Five Running Backs To Sell In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

February 4, 2025

Which running backs should managers sell in dynasty fantasy football leagues? Justin Carter looks at five running backs who you should be selling in the 2025 offseason in dynasty.

The fun thing about playing in dynasty leagues is that the season never ends. Sure, you aren't setting weekly lineups and battling for a title right now, but you can still make offseason moves to set your team up for success.

One thing you can do is trade away players when their value is at its peak. But who are some of the players you should be selling this offseason?

Below are five running backs worth selling in dynasty fantasy football leagues this offseason.

Kyren Williams - Los Angeles Rams

All Kyren Williams does is score touchdowns. I mean that as a compliment, but it's also a bit of a backhanded one.

Williams scored 14 rushing touchdowns this season, giving him 26 rushing scores over his past 28 games. He was especially on fire to start the 2024 season, scoring at least once in six consecutive games.

Overall, Williams had eight finishes as a top-12 fantasy running back last season, a remarkable achievement for a player who many were down on after the Rams drafted Blake Corum.

Here's the thing though: Corum is still there, and he started to see a little more usage later in the season.

Williams, meanwhile, still comes with some concerns because he lacks breakaway speed. You can make a strong argument that his 2024 success came because he was getting a lot of opportunities in high-value spots.

Per PlayerProfiler, Williams was near the top of the league in most opportunity-based metrics:

Those ranks are among all running backs, meaning he led the position in snap share and red zone touches while ranking second in opportunity share and third in both carries and weighted opportunities.

But Williams was just 43rd among running backs in yards per touch and 110th in expected points added, and he's a non-factor in the passing game. All it takes is for Corum to siphon off a handful more touches per game and Williams will see his value drop big time.

James Cook - Buffalo Bills

In his third NFL season, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook put together his best campaign, leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 16 after never recording more than two in a season.

However, that kind of huge jump in production is the type of thing that should be concerning to fantasy managers, because it begs the question of sustainability.

Cook was fourth among running backs in red zone touches despite being just 36th in snap share and 24th in opportunity share.

James Cook and Jahmyr Gibbs joined a group of just eight RB aged 25 or younger to score 20+ TDs (playoffs included) in a season pic.twitter.com/K83Xim4sW4

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) February 2, 2025

Red zone looks will continue as long as the Bills' offense is able to keep playing like it has. However, it's worth noting that this huge increase in scoring plays for Cook came the same year that the Bills had to refocus how they attacked the field since the team lost its top two receivers in free agency.

Buffalo is unlikely to go into 2025 with the same receiving unit it has right now. Changes will come, and a more reliable cast of characters for Allen to throw the ball to will lead to a reduction in how many scoring chances Cook has in 2025.

David Montgomery - Detroit Lions

This past season, David Montgomery was part of the NFL's best backfield alongside Jahmyr Gibbs. Those two players are at very different stages of their NFL careers though and Montgomery is unlikely to have another season like this one.

The 27-year-old running back scored 12 touchdowns this season, but he saw a fairly sizable drop in rushing yards, from 1,015 in his first season with the Lions to a career-low 775 this season. Even factoring in his three missed games, Montgomery's 55.4 rushing yards per game were 17.1 yards fewer than he had in 2023.

Montgomery is only going to get older. Gibbs is going to continue cutting into his opportunities because he's proven he's one of the NFL's most dangerous weapons. There is never going to be a better time to sell high on Montgomery than there is right now.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. - New York Giants

Look, Tyrone Tracy Jr. had a solid rookie campaign for the Giants, but that just means that right now is the time to sell high on the Purdue product.

Tracy finished the 2024 season with 192 carries for 839 yards and five touchdowns, plus added 38 catches for 284 yards and another score.

However, he also had 10 games where he finished with 50 or fewer rushing yards. Tracy isn't the most explosive back in the world, as he was 32nd in true yards per carry and 40th in fantasy points per opportunity.

Been watching Tyrone Tracy film and he reminds me of a mix of Ahmad Bradshaw and Wayne Gallman pic.twitter.com/4ijUYOhn7z

— Brody (@ItsGiantsSzn) January 9, 2025

Tracy is a capable NFL running back, but he hasn't necessarily proven that he's capable of being the unquestioned No. 1 back on a team. If the Giants add another running back this offseason, the window to sell high on Tracy will slam shut.

Being stuck with Tracy on your dynasty team isn't the end of the world, but with so many question marks swirling around this Giants offense, it's also not the best thing for your roster either.

Brian Robinson Jr. - Washington Commanders

Three seasons in the NFL and three years where Brian Robinson Jr. finished with a rushing yardage total in the 700s. He came up just shy of finally hitting the 800-yard mark, rushing 187 times for 799 yards and eight touchdowns.

Robinson's success is a great story, as he came back from a gunshot wound suffered before this rookie season. However, his usage faded as the season went on. Robinson had a snap rate over 50 percent in each of Washington's first four games, then hit that mark just four more times over the remainder of the season.

Austin Ekeler played well as the team's No. 2 back, but the thing that caps Robinson's value the most is that he played with a running quarterback. Jayden Daniels had more rushing yards than Robinson and wasn't too far behind in carries.

With Daniels on the field, Robinson's opportunities are capped. He was 21st among running backs in carries and might never get into the top 20, especially if the Commanders add more talent to the running back room this offseason.

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