Running backs are the most volatile of all positions in fantasy football. Workloads can swing on a whim. They are frequently injured. They age out quickly and aggressively. Late-round draft picks can quickly emerge. While the best values are typically found in the middle and late rounds, that doesn't mean you should completely fade running backs in the early rounds. As more and more drafters lean towards ZeroRB and HeroRB builds, it opens up a pocket for early-round value, even if those investments can be a bit risky.
In this article, I'll look at my top 100 running backs, adding quick thoughts for every one that should be drafted this year in fantasy football. For consensus staff rankings, you can find those here.
Let's start with the surefire RB1s going in Round 1.
Could Be The Overall RB1
These guys check all of the boxes. They're talented. They catch passes. They score touchdowns. And they project for a lot of volume. Draft them in the first round.
- RB1 - Saquon Barkley - Coming off an RB1 finish, the only concern is that last year's workload catches up to Barkley.
- RB2 Jahmyr Gibbs - Gibbs is an RB1 alongside David Montgomery and one of the most valuable players in fantasy without him.
- RB3 Bijan Robinson - It's all coming together for Robinson, who should once again be the backfield focal point.
- RB4 - De'Von Achane - Whether it be extreme efficiency as a rusher or as a target magnet, Achane has multiple paths to an elite fantasy finish.
- RB5 - Christian McCaffrey - Health is the only concern, but McCaffrey's ceiling is obvious to anyone who has played fantasy football over the last decade.
Strong RB1s
There are minor concerns with each of these players that we don't have for the tier above. But they're still great players to target in Round 2 of your fantasy drafts.
- RB6 - Ashton Jeanty - Jeanty is a great prospect who projects for an immense workload in Las Vegas' zone-read offense.
- RB7 - Jonathan Taylor - Taylor was red-hot down the stretch last year, reminding us that he's not too far removed from an overall RB1 finish.
- RB8 - Derrick Henry - Age is catching up to Henry, but he looked revitalized entirely last year, his first outside of Tennessee.
- RB9 - Chase Brown - Even with some added backfield competition, Brown should maintain a stranglehold on the high-value touches in a great Bengals' offense.
Low-End RB1s
Age, efficiency concerns, or looming holdouts ding these profiles. But they all have top-five finishes in their range of outcomes.
- RB10 - Josh Jacobs - Jacobs was on fire over the second half of last season, but his outlook with a healthy MarShawn Lloyd is a bit murkier.
- RB11 - Alvin Kamara - Kamara was the RB2 before injury last year, and should be the primary weapon again in New Orleans this year.
- RB12 - Kyren Williams - We keep finding reasons to knock Williams, but he consistently maintains his role year after year, and there's no reason to expect that to change.
- RB13 - James Cook - Touchdown regression could hit, but Cook is a pass catcher who can rip off big plays on a good offense.
Exciting RB2s
This is a tier worth targeting aggressively, as some question marks push costs down, giving these players immense upside.
- RB14 - Breece Hall - Concerns about Justin Fields siphoning goal-like work are fair, but Hall is a big-play weapon who can score from anywhere.
- RB15 - Ken Walker III - Walker's health his been frustrating, but he's set up to thrive in Klint Kubiak's zone run scheme.
- RB16 - Omarion Hampton - Early offseason projections were difficult, but Najee Harris' 4th of July accident is opening the doors for Hampton to seize a very valuable role.
- RB17 - Bucky Irving - Irving was a great story in 2024, but the departure of Liam Coen and expected regression for Tampa Bay make him a bit overvalued in drafts.
- RB18 - D'Andre Swift - Swift has been a per-game top-24 running back every year of his career and has very little backfield competition this season.
- RB19 - Kaleb Johnson - Assuming Johnson is plopped into Najee Harris' old role, he has breakaway speed that Harris did not, setting up for a huge ceiling.
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