The offseason is where dynasty fantasy football takes center stage. Before we dive headfirst into this year’s rookies, it can be beneficial to do some retrospection. With that in mind, let’s take a look back at last year’s rookie running back class and rerank them based on what we know now.
Ashton Jeanty Remains the Top 2025 Rookie Running Back
Although Ashton Jeanty’s fantasy output did not live up to expectations in his rookie year, I don’t believe anyone who drafted him would be interested in a one-for-one swap with any other back from the 2025 class.
As much as Jeanty underwhelmed, no one else from this class made themselves undeniable. Plus, it’s not as if Jeanty was bad.
Jeanty’s usage was notable. He led all rookies in rushing yards with 975 and total scrimmage yards with 1,321. His receiving role proved his value as a pass catcher, with 55 receptions for 346 yards.
Jeanty is 22 years old. The Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and are expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. New head coach Klint Kubiak knows how to scheme a rushing attack after coordinating Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning offense.
The Raiders will be improved in 2026 because they really can’t be worse. Jeanty merely needs below-average offensive line and quarterback play to be a fantasy RB1. If he ever finds himself playing on a top-10 offense, he has a Bijan Robinson-level ceiling. Las Vegas will not be bad forever. The future is bright for Jeanty.
Omarion Hampton Slots in at RB2 for the Los Angeles Chargers
The next three backs on this list all deal with injuries that prevented us from getting a true sense of their abilities.
Omarion Hampton managed to play nine games and was productive when healthy, recording 737 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns on 156 touches. Thrust into prominence immediately in Week 1 due to Najee Harris’s eye injury, Hampton capped off a solid first month with an explosive 165-yard performance in Week 4 against the Giants before suffering an ankle fracture in Week 5.
Hampton demonstrated three-down ability, and his backfield partner, Kimani Vidal, performed well in Hampton’s absence. He would be locked into this RB2 spot regardless of his team situation, but it certainly doesn’t hurt that Mike McDaniel is now set to serve as the offensive coordinator. Hampton’s upside is immense.
Quinshon Judkins Shows Franchise Back Potential in Cleveland
The 2025 running back class is very deep. There are a lot of backs who will be fantasy relevant for years to come. But after the top two, it already starts to get a little dicey.
Volume is king in fantasy football. Quinshon Judkins missed all of training camp with an off-the-field issue. He didn’t even sign with the Browns until September. Yet it took him all of one missed game to get on the field for his debut in Week 2. Then, by Week 3, the backfield was his.
Judkins flashed upside but wasn’t particularly efficient. Of course, the Browns offensive line also graded out as one of the worst in the league in PFSN’s O-Line Impact Score.
The Browns have a lot of problems offensively that they need to solve. Judkins started all 14 of his appearances before his season ended with a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in Week 16. The ride may be bumpy in the short term, but Judkins looks to be locked in as their franchise back. They just need to figure out quarterback, offensive line, and wide receiver.
Cam Skattebo Proving Doubters Wrong in New York
If you want to put Cam Skattebo above Judkins, I won’t stop you. However, the Giants running back is still a Day 3 pick. We know how quickly a Day 3 running back can go from the talk of the town to irrelevant. We literally saw it happen on this very team with Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Tracking to be one of the best values of the 2025 season, Skattebo had completely taken over the New York Giants’ RB1 role before suffering a gruesome dislocated ankle in Week 8. His snap share had been around 60–70% for five consecutive weeks before getting hurt.
Skattebo’s injury was quite gruesome, involving a dislocation, bone break, and ligament tears, but he should be fully recovered well before training camp begins. It’s not expected to be anything that impacts him next season.
Prior to going down, Skattebo was one of the most productive rookies in the league. He had scored 7 touchdowns in seven games and was well on his way to continuing his hot streak.
We have every reason to believe Skattebo’s performance is indicative of what he can do over an extended period of time. Despite being on the bigger side and not particularly fast, he’s a great receiver.
With an improved coaching staff led by John Harbaugh and a full season of Jaxson Dart at quarterback, the Giants are trending in the right direction. A strong season should cement his lead back status and significantly lower the risk that he gets displaced by a back with higher draft capital.
RJ Harvey Faces an Uncertain Path to RB1 Value in Denver
I know what you’re thinking. How come the draft capital argument that kept Judkins ahead of Skattebo doesn’t apply to RJ Harvey? It’s an easy one to answer.
The Browns showed a clear willingness to feature Judkins, feed him significant volume, and make him their lead back. When presented with ample opportunity to do the same, the Broncos declined.
Harvey was a second-round pick whom the Broncos traded up to select. That seemed to suggest an intent to feature him significantly in the offense. Instead, J.K. Dobbins was dominating touches for the majority of the season.
After Dobbins suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 10, Harvey became the starter. While his usage certainly increased, he was still ceding snaps to the likes of Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie.
Harvey’s 12 touchdowns are carrying a lot of the weight behind his fantasy production. He finished with 896 scrimmage yards across 17 games. Unfortunately, Harvey wasn’t very effective on the ground after taking over as the starter, averaging 3.7 yards per carry in that stretch.
