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Joey's high-upside fantasy football running back sleepers to target in the middle rounds of 2025. His RB draft values include D'Andre Swift, TreVeyon Henderson.
One of the best feelings for fantasy managers is finding a gem at the running back position in the middle-to-late rounds of drafts. We saw plenty of that last year, as Chase Brown, Bucky Irving, and Chuba Hubbard all finished as top-14 fantasy running backs after going outside the top 100 picks in most drafts.
This season, fantasy managers can find several value picks at the running back position from the sixth round onward. So, whether you want to partake in the Zero RB strategy or are just interested in finding sleepers in the middle-to-late rounds, you have to come to the right place. This article will look at five running backs you should be drafting in 2025.
Which running backs make the cut? When should fantasy managers take these running backs? Let's dive in and find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots
New England Patriots running back Henderson is going to be a fantasy superstar one day. The Patriots selected him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Henderson has the skill set to be a three-down back in the NFL. However, there are questions on whether that will be this year or in the coming years once Rhamondre Stevenson is no longer on the team.
But it's only a matter of time until Henderson overtakes Stevenson for that RB1 role in the New England backfield this season. He is simply the more talented back in this offense, and fantasy managers have been able to see that recently. The rookie returned a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown in the team's first preseason game and then caught a 70-yard touchdown in a joint practice against the Vikings a few days later.
TreVeyon Henderson 70-yard TD in joint practice against the Vikings, via @vikingzfanpage:pic.twitter.com/e4JsVEf1ea
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 13, 2025
Given that the Patriots have been moving Henderson around in the receiving game all offseason, he has the potential to emerge as a strong fantasy option right away in Year 1. He averaged a whopping 7.1 yards per carry in his final college season at Ohio State, and his pass-catching abilities should help him be a strong RB2 option with RB1 upside each week.
That makes Henderson a fantastic value in the sixth round of drafts. He has around a 65 ADP in both ESPN and Sleeper leagues, which feels too low for a player of this caliber. While Stevenson will most likely start the season as New England's RB1, the rookie will be involved on offense from the get-go. So, grab him as your second running back in drafts.
D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift continues to be one of the most underrated players at the position. He has finished as a top-21 fantasy running back in every season of his career, and the Bears didn't bring in any running back competition. The only back Chicago added this offseason was a seventh-round rookie in Kyle Monangai.
As a result, Swift's RB26 ADP makes him a must-draft in the middle-to-late rounds. He will remain the RB1 in this Chicago backfield, and the opportunities should be there for him throughout the year. The 26-year-old ranked top-10 in snap share (66.9%), opportunity share (75.9%), and routes run (246) among all running backs in 2024.
Those numbers should stay around the same this year, considering his biggest competition for touches is Roschon Johnson and Monangai. Johnson averaged a rough 2.73 yards per carry last season, and it's tough to envision the rookie taking many snaps away from Swift. So, the veteran is in a prime position to be a reliable RB2 option once again in 2025.
While Swift might not have the biggest fantasy ceiling, he does have a relatively safe floor in a Bears offense that should be much better. The addition of head coach Ben Johnson will elevate this offense, and Chicago's offensive line improved this offseason with the acquisitions of Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman. That'll be enough for the former Pro Bowler to finish as a top-18 fantasy running back.
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
A lot of fantasy managers might not be in on Minnesota Vikings running back Mason this year because the expectation is that Aaron Jones will be the primary running back in this offense throughout the 2025-26 season. However, that might not be entirely accurate. Mason has seen a lot of first-team reps in training camp this offseason.
Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert of ESPN also believes that both running backs will be featured a lot on offense this season. Seifert said a few weeks ago that "while it appears unlikely that the split between Mason and Jones will be 50-50, early indications are that it will be much closer to that than the Vikings' previous splits under [Kevin] O'Connell."
As a result, Mason should be on every fantasy manager's radar in the later rounds. He looked solid in a larger role last year with the San Francisco 49ers -- averaging a solid 5.16 yards per carry -- and the Vikings were willing to deal a 2025 fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick swap to acquire the up-and-coming back.
RB yards after contact and tackles avoided per carry last season:
-Kenneth Walker lol
-Tank Bigsby and Bucky Irving balling. Is RB success more likely for guys with really cool names?
-James Conner still got the juice
-Jordan Mason is going to get a lot of carries in Minnesota.… pic.twitter.com/48csY9i4JW— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 6, 2025
Given that trade capital, it's fair to assume that Mason is going to see plenty of opportunities in the Minnesota offense in 2025. On top of that, Jones is entering his age-30 season. After totaling a career-high 306 touches last year, it's doubtful that the Vikings are going to feed him as much as they did in 2024.
That makes the 26-year-old a fantasy sleeper at his 107.8 ADP on a Vikings offense that has one of the best play-callers in the game in O'Connell.
Cam Skattebo, New York Giants
The running back position was a need for this Giants team entering the 2025 NFL Draft. Tyrone Tracy Jr. dealt with some fumbling problems in his rookie season, and the team needed to upgrade the RB2 spot after Devin Singletary averaged a career-low 3.87 yards per carry in 2024. The Giants eventually found their new running back when they selected Skattebo in the fourth round.
Skattebo is coming off a dominant final college season in which he totaled 2,316 yards from scrimmage and 24 total touchdowns. He now landed in a fantastic spot in New York, where he has a great opportunity to be involved right away.
Although the former Arizona star has been dealing with a hamstring issue for a few weeks, this injury has made Skattebo an even better value pick in drafts. The 23-year-old is often taken in the ninth or 10th round of drafts, which feels like an absolute steal for a running back who was turning heads at training camp before his injury.
While Tracy will begin the season as the team's RB1, Skattebo will have sneaky flex appeal every week due to his receiving upside. He totaled 605 receiving yards in his final college season at Arizona State, and the Giants were utilizing him through the air to start training camp. Don't forget, new Giants quarterback Russell Wilson led the league in checkdown rate last season, according to PFF.
That's significant because that's where Skattebo should earn most of his fantasy points from. As a result, he is worth a pick in the later rounds of PPR formats. He should be the lead receiving back on a team that will be trailing in a lot of games in 2025.
J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos
Every fantasy manager wants the new shiny toy in this Denver Broncos backfield. That new shiny toy is RJ Harvey, whom the Broncos selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. But sometimes, the old toy works just as well. That old toy is Dobbins, who the team picked up in free agency in June.
While we all expect Harvey to be heavily involved in both the run and pass game throughout his rookie season, Dobbins is going to have an equally large role in this Broncos backfield. However, one of these running backs (Harvey) is going in the sixth round, and the other (Dobbins) is going in the 11th round.
The ADP gap between those two running backs is way too big, especially since Dobbins has been taking most of the first-team reps in training camp. There's also a good chance that head coach Sean Payton decides to roll with the veteran over the rookie in key short-yardage and goal-line situations.
how sure are we that rj harvey's ADP should've only dropped six (6) spots overall after jk dobbins was added? are we really sure? pic.twitter.com/aAAvsIBt1G
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) August 7, 2025
Therefore, Dobbins is an underrated selection in fantasy drafts this season. He will almost certainly be the team's RB1 to begin the year, and the 26-year-old is coming off a career year in 2024 in which he ran for 905 yards and nine touchdowns. Getting a potential weekly RB2 in fantasy in the 10th round might be one of the bigger running back steals in 2025 drafts.
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