Fantasy football running backs used to be a no-doubt dominator of Round 1 drafters.
However, recent years have presented plausible, alternative strategies that can produce a winner by avoiding the position for at least the first two rounds.
Whether you're implementing Zero-RB, Hero-RB, Robust RB, or any other plan to fill up the position, knowing how to navigate the running back position likely is the tipping point for any draft.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2025 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
The top of the 2025 RB fantasy class looks like a new wave headlined by the Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson and the Detroit Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs -- and that often leaves the Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley third despite being his historic 2024 season.
Should Barkley be the top RB taken? Even the No. 1 pick overall?
Keep reading for our breakdown of 2025 fantasy RB draft rankings to build the best possible team.
Fantasy Football RB rankings: Best running backs for 2025 drafts
Zero-RB devotees: Look away.
Nailing the correct fantasy football stud RBs goes a long way toward setting up any plan, even if you want to ignore the position.
Beyond the nearly universally accepted three-person Tier 1 (Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley), there's plenty to discuss.
Hype rookie running backs are frequently targeted: Ashton Jeanty is in Tier 2 with established stars De'Von Achane, Christian McCaffrey, and Derrick Henry.
The fourth tier might be one of the biggest traps for fantasy drafters: volume-based backs with possible ceiling limitations, which include the Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor; the Los Angeles Rams' Kyren Williams; and the Green Bay Packers' Josh Jacobs.
Jeanty and fellow rookie Omarion Hampton (Los Angeles Chargers) immediately land in position for many RB1-type weeks. Other rookies face murky situations: TreVeyon Henderson (New England Patriots), RJ Harvey (Denver Broncos), and Kaleb Johnson (Pittsburgh Steelers) face down veteran alternatives who may at least steal split work or take the lead in their respective backfields.
Updated RB draft rankings: 8/15
- Projection tinkering for Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, and Kyren Williams pushed them up the rankings slightly.
- Chuba Hubbard's status as Dave Canales' RB1 received more optimism.
- RJ Harvey's likely move up the Broncos' depth chart was addressed.
- Quinshon Judkins' news of no legal discipline is reflected in a big way.
- Nick Chubb and Woody Marks received major upgrades as Joe Mixon's injury (lack of) news increases concerns.
These fantasy football running back rankings are based on leagues with 1 point each per 10 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards, 6 points for rushing and receiving touchdowns, and 1 point per reception.
| Rk | Ovr | Tr | Player Name | TM | Bye | OvrRk ↕️ |
| 1 | 2 | 1 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | 5 | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | 8 | ⬆️ 1 |
| 3 | 5 | 1 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | 9 | ⬆️ 1 |
| 4 | 10 | 2 | De'Von Achane | MIA | 12 | |
| 5 | 13 | 2 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | 14 | |
| 6 | 14 | 2 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | 8 | |
| 7 | 17 | 2 | Derrick Henry | BAL | 7 | |
| 8 | 21 | 3 | Breece Hall | NYJ | 9 | |
| 9 | 24 | 3 | Bucky Irving | TB | 9 | |
| 10 | 25 | 3 | Chase Brown | CIN | 10 | |
| 11 | 26 | 3 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | 11 | |
| 12 | 28 | 4 | Kyren Williams | LAR | 8 | ⬆️ 3 |
| 13 | 31 | 4 | Josh Jacobs | GB | 5 | |
