Which NFC South RBs Outside Bijan Robinson Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?

Let's knock off another fantasy football backfield breakdown by going over the NFC South.

We already went over the AFC North, NFC North, AFC West, NFC West and AFC South. We will cover the other 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!

Buccaneers

Let's start by looking at the Buccaneers, who have an intriguing backfield.

Bucky Irving is the top guy, but is coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season. The team signed Kenny Gainwell this offseason, and also has Sean Tucker on the roster still.

Irving still led the team with 173 rushing attempts last season, despite only getting in 10 games. He had 588 rushing yards and just one touchdown. Irving had 277 receiving yards and three scores over 30 receptions and 35 targets.

Tucker got in 17 games, rushing 86 times for 320 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught eight of his 11 targets for an additional 34 yards and a score.

Gainwell was with the Steelers in 2025, and is entering his sixth year in the NFL. Over 17 games (two starts) last year, he had 537 rushing yards and five scores over 114 attempts. Gainwell had 486 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 73 catches and 85 targets.

Irving should be the clear lead back, but I expect Gainwell to carve out an offensive role too. I also think Tucker could factor in here and there, but likely more if injuries pop up.

Irving's ADP is 49.29 right now, which is fair after only getting in 10 games last year. I think he's a bounceback candidate, and he could be a major draft steal if he's healthy all year, so I like taking Irving near that ADP.

Gainwell is at pick 101.86 on average in PPR leagues, where he will be most valuable. I think there's some draft value there too, so getting him as a depth fantasy RB is a good thing in my eyes. If Irving is injured again, Gainwell could star, so be happy if you can land him near that ADP.

Tucker isn't going until the 220s on average. He's worth stashing in some deeper leagues, but again, I don't see him doing much in 2026 unless Irving or Gainwell miss time.

Panthers

The Panthers' backfield has familiar names from past seasons, but will have a new look in 2026.

Rico Dowdle was the team's lead back in 2025, but he's no longer around. That leaves Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks to power the backfield. Trevor Etienne and AJ Dillon are on the roster for now as well.

Hubbard was the team's starter in the past, and while he got in 15 games a year ago, he started just six. He rushed for 511 yards and one score across 134 attempts - Hubbard had 223 receiving yards and a touchdown across 30 catches and 39 targets.

Etienne played in 17 games, but got just 23 touches. He had 94 rushing yards on 20 attempts and 13 receiving yards across three grabs and targets.

Brooks, a 2024 second-round pick, has three NFL games under his belt across two years. Injuries have prevented him from taking off, so we'll see if he can stay healthy for 2026.

Dillon had a decent run in Green Bay early in his career, but missed the 2024 season and only got in seven games with Philly a season ago. He had 60 rushing yards on 12 carries, plus 21 receiving yards over three catches and targets.

Hubbard is expected to lead the backfield, but if Brooks stays healthy, it could end up being a pretty evenly-split setup. Etienne is only likely to factor in if one of the top-two backs is injured. Dillon will be a depth option, if he even makes the team.

Hubbard and Brooks are separated by just a couple picks. Hubbard sits at pick 83 on average, while Brooks is at 85.14. I too like Hubbard between the two, with Brooks' injury issues being a big reason why. Both should just be viewed as standard league depth options, not weekly starting options to start the year.

Both are good options in deeper leagues, and could both be started in those leagues. Etienne and/or Dillon are just deep-league fantasy stashes, but don't expect much out of them in 2026. Be ready to add the top backup RB off the waiver wire if Hubbard and/or Brooks are injured at any point. 

Falcons

Things are easy to assess in Atlanta, where Bijan Robinson rules.

He's going to be the workhorse back from the Falcons. Another B. Robinson, Brian Robinson, is the top backup, with Tyler Goodson further down the depth chart.

Bijan Robinson had 287 of the team's 477 rushing attempts in 2025. He rushed for 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns. Robinson added to his sky-high fantasy value by catching 79 of his 103 targets for 820 yards and four touchdowns.

Brian Robinson played in 17 games for the 49ers in 2025, but had only 100 touches. He rushed 92 times for 400 yards and two scores, while catching eight of his 12 targets for 25 yards.

Goodson spent the first three years of his NFL career in Indianapolis, backing up Jonathan Taylor, another workhorse. Goodson has played in 33 games, but got just 54 rushing attempts and 19 receptions. He has two total touchdowns and 367 total yards.

Bijan Robinson is going to dominate the backfield, and get most of the touches in 2026. Brian Robinson could get a few looks per week, but on a so-so offense, he'll be a better deep-league fantasy asset. Goodson is just depth, and would only step into an offensive role if one of the Robinsons were hurt.

Bijan Robinson is the second pick on average in all fantasy football drafts this year. He's only behind Jahmyr Gibbs, and I think those two are the only worthy No. 1 overall picks. Expect Bijan to put up a monster fantasy season if he's healthy for all of 2026.

Brian Robinson's ADP is 157.57, so he's on the outside of most standard leagues, which is the right call in my eyes. He's worth stashing in deeper leagues in case Bijan ever was hurt, or if the Falcons give B-Rob enough touches per game to possibly start here and there in deeper setups.

You can avoid Goodson outside the deepest leagues. Just scoop him up if he's ever thrust into a bigger role.

Saints

New Orleans has a new-look backfield in 2026.

Travis Etienne Jr. was signed in free agency to lead the backfield. Alvin Kamara is still around, but he's nursing an injury right now that could impact him in 2026. Devin Neal, Audric Estime and Kendre Miller are a bit further down the depth chart.

Etienne was with the Jaguars for the first four years of his NFL career. He had over 1,000 rushing yards in the three seasons he got in 17 games. Etienne had 1,399 total yards and 13 scores last season, and had over that many total yards in his two other healthy seasons.

Kamara led the way for New Orleans in 2025, rushing 131 times over 11 games played. He had 471 rushing yards and a score, plus 33 receptions for 186 yards across 39 targets.

Neal played in 10 games, rushing 57 times for 206 yards and two scores. He caught 17 of his 19 targets for 104 yards.

Miller appeared in seven games. He had 193 rushing yards and a touchdown over 47 carries. Miller caught all five of his targets for 30 more yards.

Estime got in seven games with the Saints. He rushed 46 times for 198 yards and a score. Estime caught 12 of his 13 targets for 103 yards.

Etienne should power the backfield in 2026, especially now with Kamara banged up. If Kamara can get back to 100, I'd expect a 60/40-70/30 backfield split between him and Etienne. Neal, Estime and Miller are just depth options and not likely to factor in much, unless both top backs are out.

Etienne is going at pick 39 overall so far. That should rise with Kamara already banged up, and it makes him a safer fantasy pick too. I don't mind that ADP for a guy who could power a backfield in 2026.

Kamara is going at pick 145.43, and that could drop some more with him injured. I wouldn't mind stashing him in standard leagues, and I definitely would be rostering him in deeper leagues, as I see him factoring in enough when healthy.

We'll see what roster moves the Saints move to adjust a loaded RB room. We can determine the best backups at that point, and know who to stash in deeper leagues - for now, I'd take Neal first, then Estime and finally Miller.