Week 1 of the fantasy football season has arrived, and it’s more important than ever to know which players deserve a place in your starting lineup. Considering player talent, recent form, and matchups, we’ve put together our PFSN consensus Week 1 RB rankings.
These rankings were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, September 6, 2025.
Week 1 RB Fantasy Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson, RB | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
2) Christian McCaffrey, RB | San Francisco 49ers (at SEA)
3) Saquon Barkley, RB | Philadelphia Eagles (vs. DAL)
4) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB | Detroit Lions (at GB)
5) Bucky Irving, RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
6) Derrick Henry, RB | Baltimore Ravens (at BUF)
7) De’Von Achane, RB | Miami Dolphins (at IND)
8) Ashton Jeanty, RB | Las Vegas Raiders (at NE)
9) Josh Jacobs, RB | Green Bay Packers (vs. DET)
10) Jonathan Taylor, RB | Indianapolis Colts (vs. MIA)
11) Chase Brown, RB | Cincinnati Bengals (at CLE)
12) James Conner, RB | Arizona Cardinals (at NO)
13) Kenneth Walker III, RB | Seattle Seahawks (vs. SF)
14) Chuba Hubbard, RB | Carolina Panthers (at JAX)
15) James Cook, RB | Buffalo Bills (vs. BAL)
16) Kyren Williams, RB | Los Angeles Rams (vs. HOU)
17) Alvin Kamara, RB | New Orleans Saints (vs. ARI)
18) Isiah Pacheco, RB | Kansas City Chiefs (at LAC)
19) Omarion Hampton, RB | Los Angeles Chargers (vs. KC)
20) TreVeyon Henderson, RB | New England Patriots (vs. LV)
21) D’Andre Swift, RB | Chicago Bears (vs. MIN)
22) Breece Hall, RB | New York Jets (vs. PIT)
23) Aaron Jones Sr., RB | Minnesota Vikings (at CHI)
24) Tony Pollard, RB | Tennessee Titans (at DEN)
25) David Montgomery, RB | Detroit Lions (at GB)
26) RJ Harvey, RB | Denver Broncos (vs. TEN)
27) Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB | New York Giants (at WAS)
28) Rhamondre Stevenson, RB | New England Patriots (vs. LV)
29) Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB | Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)
30) Tank Bigsby, RB | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. CAR)
31) Jerome Ford, RB | Cleveland Browns (vs. CIN)
32) Nick Chubb, RB | Houston Texans (at LAR)
33) Jordan Mason, RB | Minnesota Vikings (at CHI)
34) Jaylen Warren, RB | Pittsburgh Steelers (at NYJ)
35) Austin Ekeler, RB | Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)
36) Javonte Williams, RB | Dallas Cowboys (at PHI)
37) Travis Etienne Jr., RB | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. CAR)
38) J.K. Dobbins, RB | Denver Broncos (vs. TEN)
39) Zach Charbonnet, RB | Seattle Seahawks (vs. SF)
40) Tyler Allgeier, RB | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
41) Dylan Sampson, RB | Cleveland Browns (vs. CIN)
42) Kaleb Johnson, RB | Pittsburgh Steelers (at NYJ)
43) Braelon Allen, RB | New York Jets (vs. PIT)
44) Ollie Gordon II, RB | Miami Dolphins (at IND)
45) Cam Skattebo, RB | New York Giants (at WAS)
46) Brian Robinson Jr., RB | San Francisco 49ers (at SEA)
47) Ray Davis, RB | Buffalo Bills (vs. BAL)
48) Rico Dowdle, RB | Carolina Panthers (at JAX)
49) Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB | Washington Commanders (vs. NYG)
50) Trey Benson, RB | Arizona Cardinals (at NO)
Ashton Jeanty (at Patriots)
Giddy up!
If you spent a high draft pick on the pride of Boise State, now is the time to see if you have hit the lottery. It is reasonable to think that, entering the 2025-26 season, the only people who want Ashton Jeanty to handle more work than fantasy managers are the Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff.
This would help them justify using the sixth overall pick on him. Against the fifth-worst goal-to-go defense from the 2024-25 season, all of that volume should result in a fantasy bonanza on Sunday.
What Makes Jeanty a High-Upside Fantasy Play?
While it is fair to label Jeanty as a unique prospect with rare upside, the historical data paints a picture of a high-floor, high-ceiling profile. If you isolate the running backs who walked into high-usage roles in their NFL debut since 2000, the results are compelling.
From 2000 to 2024, rookie running back fantasy production in their first game, broken down by usage, looks like this:
- 25+ touches:Â 17.8 points per game (over 19.5 fantasy points in half of those instances)
- 20-24 touches: 16.7 points per game (this includes Kareem Hunt’s 45.6-point outburst in 2017)
- 15-19 touches:Â 11.2 points per game
In nearly a quarter of those games (23.2%), a player getting at least 15 touches in his professional debut has cleared 20 PPR points. That is an impressive rate, especially when you consider that names like Keith Ford, Deji Karim, and Nick Goings met the touch threshold for inclusion.
Asking Jeanty to clear 20 touches and average more than a point per touch is far from unreasonable before the Raiders take their act to prime time next week in a divisional home game on Monday night.
TreVeyon Henderson (vs. Raiders)
Did you know that since the start of 2023, only 22 players have more carries than Rhamondre Stevenson, yet 52 have more carries of 15 yards or more? The fumbling problems for Stevenson in 2024 were highlighted as the reason for a future role reduction, but they were more of a final straw than the root cause.
As a rookie, Stevenson posted an impressive 38.3% PFSN Elusive Rating, a rate that has declined every year since, reaching 27.1% in 2024. The Patriots have every reason to look for other options as they try to build around rookie quarterback Drake Maye. New England is contractually tied to Stevenson for another season after this one before they can move on in 2027.
Meanwhile, TreVeyon Henderson turned heads all summer, and his kickoff return for a touchdown in the preseason only fanned those flames. The stage appears set for him to become the lead back in the offense sooner rather than later, but the question is how quickly he will assume control. My guess is it will happen before the end of September, but probably not in this first game. Henderson’s modest touch projection places him in the flex tier of my running back rankings for this favorable matchup.
While that’s not ideal, he represents a risk worth taking over receivers whose best days are likely behind them, like the Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, and Stefon Diggs of the world.