I don’t see a path to Harvey losing fantasy relevance in the near future. I also don’t see a path to RB1 value. He’s already 25 years old, and the team is almost certainly going to bring in someone to pair with him to play the Dobbins role.
TreVeyon Henderson’s Path to RB1 Remains Unclear in New England
I am certainly on an island here. In any other set of rankings, you will likely find TreVeyon Henderson up at RB3.
Henderson was a rookie on a team that reached the Super Bowl. This was a good roster that didn’t need to throw a lot at him too soon. By no means am I ruling out improvement or a change in circumstances on the Patriots resulting in Henderson becoming a fantasy RB1. We cannot and should not discount the fact that he produced strong fantasy performances in the three games Rhamondre Stevenson missed, including a 147-yard, two-touchdown effort in Week 10 against Tampa Bay.
At the same time, we also cannot and should not discount the fact that the coaching staff saw what Henderson was capable of and still decided to give Stevenson not just the RB1 job back, but feature him even more heavily over Henderson from that point forward.
It took injuries for Henderson to even get a real chance. And even then, he couldn’t earn the goal line or short yardage role consistently. It shouldn’t take this much for an early second-round running back to get a chance.
Henderson did average 5.1 yards per carry and finished with 911 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games. He’s clearly capable of hitting a home run on any touch, but the consistent carry-to-carry decision-making wasn’t always there. He also struggled in pass protection, which was supposed to be a strength.
When the games mattered most, the coaching staff sent us a clear message. They do not trust Henderson.
He carried the ball a limited number of times in the playoffs. Three of the Patriots’ four playoff games were not particularly competitive. What happened in the 10-7 AFC Championship barnburner against the Broncos? Henderson played only four offensive snaps. That has to be viewed as a glaring red flag.
At just 23 years old, there’s plenty of time for Henderson to break through. Stevenson isn’t going to be there forever. But he is going to be there for at least one more season. If Henderson cannot overtake Stevenson this year, his value will be lower next year than it is right now, which is a big reason for this current ranking.
Kyle Monangai Carving Out a Role in Chicago
Kyle Monangai is essentially the antithesis of Henderson. A seventh-round rookie, Monangai did well to even earn the RB2 job. However, the Bears had no real intention of giving him a meaningful role. Monangai played his way into making this backfield a timeshare.
Monangai averaged 4.6 yards per carry and 5.1 yards per touch. He had seven games with double-digit rush attempts.
D’Andre Swift is three years older than Monangai but will remain for at least one more season. Monangai is not taking over this backfield from Swift, but he is one injury away from being the lead back.
Monangai’s ceiling is capped because he doesn’t catch passes. But for a player with his draft capital, no one would complain if he ended up in something like a Nick Chubb role on a prolific Ben Johnson offense.
Bhayshul Tuten Struggles to Separate in Jacksonville
In retrospect, expecting Bhayshul Tuten to do anything more than he did as a rookie was foolish. I was a big Travis Etienne Jr. hater after his disastrous 2024 season. As it turns out, perhaps it was the injuries and the abysmal coaching staff that were to blame.
Tuten was a Day 3 pick with elite measurables and a great receiving profile. Yet the Jaguars decided rookie seventh-rounder LeQuint Allen was more suited for the passing-down role than Tuten. That’s the first red flag.
More concerning is the fact that Tuten did absolutely nothing to prove he deserves an increased role. He averaged 3.7 yards per carry in the same offense in which Etienne was at 4.3. Out of his 83 carries, just one of Tuten’s rushes went for 15+ yards. He was able to make defenders miss at a solid rate but did nothing to benefit from his elusiveness. A surprising lack of burst saw him average just 3.14 yards created per touch.
If Etienne walks in free agency, Tuten’s stock will inevitably rise. However, I’m not convinced the Jaguars would be willing to commit to him as the lead back. Expect to see me recommend selling Tuten on the value spike if Etienne leaves.
Woody Marks Faces Competition After David Montgomery Trade
Yet another Day 3 pick who exceeded expectations, you are probably surprised to see Woody Marks this far down the list. As surprisingly useful as Marks was for fantasy purposes, let’s not mistake plus value for “good.”
Marks benefited from the chips falling perfectly into place for him to see more volume than anyone could’ve anticipated. Joe Mixon wound up missing the entire season, and Nick Chubb proved to be done. The Texans had no choice.
That left Marks, who never saw 200 carries in a single collegiate season, to handle 196 of them as a rookie. Known for his elite receiving profile, the Texans used Marks as a two-down grinder. He saw limited targets and averaged just 4.1 yards per touch.
Despite more volume than expected, Marks only posted five games of double-digit fantasy points all season. I just don’t see the Texans committing to Marks as their feature back long term. Trading for David Montgomery, who is likely a one-year rental, further cements their lack of belief in Marks.
The Rest of the 2025 Rookie Running Back Class
10) Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
11) Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
12) Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints
13) Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins
14) Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
15) Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
