Fantasy Football Rookie Running Backs You Must Draft In 2025

May 19, 2025

Aidin Ebrahimi's rookie running backs to target and draft in fantasy football. His top NFL rookie sleepers and draft values for 2025 redraft, dynasty, and best ball leagues.

What can we say about the 2025 rookie running back class that hasn't already been said? This is one of those RB classes with multiple potential fantasy football league-winners and game-changers. The potential of these guys is through the roof!

Although most people will focus on Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton, the two first-round running backs of this class, we shouldn't forget about the other rookie backs. Every year, we'll have a few overlooked rookies who shock the world and become fantasy football stars right out of the gate.

Without further ado, let's look at five fantasy football rookie RBs you must have in 2025 fantasy football leagues. As stated earlier, Jeanty and Hampton will not be included.

TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

I highly suggest checking out my article on Henderson's 2025 fantasy football outlook, where I took an in-depth look at his collegiate career and how he could be a perfect fit next to Rhamondre Stevenson.

Treveyon Henderson ➡️ Patriots pic.twitter.com/9JQMfHmsvN

— Jersey Swaps (@jerseyxswap) May 1, 2025

Everything that I said in that article stands. Henderson is a terrific talent and has the potential to be special in the Pats system. The best thing about him is how some fantasy managers are undervaluing him due to his landing spot and competition with Stevenson, but this is the best thing that could have possibly happened to him.

Much like his duo with Quinshon Judkins, the Patriots' new RB duo is a classic "Thunder and Lightning" pairing. Stevenson is a relatively strong back who excels at the goal line (which is a weakness in Henderson's game), while Henderson is a fast back who can turn any play into a touchdown and has great ball security (the biggest weakness in Stevenson's game).

As you can see, these two backs complement each other perfectly and cover each other's weaknesses. When the Pats want a short, goal-line power run, they'll go to Stevenson, and when they want a long, electrifying run to turn a game around, they'll go to Henderson.

Also, Will Campbell is a huge upgrade over their previous LT, Vederian Lowe, and with all the other weapons the Patriots have added in the offseason, this has the potential to be one of the best offenses in the league. If that happens, expect Henderson to be a massive part of this turnaround.

Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

After four years of the Najee Harris experiment, the Steelers finally pulled the plug and gave up on their former first-round pick. Since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement, the Steelers have become a run-heavy team, ranking in the top 10 of rushing attempts in each of the last three seasons.

But they realized that an RB room of Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, and Cordarrelle Patterson wasn't good enough to accommodate their playing style.

So, they went out and drafted Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson with the 83rd pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. After a solid start as a freshman, Johnson's draft stock took a massive hit due to an ankle injury in his sophomore season and a half-game suspension in the first game of his junior year for violating team rules.

Despite these setbacks, he bounced back and ran for 1,537 yards and 21 scores in 2024. This is the perfect landing spot for Johnson. Patterson is old, Gainwell has never run for over 400 yards in a season, and despite Harris' shortcomings, Warren couldn't dethrone him as the team's RB1 for three seasons.

HC Mike Tomlin might give the first few starts of the year to Warren due to his experience with the team, but Johnson can easily overtake him and get the lion's share of the Steelers' many rushing attempts.

Cam Skattebo, New York Giants

When GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll joined the Giants in 2022, "smart, tough, and dependable" was adopted as the team's motto. 2025 fourth-round pick Cam Skattebo fits that motto perfectly.

Cam Skattebo is wearing 44 just like Ahmad Bradshaw did. I love it🥲 pic.twitter.com/iOZdNmMJ5q

— Carly (@carlymersky) May 9, 2025

Despite putting up great numbers in high school, Skattebo only received one offer from a D1 school, Sacramento State, which played in the FCS. He didn't let that setback deter him, and he went on to become a star and eventually earned a transfer to Arizona State in 2023.

The step up to the FBS level did not bother Skattebo, as he burst onto the scene in his first year before running for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2024. Skattebo is a physical running back who lives for contact.

In the 2024 season, he averaged 4.09 yards after contact and forced 103 missed tackles. Despite his short height and lack of pace compared to typical NFL backs, he's very difficult to bring down.

He's also a great receiver and will complement the faster Tyrone Tracy Jr. nicely. Despite a solid first year, Tracy is by no means an established name, and it's likely he'll split touches with Skattebo if the rookie impresses in training camp.

Jordan James, San Francisco 49ers

Many fantasy managers who had the first overall pick in their league's drafts decided to pick Christian McCaffrey, completely ignoring his long injury history. This strategy backfired, as McCaffrey was injured for all but four games of the 2024 season, and the 49ers collapsed without him.

Despite the Niners' struggles, Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo emerged from the shadows to become fantasy-relevant players during CMC's absence. Mason departed the team in the offseason, and Guerendo's name has been in a lot of trade rumors recently.

This could potentially open the door for former Oregon Ducks star Jordan James to take over once McCaffrey goes down. After backing up Bucky Irving, James took over in 2024, rushing for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns.

James slid in the draft because of a poor showing at the combine, but that shouldn't stop you from believing in him. Just look at Irving, who also had a poor combine performance before becoming an NFL superstar in his rookie season.

James' ball-security, acceleration, and patience when running the football can turn him into one of the most intriguing backups in the league right out of the gate. Not to mention San Francisco's good offensive line, and the probability of McCaffrey being struck down by injury once again.

Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints

I've said this before, and even though he got drafted to my least-favorite team, I'll say it again: Devin Neal is the real deal. The Saints are in turmoil right now, and they're desperately looking for a spark to put them back on the right track.

Devin Neal has officially signed a 4 year contract with the New Orleans Saints! ⚜️📝 pic.twitter.com/vmiGKREFw9

— Kansas Jayhawk Fans (@FansOfKU) May 9, 2025

Alvin Kamara will turn 30 soon and is no longer the force he once was. Kendre Miller has struggled with ankle and hamstring injuries so far in his career and has failed to establish himself. And despite only being 26, Clyde Edwards-Helaire is a shell of his former self.

Neal has all it takes to be the savior of the Saints' rushing attack. Much like Jordan James, Neal also fell in the draft due to a poor combine performance, but that shouldn't be your perception of him as a player.

Neal helped turn Kansas' football program around alongside HC Lance Leipold and ran for over 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns in each of his last two seasons at KU.

Led by Neal, the Jayhawks finished 23rd in the final AP poll of the 2023 season, their first time in the top 25 of the final AP poll since 2007. He has proved that he can turn a team around with his sheer talent, and Saints fans should be very excited that the team drafted him.

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