A change of scenery can sometimes breathe some life into a player’s fantasy value. But is the grass greener on the other side? That’s what we’re hoping to find out with several running backs this season. Below, I highlight five familiar faces in new places and discuss how their new situations should impact fantasy football and football betting odds in 2026.
Kenneth Walker (Kansas City Chiefs)
Let’s kick this off with the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Everyone saw him smash in the playoffs, averaging 139 total yards per game while finding pay dirt four times. That didn’t help fantasy managers last year, though. That dominance down the stretch masked an otherwise subpar 2025 fantasy campaign.
Walker averaged a career-low 11.3 fantasy points per game last season while splitting work with Zach Charbonnet. On the flip side, he played all 17 games for the first time and topped 1,000 rushing yards. Another positive is that the underlying metrics point to an elite ballcarrier. Walker ranked first in juke rate (31.7%), third in breakaway runs (18), fourth in PlayerProfiler’s Explosive Rating (122.1), and 12th in yards per touch (5.2). Clearly, Walker still has juice.
Now, Walker is in Kansas City, a franchise that hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Kareem Hunt in 2017. With Patrick Mahomes working his way back from a torn ACL, expect the Chiefs to lean on Walker early on and give him all the work he can handle. He should be a workhorse this year and has the potential to finish as an RB1 for the first time in his career.
David Montgomery (Houston Texans)
He might be getting long in the tooth, but I love David Montgomery this season, and I’m trying to add him everywhere I can. Houston gave up three picks, including a fourth-rounder, to acquire him, so the signal is pretty clear: the Texans plan to pound the rock.
Montgomery is coming off career lows in rush attempts (158), rushing yards (716), and fantasy points per game (9.8). Good. That means he’s fresh after taking a backseat to Jahmyr Gibbs the past two seasons. In 2025, he still averaged 4.5 yards per carry, which was the second-best mark of his seven-year career, and his 0.89 fantasy points per opportunity ranked 19th among running backs.
Houston has an elite defense and wants to win games by beating people up and controlling the clock with the run game. C.J. Stroud has been inconsistent since his rookie year, and feeding Montgomery will help keep the pressure off their quarterback.
There might not be a less expensive player with 300-touch potential than Montgomery.
In Redraft, he profiles as a fine RB2 who you can get in the Round 4-5 range. For Dynasty, he’s an RB2 or FLEX option that contenders should look into if they want to add some cheap-ish points to their lineup.
Travis Etienne (New Orleans Saints)
After a dreadful 2024, Travis Etienne rebounded in 2025 and put together a solid fantasy season. He handled 296 touches and totaled 1,399 yards while scoring a personal best 13 touchdowns. His 14.9 fantasy points per game were good for 13th among running backs.
This offseason, he got a bag to return home and signed with the New Orleans Saints. For the first time since high school, his quarterback won’t be Trevor Lawrence. Instead, he’ll take handoffs from Tyler Shough in Kellen Moore’s fast-paced offense.
After signing a four-year deal worth more than $47 million, we assumed Etienne would be the unquestioned lead back. However, the Saints recently reworked Alvin Kamara’s contract, keeping him around for this season. Kamara will eat into Etienne’s workload and cap his upside, but the newcomer still has RB2 value and should produce like one.
If you’re a believer in Etienne’s talents, use the Kamara news to see if you can get a discount. Following the money, New Orleans has every reason to feature him. His ADP will take a slight tumble while Kamara’s rises, but you can use that fear to your advantage on draft day or in Dynasty trade talks.
Rico Dowdle (Pittsburgh Steelers)
After rushing for 1,000 yards with the Cowboys in 2024, Rico Dowdle didn’t generate much interest in free agency. He ended up signing a one-year deal to join the Panthers and spell Chuba Hubbard. What was supposed to be a backup job turned into a 275-touch campaign, with Dowdle finishing as the RB22 on a per-game basis.
Dowdle once again hit free agency this offseason and reunited with Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh. There, he’ll form a 1-2 punch with Jaylen Warren. Dowdle figures to see more of the early-down work while Warren handles passing downs.
You can usually find Dowdle in the RB30-35 range, with him being slightly higher in standard or half-PPR formats. He’s one of the better options in the later rounds for Zero or Hero RB drafters who need to add some volume after loading up at the other positions.
Dowdle also makes sense for contenders looking to add some depth to their running back room. He’s not a sexy name, but volume is king, and he could see 15 touches a week in this Pittsburgh offense.
Kenneth Gainwell (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
A true definition of a league-winner, Kenneth Gainwell was a revelation for fantasy managers last season. The overall numbers were fantastic: 1,023 total yards, 73 receptions, and eight touchdowns. His 13.0 fantasy points per game were good for RB19.
But he really shined when it mattered most. From Week 11 on, Gainwell was the RB6 overall and gave us six RB1 weekly finishes in that span.
As impressive as the production was, Gainwell’s efficiency metrics might’ve been better. Among all running backs, he ranked second in fantasy points per opportunity (1.11), yards created per touch (4.32), and seventh in yards per route run (1.59).
Bucky Irving needs to watch his back and stay healthy. If he’s not careful, Gainwell, who signed a two-year, $14-million deal, could take on a larger role than expected.
Managers playing in full-PPR — or formats that give extra bonuses to running backs — should be looking to add a guy like Gainwell. Because he has only one season of high-end production and is already 27, he’s relatively affordable in Dynasty leagues. In redraft, he’s in the RB3 territory and one of my favorite backs to target.
Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football contributor for Dynasty Football Factory. Find him on X at @DynastyFFWolf.
