Is this guy worth drafting? Is he just gonna ride the bench or actually play? Should I use my first round pick on this player? Today we’re gonna help you answer some of those questions for running backs. We have already reviewed quarterbacks and wide receivers, if you missed them or wanna check them out they will be linked here. We will take a look at who’s worth starting and picking in the first or second round. As well as who’s worth a bench spot, who you should avoid, or who may be worth gambling on. There’s a lot of young talent at the running back position so there’s a lot of potential for some fun picks here.
Starters: Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Jamyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Kyren Williams, Chase Brown, Ashton Jeanty
As with the other lists this will be pretty short, these guys are just elite, almost always worth the number 1 or 2 round pick. All of these guys are in good rosters, with playbooks that lean on them in the run game. If you’re in leagues that have 2 running back slots having two of the guys on this list can create a dominant duo. There is an asterisk behind Chase Brown and Ashton Jeanty. For Brown he has some competition in the running back room. Given how much the Bengals offense will be on the field this year, Brown should see plenty of touches. Jeanty is just a young prospect and can be risky for injury or production. However the Raiders are clearly going to revolve a large part of their offense behind Jeanty and his gigantic thighs. He is almost a gamble player but I’m confident he will produce at least average numbers.
Bench: Chubba Hubbard, Breece Hall, De’von Achane, DeAndre Swift, Jonathan Taylor, Bucky Irving, James Cook, Kenneth Walker III, Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, David Montgomery, Aaron Jones, James Conner
On to the old reliable bench players, these players are solid and dependable. Most of them can work as starters in your lineup but they share snaps with another RB or don’t have the most dominant run game. If you play in leagues with two running backs then these guys are wonderful as RB2 or RB3. In cases like Hubbard, Hall, Swift, Taylor, Cook, and Kamara they are the high end bench players as they have solidified their role on the roster. Just not quite elite backs. Montgomery, Achane, Irving, Jones, Mixon, and Walker all share snaps with another running back on the roster. In Mixon’s case I would steer clear entirely because not only did the Texans draft a running back but they just traded for Nick Chubb.
Gamble: JK Dobbins, Omarion Hampton, Quinshon Judkins, Kaleb Johnson, TreVeyon Henderson, Cam Skattebo, Tank Bigsby, RJ Harvey, Javonte Williams
Come take a gamble with me, these young rookies have a lot to prove. Bigsby and Williams are both trying to prove themselves amongst other talent in the running back room. Its hard to predict how much production they will make so they have less upside. However with all the other guys on the list they are worth a gamble. Every single one of the rookies will have a chip on their shoulder. Grabbing one of these guys as your 3rd option is gonna be worth a gamble. Hampton, Johnson, and Judkins are the prime candidates to truly gamble on. They have the biggest upside and won’t have to compete with as many running backs in the locker room. That leaves JK Dobbins, he is most importantly placed at the beginning of this list. Dobbins is almost a good bench player but because he’s on a new roster in Denver with a big running back room as is, it’s hard to tell how much of an impact he will have at least immediately. He is one of the most reliable gambles as he has a lot of upside and if he doesn’t workout you can drop him mid season.
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Here’s an article for the top 30 fantasy running backs for the 2025 NFL season!
