Most Elusive NFL Running Backs Entering 2025

From a sports betting or fantasy football lens, the running back position is largely driven by volume -- a factor often outside a player's control.

But you still need talent to turn that volume into production. One way to measure running back talent is by looking at how elusive that rusher is.

That's what we'll look at here, breaking down the most elusive NFL running backs entering 2025.

Most Elusive NFL Running Backs Entering 2025

To do this, I pulled rushing statistics from NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus (PFF) for every running back who recorded at least 150 rush attempts in the 2024 regular season.

The table below ranks the top 10 running backs by PFF Elusive Rating, accompanied by several other rushing metrics.

PFF: Elusive Rating (60.5 sample median)
AT%: Avoided Tackle Rate (18.4% sample median)
YCO%: Percentage of Yards After Contact (68.7% sample median)

Let's run through the most elusive NFL running backs entering 2025.

Bucky Irving (TB)

Bucky Irving made our most efficient running backs list, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise he was the NFL's most elusive back in 2024. Irving led the league in PFF Elusive Rating and yards after contact per attempt (4.03) as a rookie.

Irving's marriage to a rock-solid Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line proved to be a perfect match. His strong after-contact marks alongside a league-average before-contact clip average helped him rank 10th in rushing yards (1,122) and fourth in yards per carry (5.4).

Kenneth Walker III (SEA)

Kenneth Walker III's rushing volume (and efficiency) dipped in his third NFL season. That speaks more to the Seattle Seahawks' offensive line than any downtick in efficiency from K9.

Walker finished a close second behind Irving in PFF Elusive Rating and was a narrow third in percentage of yards after contact. He averaged the fewest yards before contact per attempt among backs with 150 carries.

He was far and away the best running back at avoiding tackles on a per-carry basis, recording 59 avoided tackles on 153 carries -- good for a 38.6% avoided tackle rate. The next-closest running back in our sample had a 27.4% avoided tackle rate.

Tank Bigsby (JAC)

Tank Bigsby bounced back from a quiet rookie season and averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per carry in 2024. He was one of just three running backs with at least 150 carries to register a PFF Elusive Rating north of 100.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' bruiser led the league in percentage of yards after contact (82%) and finished second in avoided tackle rate (27.4%).

Bigsby accomplished that in spite of a Jags offensive line which held Jacksonville backs to the lowest yards before contact per attempt (0.9) in the NFL.

James Conner (ARI)

After leading the league with a 110.5 PFF Elusive Rating in 2023, James Conner put together another strong season in 2024. He finished 11th in total rushing but fourth in PFF Elusive Rating.

The 30-year-old posted the third-highest avoided tackle rate (26.3%) in football last season. He was top 10 in percentage of yards after contact (71.2%) and yards after contact per attempt (3.30) -- even with the Arizona Cardinals boasting one of the league's better offensive lines.

Derrick Henry (BAL)

It wouldn't be a running back leaders list if Derrick Henry wasn't on it. The 31-year-old showed no signs of slowing down in his inaugural Baltimore Ravens campaign, finishing second in total rushing yards (1,921) while registering the fifth-highest PFF Elusive Rating.

King Henry ranked sixth in avoided tackle rate (24.3%) and third in yards after contact per attempt (3.50).

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.