Fantasy Football Running Back Sleepers and Breakout Candidates: 5 Sophomore Risers to Target

Aidin's second-year running back sleepers and breakout candidates for 2025 fantasy football. His top sophomore RB draft targets, including Ray Davis, Jaylen Wright, and more.

In the 2024 NFL season, a total of 33 rookie running backs managed to play in at least one game. However, only 14 of them managed to record 30+ carries in their rookie season. That number is a slight improvement from 2023 (13 RBs), but is worse than 2022 (16 RBs).

If we keep looking at recent seasons, we can discover that RBs who had less than 300 rushing yards as rookies rarely go on to break out in their sophomore years. Chase Brown, Jerome Ford, Kyren Williams, and AJ Dillon are the exceptions, but not the rule. Of course, we have to find players who could be the exceptions if we want to do well in our fantasy football leagues, and that's why we're here today.

Without further ado, let's look at five sophomore NFL running backs who could break out in 2025.

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.

Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills

Let's start with the most obvious breakout candidate on this list. Davis started his collegiate career at Temple before transferring to Vanderbilt and eventually Kentucky. In his lone season with the Wildcats, he recorded 1,452 yards from scrimmage and scored 21 total touchdowns.

still a Ray Davis believer

compact, decisive, strong, balance

was a nightmare for many fill players and CBs. Broke plenty of arm tackles at the first and second levels pic.twitter.com/h2KaFI84jM

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) May 27, 2025

Davis consistently showed up when his team needed him the most, putting up 708 yards and 12 touchdowns in six games against ranked opponents.

Despite his age, his performances and reputation as a big-game player led the Bills to select him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Buffalo's RB1, James Cook, had a season for the ages in 2024, so dislodging him would have been unrealistic.

Still, Davis managed to have some impressive moments, including his great stretch during the Bills' seven-game unbeaten run in the middle of the year. In those seven games, Davis racked up 402 yards and scored three touchdowns from scrimmage, despite only playing in 26.3% of the Bills' offensive snaps.

He became one of the three rookie running backs to record a rushing attempt in the playoffs this year, and was the first one to score a touchdown.

Heading into training camp, the biggest story surrounding the Bills RB room is Cook's upcoming contract extension. Talks between Cook and the Bills have stalled for a while, and if they break down, we could see Davis getting a bigger role in 2025.

Even if Cook is extended, Davis is simply too talented to be buried in the depth chart and can still have a solid season, especially if Cook gets hurt.

Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins

Despite not being a big-name recruit, Jaylen Wright made a solid impact in his freshman year at Tennessee, rushing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team in rushing in 2022 and 2023, racking up 1,888 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground during that span.

Despite already having electric sophomore back De'Von Achane and 2023 NFL rushing touchdowns leader Raheem Mostert, the Dolphins opted to draft Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. Wright was given a decent role on the team early on, particularly after Tua Tagovailoa went down.

Wright carried the ball 29 times and gained 168 yards in the four games immediately after Tagovailoa's injury, but his role diminished once the Dolphins QB1 returned, only rushing for 77 yards in his final 10 games.

But now, Wright has the chance to rise from the ashes after Mostert's departure in the offseason. Wright has added over six pounds to his frame and lost a significant amount of body fat, making him ready to compete with Alexander Mattison and Ollie Gordon II for the RB2 spot.

Let's not forget how good the Dolphins offense can be. In 2023, Mostert and Achane dominated the NFL, and Wright has all the tools to take Mostert's place and be a part of a scary two-man backfield in a rejuvenated Dolphins offense that has even more opportunities open with Jonnu Smith being traded to Pittsburgh.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

Blake Corum entered the league with plenty of fantasy hype in 2024, but he never had a real chance to establish himself, mainly due to the sustained brilliance of Kyren Williams.

Blake Corum with the nasty jump cut and the biggest TD in Michigan history.

Words can't even describe what millions of Michigan fans across the globe were feeling in this moment#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/yB29wZH2bZ

— Underwood Unleashed (@Underwood_szn) June 24, 2025

Williams has now fully shed the "one-season wonder" label and is set to be a star RB for many years to come. However, with so many recent running back injuries, the Rams will probably look for ways to protect Williams and reduce his workload.

He had 316 carries last year, the third-highest mark in the NFL. That is where Blake Corum, who scored 28 touchdowns en route to winning a national championship with Michigan in 2023, comes in.

Corum was drafted 83rd overall following that excellent season, but his rookie season was a huge letdown. In 10 of his 17 games, he had three or fewer carries, showing the team's reliance on Williams and Matthew Stafford. But now that he has gotten more accustomed to the offense, Sean McVay will likely give him an expanded role in 2025.

It seems like he has no choice but to break out, as the Rams still think they can compete for a Super Bowl, and could look to trade him if he fails to meet the challenge. So, this sense of urgency could bring out the best in him.

Will Shipley, Philadelphia Eagles

Speaking of the Rams' Super Bowl aspirations, their 2024 season ended in the Divisional Round, as they lost a close game to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was in the following NFC Championship blowout against Washington that Eagles rookie Will Shipley got his first real opportunity at the pro level.

Shipley got four carries late in the game with the Eagles up by 25 and made the most of those four carries, rushing for 16 and 57 yards in consecutive plays before finishing the drive off with a touchdown.

Now a Super Bowl champion, it was believed that Shipley would enter the 2025 season as the RB3 behind Saquon Barkley and AJ Dillon.

But Shipley, who scored 31 touchdowns in three seasons at Clemson, has been impressive in OTAs, and some believe he has overtaken Dillon. He has reportedly added to his frame and has also made strides as a receiving back.

Both Barkley and Dillon are incredibly injury-prone, so even if he loses to Dillon in the RB2 battle, he will still likely find a way to get on the field.

MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers

Former South Carolina and USC back MarShawn Lloyd suffered hip and hamstring injuries after being picked 88th overall by the Packers. Lloyd made his NFL debut in Week 2 of the 2024 season, rushing for 15 yards before injuring his ankle.

Packers 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd played only one game last season due to multiple injuries. Now, the RB says he’s been 100% for “some time now.”

“I’m doing good, really good. Can run as fast as I can, can jump as high as I want, can catch the ball.” pic.twitter.com/zlhYPMwe2y

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) June 12, 2025

But before he could return, Lloyd was shockingly diagnosed with appendicitis, which required emergency surgery and caused him to spend most of the season on injured reserve. Before Lloyd could return, he suffered yet another hamstring injury, which ended his rookie season.

All these setbacks would have broken a lesser man, but Lloyd won't back down that easily because he is a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

"It's been a very, very rough year," Lloyd said when asked about his setbacks in 2024. "I believe everything happens for a reason. So, it definitely grew me up in a way. But I've got time. I'm getting healthy, so I'm getting there."

Emanuel Wilson did a solid job in Lloyd's place as the RB2 in 2024, but it seems unlikely that either he or Chris Brooks could seriously challenge Lloyd in 2025. If all goes well, Lloyd will be Josh Jacobs' backup this season and could get over 100 carries, like Wilson did last year.

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