When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. And you can check out which experts are higher or lower than our expert consensus rankings using our Fantasy Football Rankings Comparison Tools. Here are a few fantasy football bust candidates at running back I’m avoiding this season.
- More Fantasy Football Tips & Advice
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Dynasty Rankings
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Running Backs to Avoid
Let’s dive into running backs I’m avoiding in fantasy football drafts.
Last year, Williams pulled off his best yesteryear Rachaad White or Leonard Fournette impression. A volume gobbling inefficient back who turned in an RB1 season (RB10). Williams ranked first in snap share, second in opportunity share, and first in red zone touches. Williams had 350 touches and 1,481 total yards. With all that said, Williams was one of the most inefficient per touch backs in the NFL. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 44th in explosive run rate, 37th in missed tackle rate, and 40th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Williams could retain his stranglehold on the volume again in a contract year, but it’s also possible that Blake Corum or Jarquez Hunter could eat into his workload. Williams is a top 15-20 running back who could easily be an RB1 again or see his stock come crashing down.
Jones is coming off a season where he played 17 games for only the second time in his career. He amassed a career-high 306 touches with 1,546 total yards and an RB20 finish in fantasy points per game. Minnesota added Jordan Mason this offseason to take some of the load off Jones as Ty Chandler wasn’t up to the task as Jones’ running mate. Jones wasn’t nearly as efficient as previous seasons, but he was still effective, ranking 17th in yards after contact per attempt, 11th in receiving yards per game, and 18th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Jones should retain his lead-back status in Minnesota for 2025 and be a low-end RB2 again.
Well, the Bears didn’t add any threat to Swift’s workload before they selected Kyle Monangai in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Monangai is more of a worry for Roschon Johnson and his standing as RB2 on the depth chart than Swift’s. Last year, Swift was the RB21 in fantasy points per game as he soaked up volume. He ranked tenth in snap share, seventh in opportunity share, tenth in carries, and 15th in targets among backs. Swift was inefficient every step of the way, ranking outside the top 32 running backs in explosive run rate, yards after contact per attempt, missed tackles forced per attempt, and yards per touch. Swift looks primed for another volume RB2 season in 2025 behind a reworked offensive line and with Ben Johnson at the helm.
Tracy Jr. took over as the Giants’ starting back in Week 5 last season and never looked back. Well, he did have some bumps in the road with fumbles. Tracy Jr. finished with the 23rd-most touches among running backs last year, but he was tied for the third-most fumbles at the position. New York decided to address their backfield in the draft with the addition of Cam Skattebo. Skattebo could push Tracy Jr. aside if he’s not careful. Skattebo had four fumbles last year in college. Still, four fumbles scattered across 338 collegiate touches is a different conversation than five with 230 touches last year, which is what happened with Tracy Jr. Tracy Jr. was explosive with his touches last year, ranking 16th in explosive run rate and 20th in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). The Giants may roll out a frustrating thunder and lightning committee in 2025, which would be the best-case scenario for Tracy Jr. because I don’t see Skattebo going away.
Etienne had an incredibly disappointing season last year as the RB37 in fantasy points per game. He dealt with a shoulder issue (Week 4) and hamstring problems (Week 6). In Weeks 1-3, he averaged 15 touches and 67.4 total yards. In Weeks 10-18, after he was over the hamstring woes, he averaged 14 touches and 57.6 total yards. His per-touch efficiency in the 11 games that he was at his healthiest last year was putrid. Etienne had an 8% missed tackle rate and only 2.30 yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Those are back up level worthy tackle-breaking numbers. Etienne now finds himself in a battle for playing time in 2025 with Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten, with a new regime calling the shots. Etienne is a shakey RB3/flex.
Last year, it was tough to watch Javonte Williams. The injuries have seemingly robbed him of his special tackle-breaking sauce. The Broncos kept trotting him out there weekly without a better option to take his place. Williams finished as the RB36 in fantasy points per game. He will be in the conversation, if not the favorite, to be the Cowboys’ starting back this season, with only Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue realistically competing with him for the job. I don’t know if Williams has the juice anymore to hold off those players, but he will be given the opportunity to do so. Last year, Williams ranked outside the top 34 backs in explosive run rate, missed tackles forced per attempt, and yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Williams makes the most sense with Zero RB builds this season, as he could buy time for a fantasy star to emerge from your bench to take his place in your starting lineup.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
