Which team has the easiest 2026 running back schedule?
Detroit and Los Angeles (NFC) have the easiest 2026 running back schedule at 5 out of 5, and Carolina has the toughest at 1.
2026 strength of schedule · RB
2026 running back strength of schedule
Detroit and Los Angeles (NFC) have the easiest 2026 running back schedule at 5 out of 5, and Carolina has the toughest at 1.
All 32 teams below, easiest schedule first. Each row names the running backs the rating applies to.
Easiest first
Every team, rated 1 to 5.
| # | Team | Rating | Read | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | Easiest | Jahmyr Gibbs · Isiah Pacheco · Jacob Saylors | |
| 2 | Los Angeles (NFC) | Easiest | Kyren Williams · Blake Corum · Ronnie Rivers | |
| 3 | Dallas | Easy | Javonte Williams · Malik Davis · Hunter Luepke | |
| 4 | Green Bay | Easy | MarShawn Lloyd · Josh Jacobs · Chris Brooks | |
| 5 | Houston | Easy | David Montgomery · Woody Marks · British Brooks | |
| 6 | Indianapolis | Easy | Jonathan Taylor · Seth McGowan · DJ Giddens | |
| 7 | Jacksonville | Easy | Bhayshul Tuten · Chris Rodriguez Jr. · LeQuint Allen Jr. | |
| 8 | Minnesota | Easy | Jordan Mason · Aaron Jones Sr. · Demond Claiborne | |
| 9 | New York (NFC) | Easy | Cam Skattebo · Tyrone Tracy Jr. · Najee Harris | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | Easy | Saquon Barkley · Tank Bigsby · Jaydon Blue | |
| 11 | Seattle | Easy | Jadarian Price · Zach Charbonnet · Emanuel Wilson | |
| 12 | Washington | Easy | Jacory Croskey-Merritt · Rachaad White · Kaytron Allen | |
| 13 | Baltimore | Average | Derrick Henry · Justice Hill · Adam Randall | |
| 14 | Cleveland | Average | Quinshon Judkins · Dylan Sampson · Raheim Sanders | |
| 15 | Kansas City | Average | Kenneth Walker III · Emmett Johnson · Brashard Smith | |
| 16 | Los Angeles (AFC) | Average | Omarion Hampton · Keaton Mitchell · Kimani Vidal | |
| 17 | Miami | Average | De'Von Achane · Jaylen Wright · Ollie Gordon II | |
| 18 | New Orleans | Average | Travis Etienne Jr. · Alvin Kamara · Kendre Miller | |
| 19 | New York (AFC) | Average | Breece Hall · Braelon Allen · Isaiah Davis | |
| 20 | Tennessee | Average | Tony Pollard · Tyjae Spears · Nicholas Singleton | |
| 21 | Arizona | Tough | Jeremiyah Love · Tyler Allgeier · James Conner | |
| 22 | Atlanta | Tough | Bijan Robinson · Brian Robinson Jr. · Tyler Goodson | |
| 23 | Buffalo | Tough | James Cook III · Ray Davis · Ty Johnson | |
| 24 | Chicago | Tough | D'Andre Swift · Kyle Monangai · Roschon Johnson | |
| 25 | Cincinnati | Tough | Chase Brown · Samaje Perine · Tahj Brooks | |
| 26 | Denver | Tough | J.K. Dobbins · RJ Harvey · Jonah Coleman | |
| 27 | Las Vegas | Tough | Ashton Jeanty · Mike Washington Jr. · Dylan Laube | |
| 28 | New England | Tough | TreVeyon Henderson · Rhamondre Stevenson · Corey Kiner | |
| 29 | Pittsburgh | Tough | Jaylen Warren · Rico Dowdle · Eli Heidenreich | |
| 30 | San Francisco | Tough | Christian McCaffrey · Kaelon Black · Jordan James | |
| 31 | Tampa Bay | Tough | Bucky Irving · Kenny Gainwell · Sean Tucker | |
| 32 | Carolina | Toughest | Jonathon Brooks · Chuba Hubbard · Trevor Etienne |
Other positions
Same board, different column.
Quarterback schedules
Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia have the easiest 2026 quarterback schedule at 5 out of 5, and Las Vegas and San Francisco have the toughest at 1.
Wide receiver schedules
Green Bay and Minnesota have the easiest 2026 wide receiver schedule at 5 out of 5, and Los Angeles (NFC) has the toughest at 1.
Tight end schedules
Miami has the easiest 2026 tight end schedule at 5 out of 5, and Washington has the toughest at 1.
Kicker schedules
Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington have the easiest 2026 kicker schedule at 5 out of 5, and Denver, Las Vegas and New England have the toughest at 1.
Defense / special teams schedules
Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Pittsburgh have the easiest 2026 defense / special teams schedule at 5 out of 5, and Dallas, Minnesota and New York (NFC) have the toughest at 1.
The full grid
All 32 teams and all six positions in one filterable table.
Asked & answered
Running back schedules, answered straight.
How much should running backs schedule move my draft board?
Less than you would like it to. Schedule is a rating of a team's opponents across a full season, and opponents change: a defense that ranked near the bottom last year can be league average by October. Treat it as the reason to break a tie between two running backs you rate the same, not as the reason to move one over a player you rate higher.
What does a rating of 1 or 5 actually mean?
The scale runs 1 to 5 across all 32 teams. 1 is the toughest full-season slate for running backs and 5 is the easiest. On this page 2 teams hold a 5, 10 teams hold a 4, 8 teams hold a 3, 11 teams hold a 2, 1 team holds a 1.
Which running backs does each rating apply to?
Every row lists the running backs FantasyPros has on that team's depth chart, in their order, so the rating is attached to named players rather than left abstract. Depth moves with camp, trades and injuries, so check it against your league's roster before you lean on it.
Source
Strength-of-schedule ratings from FantasyPros. Snapshot taken 2026-09-01 from FantasyPros. Team names are cities only. gamedai is an independent analytics platform and is not affiliated with the National Football League.
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