Dark-Horse Candidates to Finish As an RB1: Opportunity Abounds for Rhamondre Stevenson

Earlier this week, I took a look at a few “darkhorse” WR1 candidates. These were guys being drafted outside the top 36 at the position who have the potential to finish inside the top 12. Now I’m going to try to do the same with running back.

However, this exercise is significantly harder at this position. There are only a handful of players who have a path to top-12 upside (barring injury), and there is a heavy premium being placed on those guys. If you’re not being drafted inside the top 20 at running back, there’s a reason for it. These guys all have at least one flaw – a lack of pass-catching upside, a potential committee, or a porous offense, just to name a few – that limits their potential for the upcoming season.

Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t still find a few diamonds in the rough.

Unlike at receiver, I’ll be looking at players whose 2026 fantasy football ADP falls outside the top 25 who have the upside to finish as top-12 running backs. These scenarios aren’t very likely, but even if they don’t quite reach that threshold, they should still be able to outperform their ADPs. Let’s dive in.

Dark-Horse Candidates to Finish as an RB1 for 2026 Fantasy Football

Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | NE

It feels like Rhamondre Stevenson is everyone’s least favorite starting running back. He’s currently going significantly later than TreVeyon Henderson (consensus ADP of 81.7 vs. 55.3 across the industry), despite the fact that the former played the rookie under the table last year.

We typically see rookies roles grow throughout their first seasons, but we saw the opposite in New England last year. Stevenson was easily New England’s most-trusted RB during the playoffs. He played on 71% of the snaps and handled 61% of the rushing attempts. He also had 75% of the short-yardage snaps and nearly all of the passing-down work, which are easily the two most important areas for fantasy production. Stevenson responded with 13.1 PPR points per game in the Patriots’ four playoff contests.

Henderson will almost certainly have a larger role in his second season. The team paid a heavy premium for him, selecting him with the 38th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Henderson was also impressive in his opportunities as a rookie, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt with nine rushing touchdowns.

However, Stevenson seems very likely to retain most of the passing work. Henderson has reportedly continued to struggle with pass blocking in training camp, which could keep him off the field on third downs.

If Stevenson can maintain close to a 50/50 split in this rotation and adds the passing down and short-yardage work, that’s the clear player you want to target in this potential committee. And if something were to happen to Henderson, Stevenson would step into a potential bell-cow role. Ultimately, it gives Stevenson a solid, flex-worthy floor with some potential RB1 upside.

Jordan Mason | RB | MIN

Let’s head to another committee backfield in Minnesota. Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones will likely split the work there, but Mason has been one of my biggest stances this offseason. He is simply the better runner at this point, and it should surprise no one if he becomes the team’s clear early-down option.

The gap between the two runners was pretty stark last year. Mason averaged 4.9 yards per attempt compared to just 4.2 for Jones, and with Jones set to turn 32 years old this season, the gap could only continue to get wider.

That said, Mason wasn’t just good compared to Jones; he’s good compared to anyone. From Week 10 on last season, Mason ranked third in explosive run rate, ninth in success rate, and 10th in missed tackles forced per attempt (among RBs with at least 50 carries).

Even if Jones continues to handle the passing situations, something like 1,000+ rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns is within the realm of possibility. Kyler Murray should give the team a legit upgrade at quarterback, which should only help. Teams did not have to respect the Vikings’ passing game at all last season, and Murray has historically been a pretty effective option when healthy. He’ll also get to work with Kevin O’Connell, who has been something of a QB whisperer during his Vikings tenure.

Finally, Jones isn’t exactly Mr. Unbreakable. He’s played 12 games or fewer in two of the past three years, so there should be at least a couple of games where Mason has the backfield to himself. Add it all up, and he’s one of my favorite RBs to target after pick No. 100.

Zach Charbonnet | RB | SEA

Zach Charbonnet seemingly had a lot working against him this offseason, despite Kenneth Walker leaving for Kansas City. He suffered a torn ACL in January, and the Seahawks used a first-round pick on RB Jadarian Price during the NFL Draft. It seemed very likely that he’d at least start the year on the PUP list, and who knows what his role would look like when he returned.

However, Charbonnet is clearly ahead of schedule from a recovery standpoint. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently reported that Charbonnet could be ready to go in Week 1, and the Seahawks have not ruled out Charbonnet being active for the start of the year. The most likely scenario is still that he’ll miss some contests, but it sounds as though he’ll be ready sooner rather than later.

That makes Charbonnet a potentially interesting flier late in drafts. His price tag hasn’t really adjusted despite the position news regarding his recovery. He’s still going as RB43 across the industry, and his ADP checks in at 137.9.

Again, it feels unlikely that Charbonnet will be out there for the defending champs in Week 1. But if he is? He could be a potential league winner. We’ve seen Charbonnet excel without Walker in the past, and while Price and George Holani will be in the rotation, Charbonnet still profiles as their lead option. That gives him just a smidge of RB1 upside if everything breaks in his favor.