| 14 | 36 | 4 | Omarion Hampton | LAC | 12 | |
| 15 | 40 | 4 | Alvin Kamara | NO | 11 | |
| 16 | 45 | 5 | Kenneth Walker III | SEA | 8 | |
| 17 | 46 | 5 | James Cook | BUF | 7 | |
| 18 | 48 | 5 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 14 | ⬆️ 2 |
| 19 | 51 | 5 | James Conner | ARI | 8 | |
| 20 | 59 | 6 | Aaron Jones | MIN | 6 | |
| 21 | 60 | 6 | D'Andre Swift | CHI | 5 | |
| 22 | 65 | 6 | TreVeyon Henderson | NE | 14 | |
| 23 | 66 | 6 | Joe Mixon | HOU | 6 | |
| 24 | 69 | 7 | David Montgomery | DET | 8 | |
| 25 | 70 | 7 | Tony Pollard | TEN | 10 | |
| 26 | 71 | 7 | Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS | 12 | |
| 27 | 73 | 7 | RJ Harvey | DEN | 12 | ⬆️ 7 |
| 28 | 74 | 7 | Isiah Pacheco | KC | 10 | |
| 29 | 80 | 8 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | 5 | |
| 30 | 87 | 8 | Quinshon Judkins | CLE | 9 | ⬆️ 25 |
| 31 | 89 | 8 | Travis Etienne Jr. | JAC | 8 | |
| 32 | 90 | 8 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | 5 | |
| 33 | 93 | 8 | Jordan Mason | MIN | 6 | |
| 34 | 94 | 8 | Kaleb Johnson | PIT | 5 | |
| 35 | 96 | 8 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG | 14 | |
| 36 | 100 | 8 | J.K. Dobbins | DEN | 12 | |
| 37 | 101 | 8 | Cam Skattebo | NYG | 14 | |
| 38 | 111 | 9 | Tyjae Spears | TEN | 10 | |
| 39 | 114 | 9 | Jaydon Blue | DAL | 10 | |
| 40 | 116 | 9 | Ray Davis | BUF | 7 | |
| 41 | 120 | 9 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | 14 | |
| 42 | 125 | 9 | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | 8 | |
| 43 | 127 | 9 | Najee Harris | LAC | 12 | |
| 44 | 128 | 9 | Rico Dowdle | CAR | 14 | |
| 45 | 129 | 10 | Javonte Williams | DAL | 10 | |
| 46 | 132 | 10 | Rachaad White | TB | 9 | |
| 47 | 137 | 10 | Isaac Guerendo | SF | 14 | |
| 48 | 138 | 10 | Trey Benson | ARI | 8 | |
| 49 | 139 | 10 | Nick Chubb | HOU | 6 | ⬆️ 24 |
| 50 | 140 | 10 | Austin Ekeler | WAS | 12 | |
| 51 | 141 | 11 | Braelon Allen | NYJ | 9 | |
| 52 | 145 | 11 | Tank Bigsby | JAC | 8 | |
| 53 | 154 | 11 | Woody Marks | HOU | 6 | ⬆️ 35 |
| 54 | 155 | 11 | Dylan Sampson | CLE | 9 | |
| 55 | 156 | 11 | Bhayshul Tuten | JAC | 8 | |
| 56 | 158 | 11 | Jaylen Wright | MIA | 12 | |
| 57 | 165 | 12 | Keaton Mitchell | BAL | 7 | |
| 58 | 168 | 12 | Tyler Allgeier | ATL | 5 | |
| 59 | 171 | 12 | Jerome Ford | CLE | 9 | ⬇️ 5 |
| 60 | 172 | 12 | Brashard Smith | KC | 10 | |
| 61 | 177 | 12 | Jarquez Hunter | LAR | 8 | |
| 62 | 178 | 12 | Roschon Johnson | CHI | 5 | |
| 63 | 182 | 12 | Jordan James | SF | 14 | |
| 64 | 191 | 12 | Blake Corum | LAR | 8 | |
| 65 | 199 | 12 | Sean Tucker | TB | 9 | |
| 66 | 202 | 12 | MarShawn Lloyd | GB | 5 | |
| 67 | 207 | 12 | Kyle Monangai | CHI | 5 | |
| 68 | 215 | 12 | DJ Giddens | IND | 11 | |
| 69 | 216 | 13 | Will Shipley | PHI | 9 | |
| 70 | 217 | 13 | Isaiah Davis | NYJ | 9 | |
| 71 | 218 | 13 | Trevor Etienne | CAR | 14 | |
| 72 | 222 | 13 | Tahj Brooks | CIN | 10 | |
| 73 | 224 | 13 | Emanuel Wilson | GB | 5 | |
| 74 | 233 | 13 | Kareem Hunt | KC | 10 | |
| 75 | 234 | 13 | Justice Hill | BAL | 7 | |
| 76 | 235 | 13 | Devin Neal | NO | 11 | |
| 77 | 247 | 14 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS | 12 | |
| 78 | 248 | 14 | Raheem Mostert | LV | 8 | |
| 79 | 250 | 14 | Kendre Miller | NO | 11 | |
| 80 | 251 | 14 | Miles Sanders | DAL | 10 | |
| 81 | 262 | 14 | Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN | 12 | |
| 82 | 265 | 14 | Ollie Gordon II | MIA | 12 | |
| 83 | 271 | 14 | Dameon Pierce | HOU | 6 | |
| 84 | 272 | 14 | Devin Singletary | NYG | 14 | |
| 85 | 273 | 14 | Kenneth Gainwell | PIT | 5 | |
| 86 | 277 | 14 | Kimani Vidal | LAC | 12 | |
| 87 | 280 | 14 | Audric Estime | DEN | 12 | |
| 88 | 284 | 14 | Elijah Mitchell | KC | 10 | |
