Running Backs, Tier 1
1. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit
3. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia
4. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
No surprise here, as Bijan Robinson sits at the top of the RB throne for 2025 fantasy drafts. The Falcons’ offense will feature Robinson heavily in both the passing and rushing game, and he’s the safest bet of the group. Unlike the consensus, I have Jahmyr Gibbs ahead of Saquon Barkley as the number two option. The main factor in play here - Barkley had 436 carries between the regular season and playoffs. That’s an enormous number of totes, so my concern of follow-on wear and tear nudges him outside of the top 2 on the draft board.
We finish tier 1 with last year’s top ranked RB on draft boards…Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers’ offense will continue to run through McCaffrey, so he possesses number 1 overall upside. But McCaffrey has an injury history and will play this season at 29 years old, which is not young by RB standards.
The tier 1 RB quartet should be selected during the early to mid part of round 1. Don’t overthink it.
Running Backs, Tier 2
5. De\\\'Veon Achane, Miami
6. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas
Just a hair below the top group, this duo of RBs may well prove that they belong above. De’Von Achane serves as the focal point of the Dolphins’ offense, making up for fewer rushing attempts with his heavy role in the passing game - evidenced by 78 receptions in 2024. Achane’s volume of carries will need to increase for him to ascend any higher up these rankings.
Ashton Jeanty enters the NFL as the most polished RB prospect in years. He lands with Pete Carroll and the Raiders, which could not be a better home for fantasy or real life purposes. Carroll preaches the importance of a strong rushing attack, and Jeanty will get plenty of touches for a Raiders’ offense that’s trying to establish itself as a tough, battle tested unit.
This duo belongs in the bottom half of round 1. How exactly they slot versus the top wide receivers depends on preference and league scoring system.
Running Backs, Tier 3
7. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis
8. Derrick Henry, Baltimore
9. Chase Brown, Cincinnati
10. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay
11. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay
12. Omarian Hampton, LA Chargers
13. Kyren Williams, LA Rams
The tier 3 group oozes talent and high end potential, starting with Jonathan Taylor. Merely two years ago Taylor sat as RB1 overall on draft boards…and following an injury riddled 2023 season, Taylor bounced back with 1,400 yards rushing and 11 TDs last year. He’ll need to increase his role in the passing game though to elevate back to tier 1-2 status.
The ageless Derrick Henry looked spry last season alongside QB Lamar Jackson. Henry’s a perfect fit in Baltimore, and despite his age (31), expect 1,500 yards and 10 TDs as a baseline. We move next to one of my favorite players for this year – the Bengals’ Chase Brown. With Zack Moss released, Brown has a no-doubt path to bell cow status in a prolific offense that will include him in the passing game.
The Bucs’ have solidified their RB group with Bucky Irving as the top dog, as he nudged Rachaad White from co-chair to backup status in the second half of the 2024 season. Irving had 15 or more carries in each of the team’s final five games (including playoffs). Expect this trend to continue, as Irving is simply the better RB.
Josh Jacobs had a productive first year with the Green Bay Packers, following several years with the Raiders. Jacobs doesn’t have competition for carries and contributes in the passing game as well. He may face some regression with TDs, but he’s as safe of a pick as they come.
We move now to the second most sought after rookie RB – Omarian Hampton of the Chargers. While we’ve yet to see Hampton play a down in the NFL (preseason excluded), he joins a rush first offense behind a strong offensive line, and now with Najee Harris (his primary competition for carries at RB) currently injured. There’s always risk with a rookie, but yes – sign me up!
We end tier 3 with Kyren Williams, who has a knack for finding the end zone – 26 rushing TDs over the past two seasons. Williams doesn’t flash on film the same way some of these other players do, but he’s been incredibly productive…and the Rams’ coaching staff clearly loves him, as evidenced by his new contract extension.
Round 2 through early round 3 make sense for the tier 3 studs. Lots of high ceiling options among this group.
Running Backs, Tier 4
14. James Cook, Buffalo
15. Kenneth Walker, Seattle
16. Breece Hall, NY Jets
17. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans
18. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina
19. James Conner, Arizona
The drop from tier 3 to 4 feels noticeable, as each player in this group presents legitimate questions or a ceiling you can touch (though you may need to jump). The Bills’ James Cook serves as the key ball carrier in a prolific offense, though QB Josh Allen will usurp many potential TD opportunities near the goal line. Kenneth Walker has had trouble staying healthy, while also going “big game hunting” on too many carries, resulting in yards being left on the table. Walker has the largest upside of this tier, but also has Zach Charbonnet lurking for touches.
Breece Hall finds himself in a potential RB committee, while also having carries syphoned off by QB Justin Fields. He’s their most explosive rusher, however, so he could wrestle away a dominant role in the Jets’ rushing attack. On the other end of the spectrum, Alvin Kamara provides a very strong floor to go along with a lower ceiling. The Saints’ offense will struggle this year, but Kamara remains in line for a lion’s share of touches.
Chuba Hubbard had a strong 2024 season, which for him couldn’t have been timed better - with expected long-term RB Jonathan Brooks injured for most of 2024 and now out for the 2025 season. We end with James Conner, who many of us have tried to write off the last few years, only for Conner to continue producing top flight statistics. Conner now sits on the wrong side of 30, with promising second year RB Trey Benson also expected to get into the mix. Until Conner falls off, trust him to continue to produce. But don’t be surprised to see his usage decrease…or if I end up wrong here.
The tier 4 RBs make sense starting the back half of round three and through round 4.
