Fantasy football draft szn is upon us. 'Tis the season to ignore friends and family for the next five months in order to hopefully win a (likely relatively minor) cash prize and/or avoid a humiliating last-place punishment!

This brings us to today's goal: Breaking down my RB rankings and tiers (code Ian for 20% off!) ahead of the 2025 season. We'll roll with half-PPR scoring, and for the sake of brevity, I'll be sticking to no more than 50 words for every key player listed.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

2025 RB Tiers For Fantasy Football

Tier 1: Ballers, shot callers (RB1-3)

The best talents the position has to offer poised to see fantasy-friendly workloads that should give them every chance to finish as THE RB1, y'all, this season...

RB1 Bijan Robinson: No RB offers a better combination of talent, three-down ability, and expected workhorse volume. The 23-year-old talent is firmly in his prime and is someone I'm willing to take ahead of anyone not named Ja'Marr Chase in fantasy drafts of most shapes and sizes. Only "issue": More big runs, please!

RB2 Saquon Barkley: I'm dubious of the 400-touch curse and history of reigning RB1s allegedly sucking the next season. Fun fact: Over the last 10 years, the RB1, RB2, RB3, RB4, and RB5 on average all finished worse in the following season! Don't overthink the world's best RB behind the league's best offensive line.

RB3 Jahmyr Gibbs: PPR RB5 with David Montgomery last season and RB1 without. Yes, Detroit extended D-Mont last October, and their losses on the offensive line and at OC aren't ideal. Also yes, the NFL's RB2 in yards per carry since 2023 and explosive pass-catcher is locked in as a top-six overall pick.

Tier 2: Stud workhorses (RB4-RB9)

Great RB talents poised to rack up bunches of touches. Is that something you might be interested in? ...

RB4 De'Von Achane: RB5 in PPR points per game as a rookie thanks to the most yards per carry in a season … ever. RB6 in 2024 thanks to the most receiving production among RBs. Explosive, pass-catching RBs are one of the closest things we have to cheat codes in fantasy football land. 

RB5 Christian McCaffrey: What if he gets hurt? Counter: What if he doesn't? Then you have the position's all-time leader in career PPR points per game at a discount for the first time in years. Throw in less pass-game competition than normal, and it's reasonable to project CMC as THE RB1 in 2025.

RB6 Derrick Henry: A genie comes down from the sky and says they'll give you $1 billion if you can correctly guess how many TDs Henry will score this season. 15? 20? 30? Like Barkley, let's not overthink one of the best RBs of their generation inside one of the game's best offenses.

RB7 Ashton Jeanty: 300, hell, 400 touches are on the table for the "generational" sixth overall pick. I've had Jeanty as high as RB3 this offseason for this reason–my tiebreaker is the reality that the RBs in front are in higher-projected scoring offenses, something that matters more at RB than other positions.

RB8 Jonathan Taylor: The RB5 in all-time career rushing yards per game (!) has 2024 Saquon vibes considering the potential for one of the game's most-talented backs to breeze past 300 touches at a second-round cost in fantasy land. Not a one-for-one comparison, but yeah: Please chill out for once, Injury Gods.

RB9 Josh Jacobs: Is RB8 production on the back of 1,671 total yards and 16 TDs as the engine of the Packers offense good? That seems good. 300-plus touches remain on the table inside the ever-well-schemed Matt LaFleur offense. My *one* slight concern is LaFleur's at-times iffy RB usage history.

Tier 3: We don't have 99 problems, but we do have one (RB10-17)

RB1 production is very much still on the table here, but there's just enough of a concern in one facet of these RBs' games to warrant borderline RB1 treatment in fantasy land ...

RB10 Kyren Williams: More PPR points per game than any RB not named Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, or Jahmyr Gibbs since 2023. Maybe Blake Corum and Jarquez Hunter muddle things up, but Kyren just got #paid, and no team was more willing to leave *one* RB on the field in 2024.

RB11 Bucky Irving: While I don't love the reality that Rachaad White (14.4 PPR points per game) out-scored Bucky (13.7) in Weeks 1-16 last season, the rising second-year back did indeed take over down the stretch, and man, how can you not bet on this tackle-breaking phenom?

RB12 Chase Brown: RB33 in PPR points per game (11) in Weeks 1-8 before Zack Moss was sidelined. RB4 (20.9!) on an elite 85% snap rate after. I GUESS Samaje Perine and Tahj Brooks could muddle things up, but RB1 inside the most fantasy-friendly offense in the league is pretty provocative.

