underrated running – Behind the flashy headlines, five running backs have quietly produced eye-catching numbers on limited touches—offering real upside for 2026 workloads and deeper fantasy formats.
The NFL always moves faster than its numbers can explain. That gap—small sample sizes, second and third-string carries, a couple of explosive runs that can skew everything—creates the perfect hiding place for under-the-radar talent.
In this push toward 2026. five running backs stand out in four specific categories: success rate. explosive rush rate. missed tackles forced. and yards after contact. The point isn’t that they’re already perfect workhorses. It’s that their efficiency and impact have shown up when opportunities have been scarce.
Blake Corum (LAR) is one of the cleanest examples of “limited chances. measurable results.” Per rush. Corum produced 2.25 yards after contact. ranking 37th. He also forced 0.18 missed tackles per rush, ranking 18th, and posted a 7% explosive rush rate (9th). His rushing success rate—59.7%—checked in at 3rd.
The catch is obvious and painful for fantasy managers who chase ceilings: Kyren Williams is better or about equal in every key rushing metric Corum is highlighted for. In 2025, Williams also had the slightly better forcing missed tackles rate, while Corum’s improvement still matters. Corum’s case grows stronger in the details.
In 2024, Pro Football Focus graded Corum as the league’s 42nd best rusher out of 77 qualifying backs. In 2025, he finished sixth in PFF grading—tied with his backfield mate. The underlying storyline is opportunity and readiness: Corum’s ADP is lower than Williams “by a long shot. ” and his production in 2025 suggests he can tighten the gap if he’s ever asked to carry more of the load.
A “what if” scenario is built into the numbers, too. If Williams were to miss time in 2026. Sean McVay’s rushing scheme combined with Corum’s efficiency could make him something close to a top-5 weekly fantasy option. And it won’t hurt that Corum would be running behind an LA offensive line that created the second-highest rate of rush yards before contact in 2025.
Keaton Mitchell (LAC) doesn’t have the same profile on after-contact and missed tackles—because he’s a different kind of threat. His yards after contact per rush sits at 1.31 (73rd), and he forces 0.12 missed tackles per rush (50th). His success rate is 52.5% (24th).
But then the explosiveness hits. Mitchell’s explosive rush rate is 10.2%, ranking 2nd.
This is where the Ravens-to-Chargers jump becomes more than a headline. Mitchell spent three “tantalizing seasons” with Baltimore before the Chargers pursued him aggressively in free agency. In last season’s Baltimore work. Mitchell led all backs in yards before contact per rush with 4.47—an unmistakable hallmark of a runner who can blow by the first wave.
The idea is simple: if you’re gaining yards before contact, you’re not always going to pile up the after-contact stats. That’s why his missed-tackle and yards-after-contact numbers aren’t as loud. What matters is how his speed can translate to a different system—and LA is betting on it.
Mike McDaniel. now the Chargers’ offensive coordinator after being the engine behind the Dolphins. has been making the case for Mitchell’s fit. Mitchell is being used as a centerpiece in the same way De’Von Achane was for McDaniel’s offense. And in March. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper said Mitchell’s “acceleration and threatening speed to the edge will thrive” in the Chargers offense.
The projection here isn’t “every snap. every week.” The expectation is more realistic—and arguably more dangerous: Mitchell isn’t being projected as a 15-touch-per-game back. Instead. he’s viewed as the type who can do a lot with 8-10 weekly touches on well-designed rushes and screens in McDaniel’s scheme.
Tank Bigsby (PHI) comes with a story that feels almost unfair. It’s unclear why the Jaguars were in such a hurry to dump Bigsby last season. The author frames it plainly: had Jacksonville kept him, Bigsby would be “by far” the best back in the Jaguars’ backfield today.
Of course, that’s not how things played out. Bigsby was explosive in limited work last year as the Eagles’ distant RB2 behind Saquon Barkley. He produced in moments that raised questions about usage. Against the Giants in Week 8, Bigsby had 104 yards on nine carries. In Week 18 against Washington, he carried 15 times for 75 yards.
His efficiency and big-play ability show up in the simple math, too: he ripped off runs at 5.7 yards per carry in 2025.
