Sure, the offensive line is a huge part of the run game, and how effective it is, or is not, but usually if a RB is good, they are going to be good regardless of the team around them, making them a little easier to predict than WRs. That doesn’t mean this list will be 100% accurate of course. What’s difficult with RBs, is that every year there is a rookie RB or even 2nd or 3rd year player that seemingly came out of nowhere to have a huge fantasy season. I also believe most of these RBs are separated by very little fantasy points per game. It becomes a war of attrition, and who can stay on the field. So with all of that in mind, here are my predictions as of pre-NFL draft.
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1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles – Since Barkley was RB1 in 2024, I tried really hard to put another back at the #1 spot, but just couldn’t. I tried putting Jahmyr Gibbs here but couldn’t with David Montgomery taking some of his potential fantasy points. Then I tried Christian McCaffrey here, but as well as RBs Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo did in his absence in 2024, I have to imagine the 49ers may look to lighten McCaffrey’s load a bit with an RB committee. Barkley is the sure workhorse for Philly and is in the prime of his career, making it hard to have him anywhere other than #1.
2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions – I heard many people think Gibbs’ fantasy value in 2024 would be hurt too much by fellow RB David Montgomery’s involvement in the offense, especially in goal line situations, to rank him as a top 5 fantasy RB. His 1,412 rushing yards and 16 TDs along with 517 receiving yards and 4 TDs proved that theory wrong, as he finished 3rd in fantasy among RBs. 2025 will be Gibbs’ 3rd season in the NFL, and I think he’ll be primed for a good one.
3. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers traded WR Deebo Samuel and may potentially lose WR Brandon Aiyuk to free agency. This means the 9ers may look to pound the ball on the ground again with a potentially healthy McCaffrey. We’ve seen McCaffrey go in cycles of greatness for a year or two, then injury, then greatness again. Especially if OT Trent Williams returns for another season and is healthy, I believe McCaffrey could return to 2023 form for a monster fantasy season.
4. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens – Until he proves he’s actually slowing down, I’m not counting Henry out. In 2024, he rushed for 1,921 yards, 2nd in the NFL only to Barkley, and 16 TDs, tied for first among RBs. Going into his 10th season, Henry will should still see plenty of touches in Baltimore’s run first offense, giving him the opportunity to have another huge fantasy season.
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5. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts – Taylor is such a talented RB in a not so talented offense. The Colts looked to improve their QB room with the NY Giants-rejected QB, Daniel Jones, to battle for position with current dejected QB Anthony Richardson. That probably means a more run heavy offense, which bodes well for Taylor fantasy owners. His injury history is something to keep in mind though, having missed 16 games in the last 3 seasons, but when he’s healthy, he’s definitely one of the NFL’s top RBs.
6. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons – The Dirty Birds seem to have finally found their QB in 2nd-year-to-be QB Michael Penix Jr. With Robinson at RB and Drake London at WR, Atlanta should have a nice balanced offense. I’ll look for Robinson to build upon his 2024 season of 1,456 rushing yards and 14 TDs, along with 431 yards receiving and 1 TD. Like Gibbs and McCaffrey, Robinson is quite versatile, making him a good choice in fantasy drafts.
7. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals – Brown is also a versatile back in a highly prolific offense. Once he got a chance to be the featured back in 2024, he shined. He spent most of the 1st half of the 2024 season as a back up to Zack Moss, but took over the lead role later in the season. 2025 should provide plenty of opportunities for Brown, even in a pass heavy offense, to rack up big fantasy numbers, especially since he’s a good receiver coming out of the backfield.
8. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams – When Williams rushed for 688 yards and 6 TDs in the last 6 games of the season in 2023, I got a little overzealous and predicted him to finish 2nd in fantasy among RBs for the 2024 season. He didn’t finish 2nd, but he did have a strong year with over 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 16 total TDs, ranking 6th among RBs in fantasy, respectively. I can see Williams continuing where he left off in 2025 and possibly even improving upon those numbers. I have heard though, that the Rams think highly of 2024 rookie RB Blake Corum, possibly creating a RB committee in Los Angeles, which is usually not good for fantasy numbers.
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9. James Cook, Buffalo Bills – As long as he remains in Buffalo, Cook should easily be a top 10 fantasy RB in 2025. QB Josh Allen started trimming down on his rushing attempts, especially around the goal line, in 2024, which is what had hindered Cook from scoring big fantasy points in his previous 2 seasons. Cook scored a total of 18 TDs to go with his 1,267 yards from scrimmage in 2024, and should do similar production in 2025.
10. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers – In his first year as a Packer, Jacobs had his best season of his career, outside of his rushing title year in 2022. His career high 15 rushing TDs to go with his 1,329 rushing yards, 342 receiving yards and 1 receiving TD ranked 5th among RBs in fantasy for the 2024 season. I would assume his total yards from scrimmage remain pretty close to the same, but he may drop a TD or two, in 2025. Regardless, he can still be a top 10 fantasy RB.
11. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Free agency may change this ranking for the better for this elusive young RB, but for now, he is a part of a 3 back committee in Tampa.
12. Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants – Great young talent with all the tools, but is rostered on a lousy offense.
13. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans – Mixon averages just under 1,000 rushing yards and just over 300 receiving yards per season in his 8 year career. He has averaged 12.5 total TDs over the past 4 seasons. So I’m guessing Mixon will have right around 1,300 yards from scrimmage with just over 10 total TDs in 2025.
14. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals – Has been great for Arizona the past 3 years as their work horse in the backfield. Could finish 2025 as a top 10 fantasy RB.
15. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers – 2024 was easily his best year as a pro. Carolina is in a building mode around 3rd season to-be QB Bryce Young. The better Young plays, the better Hubbard can be.
16. De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins – Is now the clear cut lead back in Miami. Good receiver out of backfield. Capable of 1,500 plus total yards from scrimmage.
17. Breece Hall, New York Jets – Another great back on a bad offense. Maybe Justin Fields coming to NY helps his fantasy numbers?
18. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks – It will be interesting to see how the new look offense looks with Sam Darnold now under center. Will possibly share time with Zach Charbbonet.
19. D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears – Bears are building from the trenches out, in the off season. 2nd year-to-be QB Caleb Williams should be better, improving entire offense.
20. (R) Ashton Jeanty, Boise St. – Should be the first RB off the board in the 2025 NFL draft. Will have a better idea where he belongs on this list after that draft.
Thanks for checking out my predicted top 20 RBs list for 2025. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Do you think I was way off with one of these backs? Did I leave someone off the list? Let me know what you think. I will be periodically updating this list as things change in the off season, especially after draft. So until next time….peace.
Fantasy football is always unpredictable, but running back rankings are especially tricky due to injuries, workload changes, and emerging young talent. This list does a great job of balancing past performance with future projections, though there’s always room for debate. I like the reasoning behind placing Saquon Barkley at #1, given his workload and situation in Philly. However, I’d be cautious about Derrick Henry maintaining elite production at this stage in his career. Also, rookies and surprise breakouts always shake things up—so while these rankings make sense now, they could look very different by midseason!
Hey Vladimir!
Thanks for taking the time to drop a note, I appreciate it!
There’s certainly no doubt that the rankings will look much different mid-season! This list may even look significantly different just leading up to the season. To me, this first draft of rankings is just that. A first draft. As things progress in the off-season, you move pieces around until you feel like you have a final draft just before your fantasy draft. To me, the off-season predictions and the draft are the most fun part of fantasy football.
Mike,
You may be onto something with your analysis of the fantasy running backs this year. However, there are always those new to the NFL who manage to explode all the stats. There are those who are just drafted that take the system by storm and cause many people to change their original picks.
Jerry
Hey Jerry!
Thank you for checking out my article and taking the time to leave a comment!
I do believe you are absolutely right about the young running backs, and it’s so hard to tell who’s going to get that opportunity. This list will more than likely change more than once, especially after the NFL draft.
Hey Mike,
As an NFL fan who loves betting on football, I’ve been diving into some fantasy football predictions for the 2025 season, specifically looking at the top running backs. I came across this article on fantasyfootballu(.)com that breaks down the potential top 20 RBs for the upcoming season.
You makes some solid points about the challenges of predicting RB performance, like the impact of the offensive line, the emergence of rookie or breakout players, and the risk of injuries. However, you still takes a shot at ranking the top 20 based on factors like past performance, team dynamics, and potential changes in the offseason.
From a betting perspective, I think this list provides some valuable insights. The top picks, like Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Christian McCaffrey, seem like relatively safe bets based on their track records and their teams’ offensive strategies. That said, I’m also keeping an eye on some of the younger, up-and-coming talents like Bijan Robinson and Chase Brown. They could potentially outperform expectations and provide great value for bettors.
One thing to keep in mind is the impact of the NFL draft and free agency on these rankings. You mentions that the list will be updated periodically to reflect any significant changes in team rosters and dynamics. I think it’ll be crucial to stay on top of these updates and adjust our betting strategies accordingly.
Overall, while no predictions are ever perfect, I believe this list gives us a solid foundation to work from as we start thinking about the 2025 season. By combining these insights with my own analysis of matchups, team strategies, and real-time developments, I think we can put ourselves in a good position to make some smart bets.
What do you think, Mike? Any players on the list jump out at you? Or anyone you think you overlooked? I’m always down to talk football and betting strategy, so let me know your thoughts!
All the Best,
Eric
Hey Eric!
I appreciate you spending time in leaving some great thoughts and insight!
My English teachers in high school use to always say, never fall in love with your rough draft. This list is my rough draft and certainly will need some altering as the off season progresses. But as you stated, it’s a foundational piece to get the wheels turning for the 2025 season. Plus, it’s just fun to take a shot at predicting rankings.
I’m trying to gather more info on some rookie-to-be RBs like Ashton Jeanty, who I just saw in an NFL mock draft possibly going 6th to the Raiders. As a Raider fan, I don’t hate that pick. Jeanty more than likely will be the 1st RB to be drafted in the 2025 NFL draft.
I would like to provide one word of caution for you. If you bet of NFL games, make sure you separate that from your fantasy players. You don’t want to get caught up betting on a team because they have players you want to do well for your fantasy team. I’ve subconsciously done than before, and it didn’t go well for me. But if it’s individuals you bet on, like on Prize Picks or Underdog, these analysis can be helpful. I will be putting out articles during the season of players who might be a good choice for those platforms as well.