Finding the right running backs can make or break your fantasy football season, and in 2025, the margin for error is smaller than ever. Whether you’re drafting early-round studs or searching for mid-to-late-round gems, identifying the running backs who can truly swing a league is the key to building a championship roster. To help you make those crucial decisions, we’ve gathered insights from our collection of Featured Pros experts, who have analyzed every angle — from offensive schemes and depth charts to advanced metrics and historical trends.
Below, you’ll find the running backs our experts believe have the upside, opportunity, and talent to become true league-winners in 2025. These are the players who could outperform their average draft position (ADP) cost and carry your fantasy football team to the title.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football League-Winning RBs to Target
What one running back between RB6-RB20 in our consensus half-PPR RB ADP has the most league-winning upside?
Kyren Williams (LAR)
“Kyren Williams is going criminally low this year, and that means everyone has a shot at rostering him. I don’t quite get why there’s such a dip in his ADP, but I’m taking advantage every chance I get. After going in the second round last year, the drop to the third round gives even the first overall pick a chance to land him on the way back. The fact that you could realistically start a draft with Ja’Marr Chase and Kyren Williams is absolutely bonkers. We played this game last year, too. People worried Blake Corum would cut into his workload, and all Williams did was get better in Year 2 as the starter.”
– Josh Hall (IDP Army)
“Kyren Williams has been Sean McVay’s bell-cow running back the last two years, turning those seasons into a No. 6 and a No. 7 finish with over 1,100 yds and 12+ touchdowns, and that is only on the ground. He is going into his fourth season without any major competition (rookie Jarquez Hunter may take some passing work, but Williams only averaged 33 receptions). Also helping Williams is that the Rams added Davante Adams to the offense, which will spread out the defense more and open up more holes for Williams to run through. As the RB12, Williams will make managers who waited on running back and drafted him very happy and lead them to a league championship.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
“Sometimes fantasy managers think too much (or not enough). Kyren Williams has spent two seasons starting. He finished second and eighth among backs in half-PPR points per game. Now he’s 12th in ADP. I might worry about that drop from second to eighth, but only Williams and Saquon Barkley landed among the league’s top four in opportunity share each of the past two seasons (adjusted for games missed). What’s the concern? That the Rams suddenly hate the way Williams scores his touchdowns and instead give the ball to Blake Corum or a fourth-round rookie? Worried about Matthew Stafford? The Jimmy Garoppolo Rams would probably need the backfield even more. What if a healthy Stafford pilots more passing volume with Davante Adams and a healthy Puka Nacua? Great. Sounds like a more dynamic offense with more scoring chances. Williams’ ADP bakes in the minor risk while underrating his ceiling.”
– Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks)
Omarion Hampton (LAC)
“Omarion Hampton is the mid-round sledgehammer with league-winning juice in half-PPR formats. With Najee Harris recovering from an eye injury and currently on the NFL’s non-football injury (NFI) list, Hampton has a real shot to open the season as the Chargers’ lead back. He combines elite college production with prototypical size and sub-4.5 speed, plus he’s flashing goal-line dominance in camp. Locked into early down work with sneaky receiving upside, Hampton profiles as a true every-week RB2 with RB1 ceiling. At RB15 cost, he’s the perfect pivot for managers fading the position early and hunting high-touch volume backs.”
– Lawrence Iacona (Gridiron Experts)
“Omarion Hampton isn’t the fastest running back and he’s not the most elusive, but “The Hammer” is a battering ram who consistently bounces off would-be tacklers. Unlike many backs, Hampton can be one of the few workhorse backs in the league with his build and his prowess to catch passes. Jim Harbaugh called Hampton a four-down running back. In addition, Hampton has a very good offensive line blocking for him. He could start under the radar in fantasy leagues, but by later in the year, he could very well be leading shrewd drafters to titles. Hampton reminds me of former Steelers All-Pro back Barry Foster.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
“After being drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, the biggest factor holding back Omarion Hampton’s ADP was the presence of Najee Harris, who suffered a firework-related eye injury on July 4th. A month has passed, and Harris’ recovery has only progressed to walking laps around the field. Hampton appears to be the Week 1 starter. Once he gets the job, it is unlikely he will lose it. Last season, we saw J.K. Dobbins finish as the RB17 in points per game in this offense. Questions remain about potential passing game usage for Hampton, but his combination of talent and opportunity appears to be drastically underpriced.”
