Saquon Barkley - 2025 Fantasy Football Busts and Overvalued Draft Picks

Saquon Barkley is a potential fantasy football bust and overvalued draft pick for 2025. Read the fantasy football outlook and draft advice for the Philadelphia Eagles running back.

RotoBaller Ranking (half-PPR): RB1

Fantasy Draft Analysis:

Saquon Barkley’s first season with the Eagles was pure domination. The veteran running back immediately became the focal point of the offense, carrying the ball 345 times for 2,005 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns while adding 33 receptions (on 43 targets) for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

Unsurprisingly, Barkley enters 2025 as the top running back being drafted and a player routinely taken with the first overall pick. That makes complete sense. The Eagles still have an elite offensive line and a mobile quarterback who can occupy defenses. On the surface, Barkley is set to have another massive season.

Why should he be viewed as a running back bust?

Last season, Barkley handled over 500 touches between the regular season and the playoffs. That is a massive workload for any running back, much less one who has played 16 games in a season just three times in seven years. Barkley (and the Eagles) also had a shorter offseason to recover thanks to their Super Bowl victory.

Barkley possesses immense talent in an offense that is perfectly designed to maximize his explosive running ability. We saw that play out in real time in 2024. However, 2024’s production has nothing to do with 2025’s fantasy points.

“Saquon Barkley won’t be a difference maker”

16 Carries
94 YDS
3 TD
pic.twitter.com/4x4wBmbDo2

— The Swoop Scoops (@TheSwoopScoops) September 7, 2024

There is considerable risk drafting a running back in his age-28 season coming off a 500-touch workload. Be wary of drafting him with the first (or second) pick in fantasy drafts, given that risk.

- Dan Fornek

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