Fantasy Football Outlooks for Every NFC East Backfield: Barkley, Williams and More

Let's cap the fantasy football backfield breakdown series by going over teams in the NFC East.

We already published the articles for the AFC North, NFC North, AFC West, NFC West, AFC South, NFC South and AFC East. Check back to FantasySP for ever more fantasy football coverage before the season!

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Eagles

We'll begin with the Eagles, who have an elite back, but some question marks after 2025.

Saquon Barkley is the lead back, but he was underwhelming a year ago, at least compared to his numbers earlier in his career.

Tank Bigsby is the top backup RB, with Will Shipley as another option. Dameon Pierce, Carson Steele and Jordan Mims are some other RB options.

Despite struggling to just 4.1 yards per rushing attempt, Barkley dominated the backfield a season ago. Across 280 attempts, he gained 1,140 yards and scored seven touchdowns. Barkley added 273 receiving yards and two scores across 37 catches and 50 targets.

Bigsby only got 58 rushing attempts across his 16 games played. He had 344 yards and two touchdowns, plus 32 receiving yards on just three catches and four targets.

Shipley appeared in 15 games, but only had 14 rushing attempts. He went for 49 yards, while also catching nine of his 12 targets for 56 yards.

Pierce is 26 years old and is joining his third NFL team. Over four years in the NFL, he's accumulated 1,952 total yards and nine touchdowns.

Steele is only 23 years old. He played in 17 games for Kansas City last year, but tallied just 209 total yards over 63 touches, while failing to score.

Mims is 27 years old. He's been in the NFL since 2023, but has logged just 14 games, tallying 141 total yards across 32 touches - all of that came in 2024.

Barkley should dominate the backfield again in 2026, but he's a bit risky of a pick since he's going at 18.5 overall. I don't mind taking Barkley in round 2, but think there's better value if you can snag him in round 3. I'd want another high-end running back on my fantasy team, in case Barkley produces at a similar level to last season.

Bigsby isn't going until pick 181.5 on average, so he's a better deep-league fantasy asset. He's not startable if Barkley is healthy, so I agree with that ADP. Stash him in deeper leagues in case Barkley is ever injured.

I don't see anyone producing much in Philly outside Barkley if he's healthy. So all the other backs are just stash options in really deep leagues. We can assess the backfield if Barkley were ever unavailable.

Cowboys

In Dallas, the backfield should be pretty similar to what it was a season ago.

Javonte Williams was the lead back, and should fill that role again in 2026. He got 252 carries last season across 16 games, rushing for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. Williams added 137 receiving yards and two scores over 35 receptions and 51 targets.

Jaydon Blue is the top backup, with Phil Mafah sitting third on the depth chart, and Malik Davis fourth.

Davis had the second-most carries of any Dallas RB last season, getting 52 across 10 games. He rushed for 250 yards and two scores, while catching two of his five targets for 16 yards.

Blue appeared in five games, rushing 38 times for 129 yards and a score. He added a five-yard catch on his lone target.

Mafah got three touches in his lone game of 2025. He rushed once for an 18-yard touchdown, and caught both of his targets for 11 more yards.

Williams will power the backfield if he's healthy in 2026. Don't expect any other Dallas backs to be fantasy starting options outside super deep leagues.

Williams' ADP is 38.25. I think there's good value in getting him at that pick. If he stays healthy all season, I could see Williams being a draft steal.

Blue is worth stashing in some deeper leagues, but he'd only be usable in fantasy if Williams were injured/out. Davis could factor in a bit if Williams were ever injured, so he's stashable in really deep leagues. Mafah should be avoided unless there's a couple injuries ahead of him on the depth chart.

Commanders

Things are messier in Washington, which rosters Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White now. Throw in rookie Kaytron Allen and Jeremy McNichols and this is a tougher backfield to assess.

JCM led the way in 2025 with 175 rushing attempts over 17 games played. He had 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, while catching nine of his 13 targets for 68 yards.

White was in Tampa Bay for the first four years of his career. He had one good season, but has been a better secondary option the past two seasons. He had 790 total yards and four scores over 172 touches last year, while starting eight of the 17 games he appeared in.

Allen was a sixth-round pick, so he doesn't have super high expectations. In a backfield lacking a go-to guy though, he's an intriguing fantasy asset, especially in dynasty/keeper leagues.

McNichols played in 17 games, rushing 44 times for 221 yards and a touchdown. He had 25 catches across 31 targets for 196 more yards.

Croskey-Merritt and White are battling for the lead role, and with no leader, they are tight in fantasy draft value. White's ADP is 126.5, while Croskey-Merritt is at 130.75.

I wouldn't mind getting either back near that ADP right now. If a starter is announced before the regular season, expect that back's ADP to rise, but probably still be very, very affordable, and not too early.

I would be happy to roster either of them in a standard league, even if the other were named the starter. Both need to be rostered in all deeper leagues.

Allen is one to maybe stash in some deeper leagues, in case JCM and White stumble and the rookie is eventually given a shot at the lead role. I wouldn't write off McNichols either, but he's just stashable in very deep leagues for now.

Giants

Things seem pretty simple with New York's backfield, but I'm not so sure about things.

Cam Skattebo is the lead back in many people's eyes. He's coming off a big-time injury though, and injury concerns give me pause when assessing him.

The Giants also have Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary and now Najee Harris as well, so the backfield is pretty loaded. 

Tracy led the backfield last season because he got in 15 games. He rushed 176 times for 740 yards and two touchdowns. Tracy added 288 receiving yards and two scores on 36 receptions and 48 targets.

Singletary appeared in 17 games, rushing 119 times for 437 yards and five touchdowns. He caught 18 of his 19 targets for 151 more yards.

Skattebo rushed 101 times over just eight games. He went for 410 yards and five touchdowns, while catching 24 of his 32 targets for 207 yards and two more scores.

Harris is coming off a major injury last season, but is the most-decorated RB the Giants have. He posted four straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons with the Steelers before playing in just three games with the Chargers in 2025. If he can regain his old form after the injury, he could still be a fantasy asset.

Skattebo is the top-drafted fantasy back from the Giants, going at pick 51.25 on average. That's a fine spot to draft him near, but I do prefer him a bit after that given all the congestion in the backfield right now.

Tracy is going near pick 154.75, so at the end of standard league drafts, but definitely being in deeper leagues. The addition of Harris complicates matters, so I agree with that ADP for now.

Harris and/or Singletary could also be worth stashing, but just in deeper leagues right now. We'll see if the Giants trim their RB room down before the regular season at all, which could help up assess the backfield a bit easier.

Right now, I like Skattebo as the only standard league option, but he's an RB3 at most for me, and he's still a risky one at that. Be watching things with the backfield to see if we ever get any hints of how things might shake out.