RB3s With RB1 Potential (2025 Fantasy Football)

The running back landscape is much different than what we saw a year ago in the NFL and fantasy football. Last year, the RB3 range was littered with running backs who were in a battle to lead their backfield.

For example, Zack Moss and Chase Brown were being drafted in the RB3/RB4 range, and if you made the correct bet on which one would pay off, you reaped the rewards.

There are more backfields with a clear leader this season, and fewer that we must try to predict as a fantasy football community. It’s interesting, however, that D’Andre Swift‘s average draft position (ADP) is lower than last season, yet he is the clear leader of his backfield with an improved situation.

Tony Pollard‘s ADP is up only a few spots this year despite distancing himself from Tyjae Spears, and Brian Robinson’s ADP has risen, but not enough to make up for Austin Ekeler‘s plummeting ADP. The Steelers replaced Najee Harris with an unproven, third-round rookie, yet Jaylen Warren‘s ADP is roughly the same as last year.

We’re always looking for the next great thing that comes out of nowhere, but perhaps the repetitive nature of veteran names has led to market inefficiencies.

Let’s take a look at which RB3s have the potential to be RB1s in fantasy football this season.

Fantasy Football RB3s With RB1 Potential

Here are four running backs who have the opportunity to jump multiple tiers compared to where they are being drafted in fantasy football.

Tony Pollard (RB – TEN)

Tony Pollard is hanging around the fringe of the RB2/RB3 tier, but his early RB27 ADP suggests he’s being viewed as an RB3. Recent reports suggesting the Titans may look to lighten Pollard’s workload could dampen his stock further, but a bold case for the seventh-year pro remains intact.

With three straight seasons of 1,000+ rushing yards, Pollard saw a career-high 260 rushing attempts last season while finishing ninth in snap share. Thanks to a pathetic offensive environment around him, Pollard finished as the RB22 while receiving just 30 red zone rushes, good for the 24th-most among running backs.

Pollard scored just five touchdowns but managed the ninth-most yards after contact per attempt (3.4) and posted the eighth-most explosive runs (30). For the first time in his career, his Pro Football Focus (PFF) rushing grade dipped below 80 to 73.5.

Pollard battled foot and ankle injuries last season as he dominated the backfield. A lighter snap share could help keep Pollard fresh and reinstate his elite efficiency we saw in Dallas. Perhaps more importantly, the Titans should produce an improved offense as a whole, generating more quality touches for Pollard.

I’m cautiously optimistic with Cam Ward, but Tennessee also overhauled its offensive line and upgraded the receiver room with Tyler Lockett, Van Jefferson and Elic Ayomanor. A higher efficiency, an improved offense and an increase in red-zone touches could lead to a big season for Pollard, much like 2022 when he finished as the RB7 on 69 fewer opportunities than he saw in 2024.

D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)

Historically, I have not been a D’Andre Swift believer. However, the RB1 hype has long worn off and he’s now ranked as an RB3 in our expert consensus rankings (ECR), despite a clear runway to a big season.

The first thing working in Swift’s favor is the lack of additions by the Bears, who drafted Kyle Monangai in the seventh round without making any other notable acquisitions in the running back room. This comes on the heels of Swift’s 10th-highest snap share at the position in 2024.

While a new coaching staff has blown into the Windy City, Ben Johnson and Swift worked together in Detroit. With Johnson as the pass game coordinator in 2021, Swift enjoyed his most prolific pass-catching season, tallying 62 receptions for 452 yards. In 2022, when Johnson became the offensive coordinator, Swift posted his most efficient season, ripping off 5.5 yards per carry.

Swift has spent the last two seasons in Chicago with some ups and downs along the way, but perhaps the best argument for Swift lies in the outside zone scheme that Johnson plans to deploy.

In 2023, Swift ran outside zone on 71.4% of his attempts and averaged 4.6 yards per carry, but in 2024, his outside zone run rate dipped to 47% and he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, the lowest mark of his career.

A return to outside zone and a reunion with Johnson should improve Swift’s efficiency dramatically, and if the Bears offense takes flight as many project, it may be enough to spring the 26-year-old into an RB1 season.

Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – WSH)

Based on his talent profile, Brian Robinson Jr. is a middling RB2/RB3-type who has looked like a plodder at times during his three-year stint in the NFL. The case for him having RB1 upside is about health, opportunity and situation as much as it is about talent.

Robinson’s NFL debut was put on hold after he suffered multiple gunshot wounds before his rookie season. Despite the setback, Robinson generated a PFF rushing grade of 81 in his rookie campaign before slipping to 73.7 in 2023 and 69.6 last season.

Robinson battled a hamstring injury late in the 2023 season and was consistently banged up last season with knee and hamstring ailments. Injuries have been a major storyline of Robinson’s career thus far, but many things are working in his favor this season if health is on his side.

The Commanders opted out of addressing the running back position until round seven of the 2025 NFL Draft, leaving Robinson and Austin Ekeler as the top options. Coming off career highs in yards per carry (4.3), rushing yards (799) and rushing touchdowns (eight), Robinson’s 799 rushing yards were the second-most of any running back with fewer than 200 carries.

With a higher defensive emphasis on slowing down Jayden Daniels, Robinson’s efficiency should improve. Historically, rushing quarterbacks provide a boost for their running back counterparts on the ground, but target them less through the air. That will hurt Ekeler the most, who is 30 years old and suffered multiple concussions last season.

Despite missing three games, Robinson tied for the 12th-most carries inside the 10-yard line last season (24). While his eight rushing touchdowns were a solid mark, an explosive Commanders offense will lend itself to higher scoring upside for Robinson. The most likely outcome for Robinson is an RB2 season, but there’s a path for an RB1 finish with strong volume, improved efficiency and a high touchdown total.

Jaylen Warren (RB – PIT)

I should disclose my long-held belief in Jaylen Warren whenever I write about him. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can acknowledge that Kaleb Johnson‘s presence puts a dent in Warren’s likelihood of a breakout season, but that’s also why Warren is floating around the RB3 range.

Johnson has many tools that will help him succeed in the NFL, but a third-round pick is far from a lock to lead a backfield as a rookie. The Steelers were intentional about re-signing Warren to his contract tender and getting him back for one more season before he hits the open market. He could very well lead the backfield this season.

The assumption is that Johnson will seize the role Najee Harris previously occupied, but Warren’s pass-catching prowess and efficiency offer extended upside. It wasn’t until late last season that we saw Warren’s efficiency return after he entered the season with a hamstring injury and picked up a knee injury in Week 4.

Warren’s PFF rushing grade fell to 68.2 last season after posting a grade of 84.1 in 2023, the fifth-best mark among running backs. I bet Warren is more of the player we saw in 2023 when he posted the third-highest yards created per touch (4.65) and the sixth-best true yards per carry (4.9).

We know that Arthur Smith and the Steelers will rely on the running game, which will allow ample opportunity for two backs. However, Warren’s path to outkick his ADP is largely dependent on who is under center for the Steelers.

Even a diminished Aaron Rodgers would provide a substantial upgrade over the existing quarterbacks on the roster, and the offense will need to score points for Warren to reach his upside. His path is tougher with Johnson on board, but he’s one of the running backs in this range with RB1 upside if things break his way.