RB13 Omarion Hampton: The good: Mr. Ride-or-Die earned first-round draft capital for a reason and is fully expected to work as the lead back in the league's reigning 11th-ranked scoring offense. The bad: Maybe Najee Harris could turn this into a committee if he still has two functioning eyeballs. It is Greg Roman.

RB14 Kenneth Walker: Elite breaker of tackles who, unfortunately, may have sold his soul to those wretched Injury Gods. And yet, I just can't quit the man—the RB7 in Utilization Score last season ranked sixth in PPR points per game from RECEIVING. RB1 heights are in play with a featured role.

RB15 James Cook: Explosive 25-year-old RB1 with perhaps still untapped pass-game upside in the league's reigning second-ranked scoring offense sounds like a pretty good profile to me. Of course, contract stuff needs to be settled, and 18 TDs again seems unlikely, but man, imagine if the workload increases even a little bit.

RB16 Chuba Hubbard: Panthers have 33 million reasons to feature Chuba behind the NFL's highest-paid offensive line. Reigning RB13 in PPR points per game trailed only Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Jordan Mason in rush yards OVER expected per carry. I'm doubtful Rico Dowdle or rookie Trevor Etienne will earn meaningful committee roles.

RB17 Breece Hall: Fits fantasy-friendly explosive pass-catching archetype, but operates inside a potential bottom-five scoring offense. Dual-threat QBs also haven't historically been great for fantasy RBs due to their tendency to scramble instead of checking down and factor into the rushing equation near the goal line. Could also see more Braelon Allen.

Tier 4: Darkhorse rookie RB1s (RB18-19)

A full three-down workhorse role seems unlikely, but man, what if these young'ns are simply good enough at the game to make the most out of somewhat limited opportunities? I'm willing to invest more here over higher-floor veterans in the hopes of capturing second-half fireworks (not literally, Najee)...

RB18 RJ Harvey: Similar committee and overall volume concerns as our next RB, but the Broncos offer a far more proven scoring offense and consensus top-five offensive line. Sean Payton's history of enabling fantasy-friendly RBs is borderline erotic, and Harvey tentatively profiles as a capable Joker-esque pass-game option.

RB19 TreVeyon Henderson: Love the explosive, pass-catching archetype. Don't love the Patriots' still very-much unproven offensive line and scoring offense in general. Fantasy Life Projections have Henderson ceding plenty of work to Rhamondre Stevenson. Elite day-one efficiency is essential to reach RB1 heights, a bet I usually don't love to make.

Tier 5: Older but not forgotten (RB20-26)

It feels wrong to have some of these guys ranked as low as they are. That said, Father Time tends to be a dickhead, and our previous RBs aren't exactly losers in their own right ...

RB20 Alvin Kamara: Has posted back-to-back top-five fantasy finishes despite not exactly operating in great offensive environments. Now, the 2025 edition of the Saints could very well be the worst group yet; just realize it's hard for RBs who can easily push for 70-plus receptions to meaningfully bust in fantasy land.

RB21 James Conner: The Tyler Lockett of RBs when looking at annual ability to best their preseason ADP, Conner has fewer annoyances than most RBs working with high-end dual-threat QBs due to Kyler Murray's lack of volume near the goal line. Of course, 30-year-old backs historically aren't the world's best bet.

RB22 David Montgomery: Received a stellar two-year, $18.25 million extension last October. The artist known as Knuckles has posted back-to-back top-16 PPR finishes and possesses high-end RB1 upside should Gibbs miss any time. This offense loves to feed its RBs near the goal line. Main concerns: More Gibbs, fewer offensive TDs overall.

RB23 D'Andre Swift: Has never finished outside fantasy's top-24 RBs in PPR points per game. Maddening vision and meh advanced rushing metrics aside, Swift is still capable of creating some big plays and profiles as Ben Johnson's lead pass-down back at a minimum—a role which produced RB16 numbers back in 2022.

RB24 Tony Pollard: Yards after contact numbers were back to pre-tightrope surgery heights in 2024, and the Titans were willing to feature Pollard with a near every-down role when Tyjae Spears was sidelined—something that could be a reality again ahead of Week 1. There's a chance this expensive O-line takes a step forward.

