Jahmyr Gibbs Should Be the 2026 Fantasy Football 1:01

Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson have had their careers tied together since they entered the league together in 2023. 

They were the only two running backs selected in round one of the 2023 NFL Draft, with Robinson going eighth overall and Gibbs going 12th. Each has ascended to superstardom, with multiple Pro Bowl selections and Robinson even earning First-Team All-Pro honors in 2025. 

Gibbs and Robinson have also been two of the most consistent players in fantasy football, finishing as top-ten fantasy running backs in all three years and top-three backs over the past two seasons.

Robinson recently signed a historic three-year, $66.75 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, briefly the largest of all time for a running back. The Detroit Lions then made Jahmyr Gibbs the highest-paid running back in NFL history with a three-year, $67.5 million deal.

Both players are the current top two picks on consensus fantasy football draft boards. Which fourth-year, recently extended running back should go first in drafts?

Here is the case for why Gibbs should be the pick at 1:01:

Detroit’s Overall Offensive Volume

To put it plainly, it is a lot easier to trust Detroit’s offense than Atlanta’s. And in fantasy football, offensive quality and volume are critical.

Both have new offensive coordinators with Drew Petzing replacing John Morton for the Lions and Tommy Rees joining Kevin Stefanski’s staff. However, the Lions have a lot more continuity on their roster and coaching staff. 

Dan Campbell’s team will still have a similar identity to years past, and is relying on the same offensive nucleus of Jared Goff, Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. The Falcons have an entirely new coaching staff and uncertainty at quarterback with Michael Penix Jr. coming off an injury and Tua Tagovailoa.

In 2023 and 2024 under Ben Johnson, the Lions were third and second in the league in offensive plays per game. That slipped to 14th last year, but Campbell is counting on the offensive coordinator change getting Detroit closer to their offensive output from the previous two years.

The Lions were sixth in the NFL in red zone opportunities last year and in 2023, and led the league in attempts in 2024. Their red-zone touchdown percentage has also hovered around 66% over the past three years, one of the league’s best marks. Detroit’s offense consistently finds the end zone, and Gibbs will be the primary beneficiary. 

David Montgomery’s Exit

Gibbs has been a consistent fantasy RB1 throughout his career despite sharing a workload with David Montgomery, a top-20 fantasy back in two of the past three years. Montgomery has been Detroit’s primary goal-line back, with 33 touchdowns in his three years in Detroit. 

Montgomery missed three games in 2024, the year that Gibbs finished as the fantasy RB1. In the final three games of the regular season without Montgomery, Gibbs averaged over 32 fantasy points per game.

The Lions signed Isiah Pacheco to replace the RB2 role, but it seems unlikely he will have as large a role as Montgomery did in 2023 and 2024. Pacheco has a smaller frame than Montgomery and lost his starting role in Kansas City over the last two years due to injuries and declining efficiency. 

Pacheco is a more than capable backup that can keep Gibbs fresh, but this is not going to be a 1A, 1B situation like years past in Detroit.

While Robinson also lost his 1B in Atlanta’s backfield, with Tyler Allgeier now in Arizona, new backup Brian Robinson Jr. could be a similar red-zone vulture. Robinson will still be the bellcow for the Falcons, but changes to Atlanta’s running back room do not benefit his fantasy upside as much as Gibbs’ situation.

Receiving Upside

Goff has the most passing touchdowns in the league over the past five years. Increasingly, he has relied on Gibbs as a receiving target. 

In 2025, Gibbs had career highs in targets (94), receptions (77), receiving yards (616) and receiving touchdowns (5). Gibbs was billed as a dynamic receiving threat in college at Georgia Tech and Alabama, and has lived up to that pre-draft reputation. However, his production still has room to grow.

With a high-volume offense, the absence of Montgomery and room for even more receiving production, Gibbs is the best-positioned player in fantasy football and should be the top target in drafts.