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2025 fantasy football RB rankings - Week 5 start, sit running back rankings. Win more with our updated RB fantasy football rankings and tiers for Week 5.
The running back position is starting to get ravaged by injuries, and bye weeks only further complicate things. To assist your start-sit calls at RB, we're back with our Week 5 fantasy football running back rankings for 2025. Check out the running back rankings below to find out where key RBs like Woody Marks, Michael Carter, Emari Demercado, Cam Skattebo, David Montgomery, Jordan Mason, Chuba Hubbard, and more stand for Week 5.
Our RB fantasy football rankings for Week 5 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Editor's Note: Stay on top of your draft prep with RotoBaller’s fantasy football rankings, featuring expert analysis, ADPs, and draft insights for both PPR and non-PPR leagues.
Week 5 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | 2 |
| 2 | 3 | De'Von Achane | RB | 4 |
| 2 | 4 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | 5 |
| 2 | 5 | James Cook | RB | 7 |
| 2 | 6 | Saquon Barkley | RB | 8 |
| 3 | 7 | Omarion Hampton | RB | 9 |
| 3 | 8 | Breece Hall | RB | 10 |
| 3 | 9 | Cam Skattebo | RB | 11 |
| 3 | 10 | Kyren Williams | RB | 13 |
| 3 | 11 | Javonte Williams | RB | 15 |
| 3 | 12 | Ashton Jeanty | RB | 17 |
| 3 | 13 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 22 |
| 3 | 14 | Derrick Henry | RB | 23 |
| 3 | 15 | Kenneth Walker III | RB | 24 |
| 4 | 16 | Quinshon Judkins | RB | 27 |
| 4 | 17 | Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | 28 |
| 4 | 18 | Bucky Irving | RB | 30 |
| 5 | 19 | Alvin Kamara | RB | 31 |
| 5 | 20 | David Montgomery | RB | 34 |
| 5 | 21 | Woody Marks | RB | 35 |
| 5 | 22 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | 38 |
| 5 | 23 | Jordan Mason | RB | 44 |
| 5 | 24 | Chase Brown | RB | 48 |
| 5 | 25 | Tony Pollard | RB | 52 |
| 6 | 26 | TreVeyon Henderson | RB | 72 |
| 6 | 27 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 73 |
| 6 | 28 | Nick Chubb | RB | 77 |
| 6 | 29 | Michael Carter | RB | 83 |
| 7 | 30 | Zach Charbonnet | RB | 88 |
| 7 | 31 | Rachaad White | RB | 93 |
| 7 | 32 | Kareem Hunt | RB | 96 |
| 7 | 33 | Isiah Pacheco | RB | 100 |
| 8 | 34 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | 108 |
| 8 | 35 | RJ Harvey | RB | 110 |
| 8 | 36 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | RB | 114 |
| 8 | 37 | Rico Dowdle | RB | 115 |
| 8 | 38 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | 116 |
| 8 | 39 | Kendre Miller | RB | 123 |
| 8 | 40 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB | 125 |
| 9 | 41 | Emari Demercado | RB | 129 |
| 9 | 42 | Justice Hill | RB | 130 |
| 9 | 43 | Miles Sanders | RB | 135 |
| 9 | 44 | Blake Corum | RB | 137 |
| 9 | 45 | Devin Singletary | RB | 138 |
| 9 | 46 | Zavier Scott | RB | 139 |
| 9 | 47 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 141 |
| 10 | 48 | Jeremy McNichols | RB | 154 |
| 10 | 49 | Isaiah Davis | RB | 159 |
| 10 | 50 | Brashard Smith | RB | 163 |
| 10 | 51 | Jerome Ford | RB | 165 |
| 10 | 52 | Antonio Gibson | RB | 171 |
| 10 | 53 | Tyjae Spears | RB | 173 |
| 10 | 54 | Ray Davis | RB | 177 |
| 10 | 55 | Sean Tucker | RB | 179 |
| 11 | 56 | Raheem Mostert | RB | 183 |
| 11 | 57 | Dylan Sampson | RB | 187 |
| 11 | 58 | Ty Johnson | RB | 199 |
| 11 | 59 | AJ Dillon | RB | 200 |
| 11 | 60 | DJ Giddens | RB | 205 |
| 11 | 61 | Trevor Etienne | RB | 211 |
| 11 | 62 | Jaydon Blue | RB | 218 |
| 11 | 63 | Samaje Perine | RB | 219 |
| 12 | 64 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | RB | 223 |
| 12 | 65 | Julius Chestnut | RB | 228 |
| 12 | 66 | Tyler Badie | RB | 230 |
| 12 | 67 | Cam Akers | RB | 235 |
| 13 | 68 | Kyle Juszczyk | RB | 236 |
| 13 | 69 | Zamir White | RB | 241 |
| 13 | 70 | Tahj Brooks | RB | 243 |
| 13 | 71 | Hassan Haskins | RB | 246 |
| 13 | 72 | Dare Ogunbowale | RB | 249 |
| 13 | 73 | Kimani Vidal | RB | 252 |
| 13 | 74 | Alec Ingold | RB | 255 |
| 14 | 75 | George Holani | RB | 256 |
| 14 | 76 | Zonovan Knight | RB | 257 |
| 15 | 77 | Isaac Guerendo | RB | 258 |
| 15 | 78 | Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | 259 |
| 15 | 79 | Will Shipley | RB | 260 |
| 15 | 80 | Dylan Laube | RB | 261 |
| 15 | 81 | Tyler Goodson | RB | 262 |
| 15 | 82 | Devin Neal | RB | 263 |
| 15 | 83 | Jaylen Wright | RB | 264 |
| 15 | 84 | Sincere McCormick | RB | 265 |
| 15 | 85 | Tank Bigsby | RB | 266 |
| 16 | 86 | Jarquez Hunter | RB | 267 |
| 16 | 87 | Hunter Luepke | RB | 268 |
| 16 | 88 | Audric Estime | RB | 269 |
| 17 | 89 | Rasheen Ali | RB | 270 |
| 17 | 90 | Craig Reynolds | RB | 271 |
| 17 | 91 | Reggie Gilliam | RB/TE | 272 |
| 17 | 92 | D'Ernest Johnson | RB | 273 |
Week 5 Fantasy Football Running Back Outlooks