RB25 Isiah Pacheco: One of the tougher RBs to rank due to the reality that strong Week 1 usage would turn him into an instant top-15 RB, while a more multi-back approach could leave the 26-year-old talent outside the position's top 30. Ultimately, I'm buying the upside scenario alongside clearer committee backs.

RB26 Brian Robinson: At the risk of underestimating future HOF Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Robinson profiles as the lead early-down and short-yardage back inside the league's reigning fifth-ranked scoring offense. That produced 958 total yards and eight scores in 14 injury-riddled games last year (RB28)–there's 2023 Raheem Mostert/2021 Damien Harris spike-TD upside here.

Tier 6: Committee szn (RB27-31)

We fully expect these backfields to feature multiple RBs, but then again, isn't that usually a reality on more teams than not in the year 2025? ...

RB27 Aaron Jones: The reigning RB20 racked up a career-high 306 touches as THE running back, y'all, of Kevin O'Connell's ever-well-schemed attack last season. However, the soon-to-be 31-year-old faces newfound competition in the form of our next RB—I've not gone out of my way for A-aron at low-end RB2 home league price tags.

RB28 Jordan Mason: Only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley had more rushing yards than Mason during the first eight weeks of 2024. The man is shifty! A fantasy-friendly 1B/goal-line role appears to be firmly on the table behind the Vikings' revamped o-line. At cost, I very much prefer Mason to Jones.

RB29 Jaylen Warren: Early-season hamstring and knee injuries in 2024 could make you forget Warren has been one of the game's single-most efficient RBs since entering the NFL in 2022. Unfortunately, Gen-Z Austin Ekeler isn't expected to completely take over this Najee-less backfield, but 60-plus reception upside is hard to overly bicker about.

RB30 Kaleb Johnson: The new Najee in Pittsburgh was a bowling ball at Iowa, earning an Arian Foster comp from Fantasy Life draft expert Thor Nystrom. That said: We're still talking about a mid-third-round pick with questionable pass-down ability inside an offense not expected to light up scoreboards. Also, Arthur Smith.

RB31 Tyrone Tracy: Only Breece Hall (15) had more combined fumbles and drops than Tracy (12) last season. That said, Tracy still took over the backfield with ease, and it's far from a given that fourth-rounder Cam Skattebo yanks the job away—particularly as he deals with a lingering hamstring injury. Prime zero-RB target.

Tier 7: Yikes (RB32)

Yikes ...

RB32 Joe Mixon: Don't love when an RB's lingering foot injury is described as "Frustrating." Even if good for Week 1, the newfound presence of Nick Chubb and Woody Marks adds another layer of doubt to the projection. The Texans are also widely believed to be fielding the NFL's single-worst O-line in 2025.

Tier 8: FLEX with benefits (RB33-40)

Running away with a workhorse role seems unlikely here, but that doesn't mean these RBs can't prove useful with 12-15 touches per game ...

RB33 Travis Etienne: The first-team preseason snap darling, ETN looks like the frontrunner to lead this backfield at the moment. Perhaps shoulder and hamstring injuries explain last season's struggles; the once explosive playmaker did manage RB23 and RB7 finishes in 2022 and 2023. A better-schemed offense could go a long way.

RB34 J.K. Dobbins: Reportedly very much in the running for RB1 duties in Sean Payton's ever-profilic offensive attack. What if the answer to RJ Harvey vs. Dobbins is just … yes! Learned doctors believe Dobbins could be closer to 100% an extra year removed from his Achilles injury. I'm buying at RB3-4 cost.

RB35 Rhamondre Stevenson: Signed a four-year, $36 million extension last June and now reunited with former OC Josh McDaniels. While figuring out Patriots backfields hasn't been easy over the years, this was historically a group very capable of enabling multiple fantasy-friendly RBs. Possible FLEX-level standalone value and big handcuff upside here.

RB36 Javonte Williams: Reportedly the lead back and "finally healthy." Look, Javonte was one of the worst RBs in the league last year in a good offense with a great offensive line. It's tough to think the Cowboys represent an upgrade, but hey, it's a cheap dart at a potential starter. Can't complain.

RB37 Dylan Sampson: Very unclear if Quinshon Judkins will play a snap of football this season. That could open the door for Sampson to challenge Jerome Ford for RB1 duties as early as Week 1. Still, Kevin Stefanski has historically refrained from overloading a single RB. Both RBs are worthy of late-round darts.

