Everyone knows to draft Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs in the early rounds of fantasy football drafts. Leagues are won by finding those under-the-radar guys who significantly outperform their ADP. We still have a long way to go in preparing for 2025 fantasy drafts, but here are some early fantasy running back sleepers that managers should target.
Byashul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars
Byashul Tuten turned heads at the combine when he ran a 4.32 40-time, putting his speed score in the 98th percentile. The kid can fly. But he’s more than just fast. Tuten is also a capable receiver, earning a 12.1% target share in 2023.
At first glance, it may look like this is a crowded depth chart. The Jaguars have two incumbents in Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby. The good news for Tuten is neither Etienne nor Bigsby was particularly effective last season. Etienne’s performance, in particular, was bordering on egregious.
The Jaguars have a new coaching staff led by Liam Coen. If he intends to use a back like Bucky Irving last season, Tuten is the best fit.
Coen’s staff drafted Tuten. They did not draft Etienne or Bigsby. In fact, Etienne was drafted two coaching staffs ago.
There is absolutely no allegiance to either of the two returning running backs. If Tuten shows out in training camp, he could very well earn the starting job. Even if that doesn’t end up happening, Tuten could have an Irving-like ascent that occurs gradually throughout the season.
I expect Tuten’s ADP to rise throughout the Summer. We’ll see if he maintains his appeal during peak fantasy draft season. But right now, he sure looks like someone to target everywhere.
Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have made it abundantly clear what they think of the running back position. Before the draft, Jerry Jones claimed the offensive line was the reason the running game struggled — not the personnel.
I understand Jaydon Blue was a fifth-rounder for a reason. But Rico Dowdle was an unexpected RB2 in fantasy last season playing in this offense. There is fantasy upside here.
Blue has a chance. He comes with 4.43 speed and a solid receiving profile, earning an 11.3% target share in his final season.
Most importantly, he just needs opportunity. Blue is stepping onto a roster with two replacement-level options ahead of him in Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. I would argue Sanders is sub-replacement-level.
Blue could immediately carve out a role as the receiving back. If Williams and Sanders perform to their skill levels, we could easily see Dallas push more work Blue’s way. If they were willing to make Dowdle a three-down back due to lack of alternatives, they can do it with Blue. I expect to be overweight on Blue in fantasy drafts unless we get some very negative reports throughout the Summer.
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
Once you get past the clear and likely starters, it’s time to take chances on backups. Jordan Mason is going to backup Aaron Jones. But there’s a lot of upside here.
Jones has been mostly durable throughout his career. However, he’s now 30 years old. He’s said himself that “age is just a number.” But we look at age 30 a different way for a reason.
The years 2024-2026 may end up going down as a strong stretch for old running backs. Yet, betting on history is still a good move to make.
Jones didn’t miss a game last year, but he did play through a couple of injuries. The lack of talent behind him forced the Vikings to give him a career-high 255 carries at age 29. It was this exact situation that prompted them to trade for Jordan Mason, who thrived filling in for Christian McCaffrey.
From Weeks 1-4, Mason averaged 18.6 ppg. He was a strong RB1. While he never hit double-digit fantasy points again, he battled injuries for the majority of the remainder of the season.
Mason should have deeper-league standalone value right away as an RB3/4. The Vikings have hinted that he may be the primary goal-line back.
Then, of course, there’s the contingent upside should something happen to Jones. Mason has the ability to handle a heavy workload. There’s RB1 upside. Mason is the exact type of back fantasy managers should be throwing a dart at in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts.