Fantasy Football 2025: RBs Who Should Be on Your Late-Flier Draft List

Running backs used to be the kings of fantasy football, and the first round of drafts was dominated by the position. That's no longer the case, but the position is still an essential part of building a winning roster.

Teams go as far as their backfields take them.

The problem is, running back has also become something of a minefield for fantasy managers. The number of true every-down backs decreases by the year—only five surpassed 325 touches in 2024. The position is also more prone to injury than, say, wide receiver.

That has led some fantasy managers to punt the position in the early rounds, either partly with a "Hero RB" strategy or altogether with "Zero RB." And even if you can't resist the urge to address the backfield early, later-round running backs who become viable weekly starters can save a season if (when) injuries strike—or turn a good team into a great one.

All of these running backs are available outside Round 10, and all have the potential to be the kind of late values that win leagues.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt of the Washington Commanders isn't here, though. The rookie hype darling has considerable upside, but his ADP is rising so quickly that the odds of getting him outside the top-120 picks has plummeted to "good luck."

Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

ADP: 120

One player in, and we're already fudging our own rules. But if Croskey-Merritt gets bumped into the top 120, then Tank Bigsby falls to 121.

The Jacksonville Jaguars backfield doesn't inspire much in the way of confidence from fantasy managers—the earliest any Jags back is being drafted on average is Travis Etienne Jr. in the first half of the ninth round.

The reason for that reluctance is simple: We don't know who is going to lead the Jags running backs in touches.

Will it be Etienne, the 2021 first-round pick who topped 1,000 yards in his first two seasons before backsliding in a big way in 2024? Will it be fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten? Or Bigsby, who led the Jaguars with 766 rushing yards a year ago?

All three backs got some first-team reps in training camp. But it's Bigsby who appears to have the edge to at least get early-down duties, with offensive coordinator Grant Udinski praising his hard-charging running style.

"There's a lot to like about Tank," he said. "I think you see the style of runner he is, and it all pops out at times on tape with the physicality and his ability to take one cut and really attack lanes or holes, depending on the run scheme it is."

Bigsby's not a factor in the passing game—just eight receptions in two years. But he shares some similarities with Tampa's Bucky Irving, who was a top-15 fantasy option a year ago in new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen's offense.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

ADP: 138

There was a time earlier this summer when New York Jets running back Braelon Allen was a fantasy afterthought. The second-year pro, who averaged just 3.6 yards per carry as a rookie, was little more than a potential fantasy "handcuff" for managers who invested an early pick in Breece Hall.

But then training camp rolled around, and a couple of things became evident.

Firstly, new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn had bigger things in mind for Allen in 2025. Secondly, at least in camp and exhibition games, he was the most impressive back on the team.

Glenn lauded Allen's power and physicality.

"Braelon is a 240-pound man that's always falling forward," he said. "That's where he's going to make his money. It's going to weigh on defensive players."

Allen has looked so good this summer that there have been multiple rumblings that Hall could be traded. Glenn played down those rumors, but there are also those who believe Allen could assume lead back duties sooner rather than later.

Hall is a talented young running back. But he's entering a contract year, durability has been an issue in the past and his yards per carry have fallen from 5.8 as a rookie to 4.2 a year ago.

It's not hard to imagine the Jets trotting out a backfield in 2025 similar to Detroit's, with Hall filling the Jahmyr Gibbs role while Allen is New York's David Montgomery.

A healthy Montgomery was a top-20 fantasy back in PPR points two years ago.

Nick Chubb, Houston Texans

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

ADP: 142

Once upon a time, Nick Chubb was a fantasy star. A legitimate first-round pick. he topped 1,000 rushing yards four straight years from 2019 to 2022, including surpassing 1,500 rushing yards in 2022.

But after a devastating knee injury in 2023 and a broken foot a year ago, the Cleveland Browns let him go. Now, the 29-year-old finds himself trying to resurrect his career in Houston.

Camp reports regarding Chubb were mixed. But head coach DeMeco Ryans praised the veteran back after a preseason debut with the team where he gained 25 yards on five carries.

"Chubb did a really nice job playing physical, running behind his pads," Ryans said. "I just like the way the whole team played a physical brand of football, the type of football I expect us to play and I'm really proud of the guys for that."

