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Thunder Dan's analysis of five fantasy football running backs who could be league winners in 2025. His top league winners include James Conner, Jaydon Blue, and more.
The early rounds of fantasy football drafts can often be quite predictable, with players being taken right around their ADP as managers look to secure safe production from top fantasy producers in previous seasons. The saying goes that you don't usually win your league in the first three rounds, but you can certainly lose it by taking a player who is too risky and having that player underperform.
The middle rounds of fantasy drafts are where you can start to hunt for value at ADP and take some chances. It's a good part of the draft to mix in some more upside picks along with some safer ones, too.
In this article, I'll break down my five favorite running backs to target in the middle rounds. It's a good mix of veterans and younger players who blend both safety and risk, and the ADPs are spread out quite a bit, as nothing bothers me more than when someone recommends a bunch of players with very similar draft positions -- that's simply not all that helpful, as you can usually only ever draft one player from a tight range of ADPs.
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James Conner - Arizona Cardinals
I know a lot of managers are going to start with two running backs in the first three rounds, but if you want to go after an elite quarterback and/or wide receiver early, then James Conner makes for a perfectly suitable RB2. The veteran back has been about as consistent as they come over the last four seasons in Arizona.
James Conner has basically been the Tyler Lockett of running backs over the last half decade:
2021: RB8 in PPR points per game, RB35 ADP
2022: RB9 finish, RB15 ADP
2023: RB13 finish, RB25 ADP
2024: RB15 finish, RB18 ADP
...
2025: RB19 ADP— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 5, 2025
Conner is one of the most affordable "bell cow" backs in drafts. He rushed for over 1,000 yards again last season for the second straight time, while racking up 47 receptions on 55 targets, good for the 10th most by any running back in 2024.
While he's often known more for his bruising running style and touchdown-scoring ability (8.4 TDs per season if you don't count his rookie year in Pittsburgh), it's his constant involvement in the passing game that makes him such a great value and has allowed him to be so productive.
There have been a lot of remarks that Trey Benson will see more touches and playing time this season, but I will believe it when I see it. Conner outplayed him in a big way last year and should still be the featured back in Arizona.
In fantasy football, we love guys who dominate "value touches" (red-zone carries + receptions). With 91 value touches last season, Conner ranked 10th in the league. The only running back with a lower ADP than Conner with more value touches last season is Aaron Jones, who now has some steep competition in Minnesota this season with Jordan Mason battling for carries.
Conner is a fantasy football safety blanket. Draft him in the fourth or fifth round with confidence, knowing that you're going to get some very reliable weekly production.
Isiah Pacheco - Kansas City Chiefs
The fantasy community seems to be very split on Pacheco's value this season. Many are quick to point out how ineffective he was when attempting to return from injury last season and how Kareem Hunt ended the year as the back the Chiefs felt the most comfortable leaning on in the run game.
I'm willing to cut Pacheco some slack; I mean, the guy broke his fibula in Week 2 and wasn't able to return until Week 13. He looked a step slow and out of sync, but that's probably to be expected when trying to return from what was a pretty serious injury.
Everyone forgot about Isiah Pacheco.
✅ 17.6 touches per game pre-injury
✅ 14.2 fantasy PPG across 32 games (incl. playoffs)
✅ Still tied to Patrick MahomesThe RB26 in ESPN fantasy football leagues. pic.twitter.com/C7dxNp6fxk
— Moody (@EricNMoody) August 5, 2025
I know Hunt will likely remain in the mix as a goal-line and short-yardage back, but he's entering his age-30 season and lacks the type of explosiveness that Pacheco has in the open field. I would expect Hunt to go back to being a 120-carry player this year, while Pacheco gets every opportunity to handle 15+ carries a game and another four to five targets per game as a receiver.
The Chiefs drafted a rookie running back, Brashard Smith, who could eventually mix in as a pass-catcher, but I don't view the seventh-round pick as a major threat to Pacheco's workload.
Can we draft the starting running back for the three-time defending AFC champions in the sixth round of fantasy drafts? Sign me up! I love Pacheco's hard-running style, and I trust that head coach Andy Reid will make it a priority to get him going in this offense again in 2025.
Jordan Mason - Minnesota Vikings
Your favorite fantasy analyst's favorite sleeper this season could very well be Mason. The fourth-year back out of Georgia Tech has averaged 5.2 yards per carry during his first three seasons and broke out as a fantasy star last year when he got his chance to fill in for an injured Christian McCaffrey.
