5 Late-Round Fantasy Football RB1 Candidates - Undervalued Running Backs to Draft (2025)

Joey Sheiner's 5 undervalued late-round fantasy football running backs to target in 2025 drafts. His ideal zero-RB picks who can become an RB1 are J.K. Dobbins, Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo, Roschon Johnson, and Javonte Williams.

2024 was a landmark year for running backs in fantasy football. While early picks like Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, and Jahmyr Gibbs had amazing years, sleeper picks like James Conner, Chase Brown, and Bucky Irving also powered many fantasy teams to titles. The NFL may be a passing league, but running backs are still king in fantasy football.

Having a strong stable of running backs is key to winning your fantasy league, but there's more than one way to attain it. While hitting on top picks is the preferred method, choosing the right back in the later rounds can be the true difference-maker. So, which running backs will be this year's Conner, Brown, and Irving?

In this article, we'll use Underdog ADP as of July 19th to determine five of the best late-round running backs who have the potential to finish as a fantasy RB1 in 2025.

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Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings

Underdog ADP: 92.4 (RB31)

A physical back at 5'11”, 223 pounds, Mason played excellently in relief of the injured Christian McCaffrey last season. The third-year back rushed for 789 yards and three touchdowns on 153 carries, averaging an impressive 5.2 yards per carry. The Vikings were impressed enough to flip a couple of late-round picks for him, and now he'll compete with Aaron Jones for carries in Kevin O'Connell's high-octane offense.

Jones was very good last year in his own right, but he's 30 years old and coming off a 306-touch season. Mason will work in on early downs and in the red zone as well, making him a potential TD vulture. And if Jones were to get injured, Mason would immediately become an RB1 in fantasy football.

Jordan Mason is one of my favorite late picks

- great offense
- 30.5 year old starting RB ahead of him
- great in SF last year
- no other legit competition

Going in the 10th round

Who is a late RB you love? pic.twitter.com/6oRh11czQB

— Deep Dive Fantasy Football (@deepdiveff) June 21, 2025

While his ADP has risen to that of an eighth-round pick, Mason could still be worth the increased price. By Round 8, you should have already drafted at least two running backs, meaning that stashing Mason as a high-upside backup could be incredibly valuable later on in the season.

Don't forget that the Vikings will be starting a rookie QB in J.J. McCarthy, so they could lean on the run more than expected. Mason is a must-have late-round option at the running back position in 2025.

J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos

Underdog ADP: 112.4 (RB36)

Dobbins stayed healthy (mostly) for the first time in his career in 2024 and had a great year. In 13 games, Dobbins carried the ball 195 times for 905 yards (4.6 yards per carry) with nine TDs and was key to the Chargers' run-first offense. But following the season, Los Angeles opted not to re-sign him, and Dobbins went through the start of the free-agency period unsigned.

It wasn't until June 10 that the Denver Broncos decided to take a chance on him, giving the 26-year-old a one-year deal. Dobbins will compete with second-round rookie RJ Harvey for touches, whom the Broncos traded up for in the 2025 NFL Draft. But you shouldn't count Dobbins out. He's a well-rounded back with good vision and toughness, and also excels at pass-blocking, which could earn him some extra snaps.

Some of yall forgot how good JK Dobbins is. Payton is going to unleash this man and RJ Harvey is going to keep him healthy. pic.twitter.com/9b065IB5hZ

— Sean Baldwin (@SeanBaldwinX) July 18, 2025

The Broncos offensive line is among the league's best, but the team's running game struggled last season due to poor RB play; Denver finished just 24th in rushing yards gained over expectation in 2024. Dobbins will change that and also enjoy running behind the best blocking offensive line of his career.

And while Dobbins is still a clear injury risk, he won't be asked to lead the entire backfield by himself like he was in 2024. He also goes in the 10th round of fantasy drafts at the moment, so you can afford to take him to fill a bench spot.

Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys

Underdog ADP: 130.2 (RB41)

Speaking of the Broncos' running game, Williams was a big part of why it was unsuccessful last year. He averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and was unable to escape a timeshare with Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. But despite this, Williams has a real chance to be a viable fantasy running back this coming season.

Williams is now projected to be the Cowboys' starting running back, which is a great opportunity for him to earn more touches. His backups will be veteran Miles Sanders, who disappointed in Carolina, and fifth-round rookie Jaydon Blue, who is already being criticized for his work ethic.

That should mean the backfield is mostly his, and Williams has the versatility to be a three-down back. He caught 52 passes with the Broncos last season, which set a career-high.

I’ll happily draft Javonte Williams as RB bench depth for my roster.

You can get him as the RB38 in round 9 according to ADP data.

People are underestimating the POWER of being the lead RB for the Cowboys offense with a healthy Dak Prescott 👀💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/sSITSk2E3F

— PPRFantasyTips (@PPRFantasyTips) July 18, 2025

Think of Williams like a Najee Harris: he won't blow you away with highlights or big runs, but he'll consistently get the ball each week, reel in checkdowns, and score TDs. This is a player you can get in Round 11 in drafts right now.

Even though I don't expect him to perform like a top running back, his opportunity will allow him to outperform his ADP and potentially even reach into the RB1 conversation a la Rachaad White from two seasons ago.

Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers

Underdog ADP: 143.2 (RB46)

Like Mason, Guerendo took over the 49ers backfield when McCaffrey was injured, and also like Mason, he did a great job. He was only given 84 carries as a rookie, but gained 420 yards (5.0 YPC) and ran for four TDs. Following the trade that sent Mason to Minnesota, Guerendo will have backup duties all to himself -- and potentially a lot more should McCaffrey get injured.

In the 5 games Isaac Guerendo saw 10+ touches, he averaged 16.3 fantasy points.

IG has already showcased the perfect balance of speed, physicality and elusiveness!

Going in the 14th round Guerendo is an absolute steal!

Here are some of his top plays from 2024👇🏽@isaacGuerendo pic.twitter.com/G0wY8dDFt9

— Tim (@FireUpFantasyTG) June 3, 2025

McCaffrey is 29 years old and has missed significant time in three of the last five seasons. He played just four games in 2024 due to calf and PCL injuries. Even if CMC comes back fully healthy, he might not be the same player he was before. And if that's the case, Guerendo is good enough to eat into his workload.

At 6-feet, 221 pounds, Guerendo runs a blazing 4.33 40-yard dash, giving him a rare combination of size and speed. He wasn't used much as a receiver in 2024, but he has the skills to be a great pass-catcher out of the backfield since he played wide receiver in high school.

At the very least, anyone who drafts McCaffrey in Round 1 needs to snag Guerendo later on to handcuff the injury-prone vet. But if CMC goes down again, Guerendo will be a league-winner without a doubt.

Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears

Underdog ADP: 169.4 (RB53)

Johnson was barely used by Chicago last season, and he was bad when he was called upon. Johnson averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on 55 carries and was unable to carve out a role for himself in the Bears offense. But not all hope is lost for the young running back.

With Ben Johnson now running the show in Chicago, the team's offense should be significantly better in 2025. The Bears are loaded with weapons, and D'Andre Swift, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland will all be a part of the recipe. But why should Johnson be a part of it as well?

It's all in the way Johnson's offense operated in Detroit. The priority there was the running game, which was powered by elite blocking, a speedy multitool runner (Gibbs), and a big, physical power back (David Montgomery).

Following a great offseason, Chicago improved the offensive line significantly, and while Swift is worse than Gibbs, he fits the profile of a speed back. At 225 pounds, Johnson fits the role of power back.

While Swift will be the RB1 of this team, he's not exactly the most reliable, and Johnson has a real chance to be an early down and red-zone vulture. Even in his poor 2024 season, he managed to rush for six TDs. You can draft him in Round 14 of fantasy football drafts, so taking a shot on him could result in huge dividends.

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