RB38 Cam Skattebo: Had one of the greatest single-game performances I've ever seen last January 1. The plus receiver led all Power 5 RBs in yards per route run (1.95) last season. Skattebo's hamstring injury isn't ideal, and I believe in Tracy, but at a minimum, there's handcuff and late-season upside here.

RB39 Tank Bigsby: Horrific rookie season that featured the single-worst target compilation in NFL history … and then Bigsby went on to post some asinine advanced rushing numbers. Seriously. Training camp propaganda has sided with Bigsby having a solid chance to lead the way on early downs in this (hopefully) ascending offense.

Tier 9: Elite handcuffs (RB40-47)

Trotting these backs out as your RB2 or FLEX in Week 1 won't feel good, but each is *one* injury away to their respective team's starter from instantly getting featured on the cover of waiver wire articles throughout the industry ...

RB40 Najee Harris: Should see RB3-worthy role in a solid offense behind a top-10 offensive line … if his eyes still work. Insert lack of vision joke here; just realize Najee made more good plays than you remember last season, and his lack of big runs are held against him more than most.

RB41 Zach Charbonnet: 19.3 carries and targets in nine career games as the Seahawks' featured back, leading to seven top-20 PPR finishes. Pretty good, although I doubt his potential to steal a meaningful standalone role, and is the handcuff upside really sky high inside the Seahawks' potentially porous scoring offense?

RB42 Jaylen Wright: My most-drafted player this offseason: Wright's RB5-ADP is low enough by itself to warrant plenty of clicks due simply to his status as Achane's projected handcuff, but there's also legit standalone upside in an offense that helped Raheem Mostert score 21 TDs in 15 games back in … 2023.

RB43 Austin Ekeler: Maybe the presence of Deebo Samuel and training camp HOF Jacory Croskey-Merritt screws things up here, but man, Ekeler's RB29 finish last season was built on his typical PPR-goodness and relative every-down role (70%+ snaps in multiple games) when B-Rob missed some time. If Washington trails more in 2025 …

RB44 Ray Davis: Earned 23 of 27 (85%) backfield carries and targets in his one game without Cook last season. Ty Johnson will always cap the receiving upside, but Davis looked good with his opportunities, and would offer at worst upside RB2 upside without Cook inside the Bills' perennial top-five scoring offense.

RB45 Trey Benson: Offers a similar prototype to Davis in a (probably) worse offense: Talented second-year back without much chance for standalone value who could lose some pass-down work BUT would deserve top-15 consideration should anything happen to Conner thanks to 15-20 opportunities per game. Fun! Just don't feel the need to reach.

RB46 Tyler Allgeier: Has 586 combined carries and targets in his three-year career and *zero* fumbles or drops. The man has proven three-down ability and deserves to be in any conversation surrounding fantasy's most valuable handcuffs. Of course, Allgeier profiles as a near-zero any week that Bijan is healthy. Great late-round best-case scenario regardless.

RB47 Isaac Guerendo: Shoulder injury isn't, but Guerendo did post RB2, RB10, RB11, and RB25 finishes in his only four games with 50% snaps last season. At the risk of overstating our Shanahan RB pecking order confidence, Guerendo should be the CMC-handcuff here–historically one of the most valuable potential roles in all of fantasy.

Tier 10: We're saying there's a chance (RB48-65)

There will, of course, be holes in the profile of any RB4/5 in fantasy football land. That said, our final tier of backs at least have a realistic path to some level of solid fantasy relevance ...

RB48 Nick Chubb: It would be AWESOME if Chubb returns to pre-devastating-knee injury levels, but man, we need 1.) That to happen, 2.) Mixon to remain sidelined, 3.) Rookie Woody Marks to not take over, and 4.) The Texans' potential league-worst offensive line to not completely suck. Worth a LATE dart.

RB49 Bhayshul Tuten: The fourth-rounder is your favorite fantasy analyst's favorite late-round dart thanks to a borderline erotic speed score and 50 receptions during the last two seasons. Throw in a weak depth chart and Liam Coen's voodoo magic, and the rookie does profile as the sort of late-round dart worth throwing.

RB50 Tyjae Spears: Injuries in September (ankle), October (hamstring), November (concussion), and December (another concussion), alike last season. And now we already have a high-ankle sprain to worry about. F*ck! When healthy, a fairly even committee sounds likely—I'm thinking a middle-class man's discount brand of the Patriots or Broncos backfield.

