Sneaky Fantasy Football RB1 Candidates - Running Back ADP Values (2025)

Thunder Dan Palyo's 5 undervalued fantasy football running backs to target in 2025 drafts. His ideal mid-round targets who can become RB1s are James Conner, Treyveon Henderson, Chuba Hubbard, Jordan Mason and Tony Pollard.

A strong trend of taking two running backs in the first three rounds of fantasy football drafts has emerged this season. And while I'm not here to tell you that's the wrong way to do it (I sometimes find myself doing it), it's certainly not the only way to construct a winning team either.

But it certainly feels like there are a lot of running backs available in the middle rounds who could finish inside the top-12 this season, making them RB1 candidates for your fantasy football team. If you want to go against the grain and stack up elite receivers and/or top options at the tight end or quarterback position, then you're going to want to target these running backs in your drafts aggressively.

In this article, I'll give you five running backs available after Round 3 who carry RB1 upside this season. Underdog ADP is current as of August 28th.

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TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

Yahoo ADP: 61 (RB23)

The hype surrounding the rookie out of Ohio State has pushed his ADP up into the fourth or fifth rounds. However, if Henderson has moved ahead of Rhamondre Stevenson in the pecking order for running back touches (which remains to be seen), then he could still be a potential value based on the explosiveness that he's shown at the college level and in his first dose of NFL action in the preseason.

TreVeyon Henderson's impressive training camp has made it "seem reasonable that he’ll get half the carries, if not more", per @ChadGraff 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RLzbKmg6CD

— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 26, 2025

Henderson's kickoff return for a touchdown in the preseason got everyone's attention, and let's not forget this is a player who averaged 7.1 yards per carry last season and 6.4 for his four-year career at OSU. It's seeming more and more likely that Stevenson could be ticketed for a complementary role on third downs and passing situations, while Henderson works as the early down back.

I usually try to avoid drafting players who have been pushed up the draft board in the preseason, especially rookies, but Henderson may be an exception to the rule. He looks dynamic, and the Patriots need as many playmakers on the field as possible on offense.

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

Yahoo ADP: 41 (RB16)

Are we all collectively sleeping on Chuba again this season? Hubbard's only competition for touches is Rico Dowdle, who is more likely to be the third-down back than someone who pushes Hubbard for early-down or goal-line work.

Hubbard had nearly 1200 yards rushing last year and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry and had the fourth-best average in rushing yards over expectation per carry at 1.11, behind only Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Jordan Mason.

I'm doing my final RB rankings notes, and I can't really pinpoint the bear case for Chuba Hubbard. Same staff/OL. Paid well. Advanced stats are good. Film is good. Ascending offense. Priced below his finish last year.

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) August 24, 2025

His lack of receptions dings him a bit in PPR formats, but in half-PPR leagues, he outscored Kenneth Walker III, Chase Brown, Breece Hall, and Bucky Irving last season on a fantasy point per game basis. The Panthers' offense should be improved in 2025, and expect Hubbard to be heavily involved in the game plan again. He's a rock-solid value at his ADP and is quickly establishing a reputation as an uber-reliable fantasy option at his position.

James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

Yahoo ADP: 46 (RB19)

I've written about Conner several times already this preseason, but the case for him remains the same. He's been one of the most reliable fantasy running backs in the league since arriving in Arizona, and the Cardinals are poised for what could be their best offensive season in his tenure as the lead back. I almost included him in the "My Guys" article, as I find myself often snagging him in the fourth or fifth round when he's available.

James Conner quietly posted 1,094 rushing yds + 47 catches + 9 TDs in 2024.

He handled 65%+ snaps in 8 games, and ranked #5 in explosive plays.

Cardinals fans expect him to lead in TDs again—rock-solid RB2 with RB1 upside.

ADP: RB19
WalterPicks Rank: RB15 pic.twitter.com/xngqIVtemx

— Walter 👋🤖 (@WalterPicksApp) August 28, 2025

There's been some chatter about Trey Benson eating in Conner's snaps and touches, but I'm really not concerned about that in the slightest. Benson is good back, but this is Conner's job to lose, and he has the trust of his head coach and coordinator. Conner's versatility for his size is unmatched as he's both a good short-yardage back and a plus receiver out of the backfield.

When we add up Conner's red zone carries and receptions from last year, he totaled 91 of what we call "value touches." That was good for the 10th-best mark in the league. He's a boring, but safe pick in drafts again this season, and you need some of these steady value players on your team to construct a winning roster!

Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Yahoo ADP: 54 (RB22)

Pollard finished with over 1,000 rushing yards for the third straight season during his first year with Tennessee in 2024. He's ticketed for another season with heavy usage, especially with the injury to Tyjae Spears that is going to keep him out of at least the first four (and probably more) games of the season.

Pollard caught 41 of 57 targets out of the backfield last year, which was down from 55 catches in 2023 in Dallas. That number should go back up in 2025 as Spears worked in on third downs often and caught 30 of 35 targets of his own last year. Pollard without Spears in the lineup last year was darn good, check these numbers!

Tony Pollard is a MUST-DRAFT player in 2025.

In 4 games without Tyjae Spears last season, Pollard averaged:

116.2 YPG (1,976-yard pace)
15.8 fantasy PPG (RB16)
17.9 expected PPG (RB2)

With Mason freaking Rudolph at QB.

THIS MAN IS BEING DRAFTED RB25 ‼️ https://t.co/lBo71GZmZ6 pic.twitter.com/w2iMR5hZcg

— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) August 26, 2025

Cam Ward can only be viewed as an upgrade for this offense over the QB play of Mason Rudolph and Will Levis last season. He doesn't have that many weapons, either, so expect a lot of targets for Calvin Ridley, Chig Okonkwo, and Pollard in what could be a very condensed offense in Tennessee. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw 25+ touches per game for Pollard in the early part of the season. He's easily one of the best values on the board right now.

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings

Yahoo ADP: 90 (RB32)

Another major preseason mover in terms of ADP is Jordan Mason, who is now only being drafted a round behind the Minnesota starter, Aaron Jones. Mason could be the best value out of the whole bunch if Minnesota does what they keep saying they plan to do and use him in a true 50-50 timeshare with Jones.

Jordan Mason is a truly exquisite zone runner pic.twitter.com/BdhliKMyaV

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) September 17, 2024

There's no disputing that Jones is a better option in the passing game, but Mason is the younger, more physical runner on the interior. It would make a lot of sense to preserve Jones's health by feeding Mason double-digit carries, as Jones logged a massive workload last year (300 touches) and is now entering his age-30 season.

Mason was a battering ram for the 49ers last year, averaging 5.2 yards per carry while filling in for the injured CMC. He averaged an impressive 3.35 yards after contact and looked great this preseason. Don't be surprised if the Vikings lean on him often this year, especially with a rookie quarterback under center.

A few other guys I am in on in this range are Isiah Pacheco and David Montgomery. Neither one is an exciting pick, but both should provide solid value in their situations this season as long as they can stay healthy.

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