One Running Back to Target in Each Round of Your 2025 Fantasy Football Draft

Though there are plenty of differing strategies on how to acquire great running backs in fantasy football, there is no arguing that they're necessary.

In many ways, running back is still the fundamental position of fantasy football. Any time a quarterback drops back to pass, any of five eligible receivers -- usually including a running back -- can get called upon, but when teams turn to the ground, it's typically a short list of 1-2 names for each team who'll likely tote the rock.

This makes their workloads easier to project, and they've got increased chances to score touchdowns close to the goal line than a pass-catcher. If a run play is called, they will have a chance for six.

Per FantasyPros, Saquon Barkley was the RB5 by average draft position (ADP) a year ago and finished as the RB1 on any basis. Chase Brown was the RB37 by ADP and finished as the RB12. Elite producers can be had through every single round of the draft.

With that in mind, I'm going to highlight a running back that should be available in the general middle of each round of fantasy drafts this season -- excusing some slight cheating where necessary.

All in all, you'll hopefully leave here with a grocery list of running backs to pick up at the store. Like an average husband, the hope is you'll return with at least some of what's on it.

Note: A player's ADP data comes from FantasyPros' half-PPR data. The basis of 12-player leagues was used to determine rounds in this piece.

One Running Back to Target in Each Round of Fantasy Football Drafts

Round 1

Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders (8.5 ADP)

I billed this rookie running back class as generational before the draft, and Ashton Jeanty is definitely the headliner.

Jeanty went sixth overall to the Raiders in April, which already made him the second-highest-paid RB in the NFL. If backfield competition of Raheem Mostert, Sincere McCormick, and Zamir White wasn't enough of an indication, Vegas is certainly going to try and get their money's worth.

The former Boise State Broncos star enters the league as a generational prospect in terms of contact balance and vision with three-down ability. I didn't author a comparison to Ladainian Tomlinson in Jeanty's pre-draft profile lightly.

Any concerns about Jeanty as a first-round pick in fantasy football? Well, all rookie running backs taken in the top 10 since 2016 have returned a floor of RB11 on a total points basis, and we know the volume will be there. Durability should be, too. Jeanty missed just two total games in college with a granite-like lower body.

This might seem insane, but he is the RB1 in my rankings. No other running back in the NFL has his favorable combination of attrition, competition, and ability.

Round 2

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18.5 ADP)

Who doesn't love Bucky Irving?

Well, at cost, I think some are a bit trepidatious of Irving delivered the RB9 (or better) season asked of him here. Tampa Bay has a new offensive coordinator (Josh Gizzard), and Rachaad White and Sean Tucker have certainly shown enough talent to pluck touches away from him via the air and ground, respectively.

Still, Irving's talent is so pronounced, and the committee should keep him healthy. Bucky saw 22.1 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) starting in Week 10 to the end of the postseason, and he saw 34.4% of the Bucs' red zone chances in this time.

Baker Mayfield put forth a meteoric 7.2% touchdown rate last year, and if that drops, Irving is clearly the team's guy inside the 20.

Someone will nab Chase Brown in Round 2, but I'm not sure Brown nor Kyren Williams will quite have the monopoly of touches for pass-happy teams that many expect. Jonathan Taylor also showed some concerning performance metrics last year. Irving is the easiest click for me in this range.

Round 3

Breece Hall, New York Jets (30.0 ADP)

Through early projections, Round 3 is typically the floor for top-three quarterbacks. Trey McBride and George Kittle also usually go in this area.

One of the reasons why? The running backs kind of stink. Consensus ADP is showing just Breece Hall and James Cook in this range, and I prefer Hall of the two.

That has nothing to do with Cook's contract dispute as much as it does the 18 touchdowns in 16 games that might not stick with just a 31.4% red zone opportunity share -- and Josh Allen's hefty use of the QB sneak.

The Jets' offense should revolve around the run game with Justin Fields' historical inefficiency as a passer, and I'm willing to revert back to prospect evaluations and an RB6 season in 2023 (via FPPG) for Hall when a motionless Aaron Rodgers-Nathaniel Hackett offense in 2024 was a dumpster fire across the board.

In mocks where I've landed Hall, it was typically closer to the turn at the end of the round as he slid beyond this current ADP.

Round 4

Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers (46.0 ADP)

The third round might get better if Omarion Hampton's rise continues.

It's largely dependent on Najee Harris' eye injury. As Najee remains out, it's growing more and more likely that the first-round pick will be the featured back for a Chargers offense under Jim Harbaugh that we know wants to pound the rock.

