Everybody knows what a Bust is in Fantasy Football, but what is a Grenade? More than just a bad pick, a grenade could be a good player drafted at his absolute peak, buying all the risk. He could also be a late-round dart-throw pick whose upside is so low he’s just taking up valuable roster space. I’ll rate each player on a scale from 1 to 5 💥 (think of these as grenade blasts, since we’re fresh out of grenade emojis). One 💥 means minimal concern, while five 💥💥💥💥💥 signals a player you should steer clear of entirely.
Predicting breakouts is fun, but steering readers away from overpriced landmines can be just as valuable. That was the goal of last year’s Fantasy Grenades series. Unfortunately, two of these running backs exploded exactly as anticipated. The other two blew up in my face.
2025 Fantasy Grenade Running Backs in Review:
Kyren Williams made my worry about his efficiency look foolish. Williams bounced back from averaging 4.1 yards per carry in 2024 to 4.8 while rushing for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also set career highs with 36 receptions, 281 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns, finishing as the RB9 in PPR scoring. Neither Blake Corum nor Jarquez Hunter seriously threatened his role, and the workload concerns never materialized. Williams wasn’t a league-winner at his price, but he was considerably closer to safe than explosive.
Verdict: Miss
Aaron Jones Sr. was the cleanest call of the group. Jones missed five games and managed only 747 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns, finishing as the RB41 in PPR scoring. More importantly, the workload reduction happened exactly as anticipated. Jordan Mason led Minnesota with 159 carries, 758 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, while Jones received only 132 carries and scored twice on the ground. Injuries contributed to the result, but the age, declining workload and Mason-induced touchdown concerns were all legitimate reasons to avoid Jones at his price.
Verdict: Hit
Saquon Barkley didn’t completely crater, but the historic workload caught up with his fantasy value. After rushing for 2,005 yards in 2024, Barkley fell to 1,140 yards while his yards per carry dropped from 5.8 to 4.1. He still produced nine total touchdowns and finished as the RB14 in PPR scoring, which is useful unless you drafted him as the RB1 and one of the first three players off the board. The prediction wasn’t that Barkley would suddenly become bad; it was that you shouldn’t pay for a repeat of one of the greatest running back seasons ever. That fade proved correct.
Verdict: Hit
Jonathan Taylor was the grenade that blew up directly in my hands. Taylor had one of the best seasons of his career, rushing for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 378 receiving yards and two more scores. Daniel Jones helped bring stability to the Colts offense before his injury, and Taylor finished as a top-four PPR running back. The end-of-season production I thought was matchup-based turned out to be the real deal.
Verdict: Miss
A 2-2 record isn’t going to get me hired by the bomb squad, but identifying the Barkley regression and Jones workload reduction made the exercise worthwhile. Now let’s see if I can avoid stepping on my own grenades in 2026.
Bhayshul Tuten – Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Etienne Jr. went home to NOLA this offseason, and the thought of Bhayshul Tuten as the lead dog in a Liam Coen offense has nearly all fantasy footballers drooling at the mouth. First, he had to dodge the offseason threats of the Jags adding a significant backfield piece via free agency or the draft, which he did. While I’m excited for the expanded opportunity Tuten should see, I’m proceeding with caution as to where I’ll draft him. Tuten tantalized us with splash plays his rookie season, but his underlying numbers left much to be desired.
Among running backs with at least 100 carries, Tuten finished:
- 33rd in yards per carry
- 43rd in explosive-run rate
- 15th in forced missed tackles
- 14th in yards after contact
Reports from camp have been nothing but positive, with Head Coach Liam Coen stating he expects a “big year” from Tuten. The Jags added Chris Rodriguez Jr. this offseason, but he’s been hampered by injury so far during camp. But I think people are discounting LeQuint Allen Jr. Granted, it was on about a quarter of the touches, but Allen was the more efficient runner of the two.
I’m not saying Tuten won’t be the lead back in Jacksonville, so don’t go tootin and tweetin that I hate Bhayshul. But the combination of Tuten’s subpar efficiency and explosiveness with sharing the backfield with two backs that can chip away at his volume. Poor efficiency + low volume = a dangerous game, friendo.
Tuten’s Fantasy Grenade Rating:
💥💥 (2/5)
I’m not drafting ahead of the guys he’s currently sporting a nearly identical ADP with. Names such as D’Andre Swift, David Montgomery, and TreVeyon Henderson are all players I’d rather take the plunge on. Tuten makes for a fine RB2/FLEX depending on your team build, but beware any ADP helium with all the preseason hype.
Bucky Irving – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving went from the belle of the ball to not getting the ball in a disturbing fashion during his sophomore season. It’s easy to explain away the injury-impacted season where Irving missed multiple games. But even before the injury, Bucky started the season off slow. Among the 30 running backs with at least 40 carries through Week 4, Irving ranked 25th in yards per carry, 21st in explosive run rate, and ceded the goal line work to Rachaad White (Irving had zero attempts inside the five). His numbers after returning for the final six games didn’t do anything to stir any optimism.
Among the 49 running backs with at least 100 carries in 2026, Irving ranked 37th in explosive-run rate and dead last in yards per carry. Only he and Isiah Pacheco failed to receive a single carry inside the five.
Rachaad White’s free agency departure initially opened the door ever so slightly for a potential Irving bounce-back, but the addition of Kenneth Gainwell significantly threatens Irving’s workload. Let’s say Gainwell only takes over the third down/pass catching role. What’s left for Irving? Early work inside the 20s. Kenny G catching passes and the returning Sean Tucker more than likely sliding right back into the goal-line work after scoring eight touchdowns on only 97 touches.
Irving’s Fantasy Grenade Rating:
💥💥💥💥 (4/5)
Irving is currently being drafted in the late teens/early 20s, which isn’t the worst place to take a shot on him. But similar to Tuten, I’d rather draft nearly all the players in the same range: Cam Skattebo, Travis Etienne, Quinshon Judkins, D’Andre Swift….so on and so forth.
Josh Jacobs – Green Bay Packers
Sure, he locked down an RB1 finish for the fifth time in seven seasons, faces little threat for touches, and plays in a high-powered offense. So what lands Josh Jacobs on this list?
To start, touchdowns have been his lifeline for RB1 relevance. He’s scored 14 touchdowns in his two seasons in Green Bay. In 2025, Jacobs dipped below four yards per carry for the third time, and among 49 backs with 100-plus carries, he landed just 22nd in explosive-run rate and 35th in yards per carry. His career YPC sits at 4.2 entering 2026. Since 2010, there has been just one running back with a yards per carry under 4.4 to score double-digit touchdowns in three consecutive seasons with at least one at age 27 or older: Marshawn Lynch (2011-2014).
There are plenty of question marks around his availability. Jacobs has managed a full season just twice and is creeping up on the notorious age-28 cliff for running backs. Even a minor groin strain in camp is enough to raise an eyebrow. Off the field, things are murky too: Jacobs was arrested in May on domestic abuse allegations. He denies any wrongdoing and no charges have been filed yet, but the investigation is reportedly still open.
Jacobs’ Fantasy Grenade Rating:
💥💥💥💥💥 (5/5)
Jacobs’ age, injury risk, declining efficiency, and touchdown dependency give me more than enough reason to stay far, far away. Even if he dodges legal trouble, I’m steering clear until at least the late 20s, if not later.
Photo by Larry Radloff | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@CarbonFoxGFX on Twitter/X)