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Joey Pollizze's five fantasy football rookie running back breakout candidates for 2025. His top first-year RBs, including Ashton Jeanty, Quinshon Judkins, Omarion Hampton, RJ Harvey, and Kaleb Johnson.
There are always running backs who come into the NFL and make an immediate impact. In 2023, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and De'Von Achane were three breakout rookie running backs. All three players also finished as top-24 running backs in fantasy. In 2024, Bucky Irving and Tyrone Tracy Jr. could be seen as rookie breakouts.
Therefore, several rookie running backs should break out during the 2025-26 season. There were two running backs selected in the first round and another four running backs taken on Day 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft. With this running back class being considered deep, we could see four or five rookie running backs emerge as solid fantasy options throughout the year.
So, which five rookie running backs are breakout candidates this upcoming season? Should fantasy managers select these players in 2025 drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
Editor's Note: Discover RotoBaller’s top Fantasy Football Sleepers to gain an edge in your drafts. Our free who to draft tool and expert picks spotlight undervalued players, breakout candidates, and late-round gems for all league formats.
Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty is probably the biggest lock on this list. He was selected as the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and was drafted to a Raiders offense that lacks plenty of playmakers out of the backfield. Jeanty will only have to compete with 33-year-old Raheem Mostert and former undrafted free agent Sincere McCormick.
As a result, fantasy managers should expect Jeanty to be involved early and often in this Las Vegas offense. It wouldn't be surprising if the former Boise State product totaled over 300 touches in his first season. While most rookies don't see that many touches in Year 1, a large workload should be coming his way in 2025.
This is the kind of OTA video that gets me to be ok drafting Ashton Jeanty in the 1st round of fantasy football drafts.
If he gets heavy volume in the pass game….my lord.
TO THE MOON 🌙🚀 pic.twitter.com/aqQwJfs981
— PPRFantasyTips (@PPRFantasyTips) June 2, 2025
New head coach Pete Carroll has been known to rely on the run in his coaching career, and Jeanty can do it all. He totaled 2,601 rush yards and 29 touchdowns in his final college season while catching 66 passes for 707 yards and six touchdowns in his last two campaigns at Boise State. That makes him a breakout candidate this season.
With a potential 300-touch season incoming, it's hard to pass on him in the first round of fantasy drafts. There have been four running backs who have seen at least 300 touches as a rookie over the last 10 years (Najee Harris, Saquon Barkley, Kareem Hunt, and Ezekiel Elliott). All four backs finished as a top-4 running back in fantasy in PPR formats. So, don't shy away from selecting Jeanty early in drafts.
Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
Although the Los Angeles Chargers selected running back Omarion Hampton with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it isn't necessarily a lock that he will break out as a rookie. The Chargers signed Harris in the offseason, and the former Steeler has been one of the most consistent running backs since entering the league in 2021.
Harris is the only running back in the NFL who has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons. He has also never missed a game in his career, playing in 68-of-68 possible contests. Therefore, Hampton might not overtake him as Los Angeles' RB1 at any point throughout the 2025-26 season.
However, that doesn't mean Hampton won't break out in Year 1. The Chargers ran the ball at the 10th-highest clip (44.9%) last season, and the rookie will be running behind one of the better offensive lines in football. So, we could see the former North Carolina star total over 1,000 yards from scrimmage this season.
Even if Harris and Hampton split 50/50 out of this backfield, there is still a path for the rookie to be a solid RB2 option in 2025. He is the better pass-catcher of the two, and the Chargers will no doubt give their top draft pick plenty of opportunities to shine. Given his upside in this Los Angeles offense, he is a prime breakout candidate in his first year.
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
Whichever running back landed with the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft had the potential to have a prominent role in this offense right away. It so happens that Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins was the team's selection in the second round of April's draft. With this landing spot in Cleveland, Judkins will have every opportunity to break out as a rookie.
The Browns let Nick Chubb walk in free agency, and Jerome Ford will likely be the rookie's biggest competition for touches in 2025. While Ford might start the season as Cleveland's RB1, it's only a matter of time until Judkins overtakes him for that job. He has the speed and quickness to make a real impact right away.
As a result, the Ohio State product is a potential breakout candidate this season. The Browns selected him very early in the second round (36th overall), and they saw the vision of how the running back fit in their offense. After totaling over 1,000 yards in all three of his college seasons, it's safe to say that Henderson will bring more explosiveness to this team.
This cut by Quinshon Judkins just made me LOL.
Look how smooth he is flipping his hips and changing direction. 👀#Browns #DawgPound #NFL
pic.twitter.com/5R9xHFe1Qx— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) June 4, 2025
The rookie is also generating a lot of buzz so far in OTAs. He continues to showcase his potential and has been the team's most impressive rookie so far. So, it's hard not to see him emerging as a solid RB2 option in fantasy throughout the season. The opportunities should be there for the Ohio State star in his first year, making him a nice target in the middle rounds.
RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
When looking at which rookie running backs could break out this year, the biggest thing to ask yourself is, "Which rookies have the chance to be an RB1 on their respective teams?" Just look at Irving and Tracy last season. Both running backs eventually overtook the starter for the RB1 job and became strong fantasy options.
Therefore, Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey could break out in Year 1. Harvey was selected with the 60th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft following an incredible senior campaign at UCF. He rushed for 1,577 yards and 22 touchdowns across 12 games. The 5-foot-8 back now has a great chance to be involved in this Denver offense right away.
The Broncos didn't get much production from any of their running backs last season (Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Audric Estime), and the departure of Williams opens up an RB1 spot in this backfield. So, it wouldn't be shocking to see Harvey earn that starting job right out of training camp.
He ran a solid 4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and reports have come out that Harvey is already seeing "ample work" in OTAs. Given Harvey's potential workload as an RB1 in this Denver offense, he should be a popular rookie breakout candidate. The UCF product ranked second among all college running backs in carries of 15-plus yards (32) last season.
Fantasy managers definitely shouldn't sleep on Harvey in 2025 fantasy drafts. Even with J.K. Dobbins joining the team, we should still expect the rookie to see plenty of opportunities in this offense. He will be too explosive to keep off the field, making him a strong fantasy RB2 option in his first season.
Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
It could stun some people that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson is on this list over New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson. While Henderson should be in for a solid all-around rookie season, Johnson has the chance to take off in his first year.
Johnson was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft after breaking out in his final college season at Iowa. The All-American running back ran for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns while posting an elite 6.4 yards per carry. He also ranked sixth in yards after contact (1,060), third in carries of 15-plus yards (28), and tied for 19th in missed tackles forced (66) among all FBS backs in 2024.
I honestly think about this Kaleb Johnson TD at least once a day I’m not gonna lie man
➖6’1
➖224 lbsFor what it’s worth, his 48.9% Dominator Rating ranked in the 99th Percentile..
2024 Stats: (12 Games)
➖1,537 Rushing Yards
➖21 Rushing TD’sShades of Marshawn Lynch.. pic.twitter.com/mvvA5btciC
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) April 12, 2025
With Najee Harris leaving in the offseason, Johnson should have a significant role in Year 1. He'll battle with Jaylen Warren for touches in this offense, and those two running backs could be a nice one-two punch out of Pittsburgh's backfield. Warren could handle a lot of the receiving work, while Johnson could emerge as the team's goal-line/short-yardage back.
As a result, Johnson has sneaky RB2 value in fantasy. He'll have every opportunity to break out as a rookie on a Steelers team that wants to be physical. Pittsburgh also ran the ball at the fifth-highest clip (48.3%) last season. That all makes the Iowa product a nice pick in the middle round of drafts. He should have a solid role in this offense in 2025.
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