Hampton's pre-draft profile shows he isn't the slam-dunk prospect Jeanty is, but he's still a darn good one that handled receiving work in college. Lacking top-end speed but showing great patience, he's a great fit as a runner behind Pro Football Focus (PFF)'s 10th-ranked offensive line.

Per NFL's NextGenStats, Harris averaged -0.07 rushing yards over expectation per carry (RYOE/c) last year. I like Omarion at this ADP expecting him to win the bulk of the touches on ability alone. If injury paves the way out of the gate, giddy up.

This is a great round to swing back toward an RB as Kenneth Walker III, Joe Mixon, and James Conner should retain gigantic workloads in their offenses, too.

Round 5

D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears (57.5 ADP)

There's a lot negative buzz around D'Andre Swift. I don't really get it other than displeased managers from prior years.

On a FPPG basis, Swift has been the RB19, RB22, RB22 in three years since departing Ben Johnson and the Detroit Lions. He's the RB24 in current ADP and reuniting with his old playcaller, who authored the best positional finish (RB12) of Swift's career in 2021.

Ben Johnson must have some faith in Swift to have waited until the seventh round to draft Kyle Monangai, who had just a 5.2% target share with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last year. He's not a three-down back as much as the 211-pounder could be a nuisance at the goal line.

Roschon Johnson is still here and does have 60 career targets in his two seasons. However, given the role Swift already had for Johnson that suits his strengths, this feels like drafting D'Andre at his floor -- even if the ceiling is questionable.

In a committee, rookie RJ Harvey probably goes very early in this round, but I don't mind Swift nor David Montgomery if the board has left me in search of an RB2 for my squad. I made the case that Montgomery's touchdowns might be the stickiest of any Lion in the wake of Johnson's absence.

Round 6

Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers (63.0 ADP)

Here's a third rookie in the first six rounds. I've had a hard time not leaving drafts with at least four newcomers across all positions.

The Steelers had just two picks in the first three rounds of April's draft, so it's noteworthy they spent one on Kaleb Johnson. The 6'1", 224-pound back from the Iowa Hawkeyes isn't even changing colors in the pros, and he's a perfect fit to replace Najee Harris as he bolts to the Bolts.

Harris got 15.5 carries per game and a 52.7% share of Pittsburgh's red zone totes, so this could be a nice role for fantasy when we know Arthur Smith's playbook is to run first and throw to Jonnu Smith second. In this offense, Aaron Rodgers isn't perfect, but he's -- at worst -- a lateral move from Russell Wilson.

Jaylen Warren broke down in 2024 after a heavier workload, so there seems to be a cap on what he can handle at 5'8". Johnson is the bruiser that could see 20-to-25 carries with goal-line chances in typical cold weather, AFC North battles.

A lack of injury history separates him from TreVeyon Henderson in this tier for me.

Round 7

Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders (82.0 ADP)

Unless we get clarity on Quinshon Judkins' legal situation in short order, it looks like it's Brian Robinson or bust in a seventh round where I do love the wideouts in this range, including Calvin Ridley, Jaylen Waddle, Chris Olave, and Jerry Jeudy.

Robinson seems to be getting dinged behind other "dead zone" running backs like Swift or Johnson because his role doesn't have the upside to be as strong, but it does seem pretty clear. B-Rob handled a team-high 29.3% of Washington's red zone opportunities a season ago, including 3.0 red zone carries per game. He actually underperformed his expected rushing TD total (8.9) with only 8 scampers for scores, according to PFF's expected fantasy points model.

We want running backs in good offenses, and the Commanders' win total (9.5) is pretty sporty when we know the defense likely won't carry them to double-digit victories. It's possible the fantasy community is overthinking an oft-injured Austin Ekeler or rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who didn't even play Power 4 college football last year, to let Robinson drop all the way to Round 7.

It's a contract year for the tailback, too.

Round 8

Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars (100.5 ADP)

I just can't believe that Travis Etienne won't have a decent role in Liam Coen's new-look Jacksonville offense.

Coen doled out 6.7 combined targets per game to Bucky Irving and Rachaad White last season, and despite positive reports about Tank Bigsby in camp, Etienne is the incumbent back in Jacksonville that can be trusted to catch passes. Bigsby has just eight catches in two seasons, and fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten had just an 8.7% target share for the Virginia Tech Hokies in 2024.

Etienne is just 26, so I'm willing to forgive a one-year dip in efficiency when he battled nagging lower-body injuries a vast majority of the season. He was still an elite college prospect that parlayed the profile into an RB3 season (on a FPPG basis) in 2023.

