NFC West Backfields: Fantasy Football Outlooks for 2026

Let's do another fantasy football backfield breakdown, this time of the NFC West.

We already went over the AFC North, NFC North and AFC West. We will cover more divisions in articles to come, so keep checking back to FantasySP!

Fantasy football average draft position data can be found on FantasySP in the leadup to the 2026 NFL season! Conduct your fantasy football mock drafts through FantasySP too - you can now customize the scoring settings to tailor to your fantasy leagues!

Seahawks

Despite winning it all last year, the Seahawks come into 2026 sporting a new backfield.

Kenneth Walker is gone, and now Zach Charbonnet and rookie Jadarian Price are there to lead the way. Emanuel Wilson and George Holani are among the depth options.

Charbonnet got in 16 regular season games last season, rushing for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns across 184 attempts. He had 144 receiving yards on 20 grabs and 24 targets.

Price was a first-round pick this offseason, so he has high expectations coming into 2026. Throw in that Charnonnet is coming off a major injury and his outlook is looking even better.

Holani got in 11 games for Seattle a season ago. He had 24 touches for 88 total yards and a score.

Wilson has spent his three-year career with the Packers so far. He got in 17 games the past two seasons, finishing with 502 and 496 rushing yards and seven combined scores. He has added only 170 yards and a score across 30 catches and 36 targets over his career.

Charbonnet hopes to be ready for week 1, but if he isn't, Price could be the workhorse guy early on. Charbonnet's status muddies the waters for the other backs on the team.

Price is the top Seattle back taken on average, going at pick 63 so far. I like that value, and it could drop if Charbonnet is cleared for the beginning of the regular season, so look to add Price in the middle rounds. Look to him as a flex-level starter, not an every-week option.

Charbonnet is going near pick 129, which I think is stellar value, even if he misses a couple games early on. I'd be ecstatic to take him that late, and would even suggest it.

Wilson is not going off draft boards until around pick 216. He's a stash option if Charbonnet and Price are healthy, but could have a little value if either back misses any time, so he's stashable in some deeper leagues.

The same could be said for Holani, although I think Wilson is over him on the depth chart. Injuries could thrust Holani into a notable role at some point, so don't forget about him.

Rams

The Rams' backfield is very similar to the one they utilized in 2025.

Kyren Williams is the lead back, with Blake Corum as another viable option. Ronnie Rivers and Jarquez Hunter are some depth options.

Last year, Williams got 259 of the team's 465 rushing attempts, and he went for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns. He added 281 yards and three scores over 36 grabs and 50 targets as a pass catcher.

Corum also appeared in 17 games, rushing for 746 yards and six touchdowns, plus going for 36 yards on eight receptions and 14 targets.

Rivers appeared in 11 games, but only got nine touches, rushing for 46 yards. Hunter appeared in five games only during his rookie year, but was not given a touch.

Williams is still the team's lead back, and I think he's got some good draft value, as he's currently at pick 30. If you get him near that spot, or several picks after, I'd be ecstatic, as I think he's in store for another big season.

Corum is going around pick 96 so far. I think there's good value in that ADP for him too. He's a depth RB, but can be a flex-level option in favorable matchups, or if he's producing enough weekly. And if Williams ever goes down, you have a must-start fantasy option, so stash Corum in all leagues.

If Williams and Corum stay healthy, don't expect Rivers or Hunter to accomplish much in 2026. They are stash options in super deep leagues, but that's it.

49ers

The San Francisco backfield is again led by Christian McCaffrey in 2026. 

He is backed up by Jordan James, rookie Kaelon Black, Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor.

CMC continues to be a workhorse - he attempted 311 of the team's 481 total rushing attempts in 2025. McCaffrey had 1,202 rushing yards and 10 scores, plus 924 receiving yards and seven touchdowns across 102 receptions and 129 targets.

James only appeared in three games in his rookie year in 2025, and he didn't get a touch. He could be RB2 to open the season, which gives him a little value.

Black was a third-round pick this offseason, so he's another possible top backup to CMC. In time, the Niners could turn the backfield over to Black, especially if McCaffrey slows or is injured.

Speaking of injuries, Guerendo is on the physically unable to perform list right now. He got in 14 games last season, but didn't get a touch - he was much more involved in 2024, his rookie year in the league.

Taylor got in 13 games for San Fran last season, tallying 208 total yards and a score over 42 touches.

McCaffrey is the only San Fran back on the ADP list, but is going at pick five on average. He's expected to be a workhorse again, and between rushing and receiving, be a monster fantasy asset.

He's got an injury-filled career, so he's always a riskier pick in the early portions of drafts. CMC could also finish as RB1, so he's worth the gamble in many people's eyes.

Whoever ends up as RB2 has some stash value behind CMC. The problem is, we don't know who that is right now. They are just deep-league stash options, and likely only addable in standard leagues if CMC is injured and out at all this coming season.

I like Black to emerge as the No. 2 guy in time, but we'll see if he ever gets a chance to lead the team in 2026.

Cardinals

Arizona's backfield is the opposite of San Fran's, with several viable options.

Things are supposed to be led by rookie Jeremiyah Love. Tyler Allgeier was a free agent pickup, and James Conner, Trey Benson and Bam Knight are carryovers from past Cardinals' seasons.

Love was the third overall pick, but he landed on a team with several backs, so his fantasy outlook is hampered a bit by that.

Allgeier is in Arizona after spending the past four years in Atlanta, where he primarily backed up Bijan Robinson. He's been a solid fantasy asset, and is coming off a season in which he had 514 rushing yards and eight scores over 143 attempts. He caught 14 of his 16 targets for 96 more yards.

Benson only got in four games last season, rushing for 160 yards across 29 attempts. He had 64 yards over 13 receptions and 16 targets.

Conner appeared in three games, rushing for 95 yards and a score over 32 attempts, while also catching eight of his nine targets for 38 yards and another touchdown.

Knight got in 12 games, and rushed for 269 yards and four touchdowns over 82 attempts. He had 160 receiving yards and a score over 22 grabs and 31 targets.

The Arizona backfield is messy to start the season, which is never what fantasy owners want to hear. Love is the first one taken in drafts, going at pick 25.75 so far.

I think that's too early with all those other backs around him. Arizona could ease him into things, especially if the team isn't the best, which is expected. I'd consider drafting Love if it got past pick 30, otherwise letting someone else take the gamble on him.

Allgier is going at pick 135.25 on average. I also see him as the second-best back on the team, and I think he offers great value from that draft slot. I expect him to be pretty involved, and maybe even be worth flex-level starts, even if Love is leading the backfield charge. At least stash Allgeier in all fantasy leagues.

Conner and Benson are deep-league stash options for now. If they end up switching teams before the season, we can re-assess them at that point. The same could apply for Knight.

So while I see Love leading this backfield, I think things could be a bit messy. We'll see if the team moves some of these backs before the season starts, which could in turn make things a bit more clear.