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Fantasy football rankings - running backs (RB) Week 5 rankings early edition for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football RB rankings.
With Josh Jacobs, Bijan Robinson, and D'Andre Swift on byes this week, fantasy managers who roster those players will have to look for pivot options in Week 5. We're here to help you decide who to start with our Week 5 fantasy football running back rankings for 2025. Below, find out where ball carriers such as De'Von Achane, Omarion Hampton, Quinshon Judkins, Trey Benson, J.K. Dobbins, Jordan Mason, Chase Brown, and Tony Pollard stand, among all other RB options.
Our running back fantasy football rankings for Week 5 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important RB fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Week 5 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 1 |
| 1 | 2 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | 2 |
| 1 | 3 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | 3 |
| 1 | 4 | James Cook | RB | 4 |
| 1 | 5 | De'Von Achane | RB | 6 |
| 1 | 6 | Saquon Barkley | RB | 7 |
| 2 | 7 | Omarion Hampton | RB | 8 |
| 2 | 8 | Derrick Henry | RB | 11 |
| 2 | 9 | Bucky Irving | RB | 12 |
| 3 | 10 | Javonte Williams | RB | 13 |
| 3 | 11 | Kyren Williams | RB | 14 |
| 3 | 12 | Breece Hall | RB | 16 |
| 3 | 13 | Cam Skattebo | RB | 17 |
| 3 | 14 | Ashton Jeanty | RB | 18 |
| 3 | 15 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 19 |
| 3 | 16 | Trey Benson | RB | 20 |
| 3 | 17 | Quinshon Judkins | RB | 23 |
| 4 | 18 | Kenneth Walker III | RB | 26 |
| 4 | 19 | Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | 28 |
| 4 | 20 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | 29 |
| 4 | 21 | Jordan Mason | RB | 34 |
| 4 | 22 | Alvin Kamara | RB | 36 |
| 5 | 23 | David Montgomery | RB | 39 |
| 5 | 24 | Woody Marks | RB | 41 |
| 5 | 25 | Chase Brown | RB | 42 |
| 5 | 26 | Tony Pollard | RB | 58 |
| 5 | 27 | TreVeyon Henderson | RB | 65 |
| 5 | 28 | Nick Chubb | RB | 67 |
| 5 | 29 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 73 |
| 5 | 30 | Zach Charbonnet | RB | 77 |
| 5 | 31 | Isiah Pacheco | RB | 79 |
| 5 | 32 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | 80 |
| 5 | 33 | Kareem Hunt | RB | 86 |
| 5 | 34 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | RB | 88 |
| 5 | 35 | Rachaad White | RB | 94 |
| 6 | 36 | RJ Harvey | RB | 102 |
| 6 | 37 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | 106 |
| 6 | 38 | Rico Dowdle | RB | 113 |
| 6 | 39 | Kendre Miller | RB | 114 |
| 6 | 40 | Bhayshul Tuten | RB | 118 |
| 6 | 41 | Justice Hill | RB | 122 |
| 6 | 42 | Emari Demercado | RB | 125 |
| 6 | 43 | Blake Corum | RB | 127 |
| 6 | 44 | Miles Sanders | RB | 131 |
| 6 | 45 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 133 |
| 7 | 46 | Devin Singletary | RB | 140 |
| 7 | 47 | Brashard Smith | RB | 141 |
| 7 | 48 | Jeremy McNichols | RB | 142 |
| 7 | 49 | Zavier Scott | RB | 143 |
| 7 | 50 | Jerome Ford | RB | 145 |
| 7 | 51 | Antonio Gibson | RB | 146 |
| 7 | 52 | Ray Davis | RB | 148 |
| 7 | 53 | Tyjae Spears | RB | 150 |
| 7 | 54 | Isaiah Davis | RB | 151 |
| 7 | 55 | Dylan Sampson | RB | 171 |
| 7 | 56 | Ty Johnson | RB | 176 |
| 7 | 57 | Braelon Allen | RB | 178 |
| 7 | 58 | Zamir White | RB | 179 |
| 7 | 59 | AJ Dillon | RB | 187 |
| 7 | 60 | DJ Giddens | RB | 190 |
| 8 | 61 | Samaje Perine | RB | 197 |
| 8 | 62 | Trevor Etienne | RB | 200 |
| 8 | 63 | LeQuint Allen Jr. | RB | 214 |
| 8 | 64 | Julius Chestnut | RB | 216 |
| 8 | 65 | Tyler Badie | RB | 221 |
| 8 | 66 | Cam Akers | RB | 222 |
| 8 | 67 | Dylan Laube | RB | 232 |
| 8 | 68 | Raheem Mostert | RB | 233 |
| 8 | 69 | Kyle Juszczyk | RB | 234 |
| 8 | 70 | Sean Tucker | RB | 238 |
| 8 | 71 | Tahj Brooks | RB | 239 |
| 8 | 72 | Hassan Haskins | RB | 242 |
| 8 | 73 | Dare Ogunbowale | RB | 243 |
| 8 | 74 | Kimani Vidal | RB | 244 |
| 8 | 75 | Will Shipley | RB | 245 |
| 9 | 76 | Alec Ingold | RB | 246 |
| 9 | 77 | Zonovan Knight | RB | 247 |
| 9 | 78 | George Holani | RB | 248 |
| 9 | 79 | Tank Bigsby | RB | 249 |
| 9 | 80 | Isaac Guerendo | RB | 250 |
| 9 | 81 | Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | 251 |
| 9 | 82 | Tyler Goodson | RB | 252 |
| 9 | 83 | Devin Neal | RB | 253 |
| 9 | 84 | Jarquez Hunter | RB | 254 |
| 9 | 85 | Sincere McCormick | RB | 255 |
| 9 | 86 | Hunter Luepke | RB | 256 |
| 9 | 87 | Audric Estime | RB | 257 |
| 9 | 88 | Jaylen Wright | RB | 258 |
| 9 | 89 | Rasheen Ali | RB | 259 |
| 9 | 90 | Michael Carter | RB | 260 |
| 10 | 91 | Craig Reynolds | RB | 261 |
| 10 | 92 | Reggie Gilliam | RB/TE | 262 |
Week 5 Running Back Rankings Outlooks
RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey was more involved in his team's game plan this week, although some of that may have been since the game was decided early. He took a career-high 14 carries in Week 4 after totaling just 13 carries in his first three games and only getting two carries in Week 3. He turned those carries into 58 rushing yards and added a career-high four catches as well for 40 more yards and his first NFL touchdown. It was an easy walk-in score on a 12-yard dropoff pass with just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
