RADIO
Brashard Smith is a fantasy football sleeper and value in 2025 fantasy football rookie drafts. Read the fantasy football outlook for the new Chiefs running back.
DRAFT PICK: 7th Round (#228 Overall Pick)
TEAM: Kansas City Chiefs
ROOKIE DRAFT ANALYSIS: Smith is already the best pass-catching back on his team. He is also a highly explosive athlete -- he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Combine, and his tape shows many examples of great speed, acceleration, and burst. Besides being drafted with very high draft capital (and thus not being a sleeper anymore), the best thing a player can do to put up big numbers and earn more playing time is to make big plays. Smith will likely excel at that from early in his career.
Editor's Note: Explore RotoBaller’s Dynasty Fantasy Football hub for year-round dynasty rankings, trade tips, rookie analysis, and long-term player outlooks. Dominate your league with our sleepers, stash targets, and dynasty draft advice. Click here for Dynasty rankings and strategy.
The reigning wisdom is that RB Isiah Pacheco is clearly the lead workhorse of this backfield. Then again, the speed with which huge roles for late-round running backs fade can be pretty startling. After Pacheco's leg injury last season, his return was pretty disappointing, and he never took over his previously huge role.
Additionally, he's not a high-level pass-catcher. Neither is Kareem Hunt (anymore), nor Elijah Mitchell, the other two RBs in the backfield. Smith is easily at least the second-most talented back on the Chiefs roster right now, and it's possible he could be the clear RB1B by the middle of the year.
Smith is remarkably nimble in the open field. I imagine Kansas City head coach Andy Reid is already drawing up plays for him. The Chiefs have lacked a true open-field threat for a few seasons now. Pacheco is a plodder with impressive speed, but isn't particularly elusive, and his method for gaining extra yards is to bash his head into defenders.
Every Brashard Smith breakaway run (15+yards) from 2024 #NFLDraft2025 pic.twitter.com/UAjbx36rBX
— Ray G (@RayGQue) March 21, 2025
Smith is a weapon with the ball in his hands and is the best receiving back in this year's loaded 2025 NFL Draft class. He thus has very intriguing upside in PPR leagues. He got an incredible landing spot in a backfield full of questions for a player drafted so late.
Leaning into backfields with lots of uncertainty on offenses that are proven to be good is always a good idea. You should do so with Smith, who's been written off by most of the fantasy community for his lack of size and his low draft capital. This is despite the fact that he's a great back who can pass-protect well.
- John Johnson
More NFL Draft Analysis
2025 Fantasy Football Rookie TE Rankings (July Updates): Elijah Arroyo, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, Gunnar Helm, Harold Fannin, Mason Taylor
Whether you're in a dynasty, rookie, or season-long fantasy football draft, tight ends are always the toughest position to navigate. To help your rookie draft efforts, we're back with our 2025 fantasy football rookie tight end rankings. Below, check out where key Year 1 TEs, including Elijah Arroyo, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, Gunnar Helm, Harold […]
2025 Fantasy Football Rookie WR Rankings (July Updates): Travis Hunter, Matthew Golden, Jayden Higgins, Elic Ayomanor, Jaylin Noel, Kyle Williams
NFL training camps are set to begin later this month, and it's time to start digging into rookies if you have not done so yet. To get you up to speed on first-year players, check out our 2025 fantasy football rookie wide receiver rankings. Below, check out where key Year 1 wideouts, including Travis Hunter, […]
2025 Fantasy Football Rookie RB Rankings (July Updates): Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, RJ Harvey, Jarquez Hunter, Cam Skattebo, Tahj Brooks
The calendar has flipped to July, which means NFL training camp is set to begin later this month, and the fantasy football season isn't all that far away. To get you up to speed on first-year players, check out our 2025 fantasy football rookie running back rankings. Find out where key Year 1 ball carriers […]
Updated 2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Post-NFL Draft - Travis Hunter, Omarion Hampton, Colston Loveland, Matthew Golden, RJ Harvey, more
The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the rear-view mirror, which means the thick of dynasty rookie drafts is here! Below you will find our updated 2025 fantasy football rookie rankings after the NFL Draft, with updated ranks for the top 100 NFL rookies. Where do players like Travis Hunter, Omarion Hampton, Matthew Golden, RJ […]
5 Fantasy Football Rookies To Buy Low On: NFL Draft Losers to Trade for or Draft in Dynasty Leagues (2025)
Not every player ends up in the perfect spot in the NFL Draft. Sure, you can look at someone like Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan or Titans quarterback Cam Ward and think, "dang, they landed somewhere with a clear path to playing time," but there are plenty of players who don't get that lucky. Landing […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