RB51 Jerome Ford: RB3-4 territory should the Judkins situation end badly. Still, the Browns' decision to draft two backs likely reflects their lackluster confidence in Ford in the first place. Still, beggars can't be choosers about a starting RB when the price is cheap–Ford and Sampson are quality late-round darts.

RB52 Jaydon Blue: Explosive, pass-catching skill-set that certainly seems to be lacking in Dallas. Blue fell to Round 5 for a reason, but it appears Summer "lazy" reports haven't prevented the rookie from flashing in camp. We'll see who wins out; I try to leave every draft with one of the Cowboys RBs.

RB53 Braelon Allen: Training camp "Jets D-Mont" propaganda is provocative, although a couple uncovered swing route catches in practice don't have me totally convinced the (very large) second-year back is poised to seriously battle Breece Hall for touches. There's also the "this will probably be a horrible scoring offense" part of the equation.

RB54 Rachaad White: PPR RB10 and RB23 finishes in 2023 and 2024. Of course, this is Bucky's backfield, although I wouldn't guarantee the weekly usage discrepancy is quite as strong as it was during the team's final few must-win games. Sean Tucker could also take over if White's groin injury lingers.

RB55 Rico Dowdle: The "war daddy" signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal after racking up 1,328 yards and five TDs last season. Dowdle was RB1 in percentage of carries with at least three yards after contact! The wild card is fourth-rounder Trevor Etienne—Dowdle could be a FLEX-with-benefits if he wins out.

RB56 Roschon Johnson: Range of outcomes seemingly falls between working as Ben Johnson's new Jamaal Williams/D-Mont … to losing his job straight up to rookie Kyle Monangai. Either way, there's a goal-line role to be won in Chicago with more handcuff upside–that's not too shabby for a LATE-round fantasy pick.

RB57 Sean Tucker: A prime last-round handcuff dart, Tucker led the NFL in explosive run rate and yards per route run if you move the touch qualifier low enough. The man is fun! Matthew Berry hinted Tucker could straight up challenge White for the RB2 job back in March. 

RB58 Quinshon Judkins: Not even signed at the moment, which really complicates any sort of projection here—and that's BEFORE considering a potential suspension and/or committee inside what is fully expected to be a bad scoring offense. I'm happy to let someone else take him in drafts of all shapes and sizes.

RB59 Miles Sanders: Similar story to Williams and Blue: I'm not going to sit here and try to sell you on Sanders being a good NFL RB in the year 2025, but hey, maybe the Cowboys disagree, and even mediocre backs are capable of putting up quality fantasy numbers with enough touches.

RB60 Woody Marks: A dark-horse favorite of nerdy fantasy analysts thanks to his explosive pass-catching profile. However, I'm dubious Marks renders Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale as complete zeroes, and that's also before considering Mixon and Chubb likely soaking up most of the early-down work.

RB61 DJ Giddens: Potential handcuff to Mr. Jonathan Taylor, who has low-key missed more games than CMC since 2022. Shane Steichen has handed JT and even Zack Moss near every-down roles during the last two seasons–Giddens will be rising up the ranks in a hurry should he clearly lock down the RB2 role.

RB62 MarShawn Lloyd: IF the Injury Gods chill out, Lloyd offers a fantasy-friendly explosive pass-catching skill-set that could lead to some sort of weekly role. After all, Matt LaFleur once divided up touches evenly between Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis. The sort of RB to stash over a K/DST in early drafts.

RB63 Will Shipley: Maybe the Saquon handcuff … unless Quadzilla A.J. Dillon has something to say about that. I get AJD doesn't seem like the stiffest competition, but the man did earn 200-plus touches in each of his past three healthy seasons playing alongside A-aron Jones. Some sort of split would seem likely.

RB64 Keaton Mitchell: Maybe the Henry handcuff … unless Justice Hill has something to say about it. Here's to hoping training camp reports surrounding Mitchell being back to good health are true; the 23-year-old was electric on his way to averaging 8.4 yards per carry as a rookie in 2023.

RB65 Tahj Brooks: Maybe the Chase Brown handcuff … unless Samaje Perine has something to say about it (last one). But yeah: Brooks is a deep draft Twitter favorite (s/o Matt Waldman) and now has quite a bit clearer path to RB2 status with Zack Moss out of the picture.

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