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Should you draft Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, RJ Harvey, and Kaleb Johnson in fantasy football in 2025? Joey breaks down the fantasy outlooks for these four rookies.
There's no doubt that rookies can single-handedly win your fantasy football league. Those who took a chance on Brian Thomas Jr., Brock Bowers, and Jayden Daniels in the middle-to-late rounds last year were rewarded with a league winner. All three players finished top five at their respective positions in 2024.
As a result, fantasy managers should expect more rookies to emerge as league winners throughout the year. In this article, we will analyze the fantasy football value of four rookie running backs (Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, RJ Harvey, and Kaleb Johnson).
Should fantasy managers select any of these running backs in drafts? Could any of them finish as an RB1? Let's dive in and look at each of their fantasy football outlooks in 2025.
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Ashton Jeanty Fantasy Football Outlook
Coming off a historic final college season, every fantasy manager was interested to find out where Jeanty would land in the 2025 NFL Draft. Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns at Boise State in 2024, just missing out on passing Barry Sanders' 2,628-yard rushing record set back in 1988.
Following that elite rushing season, it wasn't a surprise to see the Las Vegas Raiders select Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He is an absolute game-changer out of the backfield with blazing speed and exceptional contact balance. That was all on display throughout his college career.
Jeanty now goes to a Raiders offense that lacks a true RB1. Las Vegas only added Raheem Mostert to its backfield this offseason, meaning the rookie should see plenty of opportunities atop this running back room. Although head coach Pete Carroll has stated that he would like to utilize a running back by committee this year, it's hard to envision that taking place when Mostert is the team's RB2.
The Boise State product is just more explosive and will bring more to this offense than Mostert will. The reports out of training camp have also been encouraging, as NFL insider Jordan Schultz said he's consistently heard Jeanty "has been turning heads in a major way since the moment he stepped on the field in Vegas."
Ashton Jeanty is in good company pic.twitter.com/2gLVvYsAgX
— Joel Smyth (@fantasysmyth) August 3, 2025
Therefore, Jeanty could certainly make a strong impact in Year 1. He should lead this backfield in both touches and total yards and has the upside to finish as a top-5 fantasy running back this season. Carroll might lean on Mostert and third-string running back Zamir White to begin the year, but the tide will turn as the season progresses.
The last time Carroll had an exciting new rookie in his backfield was with Kenneth Walker III in 2022. After Walker saw limited opportunities across the first four weeks, the Seahawks running back then went on to average 22.3 touches per game over his final 10 full games played. A similar scenario could play out for Jeanty this year.
That's why Jeanty is worth a late first-round pick in 2025 fantasy football drafts. He is going to be a featured option in this offense, and a 275-touch season could be in the cards for him as a rookie.
Omarion Hampton Fantasy Football Outlook
There's no doubt that Hampton deserved to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He posted strong numbers in each of his final two college seasons at North Carolina, rushing for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in both years. In 2024, the North Carolina native rushed for a career-high 1,660 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.
After that dominant season, the Chargers decided to select Hampton with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The former Tar Heel was the second running back off the board and landed in a solid spot in Los Angeles. The Chargers ranked top 12 in rush percentage (44.91%), attempts (463), and rush touchdowns (17) last year. The rookie will also be running behind a top-7 offensive line.
However, the biggest question mark entering the season is how involved Hampton will be on offense. Assuming Najee Harris (eye) is ready to go by Week 1, there is a strong chance that Harris and Hampton completely split out of the Los Angeles backfield. Both running backs have been hyped up this offseason by the coaching staff.
.@MatthewBerryTMR's 2025 Ride or Die: Omarion Hampton ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/kQbGWchgur
— Fantasy Life (@MBFantasyLife) August 1, 2025
So, there is a world where the two running backs split 50/50 to start the year. Harris has been one of the most consistent running backs in the league since 2021, and it would come as a shock if the Chargers just completely push him to the side. That means we will likely see the 27-year-old have a considerable role in this offense.
That could easily limit Hampton's fantasy ceiling in his first season. Still, the rookie has the upside to eventually overtake Harris for the starting job and be a strong RB2 option for fantasy managers. That's how much potential the North Carolina product has in this Los Angeles offense. He will be used in both the running and passing game, which will give him a safer fantasy floor in Round 4.