Mason now gets a chance to be part of a running back committee in Minnesota, teaming up with Jones to form what could be a similar dynamic to what David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have established in Detroit.
Pairing a big-bodied back who can run through tackles in the trenches with a more versatile pass-catching back is becoming all the rage in the NFL. We may see the Jets do it with Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, too, as the NFL continues to be a copycat league where teams attempt to chase the winning formula shown by others.
Jordan Mason is massive. Look at his legs compared to Aaron Jones pic.twitter.com/KP7DkvsNbr
— Vikeologist™ (@Vikeologist) August 5, 2025
Minnesota's staff has all stated that it views Mason as part of a committee and not as a backup. It'd be wise to let him absorb more tackles and help to lighten the load for 30-year-old Jones, who logged a career-high 306 touches last season.
As talented as Jones is, he was not very good on the goal line, rushing for -4 yards on 12 carries and just three touchdowns inside the 5-yard line. At 225 pounds, Mason offers an upgrade in the power department and could help keep Jones fresh for more work as a pass-catcher.
The Vikings will assuredly lean hard on their running game with a very good offensive line this season while young quarterback J.J. McCarthy gets his feet under him.
We are drafting Mason because he offers standalone value with weekly touchdown upside, and if his role expands even further because of an injury to the veteran Jones, then we're looking at a back who could flirt with top-10 value at the position.
Cam Skattebo - New York Giants
Skattebo seems to be a polarizing player in the fantasy community so far. There are plenty of reasons to exercise caution with expectations here, as Tyrone Tracy Jr. played very well last season for the Giants in his rookie campaign.
There's also the fact that we don't know how good this Giants offense will be with Russell Wilson (or Jameis Winston or Jaxson Dart) at the helm this season. Drafting a running back in a timeshare on a good team is one thing, but drafting a rookie second on the depth chart on a team projected to finish last in its division is another.
Joe Schoen likes what he’s seen out of Cam Skattebo so far 👀 pic.twitter.com/aGeRobpYsl
— Fireside Giants (@FiresideGiants) August 6, 2025
But I can't help myself, I am pretty impressed with what I have seen from Skattebo in college and the initial reports out of Giants camp backed up what we knew coming into this season -- this kid is a hard-nosed, tough, old-school, smashmouth football running back who might just force his way onto the field with his inspired play.
Right now, Skattebo is nursing an injury and missing some crucial reps in camp and preseason games. That's going to prevent him from winning the job outright in camp, but it's also going to drive down his cost in drafts.
If you're drafting Skattebo this year, it's with the idea that he emerges later in the season to usurp a larger role. He's not just a big, bruising runner; he is also quite competent as a pass-catcher. The conventional wisdom is going to be to draft Tracy as the starter this season, but at their respective costs (you can get Skattebo 20-25 picks later), I prefer taking a shot on the back I view as the better football player.
Jaydon Blue - Dallas Cowboys
Blue is another rookie who I am very high on coming into this season. Like Skattebo, however, he's also nursing an injury that could set him back in terms of just how soon he's ready to contribute and get enough touches to be fantasy relevant.
The two veterans standing in the way of Blue's playing time are Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams. Sanders is two years removed from his productive seasons in Philadelphia and averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in Carolina, where he was ultimately beat out by Chuba Hubbard.
Williams comes over from Denver, where he averaged just 44 yards per game in his first four seasons and scored just 11 total touchdowns.
Neither back is known to be all that great in the passing game, either. But Blue has the speed and skills to excel as a receiver out of the backfield, and I think that's how he begins to find his way onto the field.
#Cowboys Jaydon Blue was one of the better pass catching backs in the draft.
(🎥: @JoeJHoyt) pic.twitter.com/OSt4rh42FO
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) July 26, 2025
If we anticipate the Cowboys to be a pass-heavy offense in 2025, then I'm most interested in the running back who could carve out the biggest role in the passing game. I'm also ready to favor the youngest back with the least miles on their tires. Blue showed off sub-4.4 speed in his 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and could be the dynamic runner and receiver the Cowboys offense needs.
There's a clear path toward playing time here and possibly some very favorable game scripts for the passing game if the Dallas defense struggles to stop opponents again this season.
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