6 Backups Who Could Steal Fantasy Starts in 2026

Every August, some confident fantasy manager takes the "safe" route and ignores the backup depth chart entirely — and every October, that same manager is scrambling on the waiver wire because they didn't see the injury coming. Here's the uncomfortable truth: in a 16-week fantasy season, at least two of the six players below will be must-start options before Thanksgiving, and right now you can get most of them for nearly nothing. Stop waiting for the mainstream consensus to catch up.

1. Seth McGowan, RB, Indianapolis Colts

The hot take that nobody wants to say out loud: the Colts' backfield is wide open. McGowan is a physical, between-the-tackles runner who has drawn buzz in Indianapolis camp for his pass-protection reps — the single most important factor for a backup who wants to see the field in high-leverage situations. Jonathan Taylor is gone. The Colts are building an identity, not a dynasty. If McGowan secures the early-down role behind whoever wins the Week 1 start, he's an RB3 with RB2 upside the moment there's any attrition. Grab him now while the rest of your league is still arguing about first-round picks.

2. MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers

Here's a situational argument: Green Bay's run game philosophy under their current offensive staff is to feature a workhorse back — but Josh Jacobs isn't getting any younger, and the Packers' schedule in the first six weeks is brutally tilted toward the run. Lloyd has the receiving-back profile that Matt LaFleur's offense covets, and he's flashed legitimate open-field burst in limited snaps over the past two seasons. If Jacobs misses even one game with the kind of nagging lower-body wear that plagued him in Las Vegas, Lloyd is an instant flex play in PPR leagues. The risk-to-reward ratio here is absurd.

3. Keaton Mitchell, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

This one is a narrative arc two years in the making. Mitchell was electric before his knee injury derailed him, and now he's landed in Los Angeles with a coaching staff that has openly praised his explosiveness during offseason workouts. The Chargers have the kind of West Coast scheme that turns receiving backs into point-per-reception gold. He's not a handcuff — he's a genuine change-of-pace threat who could carve out a 10-to-12 touch role even as a backup. At his current draft position, you're essentially getting a lottery ticket on a player whose ceiling is a weekly PPR contributor.

4. J'Mari Taylor, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

The contrarian view: don't dismiss Taylor just because Jacksonville's backfield looks crowded on paper. The Jaguars' offense has been chaotic for three straight seasons, and "crowded" depth charts in Jacksonville have a funny way of simplifying themselves by Week 4. Taylor is a compact, decisive runner who impressed coaches enough to make the 53-man roster out of last year's camp. He's the kind of late-camp cut survivor who tends to be in the right place at the right time. In deeper leagues — 14-team and beyond — Taylor is a stash, not a skip.

5. Kaelon Black, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Bold statistical argument: San Francisco's offense generated top-five rushing volume in 2024, and that infrastructure doesn't evaporate because personnel changes at the top. The system is the star in Kyle Shanahan's world, and Kaelon Black is the latest in a long line of backs who've been hand-delivered a scheme that manufactures yards. We've watched this movie before — Elijah Mitchell, Ty Davis-Price, Jordan Mason — obscure backs turned fantasy contributors the moment they touch the field in San Francisco's outside-zone attack. Black is unranked almost everywhere right now. That's your window.

6. Jalen Nailor, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

We know, we know — you came here for running backs. But Nailor deserves a spot on this list precisely because he's being ignored in a receiver conversation that should be wide open. Las Vegas's depth chart at wideout is genuinely unsettled heading into camp, and Nailor has legitimate deep-threat speed that forces defensive coordinators to account for him on every snap. In an offense that will need to throw to stay competitive, a vertical threat who can create chunk plays is exactly the kind of high-floor, high-ceiling flier that wins you weeks in DFS and saves your season in best-ball. At pick 167 overall, the price is right.

Training camp is moving fast — injuries are already cropping up across the league, depth charts are shifting by the day, and the managers who do their homework in late July are the ones hoisting trophies in January. Bookmark this page, check back as we get deeper into the preseason, and keep an eye on our waiver wire and injury coverage as the 2025 season takes shape. The window to get these players at a discount is measured in days, not weeks.