He played 41% of his team's snaps, getting almost a 50-50 split with J.K. Dobbins, who also remained effective. In close games, Dobbins still may get more work, but Harvey's strong showing could earn him increased chances going forward. In Week 5, the Broncos have a tough road matchup with the Eagles.
Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton impressed in the team's first loss of the season to the New York Giants, 21-18. He rushed 12 times for 128 yards and a touchdown, and caught all five of his targets for 37 yards. His 54-yard touchdown showcased his strength and speed, as he continues to be one of the league leaders in forced missed tackles this season. With Najee Harris (Achilles) out for the year, Hampton played over 90% of the snaps and led in the two-minute offense, solidifying his role as a bell-cow running back.
In Week 5, he faces a Washington Commanders' defense that is decent against the run but just allowed Atlanta Falcons' running back Bijan Robinson to dominate them through the air. He's heading toward RB1 status, with top-five weekly potential if he maintains this pace.
Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said rookie running back Jaydon Blue is "very close" to being active on game day and has been practicing "really, really well," per Jon Machota of The Athletic. Blue has been inactive for each of the Cowboys' first four games of 2025. Javonte Williams has been the workhorse back in Dallas so far this season, with fellow veteran back Miles Sanders (ankle) serving as the RB2. Sanders is reportedly trending towards playing in Week 5 after suffering an ankle injury in Week 4.
Still, his health status could be a factor in the team's decision on whether to activate Blue. The Cowboys will face the New York Jets in Week 5, which would be a favorable matchup for Blue if he is indeed called upon to make his NFL debut.
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
When asked specifically about running back Trey Benson (undisclosed), Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon called him "day-to-day" on Monday and noted that there will be more when the first injury report of the week comes out on Wednesday, according to Howard Balzer of Cards Wire. Benson apparently picked up an injury in last Thursday night's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but it's unclear whether it will put his status in the air for Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans.
The good news is that Arizona has extra time off since its last game. The 23-year-old disappointed in Week 4 in his first game as the lead back following James Conner's (ankle) season-ending injury, as he rushed for only 35 yards on eight carries and caught five passes for 19 yards. Benson will be a must-start against the winless Titans if he's active this week. If his injury is serious enough to keep him out, Emari Demercado would become the Cardinals' top backfield option.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said that the team is going to open the practice window for running back Tyjae Spears (ankle) this week, according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. Getting Spears would be a big help to Tony Pollard in the Titans' backfield, but opening Spears' practice window doesn't guarantee he'll return in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Titans will now have a 21-day window to officially activate the 24-year-old from the Injured Reserve after he missed the first four weeks of the season with a high-ankle sprain that he suffered during the preseason.
So far, Pollard has been an every-down back for a struggling Titans offense, but his snap share will most likely go down when Spears is back in the fold. Spears should be scooped up off the waiver wire if you're searching for backfield depth, especially in PPR leagues. Just don't expect him to be active this weekend.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When asked if running back Bucky Irving (undisclosed) was among the injured players he was concerned about following Sunday's Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said, "Yeah, he's one of them," per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Bowles added that Irving underwent an MRI exam on Monday, and the team is awaiting the results. The 23-year-old had his most productive day of the year in the 31-25 loss to Philly on Sunday, carrying the ball 15 times for 63 yards and adding five receptions for a season-high 102 receiving yards and a touchdown.
However, he apparently suffered an undisclosed injury along the way that could put his status in jeopardy for a Week 5 road tilt against the Seattle Seahawks. We'll monitor Irving's status closely this week. If Rachaad White is available on your league's waiver wire, pick him up immediately.
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