In recent years, the running back position has become increasingly more difficult to evaluate from a fantasy football perspective. As teams grow more health-conscious with their ball-carriers, the role of the true workhorse back continues to diminish. Franchises are opting to roster several backs with complementary skillsets, all vying for touches within their respective systems.
Ambiguous backfields have thus become a recurring theme in NFL offseasons. Seasoned fantasy football managers can capitalize on this obscurity by obtaining potential values in the later rounds of drafts. Those who accurately project who will earn the lion’s share of touches can acquire starting-caliber assets for a fraction of the price. With this in mind, it’s essential to closely monitor training camp news regarding depth chart movement leading into next season.
Heading into the 2024 season, there was plenty of speculation surrounding the distribution of touches in the L.A. Chargers’ backfield. Given Jim Harbaugh’s and Greg Roman’s reputation for developing run-effective schemes, the starter in this backfield figured to provide excellent fantasy value. Managers who bet on J.K. Dobbins as the team’s eventual lead back were rewarded with weekly RB2 production from their late-round draft selection.
This article analyzes some of the most intriguing running back battles across the NFL this offseason. For each case, I’ll outline the projected starter and the corresponding fantasy football implications.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Running Back Position Battles to Watch
Dallas Cowboys: Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders & Jaydon Blue
Rico Dowdle‘s offseason departure left a significant void in the Dallas Cowboys’ running back room. Dowdle handled 54.8% of the team’s total carries and eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in 2024. With the veteran back no longer in the fold, many expected the Cowboys to invest in a high-profile rookie or a marquee free agent to lead the backfield. Instead, the team signed veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders to very modest deals and selected Texas running back Jaydon Blue with a fifth-round draft selection. These players will all be competing for the starting role over the course of the offseason.
Javonte Williams entered the league as a highly-touted second-round pick of the Denver Broncos. He began his professional career on a scintillating pace, averaging an impressive 3.42 yards after contact per carry in his rookie season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). However, he’s yet to recapture this form since suffering a devastating knee injury in 2o22. According to PFF, he set career lows in yards after contact per attempt, elusive rating and rushing grade in 2024. Now two full seasons removed from the injury, Cowboys fans will hope that Williams will show signs of his dynamic tackle-breaking ability that took the league by storm in 2021.
You might not want to admit it…
But if Javonte Williams is the lead Cowboys RB for even just HALF the season…
His RB36 average draft position will be a Fantasy Football VALUE.
2025 Javonte Is
– Finally Fully Healthy
– In A Workhorse RoleLet’s see ????pic.twitter.com/yF1VJERand
— Joe Orrico (@JoeOrricoFF) June 2, 2025
Like Williams, Miles Sanders will be hoping to reverse some concerning trends in 2025. Sanders’ tenure as a Carolina Panther was very disappointing. He failed to surpass 500 rushing yards in two consecutive seasons and only compiled three rushing touchdowns over that span. However, his 2022 season in Philadelphia tells a drastically different story. He accrued an excess of 1,300 scrimmage yards and earned an 83.2 PFF rushing grade as the Eagles’ go-to back. It remains to be seen whether this stark disparity in production was caused by an offensive scheme or a steady decline in Sanders’ efficiency.
Jaydon Blue will certainly be an intriguing addition to this Cowboys offense. Throughout his career as a Texas Longhorn, Blue emerged as one of the team’s key playmakers. According to PFF metrics, he made a considerable impact in both the rushing and receiving games. He averaged 3.95 yards after contact per carry and 10.8 yards after catch per reception in 2024. However, he never operated as Texas’ true workhorse back. He failed to compile an excess of 125 carries in any of his three collegiate seasons. With this in mind, it’s unlikely he’ll earn a bulk of the Cowboys’ backfield touches in 2025.
All things considered, managers should presume Williams will inherit the starting running back role in Dallas this upcoming season. The veteran has shown the ability to withstand a heavy workload and maintain impressive levels of efficiency while doing so. Rookie Jaydon Blue will likely fulfill a third-down change-of-pace role but isn’t primed to have standalone viability. On the other hand, Williams currently represents one of the best values in drafts as the RB40 in expert consensus rankings.
Los Angeles Chargers: Najee Harris & Omarion Hampton
Jim Harbaugh and the rest of the Los Angeles Chargers’ front office have made their intentions very clear: They want to establish a slow-paced, run-first offensive identity in 2025. Injuries to the likes of Dobbins and Gus Edwards forced the Chargers’ hand in adopting a pass-first system in 2024. However, the offseason additions of Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton will allow them to run their ideal offensive scheme. There is no doubt that there will be plenty of volume to be had in this enticing backfield. For fantasy managers, the goal is to accurately project how the touches will be distributed among the two aforementioned backs.
Harris’ one-year, $5.25 million contract in Los Angeles was a true signal of intent for the Chargers. The veteran rusher has been a pillar of consistency since being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s compiled a minimum of 1,000 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. His dependability figures to be a seamless fit in Harbaugh’s system that values pragmatic and mistake-free football. However, Harris has never been known for his explosiveness. Per PFF, he’s earned an elusive rating of 68.4 and has averaged 3.9 yards per carry across his career. If the Chargers are seeking more dynamism out of their backfield, Harris may cede touches to his running back counterpart.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh: "I look at Najee (Harris) and Omarion (Hampton), both starters. It's like a third wide receiver, a nickel back." pic.twitter.com/XfX3bGyYa8
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) April 25, 2025
Rookie back Hampton offers game-breaking ability. Among FBS running backs with a minimum of 100 carries in 2024, Hampton ranked second in rushing yards, fifth in missed tackles forced and 11th in yards after contact per attempt, according to PFF. He also demonstrated his three-down skillset, accruing 38 receptions for 373 receiving yards for the Tar Heels. The highly-touted prospect certainly possesses all the traits required to operate as a bell-cow back in the NFL. However, it remains unclear whether the Chargers will hand him the keys to the backfield in his rookie season.
We’ve often seen rookies earn the starting role in the latter half of their first professional seasons. In recent memory, the likes of Bucky Irving, Breece Hall and De’Von Achane all emerged as fantasy football superstars over their rookie years. That said, Harris’ role in this offense should not be undermined. The veteran is rarely injured, very sure-handed and consistently puts together productive stat lines. His hard-nosed running style will remain a key part of Harbaugh’s offensive game plan for the entirety of 2025. These two backs are going to see a relatively even distribution of touches.
Even if Hampton proves to be effective as we all believe he can be, he’s unlikely to earn the volume required to emerge as a true fantasy football superstar. His current fantasy football ranking as the RB20 is thus a bit too rich. Harris, who’s currently being ranked as the RB31, may prove to be the wiser investment in drafts.
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