NFL teams are deep into the dog days of training camp, and fantasy football draft season is getting underway. FantasyPros analysts Mike Maher, Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson and Pat Fitzmaurice continue a series of preseason roundtables by discussing rookie running backs. You can find the first two articles in our roundtable series here and here.
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Fantasy Football Rookie Running Backs Experts Love
Rookie running backs RJ Harvey, TreVeyon Henderson and Kaleb Johnson are all bunched pretty tightly in ADP. Which one do you like most, and why?
RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)
Derek Brown: Seriously? Did you expect me to type any name other than RJ Harvey? Yes, I love Kaleb Johnson, but he doesn’t have the receiving upside Harvey has. We know what Sean Payton likes to do: Feed running backs in the passing game. J.K. Dobbins has never been a prolific pass-catcher at any level. Harvey will shine in 2025.
Mike Maher: This might just be DBro wearing me down, but I’m excited about Harvey’s potential. And after displaying some juice in his first preseason action, I’m ready to swing for his ceiling. But the early reports out of camp about TreVeyon Henderson are exciting and can’t be ignored, either. And that brings us to Kaleb Johnson, the running back of this group I was highest on coming out of the NFL Draft. So maybe the answer is just that I don’t know? But my answer is Harvey right now.
TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE)
Pat Fitzmaurice: Sorry, DBro. It’s TreVeyon Henderson. The kid is electric. Henderson is terrific in the passing game as both a receiver and blocker, and he’s going to have a ton of explosive plays in the running game.
Kaleb Johnson (RB – PIT)
Andrew Erickson: It’s Kaleb Johnson for me. Even though these guys are closely clustered together, Johnson is still the cheapest at RB28. And his fit in the Arthur Smith offensive scheme is just too good to ignore.
Yes, Johnson has pass protection/receiving concerns, but I feel confident he will be the Steelers’ early-down hammer and preferred red-zone back. I think he has the highest total touch ceiling among these three rookie backs.
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