The spreadsheet claims are backed by earlier form. In 2024, Bigsby ranked third among all running backs in yards after contact per carry and 22nd in missed tackles forced per rush.
In the metrics used here, Bigsby is strong across the board when the opportunity exists: 3.16 yards after contact per rush (3rd), 0.27 missed tackles forced per rush (3rd), an 8% explosive rush rate (5th), and a 54% rushing success rate (20th).
Barkley remains the locked-in No. 1 back in 2026, with expected heavier involvement in the pass game this season. But Bigsby’s role—especially if Barkley misses time—could turn into something weekly. As a No. 2 back, the upside is tied to weekly big-play potential.
Jeremy McNichols (WAS) is the kind of runner who doesn’t always get the spotlight because the spotlight isn’t built for “between-the-tackles” production. Yet in 2025, he logged 44 carries and gained five yards a pop, bullying his way through would-be tacklers at an elite clip.
The numbers here reflect that bruising style. McNichols posted 3.7 yards after contact per rush, ranking 1st. He forced 0.25 missed tackles per rush, ranking 7th. His explosive rush rate was 6.8% (12th), while his rushing success rate sat at 45.5% (59th).
It’s a reminder that “grind” doesn’t always translate to clean success-rate numbers. His explosiveness also wasn’t only a fluke; the case includes 2024, where McNichols popped in the same way—only four running backs averaged more yards after contact per rush that year.
The PFF benchmark matters, too. His PFF rushing grade in ’24 was on par with Bucky Irving and Josh Jacobs.
Even with a crowded, uncertain backfield, the conclusion is cautious but clear: McNichols is worth monitoring in deeper fantasy formats.
Jawhar Jordan (HOU) finishes the list with a different kind of contradiction: his rushing success rate is low, but his impact when he gets traction shows up loudly.
Per rush, Jordan had 3.3 yards after contact, ranking 2nd, and 0.21 missed tackles forced per rush, ranking 9th. His explosive rush rate was 5.7% (16th), and his rushing success rate was 35% (72nd).
Last season, Jordan wasn’t half bad in two games as Houston’s lead back. He gained 154 yards on 30 carries while catching all seven of his targets. The yards-after-contact number is explained through specific damage: the metric was inflated by a couple of big runs against a beatable Arizona front seven.
Still, the evaluation keeps a common-sense rule: the best plays shouldn’t be stripped out just because they’re big. Jordan’s path to attention also starts earlier than most people remember. He entered the NFL with a profile that “probably should have gotten more attention.” He had a 60th percentile running back target share and an 80th percentile yards per carry. In college, he was a boom-or-bust rusher, and that bled into his rookie year with the Texans.
The last line is more promise than prediction: zero RB drafters shouldn’t look “powerfully” at Jordan as a stash in deeper formats this summer.
What ties these five together isn’t just efficiency. It’s the timing—each player’s impact is visible in specific limited opportunities. and each one is being measured with the same core questions: Can they force missed tackles?. Do they generate yards after contact?. Can they explode?. And if their role grows, who actually keeps the production moving instead of disappearing behind the depth chart?.
NFL running backs 2026 season Blake Corum Keaton Mitchell Tank Bigsby Jeremy McNichols Jawhar Jordan fantasy football yards after contact explosive rush rate missed tackles forced rushing success rate
Underrated RBs always end up being the ones I drop in fantasy lol.
I read the title and thought it was like, injuries? but it’s stats. Still, Blake Corum numbers look decent. 2.25 yards after contact sounds good, idk what that translates to on Sundays though.
Wait Kyren Williams is “better or about equal”?? so why they acting like it’s a secret 😅. Also “explosive rush rate” like… does that mean long runs only? because if it’s just a couple big plays then the rest don’t matter right?
The NFL is always moving faster than the numbers can explain is such a weird sentence. Like, wouldn’t the numbers explain it if they’re real? Anyway I’m not buying RBs until they get more than “limited touches.” Missed tackles forced per rush sounds made up to me. If Corum forced missed tackles, why isn’t he the main guy already? Seems like the Rams just don’t trust him yet.