Cam Skattebo Headlines High-Risk, High-Reward RBs For 2026 Fantasy Football
Fantasy

Cam Skattebo Headlines High-Risk, High-Reward RBs For 2026 Fantasy Football

Dwain McFarland profiles a pair of high-risk, high-reward RBs to consider in your 2026 fantasy drafts.

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The RB position is one that has become increasingly important to get right in your drafts. Avoiding the landmines in the RB Dead Zone in 2026 is crucial, but two running backs go off the board right before the dead zone ... and both carry a ton of risk to go along with their upside.

RELATED: My full 2026 RB Tiers For Fantasy Football

Two High-Risk, High-Reward RBs For Fantasy Football 2026

NYG_giants-logo.svgCam Skattebo | Giants

  • Age: 24.6 (Prime)
  • Fantasy PPG (25): 16.5 (seven healthy games)
  • Role & Archetype: Committee - Dual Threat

Skattebo became the starter in Week 2 and averaged 18.8 PPG over six games before a season-ending injury. He offers a dual-threat profile that can unlock massive fantasy upside.

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Over that span, he notched a 15% target share and handled 80% of the attempts inside the five-yard line. 

He averaged 4.1 YPC with a 9.9% explosive rush rate—not elite numbers. But his 1.54 YPRR was high-end RB1-worthy. He averaged 7.1 PPG receiving for the season.

While Skattebo is on track for training camp, his injury was severe: a compound open ankle dislocation, fractured fibula and ruptured deltoid ligament. That required a tightrope procedure, which has not been kind:

  • Chris Godwin: 19.4 PPG → 9.0 PPG
  • Mark Andrews: 12.4 PPG → 10.7 PPG
  • Tony Pollard: 15.5 PPG → 12.7 PPG
  • Cooper Kupp: 13.5 PPG → 14.4 PPG

All of these players, except Pollard (26), were significantly older than Skattebo, which could work in his favor. He is moving well. However, there is a real risk.

Matt Nagy is not an inspiring hire as the OC under new HC John Harbaugh. He rarely uses plus run concepts. Yet there are a few reasons that I believe the Giants will lean toward those concepts.

Harbaugh has a history of his OCs using them (22% over the last four seasons), and Greg Roman is the top offensive assistant. He used those concepts 25% and 23% of the time, respectively, in the last two seasons with the Chargers.

The Giants also added Isaiah Likely and Patrick Ricard in free agency, signaling an intention for more heavy personnel. They also drafted Francis Mauigoa in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. The offensive line consensus rank is No. 20.

Oddsmakers have the Giants at a respectable 7.5 wins. I have them projected as the No. 19 scoring offense with 2.3 TDs per game.

Ultimately, I am in on Skattebo. I only have him projected for 55% of the rushing attempts and docked his YPC (3.8) and brought his yards per reception down from 8.6 to 7.5. Still, he projects as a mid-range RB2 with 14.6 PPG. He is going in Round 4 as the RB19. Based on historical ADP, that would outperform expectations by +2 PPG. If he bucks the tightrope trend as a younger athlete, the upside is considerable.

  • Superpower: Elite combo of pass-catching and goal-line skills.
  • Kryptonite: Coming off a major injury.

Bottom Line: Skattebo is a boom-bust RB2. He is the archetype who can deliver massive fantasy seasons. The injury risk is real, but the price is right in mid to late Round 4.

GB_packers-logo.svgJosh Jacobs | Packers

  • Age: 28.6 (Post Prime)
  • Fantasy PPG (23-25): 13.9, 17.2, 15.8
  • Role & Archetype: Near Every Down - Balanced

Jacobs was arrested in May in Wisconsin due to a domestic disturbance complaint. No charges have been filed, and the District Attorney is still reviewing the case. Jacobs has denied all allegations. There is a chance nothing will happen here if things drag out, but the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy allows the league to impose a suspension independently of the legal system.

Drew Davenport has legal expertise and provided a thorough breakdown. Ultimately, this comes down to your risk tolerance.

From an on-field perspective, Jacobs has delivered RB8 and RB10 finishes over the last two seasons. He is past his prime but still within range to provide fantasy value in a strong offensive environment.

Jacobs battled knee issues from Week 11 through the Wild Card game. Before the injury, he averaged 19.4 PPG with a 68% snap share. Post-knee injury, he handled 48% of the snaps and averaged 9.3 PPG.

  • Week 1-10: 71% attempts, 51% routes, 13% targets
  • Week 12-Wild Card: 58% attempts, 28% routes, 6% targets

Those pre-injury numbers are much more in line with his first year in Green Bay.

Jacobs isn't highly involved in the passing game and isn't a home-run hitter. But the Packers project as my No. 9 scoring offense (2.6 TDs/Game) and carry a 9.5 win total. They have the No. 27 consensus offensive line. 

He will be a value in late-Round 3 to Round 4 if he plays. I am not forcing it because players like Etienne and Williams have a similar range of outcomes at a similar price without the legal risk. I am not taking Jacobs unless he falls into mid-Round 4 or later.

  • Superpower: Near-every-down RB on a good offense.
  • Kryptonite: Off-field concerns.

Bottom Line: Jacobs offers potential value when he slides to Round 4 or later of drafts, but is a fade for me in Round 3.

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Cam Skattebo
    CamSkatteboQ
    RBNYGNYG
    PPG
    14.2
    Proj
    204.3
  2. Josh Jacobs
    JoshJacobs
    RBGBGB
    PPG
    13.8
    Proj
    219.0
  3. Isaiah Likely
    IsaiahLikely
    TENYGNYG
    PPG
    3.9
    Proj
    117.0
  4. Patrick Ricard
    PatrickRicard
    FBNYGNYG
    PPG
    0.3
    Proj
    4.1

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