on the field more than I did... He needs to take that next step."

Reminder: The 49ers traded for Brian Robinson—now in Atlanta—to serve as CMC's backup last season. This makes James' current competition:

Isaac Guerendo: Played in 14 games on special teams last season, but wasn't given a single touch on offense.
Patrick Taylor: Was left on the practice squad all season after handling 42 touches in 2024.

And that's it! We'll see what sort of draft capital GM John Lynch spends on the position, but even then, we've seen Shanny largely ignore third-round picks like Tyrion Davis-Price and Trey Sermon in favor of incumbent options before.

Moral of the story: James is currently the odds-on favorite to be the next man up should CMC miss any action in 2026. I've seen worse profiles to acquire with a late-round dynasty pick/best ball dart.

MORE HANDCUFF RBs TO KEEP CLOSE TABS ON

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Luther Burden: League Winner

That’s right. Those breakout performances during the fantasy playoffs by Luther Burden were not a mirage. Especially that 9-138-1 masterpiece in Week 17 (aka fantasy championship week. They were a sign of things to come for Burden and the Bears. Just look how Dwain McFarland broke down Burden’s prospects, which got a boost when DJ Moore was shipped to the Bills. Dwain even compared Year 2 breakouts from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashee Rice to Burden for some context:

What's fascinating about the Rice and JSN comps is that both were seen as limited upside plays due to their low average depth of target: 4.6 and 8.7 yards, respectively. Burden finished his rookie season at 8.1.

The Bears' new starting WR saw 26% of his targets come on screens as a rookie, which rarely translates 1:1 in a full-time role. But excluding screens, Burden showed there's more to his game:

Yards Per Route: 2.35 (WR1-worthy)
Targets Per Route: 21% (WR2-worthy)
Fantasy Points Per Route: 0.43 (WR2-worthy)
Average Depth of Target: 11.8

That is impressive stuff for a rookie battling other good players for looks, y'all! ⤵️

BURDEN’S CEILING IS SO HIGH

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Whose Fantasy Stock Can Rise After The Draft?

Tyler Shough was one of the late-season surprises who has not only Saints fans—shoutout cooterdoodle—but fantasy managers excited for the possibilities of the coming season. And with a possible influx of talent to join WR Chris Olave and RB Travis Etienne, Tipp Major tapped Shough as one of the players who could take a further step forward for fantasy:

Shough provided a spark for the Saints and fantasy teams, averaging 18.05 fantasy points in the last eight games of the season. To give you some context, had he averaged those fantasy points per game, he would have finished top 7 at QB. He earned praise from HC Kellen Moore, who named him the starter. Against Miami, he checked into the correct protection on a key third down, showing veteran-level awareness.

He also finished with 6 TDs of 20 or more yards, highlighting his ability to push the ball downfield and create explosive plays.

Looking at Matthew Freedman’s latest Mock Draft, I agree If New Orleans adds a player like Ohio State’s WR Carnell Tate, who is an elite ball-tracking hands that snatch everything in range. He had zero drops in 2025 on 66 targets.

Shough does not need to be elite to return value he just needs more weapons.

Fantasy Takeaway
If the Saints invest in WR early, Shough becomes a strong late-round QB target with legitimate upside.

Tipp identified more players who could be impacted by the draft. ⤵️

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