The fantasy football landscape is constantly changing, but one thing has remained fairly constant over the years: There’s nothing more valuable than a true RB1. And the best way to get even more value out of an RB1 is to have snagged them for a bargain price on draft day. You read the headline, so you see where this is going. Here are four running backs being drafted as RB3s in Half-PPR ADP that have legit RB1 upside.
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Fantasy Football RB3s With RB1 Potential
Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAC) | ADP: RB25
Tuten is the obvious answer to this question, and not just because he’s the first player to be eligible with an ADP just one slot outside the top 24 backs. The second-year back checks literally every box that sharp fantasy managers look for in upside RBs.
Athleticism is an easy place to start, as Tuten ran a blazing 4.32 40-yard dash at last year’s NFL Combine. And, unlike some other speed demons, he’s not doomed to be a change-of-pace back. He weighed a respectable 206 lbs at that same combine, and his 47% success rate ranked seventh among 64 RBs with at least 50 carries last season (per SumerSports). That’s enough that it’s plausible for Tuten to be a genuine workhorse.
We didn’t necessarily see it in his rookie season metrics, but Tuten’s prospect profile also provides reason to believe that he can be a difference-maker in terms of breakaway runs. He also has the pedigree to be solidly involved in the passing game, especially compared to Chris “six career receptions” Rodriguez.
Speaking of Rodriguez, we can check the box of Jacksonville’s backfield having very beatable competition. The former Commander was solid last season. Assuming he recovers fine from his recent foot surgery, he might even be the favorite to lead the Jaguars in carries. But we’re talking upside scenarios here. If Tuten hits his talent ceiling, the career practice squad guy will very quickly become a non-factor. Outside of Rodriguez, Tuten’s fellow second-year back LeQuint Allen Jr. will be involved on passing downs, but he’s more of a blocking specialist than a threat to steal significant touches.
To wrap things up, we can put one final big check mark in the “offensive environment” box. The Jaguars ranked sixth in the NFL in points per game last season, and they might be even better in year two under Liam Coen. Put it all together, and no one should be surprised if we get to the end of the season and the former fourth-round pick is a genuinely elite fantasy option.
Jadarian Price (RB – SEA) | ADP: RB26
This one is extremely simple. Price was just selected in the first round by the reigning Super Bowl champions, who have an extremely run-heavy offense. Right now, his biggest competition for touches is George Holani, a 2024 UDFA with less than 100 career rushing yards. If that doesn’t scream RB1 upside, I don’t know what does.
Of course, there’s a reason Price has an RB3 ADP. Things get less clear for him as we zoom into the details. Most analysts agree he wasn’t a first-round-worthy prospect in a vacuum. Since he spent his entire college career behind an elite talent in Jeremiyah Love, we’ve never seen him carry a full workload. And Zach Charbonnet‘s eventual return looms, meaning Price could actually trend downward late in the season. But none of that changes the upside scenario, which is Price simply winning leagues for fantasy managers at this ADP.
RJ Harvey (RB – DEN) | ADP: RB28
Like Price, Harvey looks great from a bird’s-eye view. A second-round pick in last year’s draft, he racked up 12 total TDs as a rookie. He also displayed the dual-threat ability that is key to fantasy upside, ranking eighth among RBs with 58 total targets.
Again, it’s once we zoom in that things get concerning. Although he played well in the receiving game, Harvey was inefficient on the ground. He also spent the majority of the season as a clear backup to J.K. Dobbins, whom the Broncos brought back this offseason. The median outcome is that Harvey remains in a part-time role this season, leading to inconsistent fantasy results.
On the other hand, Dobbins has yet to post a full, healthy season since entering the league in 2020. Even if the veteran remains healthy, we can’t ignore the chance that Harvey simply improves and earns an expanded workload in his second year in the league. Once we factor in potentially the league’s best O-line and Sean Payton’s track record of scheming up running back fantasy production, Harvey’s ceiling is undeniable.
Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR) | ADP: RB38
The rest of the picks in this article have been extremely chalky, including three of the four highest drafted eligible players. To make up for that, let’s slide down to a player who technically isn’t even an RB3 because he’s being drafted too low (at least for now). Brooks’ ADP is rising, but he is currently just the RB38.
It’s hard to blame managers for not rushing to draft Brooks. Despite being drafted two full years ago, he has just nine career NFL carries. Brooks didn’t debut until Week 11 of his rookie season thanks to a torn ACL suffered in his final year at Texas; he tore that same ACL again just two weeks later. The latter injury caused him to miss not just the end of 2024 but also the entire 2025 season.
However, Brooks is now healthy and making noise in Carolina’s training camp. And, although he hasn’t gotten a chance to show it yet in the NFL, the 23-year-old has talent. After all, he was selected 46th overall in the loaded 2024 draft class, despite being injured at the time. It’s not an absurd stretch to think he might have been a first-rounder if he was healthy on draft night.
Meanwhile, Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers’ current RB1, lost his job to journeyman Rico Dowdle for a few weeks last season. It’s a huge if, but if Brooks can stay healthy and make good on his potential, he should be able to take over this backfield. Although Carolina’s offense isn’t as exciting as the others mentioned so far in this article, that possibility gives Brooks genuine RB1 potential.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.