– Charlie Sisian (The Fantasy DC)
De’Von Achane (MIA)
“De’Von Achane (RB7 in the ADP) joins Ashton Jeanty as the only running backs with an ADP outside the top five who can end the 2025 season as the overall RB1. The former Texas A&M star was the RB6 in 2024, averaging 15.3 half-PPR fantasy points per game despite playing nearly half the year without Tua Tagovailoa. However, Achane became a pass-catching star last season despite Jonnu Smith having a career year. The superstar averaged 4.6 receptions on 5.1 targets per game last season, leading all running backs in receptions (78), receiving yards (592) and touchdowns (six). More importantly, he averaged 19.5 fantasy points per game in the 11 contests Tagovailoa started. Achane would have been the RB3 over a 17-game pace with that 19.5 fantasy points per game average. Don’t be surprised if he ends the year as the overall RB1 if Tagovailoa manages to stay healthy.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
“The last thing you want to do is take the wrong player at the top of your draft. De’Von Achane is exactly the player whose floor is insulated from every eventuality barring injury. This is a Miami team that excelled at every running game metric in 2023 and fell off to the bottom of the league in 2024. Even a slight bump in expected touchdowns combined with Achane’s 100+ targets at the running back position has him undervalued even as the consensus RB7.”
– Lou Brunson (Optimus Fantasy Football)
“De’Von Achane, ranked RB7 in half-PPR ADP, possesses the most league-winning upside due to his electrifying playmaking ability. His 7.8 yards-per-carry average as a rookie in 2023 showcased his potential to turn any touch into a game-changing play in Miami’s high-octane offense. Achane’s speed and agility, combined with his receiving skills, make him a dual-threat weapon, capable of racking up significant points through both rushing and passing production. However, his injury history, including a knee injury that limited him to 11 games in that rookie season, is helping to suppress his ADP by a few spots in a Miami system famous for its running backs getting banged up.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)
“De’Von Achane is the obvious answer. In 11 healthy games with Tua Tagovailoa, he averaged 19.3 half-PPR points (second only to Saquon Barkley) while commanding 87 targets and a 25.4% target share (both second among all running backs). That receiving workload gives him a strong weekly floor, but it’s his upside that makes him a contender to finish RB1. Last season, Achane delivered 12 RB2 or better weeks, including five top-three finishes. With 111 vacated targets and a suspect secondary that could tilt Miami into a faster pace and more volume, Achane has a very real path to finishing as the RB1 overall.”
– James Emrick-Wilson (Armchair Scouting)
“De’Von Achane is the back you want if you’re trying to win your league. Last year, with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, Achane averaged 22.6 fantasy points per game in PPR formats. That pace would have made him the overall RB1 for the season. And it’s not like he was a disappointment — he still finished as the RB5 overall. Currently going as the RB7 and often available outside of round one, Achane is the biggest steal in round two. I have him ranked as my RB4 and fully expect another top-five finish.”
– Brady Auer (BA Sports Podcast)
“De’Von Achane wrapped up last season as the RB6, delivering 10 RB1 weeks, including multiple top-three finishes. He’s been outstanding in his first two years, scoring 11 touchdowns as a rookie and 12 in his second year. His receiving ability has been a huge boost to his fantasy value, with nine receiving touchdowns over two seasons, tying him for the league lead among running backs. Last year, he led all running backs in receptions and receiving yards, and tied for the most receiving scores. With Raheem Mostert no longer taking goal-line carries and Jonnu Smith’s trade freeing up over 100 targets, Achane is poised to take his game to the next level in 2025. Backed by a revamped Dolphins offensive line aiming to create more running lanes and protect their quarterback, Achane is ready for a bigger workload and a shot at becoming the top running back in fantasy.”
– Dennis Sosic (Fantasy Six Pack)
“I tried hard not to pick De’Von Achane here… but I didn’t try that hard. As the RB7 in ADP, Achane is by far the best bet of this group to finish as the overall RB1 on the season. We all know the story of why Achane didn’t fully break out last season: Tua Tagovailoa got injured, and the offense crumbled. To highlight this, Achane’s splits with Tagovailoa on the field and off the field last season were the difference between the RB1 with 0.3 points more per game than RB1 Saquon Barkley and the RB41 at 8.7 points per game without Tagovailoa in the lineup. If Tagovailoa can stay healthy, the departure of Jonnu Smith also opens up a ton of underneath work that should funnel to Achane first. And, the Dolphins’ defense continues to lose players to injury this offseason. It’s the perfect storm for Achane in 2025. All the Dolphins need is health and relatively effective play to turn elite fantasy potential into reality.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“De’Von Achane has the most league-winning potential as a second-round pick in 2025. He showed RB1 overall upside with Tua Tagovailoa healthy (11 games) last season, averaging 22.6 points per game in full PPR and nearly 19 points per game in half-PPR. Those marks would have been good for RB1 or RB2 overall among backs over the last four seasons. The Dolphins running back has a top-five fantasy football ceiling based on his explosive and three-down skill set. He finished second in routes run among backs last year.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
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