Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs Are Ready to Reset the RB Market

The idea that running backs are disposable took a real beating last season. Bijan Robinson posted 369 PPR points in 2025 — 1,478 rushing yards, seven scores on the ground, plus 79 catches for 820 yards and four more touchdowns across 17 games. That's not a workhorse. That's an offense unto himself.

Right behind him, Jahmyr Gibbs put up 367 PPR points in his own 17-game slate: 1,223 rushing yards, a monster 13 rushing touchdowns, and 77 receptions for 616 yards and five scores. Two backs, essentially interchangeable production, both finishing inside our top five overall. When the two most valuable non-QB assets in fantasy are running backs, the whole "positional value is dead" argument gets a lot quieter.

Why This Duo Matters

What makes Robinson and Gibbs different from the bell-cows of a decade ago is the receiving work. Robinson caught 79 balls, Gibbs 77. That's the reset — these aren't two-down grinders whose value evaporates on passing downs. They're every-down centerpieces who hold their floor no matter the game script, which is exactly the kind of stability that used to be reserved for elite wideouts.

In our rankings, Robinson lands at #4 overall and #2 at the position, with Gibbs at #5 overall and #3 at the position. That top-five clustering isn't an accident. When a back touches the ball 20-plus times and pulls in seven-plus targets a week, the ceiling stays sky-high and the bust risk stays low. Draft rooms are starting to price that in again.

The Form Split

The one thing separating these two right now is recent trajectory. Robinson trended up late in 2025, running +1.5 fantasy points above his season average across his final five games. He was arguably the safest back in the sport heading into the offseason.

Gibbs went the other direction, closing at -2.3 fantasy points below his season average over his last five. Nothing structural — his role never wavered, and 13 rushing touchdowns don't happen by accident — but the cooldown is real enough to matter if you're negotiating a trade or setting a draft board.

The Fantasy Fallout

Robinson is the cleaner buy if you can get him. Elite volume, ascending form, and the receiving floor that makes him matchup-proof. There's no realistic path to a discount here, so treat him as the RB1 target he's earned the right to be and pay full freight in the first round.

Gibbs is where the value lives. That -2.3 dip over his final five is the kind of blip that spooks casual managers and softens his price — and softening the price on an RB who just banked 367 PPR points with 13 touchdowns is a gift. If a manager in your league is nervous about the finish, that's your window.

The winners here are anyone landing either back inside the first five picks; the loser is whoever bought into the zero-RB dogma and let both of these guys walk. Robinson: hold and build around him. Gibbs: buy low before the discount closes, because it won't survive one big Week 1.