Running Backs, Tier 5
20. TreVeyon Henderson, New England
21. David Montgomery, Detroit
22. Caleb Johnson, Pittsburgh
23. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City
24. RJ Harvey, Denver
25. D’Andre Swift, Chicago
26. Tony Pollard, Tennessee
27. Tyrone Tracy, NY Giants
28. Joe Mixon, Houston
29. Aaron Jones, Minnesota
30. Brian Robinson, Washington
More rookies have prominent roles in tier 5, leading off with TreVeyon Henderson. The Ohio State product has an all-around game, including strong blocking skills…allowing him to stay on the field on passing downs. While the incumbent Rhamondre Stevenson will be a factor, the majority of RB touches for the Patriots are destined to go to Henderson. Risky player only because he’s a rookie, but upside points sky high.
David Montgomery’s role with the Lions remains clear – the thunder to Jahmyr Gibbs’ lightning. Solid output, but with a cap on his ceiling. Zigging back to another rookie, Caleb Johnson has the inside track on leading the Steelers’ in carries, with Jaylen Warren resuming more of a change-of-pace / third down role. Isiah Pacheco had a disappointing year for the Chiefs in 2024, largely due to injuries. Whether you think he’ll revert back to the lead role or share carries with Kareem Hunt and others will dictate where you place him in this tier. Betting here that Pacheco rebounds in 2025.
RJ Harvey is the next intriguing rookie. How will Sean Payton deploy him? JK Dobbins factors into the mix for Denver as well – at least until he gets injured. The Bears’ offense should exhibit massive improvement this season, running an offensive game plan that’s of the 21st century. D’Andre Swift will benefit, but so will Roschon Johnson. How those two backs split carries will be interesting. Tony Pollard may be ranked too low here, as he faces less competition for carries. It remains to be seen how much Cam Ward’s arrival can divert defenses’ attention away from Pollard as well.
Tyrone Tracy took over the lead rushing duties mid-season for the Giants last year, producing more than 800 yards on the ground to go along with 5 TDs. His efficiency dropped as the season wore on, however, failing to amass 60 rushing yards in any of his final seven contests. Tracy should remain the main option on early downs, however, so he has opportunity to build on a solid rookie season.
Joe Mixon’s dealing with a mysterious foot injury, so he’s very hard to rank at this moment. Until we receive more definitive information, he’ll be in that RB3 / flex territory for fantasy drafts. While not injured, Aaron Jones’ fantasy outlook has taken a hit with the addition of capable rusher Jordan Mason. Expect some type of split there too, with Jones getting more of the work. The Commanders’ Brian Robinson rounds out tier 5, with the lead rushing gig for the team but not having a prominent role in the passing game. His 4.1 career YPC leaves something to be desired
The tier 5 group should be selected starting in round 5 and continuing into round 7.
Running Backs, Tier 6
31. Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville
32. Jordan Mason, Minnesota
33. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh
34. Zach Charbonnet, Seattle
35. JK Dobbins, Denver
36. Cam Skattebo, NY Giants
37. Trey Benson, Arizona
38. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville
39. Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland
40. Tyjae Spears, Tennessee
41. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England
42. Javonte Williams, Dallas
We’ll hit on the tier 6 folks quickly. Early reports suggest Tank Bigsby has the inside track to lead the Jaguars in carries, but Travis Etienne will factor in as well. With a new coaching staff in place in Jacksonville, we’ll ultimately need to wait and see. Jordan Mason, Zach Charbonnet and Trey Benson are my favorite players to draft from this group, as each player is one injury away (from their team’s starting RB) from potential RB1 status.
Jaylen Warren’s role with the Steelers should match the last few seasons. Dobbins will produce while he’s on the field…but yes, don’t count on a full season. Will be interesting to see how the Giants utilize Cam Skattebo. While not likely, it’s possible he’ll wrestle the lead job away from Tyrone Tracy…so the upside is there.
Quinshon Judkins has a shot to be the lead RB, though for what figures to be a dreadful Browns’ offense. Tyjae Spears will resume his third down / change-of-pace role with the Titans, while Rhamondre Stevenson faces an uphill battle for retaining touches with rookie sensation TreVeyon Henderson’s arrival. I’d like to rank Javonte Williams higher given his opportunity for touches, but he seems to have lost all of his juice since his injury a few years ago.
Rounds 8 through 9 should be the going rate for these RBs.
Running Backs, Tier 7
43. Braelon Allen, NY Jets
44. Ray Davis, Buffalo
45. Dylan Sampson, Cleveland
46. Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville
47. Roschon Johnson, Chicago
48. Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco
49. Austin Ekeler, Washington
50. Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta
51. Jaydon Blue, Dallas
52. Jaylen Wright, Miami
53. Rico Dowdle, Carolina
54. Jerome Ford, Cleveland
55. MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay
We wrap up the RB position with tier 7, which has a few players with intriguing upside (Bhayshul Tuten, Jaylen Wright and MarShawn Lloyd) along with some folks in timeshares (Braelon Allen, Roschon Johnson and Austin Ekeler, with the latter as the third down back). Tyler Allgeier and Isaac Guerendo step into bell cow roles if their team’s tier 1 RBs get injured. Beauty remains in the eye of the beholder here.
Tier 7 RBs should be selected from rounds 10 and onward.
Draft Strategy:
For the 2025 season, running backs you can truly count on exist in short supply. There’s an initial drop-off after tier 3, then another after tier 5. You should do whatever you can to snag at least one RB within the top 3 tiers, and at least three RBs from within the top 5 tiers. From those selections, at least one should be a high upside play.
As you enter tiers 6 and 7 later in your drafts, target players who are one play away from an elevated role (i.e. timeshare), or otherwise have a shot to usurp the starting role during the season from the incumbent RB. Avoid the players who are older and on the downside of their careers. The goal here is to try to find a player that will pop during the season.
Personal Note
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