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RotoBaller's updated 2025 fantasy football rookie running back rankings. See the top rookie RBs and draft targets, including Dylan Sampson, TreVeyon Henderson, and more.
The fantasy football season is so close to kicking off, but thousands more drafts will take place between now and the season-opening game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. To get you prepped on new faces at running back, we're back with our updated 2025 fantasy football rookie running back rankings. Navigate these freshly updated rookie RB rankings below to see where first-year ball carriers such as TreVeyon Henderson, RJ Harvey, Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, and Woody Marks stand, among all others.
These rookie rankings will be continually updated all offseason long as depth chart developments, injuries, and more take place, so be sure to check back regularly for updates. In addition to this article, you should also be sure to check out our other dynasty rookie rankings and analysis articles, including in-depth coverage of various NFL rookie profiles. Identifying sleepers and busts among first-year players is key for dynasty and redraft leagues, so we have you covered.
Four of our lead fantasy football analysts -- Phil Clark, Jackson Sparks, Andrew Lalama, and Matt Donnelly -- have put together these fantasy football rookie rankings. In addition to these rookie rankings, in our 2025 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find our team's Dynasty fantasy football rankings. Bookmark that page, and use it to prepare for all of your 2025 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.
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Fantasy Football Rookie Running Back Rankings (August)
Rookie rankings are from after the 2025 NFL Draft with August Updates. Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings.
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Ashton Jeanty | RB | 1 |
| 1 | 2 | Omarion Hampton | RB | 2 |
| 1 | 3 | TreVeyon Henderson | RB | 4 |
| 1 | 4 | RJ Harvey | RB | 7 |
| 1 | 5 | Kaleb Johnson | RB | 11 |
| 1 | 6 | Quinshon Judkins | RB | 16 |
| 2 | 7 | Cam Skattebo | RB | 18 |
| 2 | 8 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB | 19 |
| 2 | 9 | Dylan Sampson | RB | 22 |
| 3 | 10 | Jaydon Blue | RB | 25 |
| 3 | 11 | Tahj Brooks | RB | 31 |
| 3 | 12 | Jarquez Hunter | RB | 33 |
| 3 | 13 | Brashard Smith | RB | 34 |
| 3 | 14 | DJ Giddens | RB | 35 |
| 3 | 15 | Devin Neal | RB | 36 |
| 3 | 16 | Woody Marks | RB | 37 |
| 3 | 17 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | 39 |
| 4 | 18 | Jordan James | RB | 44 |
| 4 | 19 | Trevor Etienne | RB | 45 |
| 4 | 20 | Kyle Monangai | RB | 46 |
| 4 | 21 | Damien Martinez | RB | 49 |
| 4 | 22 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | 54 |
| 5 | 23 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | RB | 55 |
| 5 | 24 | Phil Mafah | RB | 57 |
| 5 | 25 | Kalel Mullings | RB | 63 |
| 5 | 26 | Lan Larison | RB | 66 |
| 5 | 27 | Raheim Sanders | RB | 70 |
| 5 | 28 | Marcus Yarns | RB | 71 |
| 5 | 29 | Montrell Johnson Jr. | RB | 72 |
| 5 | 30 | Donovan Edwards | RB | 81 |
| 5 | 31 | Corey Kiner | RB | 83 |
Recent Fantasy Football News for Rookie RBs
TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots
According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson has emerged as one of the team's top offensive weapons. Even though he is currently fighting for the starting running back job alongside Rhamondre Stevenson, Henderson has shown immense upside during the preseason and should be in the mix for a significant role early in the season. The team's executive vice president Eliot Wolf said that "I've been maybe most impressed with his ability to run between the tackles."
During the preseason, Henderson has looked very strong in both the rushing and receiving games. The former second-round pick has seen his ADP continue to surge in the preseason, and he could be in the mix to overtake the starting job in the near future. Given his upside as a playmaker, he should be viewed as an RB2 in all formats, despite potentially sharing time with Stevenson.
Dylan Samspon, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns rookie running back Dylan Sampson was the first running back on the field in his team's final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. Sampson got the first handoff of the game from starting quarterback Joe Flacco and finished his day with two carries for three yards and one reception for 14 yards.
Veteran running back Jerome Ford split reps with Sampson during the team's second offensive series. With running back Quinshon Judkins still unsigned following his offseason arrest, Sampson and Ford should be expected to share the Browns' backfield workload early in the season. If Sampson can emerge as the clear RB1 in Cleveland with a strong start to his rookie campaign, he could be a steal in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.
Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns
Zac Jackson of The Athletic writes that it's possible that an NFL announcement of a potential suspension for Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins could come at roster cuts. Judkins remain unsigned and away from the team as the NFL continues to investigate domestic-violence allegations from July, in which the 21-year-old second-rounder won't be charged. If Judkins isn't suspended by the league, the Browns "would likely move toward signing him and probably seek a temporary roster exemption."
Since he remains unsigned, Jackson didn't include Judkins on his latest 53-man roster projection. Instead, Jerome Ford, rookie Dylan Sampson, and Pierre Strong Jr. (head) are projected to be the three RBs the team keeps heading into Week 1 against the Bengals. Judkins could lead the backfield by season's end, but he's currently fallen to the RB45 rank at RotoBaller.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt was held out of their preseason finale, along with many key starters. While Croskey-Merritt was nursing a minor shoulder injury early in the week, seeing him receive rest before the regular season is a telling sign for his expected role. Instead, Chris Rodriguez Jr. took five carries on the ground while Kazmeir Allen led the backfield with eight touches. Despite being drafted in the seventh round, Croskey-Merritt has emerged as a potential starter in D.C., especially following the trade that sent presumed starter Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco.
Croskey-Merritt racked up 46 yards and a score in their second preseason game and 24 yards in his debut. Fantasy managers should continue to closely monitor Croskey-Merritt's status leading up to the regular season, as he could carry RB2 upside if he were to be named the team's starter.
Woody Marks, Houston Texans
Houston Texans running back Woody Marks entered the final preseason game after Dameon Pierce got the start, but Marks scored Houston's first touchdown of the day on their way to a 26-7 win over the Lions. Marks finished the day with 19 rushing yards on six carries and three catches on three targets for 20 more yards through the air. He finished the preseason with 63 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, along with four catches for 20 yards.
Marks could have a role early in the season with Joe Mixon (foot/ankle) slated to miss at least the first four games of the season. The Texans could go with more proven options in Nick Chubb and Pierce as their primary replacements for Mixon, but Marks flashed enough potential that he could get a look early in the year as well. The rookie from USC is a flier in late rounds of standard leagues to see how his role shakes out.
RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos rookie second-round running back RJ Harvey got the start in the backfield for the team's preseason finale on Saturday against the New Orleans Saints and handled only four touches (three carries, one catch) in the 28-19 victory. Harvey ran the rock for only four yards on his three rushing attempts and hauled in his only target for a gain of one yard. The good news is that the 24-year-old was in on the team's first three possessions with the rest of the first-team offense, with J.K. Dobbins not playing.
In three preseason contests, Harvey had 13 carries for 47 yards and caught three passes for seven yards. The Broncos are expected to split lead-back duties among Harvey and Dobbins, although Harvey has more big-play upside and much less tread on his tires, making him the more attractive fantasy selection in upcoming drafts as an RB2/3 target.
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