Sorting Out Fantasy Football's Most Crowded Backfields in 2025

RBBC.

There's no acronym that strikes more fear into the hearts of fantasy managers than "running back by committee." And in the 21st century, they have become more and more prevalent across the NFL.

Last year, not a single back in the NFL had 350 carries. Only Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles averaged 20 carries per game, and just six backs had 275 carries. Running backs aren’t getting the touches they used to.

Those touches equal opportunity in fantasy football, so finding backs who will get the ball regularly is critical to success.

It doesn't help that many of this year's top rookie backs landed on teams with murky backfield situations. Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders may not have to worry about another back poaching work, but many others aren't so lucky.

R.J. Harvey of the Denver Broncos appeared to have a clear path to a heavy workload—right up until the team signed J.K. Dobbins this week.

There are more crowded and confusing backfields in the NFL than you can count on one hand. And knowing how to approach these puzzles could mean the difference between a postseason run or a disappointing 2025.

Houston Texans

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Joe Mixon

The Houston Texans weren't supposed to have a crowded backfield in 2025. Last year, Joe Mixon was a three-down workhorse for the team when healthy, averaging just over 20 total touches per game.

But that was before the Texans brought in Nick Chubb, who gained over 1,000 rushing yards in four straight seasons in Cleveland from 2019 to 2022. But his 2024 campaign was a mess; one year removed from a serious knee injury, the four-time Pro Bowler averaged just 3.3 yards per carry before a broken foot ended his season eight games in.

However, Chubb told reporters on Tuesday that his injury woes are done.

"That's all behind me. Injuries happen," he said. "With what I did, it takes about two years to really get back. So, I'm over the hump. Now, I'm feeling as good as I have been in a long time."

Mixon also has injury issues of his own, as Michael Fabiano noted for Sports Illustrated:

"Now heading into his age-29 campaign, Mixon comes with health questions. He was seen in a walking boot during the offseason and did not participate in Houston’s OTAs. We’re not exactly sure if this ailment will affect his status for training camp, and now the Texans will have Chubb on the roster. This comes after the team drafted Woody Marks in April. Mixon has been a very good fantasy back over the years, but concerns about his health and the addition of Chubb signal a potential problem."

The sad truth is that Chubb looked washed last year even before breaking his foot—the injuries he has sustained over his career appeared to have caught up to him. This writer doesn't think the 29-year-old is a serious threat to a healthy Mixon's status as Houston's top back.

But with Mixon having injury questions of his own, his early ADP of RB17 at Fantasy Pros is too high. He is more of a low-end RB2.

Until we see differently, Chubb is no more than a late dart throw.

Denver Broncos

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

R.J. Harvey

J.K. Dobbins is a real party-pooper.

R.J. Harvey wasn't the first running back drafted in 2025, but the Denver Broncos thought enough of the UCF standout to draft him in Round 2. He quickly became a darling of the fantasy community, as much because of the lack of talent around him in Denver as his own skills.

But then the Broncos signed Dobbins to a one-year deal, leading to much wailing and gnashing of teeth. After all, the Ohio State product eclipsed 1,000 total yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his lone season with the Chargers a year ago.

However, Scott Pianowski of Yahoo isn't ready to panic about Harvey just yet:

"It's never a bad idea to add good football players and J.K. Dobbins can be a good football player at peak. I've long stopped believing he's ever going to be great, though. I think Denver adding Dobbins is more of a commentary on the support guys in their running back room, and not a strike against intriguing rookie RJ Harvey. Keep in mind, Dobbins has played just 30 of a possible 68 games the last four years, and although he looked like an electric receiver at Ohio State, he hasn't been that guy in the NFL. If you were already a Harvey fan, this might be a good thing for you. The draft price might have gone down a bit. I don't know when the backfield might belong to Harvey, but looking on the season as a whole, he still feels like the guy to get."

It’s not surprising that Denver added a back. Head coach Sean Payton has always favored using multiple backs, and the depth behind Harvey was somewhat average. And his hype was a little out of control; his early ADP is RB16.

If that ADP falls, Harvey could be a value. Even if he shares touches early, it's all but inevitable Dobbins will get hurt at some point.

Harvey is overvalued at his current cost, though, and this muddied backfield is a potential headache best left to someone else.

Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Najee Harris

Speaking of the Los Angeles Chargers, they created a nice little backfield mess of their own in 2025.

On paper, they were a great landing spot for rookie Omarion Hampton. The 6'0", 221-pounder has a three-down skill set, the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh were 12th in the league in rushing attempts last year and teams don't draft running backs in Round 1 so they can bench them.

The problem is they drafted Hampton after signing Najee Harris to a one-year-deal. The 27-year-old might not be the most exciting player, but he topped 1,000 yards on the ground in all four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Matt Okada of 4For4 is one of many fantasy analysts expecting Hampton to seize control of the Bolts' backfield in short order:

"Given the draft capital invested, I think Harbaugh and (OC Greg) Roman will turn to Hampton as their primary back sooner rather than later. The only other backs selected in the 20 to 25 overall range in the last 15 years were Harris himself and Josh Jacobs, and both saw 240+ carries as rookies. I won't project Hampton quite that high, primarily because Harris is a better RB2 than — *checks notes* — Benny Snell in Pittsburgh or DeAndre Washington in Oakland. But I'd expect him to crack 200 carries, with Harris playing a supporting role somewhere in the 125-150 range."

