Fantasy Football Running Back Winners From The 2025 NFL Offseason

Andrew Ball's top running back risers and offseason winners for 2025 fantasy football. His breakdown of RBs who gained value following free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft.

A deep and talented rookie running back class had dynasty fantasy football managers sweating through April.

Some had every right to be nervous. Omarion Hampton should overtake Najee Harris in Los Angeles. TreVeyon Henderson is more talented than Rhamondre Stevenson. Kaleb Johnson is forming a new tandem with Jaylen Warren in Pittsburgh.

But some came out of the offseason unscathed. These are those running backs.

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D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

Reunited and it feels ... ok?

D'Andre Swift reconnecting with Ben Johnson is like exes getting back together out of convenience. In Johnson's first season calling plays in Detroit, he effectively ended Swift's time in Honolulu blue. Johnson sparingly used Detroit's 2020 second-round pick (under 100 carries) in favor of veteran Jamaal Williams. The Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs the next offseason, and Swift was cheaply traded to Philadelphia.

the year before Ben Johnson called plays in Detroit:

D'Andre Swift had 12 carries per game

Ben Johnson took over...

D'Andre Swift was reduced to 7 carries per game

Johnson instead rode with Jamaal Williams (15.4/gm)...

and that offseason, the team traded away Swift

odds Ben… pic.twitter.com/NNP4y5DAPr

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 9, 2025

The duo is back together in Chicago, and it seemed inevitable that Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles would replace Swift, or at least add a 1B to the backfield, despite Swift entering the second season of a three-year, $24M contract.

The Bears didn't make the move in free agency. Then, during the NFL Draft, they repeatedly passed on strong running back prospects and added pass-catchers in the early rounds. Finally, with their final selection in the seventh round, Chicago added Rutgers' Kyle Monangai to the roster.

So, Swift's biggest threats of stealing touches are a seventh-round pick and Roschon Johnson, who was scarcely used outside the 5-yard line in 2024. That could be an issue for Swift's larger body of work if the new coaching staff similarly deploys Johnson, but all signs point to the middle-of-the-field touches going to Swift.

And the Chicago offense (on paper) could be one of the most improved units in football! Johnson alone had fans eager to see how he unlocks 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams. Then, the front office prioritized the offensive line in free agency. Then, tight end Colston Loveland (10th overall) and wide receiver Luther Burden III (39th overall) added more firepower. An offense that easily moves the ball is great for the running back, no matter how many mouths need to be fed.

Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

If D'Andre Swift is a winner, Chase Brown falls under the same criteria.

Following Zack Moss' season-ending injury, Brown's opportunity share exploded into RB1 territory. Brown had 32 touches against the Raiders in Week 9 (the first game without Moss) and had at least 20 in all but one game in that stretch. He was RB5 from Week 9 through 17, providing a boost for many championship-bound fantasy managers.

Yet, there was some concern that Cincinnati would bring in a running back to supplant some of Brown's production. He's a smaller back (5-foot-10, 211 lbs.) with low draft capital (fifth round, 163rd overall). Free agency came and went without a worry. The NFL Draft wasn't as cut and dry, but encouraging nonetheless.

Three of Cincinnati's first five picks are defensive players. The other two are offensive guards. Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks got the call in the sixth round.

The Bengals only used a 6th round pick on RB Tahj Brooks, which cements Chase Brown as a second-round pick in fantasy football.

Brown averaged 18.3 PPG from Week 4 until the end of the season.

That ranked as FLEX15 in PPR during that stretch.

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) April 26, 2025

Brooks and Moss will, barring a surprise, round out the depth chart behind Brown. A sixth-round running back isn't much of a concern in the fantasy football lens, but Brooks' skill set complements Brown's. Moss restructured his contract to avoid being a cap casualty.

Although Brown is the most talented of the trio, expect the starter to take more plays off than he did last season. The Bengals want to monitor his touches. That's why they traded for Khalil Herbert last season. Unfortunately for them, Herbert offered a lot less than they anticipated, totaling five touches before Brown's ankle injury late in Week 16, which prematurely ended the latter's breakout campaign.

Brown will now hold onto his third-round ADP and projects as a low-end RB1 for 2025.

Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

There aren't many ways a singular season can go worse for one player.

Fresh off a career year in his second season with Kansas City (1,179 total yards, 44 receptions, and nine touchdowns), Isiah Pacheco cemented himself as the Chiefs' feature running back, despite his seventh-round draft capital. He finished as the RB15 (with three missed games), and it seemed there was still potential to be untapped.

The Pacheco hype train churned into a second-round ADP, with some analysts preferring him over Kyren Williams and Derrick Henry.

To begin the season, it appeared to be a slight overreach, but nothing fantasy managers could complain about. He tallied a rushing touchdown against the Ravens (one of eight Baltimore allowed all season) and compiled 111 yards against the Bengals. That's 16 fantasy points in Weeks 1 and 2. Then, disaster struck.

Pacheco broke his fibula in the fourth quarter of the Week 2 contest and subsequently missed the next nine games. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire already away from the team, the Chiefs relied on undrafted rookie Carson Steele for one game before reuniting with old friend Kareem Hunt.

Hunt's productive play kept the offense churning and Kansas City in the win column. Upon his return, Pacheco started seven of the final eight games, but Hunt commanded more opportunities. Pacheco couldn't muster four yards per carry in any game from Week 14 through the Super Bowl.

Isiah Pacheco 2 games pre Injury
- 17 carries, 67.5 rush YPG, 4 tgt, 3.5 rec, 27 rec yds, 16 fantasy PPG (13 RBs avg 16+ fantasy PPG)

Broken fibula put his season in doubt and sapped his usual explosiveness when he returned. But...

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) May 1, 2025

It's not easy to produce just two months after breaking a leg, and the Chiefs may still believe Pacheco is capable of leading a backfield. His competitors are a soon-to-be 30-year-old Hunt, oft-injured free-agent addition Elijah Mitchell, and seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith, who played three years of wide receiver in college before converting to running back.

Some mock draft analysts predicted the Chiefs could take a running back at the end of the first round. Pacheco survived the draft, and while there may continue to be a split workload, he should get the most opportunities.

Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys handpicked Javonte Williams in free agency to lead their overhauled (not revamped) running back room. Jerry Jones let Rico Dowdle walk in that process and added Miles Sanders. That's two men who lost their jobs in Denver and Carolina, respectively, over the last two seasons. Jones surely had a backup plan.

Looking at the chart tells me one thing for sure: The Dallas Cowboys have a type at RB: cheap, inefficient, and unable to create yardage.

I can't wait to watch Javonte Williams hit the dirt after initial contact at the LOS. https://t.co/hsIQXXsGDQ

— Brandon Murchison (@RotoSuperstar) May 5, 2025

Just like last offseason, the Cowboys spent their high draft picks in the trenches. Unlike 2024, Dallas did spend later picks on the position, selecting Jaydon Blue (fifth round) and Phil Mafah (seventh). Blue is a mismatch as a receiver out of the backfield but doesn't excel on inside runs. Mafah is a bruiser who doesn't possess top-end speed or agility.

Williams' best trait last season was his pass-catching abilities, securing 52 passes compared to 139 rush attempts in his final season in Denver. If he can do what Blue does and offers more on the ground, then Blue's talents are repetitive.

While the fantasy football community won't be clamoring to draft Williams (especially after the Ezekiel Elliott debacle in Dallas last year), he still came out a winner this offseason. His potential value went from the depths to a double-digit draft-day selection.

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