For those of us in a dynasty fantasy football league, there’s never an end to the grind. With the conclusion of the NFL draft, it’s time to start planning our next seasons, put in those last minute trades, and of course, draft our rookies. Let’s take a look at three exciting rookie running backs to watch out for this 2025 season.
Ashton Jeanty – Las Vegas Raiders
Here’s a shock: Ashton Jeanty might be good. Jeanty has already been named the RB1 for the Las Vegas Raiders; last time a rookie running back was a day-one starter for their team, we got Saquon Barkley. The biggest thing you look for in any fantasy player is volume, something Jeanty will excel in. Considering the Raiders, they were 30th in rushing attempts last year, yet their RB1 still finished with 5 TDs and 714 scrimmage yards. All of these are numbers we can expect to see go up with Jeanty at the helm. He’s the consensus number one RB, and should be the consensus number one pick period in your dynasty draft. If for whatever reason you are convincing yourself Jeanty won’t work out, put your fears aside. Everything backs him up.
Quinshon Judkins – Cleveland Browns
Our second running back to look forward to is Quinshon Judkins. With Nick Chubb’s likelihood of staying with the Browns diminishing by the day, and Jerome Ford being a serviceable yet unpredictable presence, Judkins may get more time than one would expect from a rookie. He’s floating around the RB4 mark in every ranking I see, which I think is fair, but I feel like he’d be a great late-first to early-second pickup in a dynasty league. He’s got a great burst, and is more likely to stretch the field than you’d expect for someone with his size. Judkins is an impressive athlete that I think won’t be immediately be on everyone’s radar, and I think he can find himself getting in on sweeps and other stretch plays. Would be great to stash.
RJ Harvey – Denver Broncos
Finally, the last running back I wanted to give a shoutout to is RJ Harvey of the Denver Broncos. Absolutely fantastic situation he’s in, and if you’re drafting early enough in the summer, this guy might slide under the radar into the early-to -late-second for your league, which would be fantastic value. The biggest thing boosting him up is his competition, only having to beat out Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime for the starting role, a completely do-able task. The only issue I’d see long-term is his age, 24 for a second round pick isn’t exactly the youngest, however, with a RB in dynasty, you’re going to want to take what you can get. I’m a huge fan of his athleticism as well, with an impressive 134 yards per game in a pretty tough Big 12 in the 2024 season. RJ Harvey is the perfect slide candidate in a top-heavy draft that you’re going to want to take a closer look at.