However, while Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins both have extensive injury histories, Harris has been durable and has yet to miss a game in the NFL.

If Okada is reasonably close in his workload projections, it's going to be awfully hard for Hampton to return value on his RB15 ADP. Harris' days as a fantasy RB2 are kaput unless the rookie gets hurt.

Noticing a theme yet? Picking the right RB2 in 2025 ain't gonna be easy.

New England Patriots

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

Rhamondre Stevenson

Full disclosure: This analyst is a big fan of New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson as a talent. He’s as electrifying a back as there was in the Class of 2025. A threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball.

Meanwhile, Rhamondre Stevenson, um, isn't. Last year, he averaged a mediocre 3.9 yards per carry and fumbled a whopping seven times.

Given the Pats used a second-round pick on Henderson, it's not a stretch to say they might have buyer's remorse about the four-year, $36 million extension they gave Stevenson a year ago.

However, Henderson had injury issues at Ohio State. He topped 180 touches just once in four years—his freshman season. He had just 171 touches in 16 games last year splitting time with Quinshon Judkins.

Given that injury history, Stevenson could retain a significant role in New England's offense. In fact, Dwain McFarland of Fantasy Life believes the pair could see a nearly equal split in 2025:

"I have the Patriots' backfield divided into a 1A/1B split, with 46% of the attempts going to Rhamondre Stevenson and 44% going to TreVeyon Henderson. The same thing plays out in the route participation department, 38% to 35% in favor of Stevenson. That creates a median projection scenario of 9.9 points per game in PPR, which has your eyes glazing over. However, the ceiling projection of 15.6 is much more encouraging, and given how close this split is, Henderson doesn't have to do much to swing things in his favor with the new coaching regime of Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels."

At 15.6 PPR points per game, Henderson would have been RB17 last year—a handful of spots above his RB21 ADP. You don't want to know where 9.9 points per game ranks.

As with all the backfields we have gone through so far, barring an injury or a far more lopsided workload split than most expect, it's going to be hard for the new "lead" runner to justify his early price tag.

New York Giants

AP Photo/Derik Hamilton

Tyrone Tracy Jr.

There weren't many bright spots for the New York Giants in 2024, but the play of Tyrone Tracy Jr. was one.

The fifth-round rookie surpassed 1,100 total yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Had he started earlier, he would have cracked the top 25 fantasy backs.

However, as with the other backfields in this piece, the Giants added a running back in the 2025 draft in the form of Cam Skattebo in Round 4.

The Arizona State battering ram was wildly productive in college, and Kevin English of Draft Sharks believes the Big Apple is one of the better places he could have landed:

"Considering his Round 4 draft capital, Skattebo landed in a fine spot for 2025 opportunity. Sure, Tyrone Tracy beat expectations as a 2024 rookie. But he was a late 5th-round pick with limited college production. And his advanced metrics weren't as impressive as his raw production. Among 31 RBs with 150+ carries, Tracy ranked 26th in Pro Football Focus Rushing grade, 25th in yards after contact per attempt, and 18th in PFF Elusive Rating. So Skattebo could enter a timeshare -- and perhaps earn lead back work -- as soon as this fall. Now, the Giants remain iffy along the O-line. But Russell Wilson at least arrives to supply a short-term QB upgrade."

Unlike the other rookies we have discussed, Skattebo doesn't cost much in fantasy drafts. His early ADP is RB33, two lots higher at the position than Tracy.

If you’re a believer in Skattebo’s talent and believe he can usurp lead duties from Tracy sooner rather than later, then he could be a bargain.

And even in a timeshare, the duo has a decent chance of returning flex value.

Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Bart Young

Javonte Williams

We’ll wrap this up with the Island of Misfit Toys that is the Dallas Cowboys' backfield.

After getting a 1,000-yard season out of Rico Dowdle in 2024, the Cowboys surprisingly let him walk, replacing him with Javonte Williams on a one-year, $3 million deal.

It was a signing that left Bill Barnwell of ESPN somewhat unimpressed:

"Dallas' biggest problem on offense last season was in the red zone, where it ranked 31st in conversion rate. I'm not sure Williams really helps there, as he generated minus-7 FDOE over the past two years. Since 2021, the only back with at least 600 carries to post a worse success rate than Williams is Harris. Williams is saying all the right things this offseason about recovering from his injury and being at his best, but he was league-average before the ACL tear and hasn't reached that level since."

Williams wasn't the only back Dallas brought in. It also signed veteran Miles Sanders and drafted Jaydon Blue out of Texas in the fifth round.

Sanders was mostly awful the past two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, while Blue is an explosive but undersized back who had just 214 carries in three years in Austin.

Can you feel the excitement?

Frankly, if one of these running backs emerges as the clear No. 1 back, he would be a dream target for the "Zero RB" crowd. Williams has the highest ADP of the lot, but he's barely going inside the top-40 running backs.

This writer’s money is on Williams as the team's nominal lead back when the dust settles and a potential fantasy sleeper. And even if he doesn't pan out, no one's season was ever wrecked by an 11th-round fantasy draft pick who didn't work out.

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Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.