As the “bell cow” role gets closer and closer to extinction every year, there is not a position in fantasy football filled with as much intrigue and importance as running back. Every week is a minefield; between committees, injuries and game scripts.
In this article, I’ll try to ease the burden of your mind a little bit. Take the pressure off, if you will.
Here are the touch projections for the notable RBs in fantasy football in Week 2, with carries and targets isolated for those in both standard and PPR formats.
Fantasy Football RB Projections for Week 2
Generated September 16, 2026 at 10:19 AM ET
| Rank | Player | Team | Opp | Proj Touches | Proj Car | Proj Tgt | Opp Run D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | BUF | 32.0 | 24.6 | 7.4 | A+ |
| 2 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | CAR | 26.1 | 18.1 | 8.0 | B+ |
| 3 | Derrick Henry | BAL | NO | 25.6 | 24.7 | 0.9 | A |
| 4 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | MIA | 23.7 | 17.0 | 6.7 | C+ |
| 5 | Javonte Williams | DAL | WAS | 22.7 | 18.5 | 4.2 | A |
| 6 | MarShawn Lloyd | GB | NYJ | 22.6 | 19.7 | 2.9 | B |
| 7 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | TEN | 21.4 | 19.0 | 2.4 | A |
| 8 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | LAC | 21.2 | 15.3 | 5.9 | C+ |
| 9 | Travis Etienne Jr. | NO | BAL | 20.7 | 12.3 | 8.4 | B+ |
| 10 | James Cook III | BUF | DET | 20.0 | 17.3 | 2.7 | B- |
| 11 | Chase Brown | CIN | HOU | 19.3 | 13.6 | 5.7 | C+ |
| 12 | Bucky Irving | TB | CLE | 19.2 | 14.8 | 4.4 | C+ |
| 13 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | KC | 19.2 | 15.1 | 4.1 | D |
| 14 | Breece Hall | NYJ | GB | 18.9 | 16.0 | 2.9 | B- |
| 15 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | MIN | 18.1 | 15.9 | 2.2 | D |
| 16 | Kyren Williams | LA | NYG | 18.1 | 15.5 | 2.6 | A |
| 17 | Jeremiyah Love | ARI | SEA | 17.8 | 12.2 | 5.6 | F |
| 18 | Jadarian Price | SEA | ARI | 17.7 | 14.7 | 3.0 | B |
| 19 | David Montgomery | HOU | CIN | 17.3 | 15.2 | 2.1 | A+ |
| 20 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | PIT | 16.9 | 13.1 | 3.8 | C+ |
| 21 | Kenneth Walker III | KC | IND | 16.6 | 14.6 | 2.0 | A+ |
| 22 | Tyler Allgeier | ARI | SEA | 16.5 | 14.1 | 2.4 | F |
| 23 | Omarion Hampton | LAC | LV | 15.7 | 13.5 | 2.2 | C+ |
| 24 | Quinshon Judkins | CLE | TB | 15.6 | 12.3 | 3.3 | C+ |
| 25 | Cam Skattebo | NYG | LA | 15.6 | 12.8 | 2.8 | B+ |
| 26 | Kaelon Black | SF | MIA | 14.8 | 13.2 | 1.6 | C+ |
| 27 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | NE | 14.4 | 9.6 | 4.8 | C |
| 28 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS | DAL | 14.2 | 13.1 | 1.1 | A+ |
| 29 | Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN | CHI | 13.8 | 11.2 | 2.6 | A+ |
| 30 | Woody Marks | HOU | CIN | 13.8 | 12.2 | 1.6 | A+ |
| 31 | Rico Dowdle | PIT | NE | 13.7 | 9.3 | 4.4 | C |
| 32 | Alvin Kamara (Q) | NO | BAL | 12.8 | 8.7 | 4.1 | B+ |
| 33 | De’Von Achane | MIA | SF | 12.5 | 8.1 | 4.4 | B |
| 34 | Emmett Johnson | KC | IND | 12.5 | 10.3 | 2.2 | A+ |
| 35 | Tony Pollard | TEN | PHI | 12.3 | 9.7 | 2.6 | B+ |
| 36 | J.K. Dobbins | DEN | JAC | 12.3 | 11.5 | 0.8 | D |
| 37 | Kyle Monangai | CHI | MIN | 12.1 | 10.2 | 1.9 | D |
| 38 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | ATL | 12.0 | 9.1 | 2.9 | D |
| 39 | Rachaad White | WAS | DAL | 10.8 | 7.9 | 2.9 | A+ |
| 40 | Blake Corum | LA | NYG | 10.8 | 10.4 | 0.4 | A |
– Proj Car / Proj Tgt — Projected rushing attempts and receiving targets. Game script adjusts the split: favored teams get up to 12% more carries, underdogs get up to 15% more targets.
– Opp Run D — Matchup grade for the RB from A+ (softest defense) to F (toughest), based on blended 2025 + 2026 rush yards, YPC, and TDs allowed.
– Projections — Built from blended per-game rates (60% 2025 / 40% 2026), adjusted for matchup, game spread, DK team totals, and depth chart role. Out/IR players excluded with touches redistributed. Questionable players projected at 75% volume.
MarShawn Lloyd, Packers vs. Jets | 22.6 Projected Touches
The projections are quite fond of MarShawn Lloyd this week, as the former third-round pick continues to fill in for Josh Jacobs, who finds himself on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. A large chunk of that optimism is tied to the likelihood of a positive game script, as the Packers are currently 4.5-point favorites on the road against the Jets. With that said, I’d probably lessen my expectations of the USC product. Lloyd was out-snapped 38-to-30 by teammate Chris Brooks in Green Bay’s Week 1 loss to Minnesota, and though he garnered a team-high 13 carries, that only translated into 37 rushing yards. The sledding should be easier versus a New York defense that surrendered the fourth-most opponent rushing yards per game in 2025 (139.5), but even in a best-case scenario for Lloyd, this looks like a split backfield.
Kenneth Walker III, Chiefs vs. Colts | 16.6 Projected Touches
You don’t want to overreact too much to a one-game sample size, but goodness did Kenneth Walker look amazing in a Chiefs uniform on Monday Night Football. The reigning Super Bowl MVP registered 173 rushing yards on 23 carries against a vaunted Broncos defensive unit, while also tying Xavier Worthy for the team lead in targets (6). It is worth noting that rookie Emmett Johnson also occasionally jumped off the screen in his NFL debut, so it’s not like Walker is uncontested in the hierarchy of Kansas City RBs; but a 68.1% snap rate is a higher share than the veteran saw in any regular season tilt in 2025 with Seattle. Heck, Walker only managed one game with a snap share over 60%. That’s going to change in 2026. He’s a bell cow, and this projection is selling him short.
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers vs. Falcons | 12.0 Projected Touches
Another projection that is a little too low for my taste. The Panthers didn’t find themselves in many obvious rushing downs in the second-half of their loss to the Bears — you rarely do when you surrender 59 points — yet when the team did decide to run the football, more often than not, it was Hubbard getting the opportunity. Remember, the former Oklahoma State standout is just two years removed from a 1,200 yard rushing campaign. Hubbard has proven he has the ability to perform at this level, which is probably why he received twice as many carries as AJ Dillon or Jonathon Brooks. Most impressively, Hubbard also saw a whopping 70.6% snap share. Yes, the Falcons did hold the Steelers to a league-low 58 rushing yards in Week 1, but I doubt a poor matchup will limit Hubbard’s role all that much. I’m expecting 15-18 touches at minimum.
