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Hayden's five one-man backfields to avoid in 2025 fantasy football. His top fades and avoids for five bell-cow running backs (RBs) in 2025 drafts and leagues.
Having a bell-cow running back in fantasy football is obviously a good plan. An RB with a steady stream of touches is, of course, a great building block for your starting lineup. Players like Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Ashton Jeanty, and Jonathan Taylor are particularly coveted assets for this very reason. Unfortunately, the number of such backs has dwindled over the years as more and more teams employ committee approaches to their backfields.
However, it is important not to get too caught up in your desire for a workhorse RB. Some backfields that look like they will be dominated by just one player end up panning out otherwise. Sometimes, a completely different running back takes over the featured role. In still others, the back does indeed keep its volume but fails to produce with it. There are many pitfalls that can come with over-pursuing workhorses.
Thus, it is important to identify which of these options are the ones to avoid in fantasy drafts. Evading these traps is essential to put your team in the best position to succeed. Encouraging your opposition to fall right into them is as well. Thus, here are five one-man backfields to fade in your fantasy drafts for 2025.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon had a solid season in his first year with the team in 2024. He rushed 245 times for 1,016 yards and 11 TDs in 14 games, and he also caught 36 passes for 309 yards and another score. He was the RB17 in PPR for the season, but he was RB9 with 17.2 points per game. Importantly, he also dominated the Houston backfield. His 77.7% opportunity share ranked fifth among all RBs last year.
However, there is already a bright red flag about Mixon's 2025 campaign, unfortunately. He began training camp on the NFI list due to a foot injury that is expected to sideline him for "an extended period of time." This is putting his availability for the start of the regular season in jeopardy. Moreover, Mixon missed three games last year with an ankle issue, and he is also now 29 years old. Needless to say, this is not what you want to hear about your running back.
The Texans signed former Browns RB Nick Chubb this offseason. Chubb will presumably be the starter for as long as Mixon is out. Houston also traded up to select Woody Marks, a running back out of USC, in the fourth round this year. That pick suddenly became a lot more interesting in the wake of the Mixon injury news. While taking a chance on Mixon in fantasy drafts is still a viable choice at a discount, make sure you get that discount before taking the plunge.
Woody Marks, ALMOST gone. What a run for @USCfb. pic.twitter.com/F51CfWWyJb
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 21, 2024
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Isiah Pacheco has been a real weapon for the Chiefs since joining the squad in 2022, but his 2024 campaign was derailed by a Week 2 fibula fracture. He rushed 34 times for 135 yards and a score in his first two games, but he was not good upon his return in Week 13. In his last eight appearances, including the playoffs, he crested 4.0 yards per carry just one time, and he saw double-digit carries only twice. Pacheco finished the season with 310 yards on 83 carries with a career-low average of 3.73 yards per attempt.
Pacheco is now healthy for 2025 and has regained his spot atop the depth chart. His primary competition for carries will be veteran Kareem Hunt. Hunt has been mediocre at best over the past three seasons, so Pacheco's usage should be high. However, the concern is that Pacheco will have difficulty regaining the explosiveness he had before his major injury. If he cannot, speedy seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith is lurking as a sleeper.
71 YARDS TO THE HOUSE FOR BRASHARD SMITH 😮 pic.twitter.com/BzVEAledtQ
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 3, 2024
Kansas City is also not as lucrative an offense for fantasy football as it used to be. From 2018 through 2022, the Chiefs averaged 30.1 points per game. That has dropped to 22.2 over the past two seasons with Matt Nagy as the offensive coordinator. Any drop-off in volume for Pacheco will hurt his fantasy standing significantly. Only pursue Pacheco in fantasy drafts with the proper amount of caution.
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner has aged like a fine wine with the Arizona Cardinals. He is now 30 years old, and yet he is coming off a season in which he rushed for a career-high 1,094 yards. His previous career high came in 2023 when he also set a personal best with 5.00 yards per carry. Now entering his ninth year in the league and fifth with Arizona, Conner will once again begin the season as a projected workhorse.
Despite these positives, there are legitimate reasons to be pessimistic about Conner's outlook. One is his age; his natural athleticism can drop off at any point without warning now. Also complicating matters is his injury history. Although Conner stayed healthy last season, playing 16 games, he had missed at least three games in five of the preceding six years. It is likely that he gets sidelined at some point in 2025.
The Arizona backfield also houses 2024 third-rounder Trey Benson. Benson spent last year developing in a reserve role, but his size (6-foot, 216 pounds), speed (4.39-second 40-yard dash), physicality, and balance made him a strong prospect. Benson also averaged 4.5 true yards per carry last season on limited attempts, so he has already flashed competence. With Benson looming, Conner will have a short leash if he faces age-related regression. Be wary of picking Conner ahead of 2025.
give it up for @trey_uno1's FIRST career TD 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZnU7AUlfcZ
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 3, 2024
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers drafted running back Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2024 draft despite his ongoing recovery from an ACL tear while at Texas. During his absence, Chuba Hubbard had a great season. Hubbard rushed 250 times for 1,195 yards, caught 43 passes, and scored 11 total touchdowns, setting career highs across the board. Brooks, on the other hand, had just 12 touches after his Week 12 debut before re-tearing his ACL.
The excellent year, as well as Brooks's misfortune, has Hubbard poised to pace Carolina's backfield yet again. That is not a given, though. The Panthers signed Rico Dowdle to join the backfield this offseason. Dowdle gained 1,079 yards on 4.59 yards per carry in 2024, but the Panthers acquired him for just $2.75 million on a one-year deal. Hubbard has struggled as a receiver, considering he averaged under 4.0 yards per catch last season. That could open the door for more Dowdle touches.
the screen goes for 6️⃣!
📺: #DALvsNYG on Prime Video
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/5hqJbGhUtU— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 27, 2024
With sportsbooks setting their season win total at 6.5, Carolina is also not projected to be very good this season. That has become the norm for them, but it would impact Hubbard's game script. His ineffectiveness in the passing game in 2024 would not be a good combination with frequent deficits on the scoreboard. Although he weathered that last year, as Carolina went 5-12, it is a factor to consider. Be mindful of these concerns before drafting Hubbard this season.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Since entering the NFL in 2017, Alvin Kamara has been a top-10 running back in PPR points per game every year except one. The exception was 2022, when he finished 13th. His productivity continued last season when he totaled 1,493 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. Kamara was also second at his position with 68 receptions, coming in behind only Miami's De'Von Achane. Entering his ninth year in New Orleans, Kamara should again see a lot of work.
There are some flaws in his outlook, though, that need to be considered. One is that, like Conner, Kamara is now 30 years old. While his injury history is not as extensive as Conner's, there is a very high chance Kamara misses time in 2025 like he did last season with a groin issue. Kamara also played through last season with broken ribs and a broken hand. Additionally, the Saints have a young back in Kendre Miller who may be able to finally put everything together and be successful. If not, sixth-round rookie Devin Neal will be the RB2.
The legend 🤝 #RockChalk x @Dev_Neal23 https://t.co/Yfk0lVU5hP pic.twitter.com/zDFD85rgwp
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) November 23, 2024
Moreover, like Hubbard, Kamara's team is expected to struggle. Indeed, New Orleans is among the favorites to have the top overall pick in the 2026 draft. This is due to anticipated putrid quarterback play from Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and/or Jake Haener. While Kamara is quite skilled as a receiver, which can mitigate the game script issues, the projected lack of touchdowns will be a problem. Kamara has set a high bar for himself during his career, and his 2025 campaign is unlikely to measure up.
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