Even if the running back "just" has the Rachaad White role for Coen in Duval County, White finished as the RB27 last year on a FPPG basis (10.9). Etienne is one of my favorite late-round targets in fantasy football as the current RB33 in ADP.

If Bigsby starts fumbling again, his ceiling could be enormous. The floor isn't great if pass-catching specialist LeQuint Allen begins to shine from deeper on the depth chart, though.

Round 9

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (103.0 ADP)

I'll join Skyler Carlin, our "Zero RB" build prognosticator, in prioritizing Jordan Mason here.

To fantasy football veterans, it seems wholly obvious what's going to transpire in the Vikes' backfield this season. At 31 years old, Aaron Jones petered out as the season progressed to post 0.26 RYOE/c. In San Francisco, Mason shined in a similar McVay-Shanahan offense to post 1.35 RYOE/c in a season that was cut short due to injury.

It sounds like Mason is already into a 1A/1B situation with Jones, too.

There's logical sense in figuring out Minnesota's rushing attack as they'll likely want to keep a balanced approach for defacto rookie QB J.J. McCarthy. Jones and Cam Akers' inefficiency might have also been the chief reason that the Vikings had the NFL's third-highest pass rate over expectation (+3.8% PROE).

If there's a running back outside the top 100 that shocks everyone to flirt with RB1 status, Mason's warning signs were present in August.

Round 10

Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (118.5 ADP)

There's a growing trend in fantasy football of tossing aside the early-down grinder for the fun, exciting "sports car" running back like TreVeyon Henderson.

Here's the problem with a sports car, though. They break down with heavy wear. Just like Henderson did in college, missing eight total games in 2023 and 2024 before the Ohio State Buckeyes brought in Quinshon Judkins to do the dirty work. That's why Rhamondre Stevenson will still be a huge part of an improving Patriots offense.

At 227 pounds, Stevenson saw 65.1% of the Pats' red zone carries a year ago. That's probably where he'll shine for an offense that, under Josh McDaniels, Drake Maye, and roster tweaks across the board, should be much improved.

Just like with David Montgomery (14.2 FPPG) and Jahmyr Gibbs (14.4 FPPG) in 2023, the rookie might be getting too much attention for the split this has to be. Plus, if Henderson misses significant time, Stevenson could be a league-winning pick with just Antonio Gibson in the fold otherwise.

Round 11

Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (133.0 ADP)

After Round 10, my focus at running back has been on trying to secure elite handcuffs, but they have to be ones with minimal ambiguity. We saw what the Titans will do if Tony Pollard goes down.

In Week 16, Pollard sat due to injury, and Tyjae Spears shined. He played 64.1% of the snaps and drew 20 carries with 4 targets for 28 adjusted opportunities. At 0.44 RYOE/c, Spears' efficiency didn't wane with the extra volume, and the end result was 11.8 fantasy points.

That end result could be much better with Cameron Ward in the fold to upgrade the league's third-worst schedule-adjusted passing offense in the NFL last year. Will Levis can't hurt us anymore.

Tyjae battled injuries of his own last year to lose work, but Brian Callahan seems to be leaning toward a more even split than Spears and Pollard shared a year ago.

While that exact role might be tough to diagnose, you'll start Spears any week where the veteran could be inactive. Though Pollard has missed just two games in three seasons, he did have a serious leg injury in the 2023 playoffs as a potential medical red flag.

Round 12

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (157.0 ADP)

There are several different flavors of this choice, including but not limited to Ray Davis and Tyler Allgeier. Trey Benson's showcase would be enormous should James Conner suffer any sort of injury.

Conner's 2024 couldn't have been better in fantasy football. He was the RB11 in total fantasy points (203.3) as he played all games but a meaningless Week 18 tilt. It's just not super likely that happens again when the age-30 rusher had missed at least four games each in 2022 and 2023.

At some point, Arizona probably needs to test drive last year's second-round pick, too. Benson got just 69 touches last year, and the efficiency (0.27 RYOE/c) was okay compared to Conner (0.47) amid several challenges with the Cardinals' offense.

With offensive coordinator Drew Petzing still around at the scene of 2024's crime, I don't have a ton of interest in many Cards at cost. However, Benson is a "last pick of the draft" flier that could easily have an RB2 floor should something happen to Conner.

Last year in this exact situation, Benson's ADP was 117.3. It feels like we've greatly overreacted to a single healthy season for Arizona's lead back.

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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.