We all saw what J.K. Dobbins did in this Chargers offense last year (4.64 yards per carry and an RB24 finish in PPR formats). It feels like Hampton should finish with better numbers than Dobbins did in 2024. The rookie is an explosive running back who has the size and speed to make a real difference for the Chargers offense.
Although Hampton will probably be splitting with Harris throughout the year, there should be plenty of opportunities to go around in this offense. That makes the 22-year-old a solid RB2 target early in drafts.
RJ Harvey Fantasy Football Outlook
A lot of draft analysts didn't believe Harvey would be selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He is a bit undersized at 5-foot-8 and is already 24 years old. But when he was drafted 60th overall by the Denver Broncos, it signaled just how high the RB-needy Broncos had him on their draft board.
Harvey put together a strong final college season in which he ran for 1,577 yards and 22 touchdowns across 12 games for the UCF Knights. His best performance of the year came in a conference game against Iowa State on October 19. In that contest, he totaled 196 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Harvey now joins a Broncos backfield where he should have a sizable role as a rookie. Even though the addition of Dobbins does hurt his fantasy value a bit, the 24-year-old should see enough touches this year to make him a reliable RB2. He is going to be involved in Year 1 and has some sneaky receiving upside as well.
The UCF product caught a combined 39 passes for 505 yards in his final two college seasons, and quarterback Bo Nix praised the running back's potential in the receiving game a few months ago.
"You know he can run the ball, but I think it's the other things that he's showing. Just the routes, [his] suddenness and quickness in his hands," Nix said.
That means Harvey will have some PPR upside, especially since Dobbins hasn't been known as a pass-catcher in his career. The veteran only totaled 153 receiving yards last year and didn't tally more than 30 receiving yards in any game with the Chargers last season. Therefore, the rookie could emerge as a dual-threat running back in this offense.
While Harvey is listed as the RB5 on the team's first unofficial depth chart, we should take this with a grain of salt. Alvin Kamara was also listed last by Sean Payton on New Orleans' initial depth chart as a rookie in 2017. Kamara then went on to total 201 touches while finishing as the RB3 in PPR formats.
So, we shouldn't read too much into that unofficial depth chart. Harvey will get his fair share of opportunities as a rookie, and we all know Dobbins' injury history. The 26-year-old has never played a full season in his career. That means Harvey could get more run with the starters if Dobbins were to miss an extended time.
Kaleb Johnson Fantasy Football Outlook
The Pittsburgh Steelers were always going to select a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft. Harris left in the offseason, and the team didn't pick up any notable running backs in free agency. That meant whichever running back landed with Pittsburgh was going to have a nice chance to contribute in Year 1.
After passing on running back in the first two rounds, the Steelers finally took one in the third round of the draft. They selected Johnson with the 83rd overall pick. The 6-foot-1 brusier broke out in his final college season at Iowa, running for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. He had eight games over 100 yards, which included a monster 204-yard, three-touchdown performance against Minnesota earlier in the season.
With Jaylen Warren as the only major threat to Johnson in Pittsburgh's backfield, the rookie could turn out to be a steal at his 81.3 ADP on Sleeper. Warren has never handled more than 150 carries in a season and has been known more as a primary pass-catcher in his career. That could work in the rookie's favor.
Kaleb Johnson fantasy stock 📈
(via @TonyPauline) pic.twitter.com/LpDjb1Oc8c
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 5, 2025
Johnson could be the team's go-to short-yardage and goal-line back, given his 6-foot-1, 225-pound frame. For context, Warren is only 5-foot-8, and Kenneth Gainwell comes in at 5-foot-9, 200 pounds. Therefore, the Steelers will likely lean on him in those types of situations, which would increase his fantasy ceiling.
The Steelers ran the ball at the fifth-highest mark (48.31%) last season, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has been a proponent of establishing the run in his offenses. While Johnson is listed as Pittsburgh's RB3 on its first unofficial depth chart, that should only change as we get closer to Week 1.
As a result, Johnson is worth taking a chance on in the seventh/eighth round of drafts. He could eventually be the RB1 in this backfield and should be able to rack up some touchdowns on the ground. The Steelers back doesn't have as high a fantasy ceiling as the other three rookies on this list, but he does have a path to rush for over 850 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025.
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