Finding value in the middle rounds of your fantasy football draft can be the difference between a good team and a championship contender. That’s why we asked our collection of Featured Pros experts where they see value in this range for 2025. Below, you’ll find their favorite mid-round running back targets, complete with expert analysis on why these players are poised to outperform their average draft position (ADP). If you’re looking to gain an edge over your league-mates, these picks should be on your radar as you plan your draft strategy.
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Mid-Round Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Mid-Round Running Backs Experts Draft
Which RB with a half-PPR ADP between RB25-RB48 are you targeting the most in your drafts and why?
Jordan Mason (RB – MIN)
“Jordan Mason is the RB35 in ADP and one of my favorite draft targets this year, especially when using a Hero RB strategy. Last year, he was the RB5 over the first month, averaging 17.9 half-PPR fantasy points per game, totaling 16.9 or more in all but one contest. While the veteran struggled with injuries, Mason was outstanding when healthy. More importantly, he has a real chance to steal significant work from Aaron Jones in 2025. According to Fantasy Points Data, Mason had a better explosive run rate (7.8% vs. 3.5%) and missed forced tackle per attempt rate (22% vs. 11%) than Jones in 2024. Don’t be surprised if he starts as the No. 2 running back with a role at the goal line and eventually forces the Vikings to use a 50-50 split with Jones.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“Jordan Mason, even though he’s starting to get more expensive. When the Vikings traded for Mason in the offseason, they immediately gave him a two-year deal that includes more than $7 million in guaranteed money. I think Mason will have some standalone value this season, and he’d become a jewel if anything happened to 30-year-old Vikings running back Aaron Jones. With Christian McCaffrey sidelined at the start of the 2024 season, Mason averaged 107 rushing yards for the 49ers over the first five games of the season (before getting hurt himself), 120 scrimmage yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry. The Vikings’ running scheme uses a lot of outside zone, which is right up Mason’s alley. Mason is still a good value right now at his RB35 ADP. Here’s hoping that’s still the case in late August.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
“The Vikings traded a draft pick to add Jordan Mason to their backfield, adding a more competent option to complement incumbent Aaron Jones. Still, Jones played in all 17 games for the second time in the previous three years and set a career-high for rush attempts (255) and rushing yards (1,138) in his first season with the Vikings in 2024. He also had the third-most receptions (51) and the second-most receiving yards (408) in a season in his career. Jones has a do-it-all profile, and head coach Kevin O’Connell has called high-scoring offenses with quarterbacks of varying skill levels, assuaging concerns about how the offense will perform with J.J. McCarthy in his first season as a starter. Jones was the RB20 in half-PPR points per game (12.7) last year and can perform as a rock-solid RB2 again this season.”
– Josh Shepardson (FantasyPros)
Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
“Javonte Williams is being drafted as the RB39 in half-PPR formats, yet he enters 2025 as the likely lead back in one of the league’s highest-upside offenses. Dallas vacated 373 touches from last season, and Williams’ only competition comes from Miles Sanders and two Day 3 rookies in Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. Last season, he ranked 5th among all running backs in targets with 70 and caught 51 passes. Now two years removed from a major knee injury, and his third-down profile, there’s a realistic path to a minimum of 12 to 15 opportunities per game with room to grow. Targeting uncertain backfields with talent and volume upside is how you unlock ceiling outcomes in fantasy football. If Williams takes control of this backfield, he won’t just beat ADP, he’ll be the type of pick that shifts league outcomes and wins tournaments.”
– James Emrick-Wilson (Armchair Scouting)
“Dallas running back Javonte Williams is going off the board as RB39 and 113th overall, and I’m all in at that price. Williams is available later than any projected Week 1 starting running back and is free money. Many fantasy managers are down on him as he struggled to regain his early-career form last season, but with another year of distance between him and his injury, he should be back to his old self. Williams was a tackle-breaking machine in college and as a rookie, and says that he is finally feeling like himself again. Look for him to turn back the clock and outperform his ADP by a wide margin. Williams is an RB2 with top-12 upside in a potent Dallas offence.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)
“Javonte Williams is currently the RB39 in half-PPR and being drafted around the 10th round of redraft leagues. That is excellent value for a player who could be the starting running back for a passing team, leaving the box wide open with lanes for him to run. It is an understatement to say that the last two years have been disappointing for Williams, but a change of scenery and two full years removed from a devastating ACL tear could be just what he needs to start a new chapter in his career. His rookie year shows that he can be an NFL starter (903 yards rushing and seven total touchdowns). Before his injury, he was averaging 4.35 yards/carry. He is stepping into a role in Dallas that Rico Dowdle turned into a 1,000-yard season. His competition is Miles Sanders and a few rookies, which makes him a player to target later in drafts who could positively contribute to fantasy teams in 2025.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
Kaleb Johnson (RB – PIT)
“Kaleb Johnson, currently the RB26 in half-PPR ADP, jumps off the page as someone with immense upside for 2025. The Steelers are not shy about running the ball with run-first offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at the helm. Yes, DK Metcalf is now around on big money, and the Steelers have Aaron Rodgers. That will not stop Pittsburgh from running, and running often. Johnson brings the home run threat the Steelers have been lacking at the running back position for several years now, and steps in as an immediate Flex option. If Johnson can pull away from Jaylen Warren at any point this season, Johnson has high-end RB2 and maybe even low-end RB1 upside.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
“Kaleb Johnson seems very cheap at his current consensus ranking of RB26. He has size (6-foot-1, 224 pounds) and plays faster than his 4.57 40-yard time suggests. Despite the possibility that Johnson might not be a big factor in the passing game, he’s still very talented. Maturity issues caused him to slip to Day 2 of the draft, but he’s considered to be a first-round talent by many scouts. Johnson reminds me of former Chiefs All-Pro running back Larry Johnson.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
“All the Kaleb Johnson, all the time. Last year, Najee Harris operated in an offense that was fourth in rushing attempts as Harris soaked up 299 touches (10th-most). I don’t think Johnson will hit that mark, but I do think he can get close to it. He has the talent to make the most of the volume that this team will load him up with in positive game scripts. Last year, not only did he rank fifth in breakaway percentage, but he was also eighth in yards after contact per attempt and 14th in elusive rating, per Pro Football Focus. Johnson is an RB3 in ADP who will be a strong weekly RB2.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
“The Steelers are a dream fit for rookie running back Kaleb Johnson. The 6-foot-1, 224-pound back fits Arthur Smith’s scheme perfectly and has ample backfield touches to soak up in Pittsburgh. Smith’s offense feeds running backs, and with Najee Harris gone (nearly 300 touches vacated), Johnson will eat once he climbs the depth chart. He led this entire rookie class in career dominator rating (33%) and posted 1,500+ yards, 21 TDs and 6.4 yards per carry (YPC) in 2024 (zero fumbles). The former Iowa Hawkeye running back is an ideal 1-2 punch with incumbent Jaylen Warren.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
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