While dynasty is still the king of the fantasy football offseason, it’s never too early to start looking at redraft running back rankings. While dynasty adds a premium for younger players and deeper rosters, redraft is all about winning now with the players set to dominate in 2025. Running backs can make or break your fantasy season, so selecting the right early-round picks and hitting on the best late-round sleepers is important.
Note: These fantasy football running back rankings assume PPR scoring.
Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings – 2025 Redraft
Tier 1: League-Winning Forces
1. Saquon Barkley
2. Bijan Robinson
3. Derrick Henry
4. Ashton Jeanty
5. Jahmyr Gibbs
Saquon Barkley is coming off one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory and should pick up right where he left off. The coaching staff and supporting cast haven’t notably changed, and the offensive line is still elite. While there is some worry about him slowing down after taking a massive workload last year, you can’t bet against what happened in 2024. Bijan Robinson is one of the best talents in the game, has a coach willing to give him a full workload, and the offense should be more efficient with quarterback Michael Penix under center.
Derrick Henry is the ultimate outlier, as he refuses to slow down despite his age and career number of touches. The Ravens believe he can keep going for at least two more years, and everyone who has ever bet against him has been wrong. Putting a rookie this high in the fantasy football running back rankings is admittedly a little risky, but the stars are aligned for Ashton Jeanty to dominate. He has no competition, a decent quarterback in Geno Smith, and a run-obsessed head coach in Pete Carroll. These factors, combined with his undeniable talent, give him a clear path to stardom.
Jahmyr Gibbs was the RB1 in PPR last year, but he might struggle to recapture that dominance. The offense won’t be the same without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and David Montgomery will still eat into his workload. Gibbs’ talent is undeniable, but he doesn’t have the guaranteed workload to make up for a probable loss in efficiency.
Tier 2: Set and Forget RB1
6. Jonathan Taylor
7. DeVon Achane
8. Bucky Irving
9. Christian McCaffrey
10. Josh Jacobs
11. Kyren Williams
12. James Cook
The best running back values in fantasy football are the boring veterans with some juice left in their tanks. Jonathan Taylor recorded 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games last year, yet remains largely overlooked in redraft. With no real answer at quarterback, Indianapolis will continue to run its offense through its most reliable playmaker. Bucky Irving dominated as a rookie despite having a relatively limited snap share. If the coaching staff gives him a higher share of the work in Year 2, he has a clear path to a top-five finish.
Christian McCaffrey is easily the riskiest name in this tier of the fantasy football running back rankings. While he is more likely to suffer a season-ending injury than anyone else in this tier, he also has the best chance of finishing as the RB1 overall. If he stays healthy, he could single-handedly win your league. James Cook probably won’t lead the league in touchdowns again, but the veteran is locked in as the starter, and Buffalo will probably drive him into the ground during the final year of his rookie contract.
Tier 3: Reliable RB2’s
13. Breece Hall
14. Joe Mixon
15. Chase Brown
16. Alvin Kamara
17. James Conner
18. Kenneth Walker
19. Chuba Hubbard
20. Aaron Jones
21. Omarion Hampton
22. David Montgomery
23. Quinshon Judkins
24. TreVeyon Henderson
Breece Hall has the raw talent to put up a top-five finish, but whispers out of Jets camp suggest the new coaching staff doesn’t view him as a true three-down back. Chase Brown will remain the starter in Cincinnati, but a healthy Zack Moss will eat into his workload. The Saints offense will be ugly in 2025, but Alvin Kamara should benefit from an absurd amount of checkdowns from second-round pick Tyler Shough. James Conner remains the unquestioned starter in Arizona, and 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson did nothing to justify a larger role in 2025.
Chuba Hubbard will start with Jonathon Brooks already sidelined for the season, but Rico Dowdle earns too much money to be a complete afterthought in this offense. Omarion Hampton could be a league-winning force in the second half of the year, but Najee Harris will be the starter early in the year. Quinshon Judkins is in a similar boat, but should have an easier time beating out a lesser talent in Jerome Ford. TreVeyon Henderson could be good in a better environment, but the old-school Mike Vrabel will probably lean on veterans Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson throughout most of the year.
Tier 4: Flex Plays With Some Upside
25. RJ Harvey
26. Brian Robinson
27. Tony Pollard
28. Kaleb Johnson
29. Isiah Pacheco
30. D’Andre Swift
31. Najee Harris
32. Tyrone Tracy
33. Cam Skattebo
34. Jaylen Warren
35. Rhamondre Stevenson
36. Tank Bigsby
RJ Harvey landed in the perfect spot, but how much faith can you have in a 24-year-old rookie with unremarkable tape and a history of knee injuries? Third-round rookie Kaleb Johnson has a clear path to touches, but he’s not a great receiver and probably won’t score too many touchdowns in what will likely be a terrible offense. D’Andre Swift remains the starting running back in Chicago, but J.K. Dobbins could change that.
Najee Harris is not the most exciting player, but he’s a solid starter and deserves a spot in the fantasy football running back rankings. Good luck figuring out who will start between Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo, but one of these players will probably bring some fantasy value. Travis Etienne has the highest draft capital in Jacksonville’s backfield, but Tank Bigsby easily outplayed him last year.
Main Photo: Candice Ward – Imagn Images