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns could be turning more to rookie running back Quinshon Judkins now that the team has formally made a change at quarterback, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Cleveland's offense has been one of the very worst in the league, prompting the club to bench quarterback Joe Flacco in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel for this week's game against Minnesota, which will be played in London.
Judkins looks to be a benefactor of the switch, as the Browns likely will look to their running attack to give the first-time starting quarterback some help against a good defensive line. Judkins has drawn 19 and 25 touches, respectively, during the past two weeks, opening the possibility he's going to get feature-back work as long as he's healthy.
Braleon Allen, New York Jets
New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (knee) will be placed on injured reserve later Thursday, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Allen sustained the injury during the Jets' Monday Night Football loss at Miami and did not return to the game. Cimini said the club isn't certain if the injury will be season-ending, but it certainly will be more than the minimum four weeks required for an IR stint.
Without Allen, it seems highly likely fellow running back Breece Hall will receive the vast majority of work out of the Jets' backfield for the time being.
Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter is a suddenly relevant fantasy name who is sending managers rushing to the waiver wires this week ahead of a matchup against the lowly Tennessee Titans. The fifth-year back told reporters on Wednesday that he's poised to start the game after the Cardinals lost their top two running backs, James Conner (ankle) and Trey Benson (knee), in back-to-back weeks.
While Benson should return this year, the Arizona Republic reports the Cards could turn to a committee approach with Carter, Emari Demercado, and Zonovan Knight, but it was Carter who took snaps first at Wednesday's practice. Carter was a top-30 fantasy running back in 2021, and the opportunity gives him the chance at becoming a valuable fantasy add, especially during bye weeks.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams has started to see his usage decline recently, and a Week 5 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers won't do him any favors as he tries to get back on track. There's no question that Williams was still a productive fantasy option last Sunday as he totaled 94 scrimmage yards.
However, he did so against a subpar Colts defense while handling a season-low 16 touches and 68 percent snap share. Last week, Williams' low usage was balanced out by his high efficiency. He might not have the same fortune on Thursday night against a 49ers defense allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2025. Williams' fantasy value is slipping; he's now a fringe top-24 fantasy running back for Week 5.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
According to Steve Reed of The Associated Press, Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) is viewed as day-to-day. However, Reed noted that Hubbard still needs more time to recover from this injury. The top running back was sidestepping during Wendedya's initial practice session.
While he was able to play out the past weekend during their loss to the Patriots, Hubbard's workload was limited due to this injury. In this contest, the 26-year-old logged just 10 attempts for 49 yards and caught all three of his targets for 20 yards. Fantasy managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status during practice this week, as he could be in danger of missing their contest against the Dolphins if he faces a setback. If he were to miss time, Rico Dowdle would take the lead role.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said he's hoping to get running back Tyjae Spears (ankle) "involved as quickly as possible," according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. Spears is still on Injured Reserve and has missed the first four games of the season, but the Titans opened his 21-day practice window this week, and he's eligible to be activated to the 53-man active roster at any time. For now, it's unclear if Spears has a legitimate chance to play in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.
When he's back, Spears will be a nice change-of-pace to starter Tony Pollard in Tennessee's backfield. Even if Spears does not make his 2025 debut this weekend, fantasy managers in need of some RB depth, especially in point-per-reception formats, should consider adding Spears off the waiver wire if he's available. In his two years in the NFL, Spears has 765 rushing yards and six rushing TDs on 184 attempts while catching 82 passes for 609 yards and two more touchdowns.
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