After a long offseason and over a month of hype out of training camp and the preseason slate, Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season has arrived. It’s about at this time that dynasty leagues really pick up steam as fantasy managers make last-minute moves to perfect their lineups before the full schedule kicks off.
If you’ve been playing the format for a while, you know the drill. Whether buying, selling, or just playing the market, there are always transactions to be made in dynasty fantasy football. Here are the best buy candidates to trade for at the running back position as the new season begins.
Best running back buys to trade for in dynasty fantasy football
Travis Etienne Jr., New Orleans Saints (RB20)
The name at the top of this list of dynasty running back buys is one who swapped teams via free agency this past offseason in a homecoming of sorts. Travis Etienne Jr. made his way to New Orleans, where the Jennings, Louisiana native now steps into an ideal situation as the clear-cut leader in this backfield.
Remember the discussion at this time last year? Etienne had plummeted to RB38 in KeepTradeCut’s crowdsourced dynasty rankings following a rough 2024 season that saw him average just 8.7 FPPG with a career-worst 812 scrimmage yards and only two touchdowns. For reference, he had recorded 1,000 yards via the ground alone in each of the prior two healthy campaigns. Fantasy managers who bought him low at the time were vindicated when Etienne re-emerged as the top back in Jacksonville ahead of Bhayshul Tuten and Tank Bigsby – what a time that was. Etienne proceeded to prove the doubters wrong with 1,107 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground, also catching 36-of-52 targets for 292 receiving yards and another six touchdowns. His final average in PPR formats? A nice 14.9 FPPG, making him the overall RB10 and per-game RB14.
Unsurprisingly, Etienne used 2025 to prove that he is, indeed, a good halfback both in the real world and for fantasy purposes. We knew both of those things, especially with a top-three finish at the position back in 2023 that people seem to forget about. He’s got breakaway speed that most players can’t match and has become known for breaking the long house call, and last season, he ranked 13th at the position with 26 rushes of 10+ yards. He was also surprisingly good even when he got hit, ranking eighth in total yards after contact. More importantly, he’s caught at least 35 passes in every one of his pro seasons in which he’s gotten on the field, including a 58-catch campaign that helped propel him to the aforementioned top-three finish three years ago. He’s not in the upper echelon at his position, but he is the complete package at a tier or two down.
All in all, the price tag as the dynasty RB20 feels a smidge low for what you may get with Etienne now that he’s with the Saints. He joins Kellen Moore, one of the best offensive minds in football, on an offense in which he immediately steps into a featured role for a team that was in desperate need of help in the backfield. With just an aging Alvin Kamara as his competition, Etienne could easily get something close to a bell-cow workload and really pop off in an ascending offense that includes Tyler Shough – another dynasty buy – as well as Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson.
D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears (RB24)
Scroll a few spots lower in the dynasty rankings and you’ll find D’Andre Swift, who just made headlines with a rather surprising extension that’ll keep him in Chicago for three more seasons at a total valuation of $33.75 million. A long-term deal to remain with the franchise isn’t something that many people expected since after all, the Bears have been a popular pick amongst the dynasty community for many of the young halfbacks in the last couple of drafts.
However, it’s great news for those who roster Swift and has the same effect for his dynasty stock. What’s wild is how far the pendulum has swung over the course of his six-year career (back in 2022, I actually took the guy at the one-two turn in a fresh startup (in retrospect, lol). He was once viewed as a young cornerstone but saw his value crater after a trade to Philadelphia in 2023. He then signed with the Bears in 2024 and put forth a quality season of over 1,300 scrimmage yards, but he still didn’t seem like a guy fantasy players loved. Last year, Kyle Monangai was introduced to the backfield but Swift still produced his best season for our purposes since 2021 – he averaged 14.3 FPPG in PPR formats to finish as the overall RB15 and per-game RB17. That’s very serviceable production as an RB2 for a contender, which is why he lands on this list today.
We know the limitations in Swift’s profile at this point. His vision for the correct gap isn’t always the best, which results in plenty of plays where he tries to do too much and winds up getting stuffed or losing yardage instead. Being more of an athlete than a cerebral runner is probably frustrating for his coaches, but in fantasy football, it’s far overshadowed by the positives. Swift breaks a lot of long runs thanks to his speed and had 30 attempts of 10+ yards last season, which ranked seventh across the league. While his 34 catches last year weren’t anything too impressive, he clearly has a trusted role in the receiving game. Then there’s the touchdown upside – in this ascending Bears offense, scoring opportunities are plenty.
Yes, he operates in a timeshare with Monangai, but Swift is both the clear 1A and third-down back, which should keep him fantasy relevant for plenty of time to come. He’s far more valuable to contenders than rebuilders, but to be fair, that goes for most running backs. Now that he’s locked in with Chicago for the foreseeable future, he’s a player that winning teams should be targeting as a weekly contributor.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks (RB33)
You’ll be unsurprised to hear that buying low on an injury discount is one of the best ways to build long-term value, assuming you believe in that player’s talent and/or role once they return. One name who’s dipped in the rankings lately is Zach Charbonnet, but there’s a fairly convincing argument when it comes to picking him up before he comes back this year.
Last postseason, Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. Unfortunately for him, the tear happened in January, about as late as it gets in the NFL campaign – thus, pushing his anticipated return date way back. There’s been some chatter that he could find himself back in the mix around midseason, which would be a quick recovery for the former second-round pick. The price will only go up once he gets back on the field, and with other managers wanting assets who can hit their lineups immediately, now is the time to buy in on the Seattle running back.
There are some flags in his profile beyond the injury. Namely, the Seahawks drafted Jadarian Price in the first round back in April and are set to use him as the top backfield option in Charbonnet’s absence. Given the draft capital invested in the Notre Dame product, it’s an understandable decision that also suggests Price may still be the primary runner even when his injured teammate comes back. However, Mike Mcdonald seemed to trust Charbonnet plenty last year, which allowed him to record 730 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while operating with a massive role in the red zone. He also saw some duties in the passing game, catching 20 of his 24 targets for 144 yards, though it should be noted that the Seahawks threw to running backs much less often than most teams.
All in all, Charbonnet averaged 11.3 FPPG and finished as the overall RB24 on the year. He wasn’t a stud by any means, and he was dependent on touchdowns, but he was also a player you could throw into an RB2 or FLEX spot and feel pretty fine about most of the time. Ask yourself this – is he a better halfback than George Holani? If so, then it’s pretty clear he’ll maintain a role in this split Seattle backfield once he’s good to go. After the injury and the Price selection, dynasty stock on Charbonnet is way down, which makes this the perfect opportunity to add depth in your running back room.