| 89 | 287 | 14 | Samaje Perine | CIN | 10 | |
| 90 | 288 | 14 | Antonio Gibson | NE | 14 | |
| 91 | 300 | 15 | Ty Johnson | BUF | 7 | |
| 92 | NR | 15 | Ty Chandler | MIN | 6 | |
| 93 | NR | 15 | Zamir White | LV | 8 | |
| 94 | NR | 15 | A.J. Dillon | PHI | 9 | |
| 95 | NR | 15 | Trey Sermon | PIT | 5 | |
| 96 | NR | 15 | Emari Demercado | ARI | 8 | |
| 97 | NR | 15 | Craig Reynolds | DET | 8 | |
| 98 | NR | 15 | Khalil Herbert | IND | 11 | |
| 99 | NR | 15 | Phil Mafah | DAL | 10 | |
| 100 | NR | 15 | Damien Martinez | SEA | 8 |
PPR RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | DST | PK
Should Saquon Barkley be the top fantasy running back drafted in 2025?
The biggest concern is Barkley's 492 combined touches across the regular season (388) and postseason. The workload, offensive system, and skill set would, all things equal, squarely position Barkley within the top three picks.
Of course, a drop-off in performance following such a busy season is a safe bet for a 28-year-old running back.
Even with Barkley's historic 2024, Gibbs was the highest-scoring running back in PPR formats, and with his role with the Detroit Lions likely involving more slot-receiving work, Gibbs could repeat the feat.
The argument could be made for Barkley to leapfrog Gibbs in non-PPR settings. While both RBs have to share goal-line and red-zone work (Barkley with Jalen Hurts, Gibbs with David Montgomery), Barkley's ground work generally puts him ahead of Gibbs and his frequent reliance on receptions.
Should I draft using the Zero-RB, Hero-RB, or Robust RB strategy?
While this author prefers to leave drafts with at least two running backs in the first four rounds, let's examine the approach for each strategy for drafting fantasy RBs.
Zero-RB Overview
One of the trendiest fantasy strategies, widely reported to have been founded by RotoViz's Shawn Siegele, suggests drafters wait to draft their first running back until somewhere near Round 7.
Avoiding the injury risk that plagues the running back position, Zero-RB theorizes, positions fantasy managers to stack elite names at wide receiver and/or tight end before addressing the backfield for the first time in the middle rounds, when the return on investment could be much higher with little pot investment.
The ideal Zero-RB targets could be in position to seize control of a backfield as either a direct backup; a 1B option to a 1A in a timeshare; or an undervalued contributor largely ignored by those chasing studs. Ideally, targets would have the upside to deliver consistent weekly fantasy RB1 numbers should they enter a starting role.
Top Zero-RB targets for 2025 drafts
- RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
- D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
- Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders
- Travis Etienne/Tank Bigsby/Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
- Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers
- Javonte Williams/Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys
- Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
READ OUR FULL LIST: RB sleepers for 2025 drafts
Hero RB Overview
The Hero RB fantasy strategy takes a differing approach to Zero-RB while maintaining the risk aversion to the position overall.
Hero RB posits that a fantasy player draft a single, top running back, then wait until the middle rounds to acquire more reasonably priced options a la Zero-RB.
Robust RB Overview
Robust RB goes back to the old school, rattling off at least three backs in the first four rounds.
Its disciples still heavily invest in the position despite its health and role risks, due to the assumed volume trumping all other factors in building a fantasy team.