Realistically, we're not going to see the player who was sixth in PPR points among running backs again—Chubb is about to turn 30 and has suffered multiple serious knee injuries. Last year in Cleveland, he looked a shell of his former self.

But the four-time Pro Bowler appears to have sewn up the No. 2 running back role in Houston, and there's no telling how long Joe Mixon will be sidelined by the foot injury that wiped out his entire offseason.

If Chubb can return even low-end fantasy RB2 value, he'll be a bargain at the end of the 12th round of fantasy drafts.

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

ADP: 147

Last year. Bucky Irving seized the lead role in the backfield for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But fourth-year pro Rachaad White had almost 200 touches in his own right and eclipsed 1,000 total yards for the second straight season.

Now in a contract year, a slimmed-down White told reporters he plans to make the most of the touches he does get in 2025:

"The biggest thing [with the way] I approach it right now, when my number's called, make plays. Don't take a play off and make the most of the touches I get. I'm not really thinking about any of that, honestly. I'm just here to have fun and see what happens. Being in Year Four, I don't think it gives me a sense of urgency. I just think me wanting something for myself, wanting to be great, wanting to be a guy that's still looked at as a playmaker on this team, gives me a sense of urgency."

White suffered a groin injury in the preseason, and between that and Tampa head coach Todd Bowles' proclamation that Sean Tucker needs the ball more in 2025, many in the fantasy community are seemingly ready to write White off.

But we're talking about a player in White who has caught 115 passes over the past two seasons—seasons in which he posted two top-20 finishes and one inside the top five.

White isn't going to disappear from the Buccaneers offense. And he's an excellent target for the hardy souls willing to roll out a "Zero RB" draft strategy.

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

ADP: 159

Of the backs listed in this piece, Tyler Allgeier of the Atlanta Falcons has the least value early in the season—he's the clear backup to Bijan Robinson.

His carries have dropped in all three seasons, and the 25-year-old had double-digit carries in just two of last season's final seven games.

However, Allgeier is also one injury away from being a fantasy league-winner.

While speaking to reporters, Atlanta running backs coach Michael Pitre said one of the things that makes Allgeier so valuable is that he can take some of the workload off Robinson and hopefully prevent that injury from happening:

"When you have another guy like Tyler in the room, he can take a lot off of (Bijan) as well. Their games are different, but the production is still high. If you're in the season and Bijan needs a break, we have no problem throwing Tyler in there knowing that we're still going to get very high production. That part also helps backs create a little bit of longevity through a long season."

Atlanta didn't necessarily practice what Pitre preached in 2024—Robinson's 365 touches a year ago were the second-most in the league. That isn't "Curse of 370" territory, but even 350-touch backs tend to regress the following year more often than not.

At the very least, fantasy managers who invest a top-five pick in Robinson should draft Allgeier as well—he's a great insurance policy available at a reasonable cost.

But Allgeier is quite the "lottery ticket" pick even for managers who don't roster Robinson. Should the latter miss time, the former would immediately become a top-20 running back at least.

Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

ADP: 166

It wasn't supposed to be this way in Cleveland.

When the Browns drafted Quinshon Judkins in the second round of the draft, the presumption was he would quickly assume lead back duties for the Browns.

However, he was arrested on a domestic violence and battery charge in the offseason and remains unsigned. Prosecutors have since declined to file a formal misdemeanor battery charge against Judkins, but he may still face an NFL suspension.

The team also selected Tennessee's Dylan Sampson in Round 4, but through most of the summer, it has been 2024 leading rusher Jerome Ford who operated as the team's top back.

It's a role Ford held last year after Nick Chubb went down, and a role that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is confident he can fill again.

"He's a guy that has the home run ability at any moment's notice with his speed," he said. "He's gotten better over the course of his career. A bunch of different areas, including blitz pickup, the pass game, those type of things. He's a guy that we've won with, that we played well with. So, we have a lot of confidence in Jerome."

To be clear, Sampson is going to figure into the mix as well—in Cleveland's preseason finale, he and Ford essentially split the first-team reps. And when Judkins joins the team, that will muddy the waters that much further.

But Ford is a proven commodity who had almost 250 touches, topped 1,100 total yards and was RB16 in PPR points two years ago. He has the trust of the coaching staff, and early in the season at least, he's the best bet to lead the Browns backfield in touches.

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