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Overvalued or undervalued rookie running backs for 2025 fantasy football. Target RB sleepers and avoid the bust candidates: Dylan Sampson, Cam Skattebo, and more.
Don’t look now but the 2025 NFL Draft is only two months away. It’s always one of the most exciting parts of the offseason as we get to watch the stars of tomorrow hear their names called in front of millions of fans. For dynasty gamers, rookie draft season is arguably the most fun part of playing dynasty football.
There’s nothing quite like making your call on a player and watching him turn into the stud you always knew he was. The 2025 running back class is loaded with talent. Like any draft class, though, they are overvalued and undervalued players. Today, we will discuss a few players ranked too highly by the dynasty community and a few that are being overlooked.
Make sure you follow RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Here are several overvalued and undervalued running backs for 2025 dynasty football leagues.
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Undervalued Running Backs
Dylan Sampson - RB, Tennessee
Sampson posted some impressive totals in his final year at Tennessee. He averaged nearly 6.0 yards per carry, ran for 1,491 rushing yards, and scored 22 rushing touchdowns.
DYLAN SAMPSON CONTINUES TO BALL THIS SEASON 🔥
A 27-YD TOUCHDOWN TO RETAKE THE LEAD VS. GEORGIA 😤 pic.twitter.com/HmuJLppFvZ
— ESPN (@espn) November 17, 2024
His All-22 film is very impressive and his underlying data gets you even more excited for his NFL future. Among 156 backs with at least 100 carries, Sampson finished sixth in PFF's Missed Tackles Forced, 33rd in PFF Elusive Rating, and was PFF’s seventh-highest-graded rusher in 2024.
DYLAN SAMPSON BREAKS THE SINGLE SEASON TOTAL TOUCHDOWN RECORD pic.twitter.com/4677Y8XqCP
— Vol Report (@AllVolReport) November 23, 2024
Sampson is currently the RB7 in RotoBaller’s pre-draft rookie rankings. This feels a tad low when putting the data and film together. If he lands in the right situation with sufficient draft capital, Sampson could start to rise in dynasty rankings by the time we reach the rookie draft season.
Bhayshul Tuten - Virginia
Tuten enjoyed a fine season last year at Virginia Tech. He ran for over 1,110 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in just 11 games. Tuten is a powerful runner who’s more than willing to lower his shoulder and hand out punishment to defenders. He's also got plenty of speed to make a house call.
TUTEN TO THE 🏠
📺 @espn x @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/kUeSqvK21w
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 18, 2024
Among 156 backs with 100 carries, Tuten also finished eighth in PFF's Yards After Contact Per Attempt (YCO/A) as well as ninth in PFF’s Elusive rating. He is one of the more underrated prospects in this draft class. If Tuten lands in the right situation, he is more than capable of returning immediate production for dynasty football managers.
Cam Skattebo - Arizona State
Skattebo is a very popular player in some dynasty circles. It’s easy to see why when you turn on the tape.
babe wake up Cam Skattebo just broke five tackles on a 47-yard rush 😤#Big12FB | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/HA759U7gpK
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 7, 2024
He ran for over 1,700 yards and scored an absurd 24 total touchdowns in 2024. His advanced metrics were also quite impressive. Among 156 backs with at least 100 carries, Skattebo finished:
Third in Missed Tackles Forced
Fourth in PFF Rushing Grade
Fifth in Yards After Contact
14th in PFF Elusive Rating
There is just one main issue with Skattebo’s game.
The Cam Skattebo Headbutt
I've seen this in multiple games as his de facto approach to contact blitzes. It's odd, it's ineffective, and unless he's training for a new career in the squared circle, it could limit his opportunities until he fixes his pass pro.#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/XwREXq1mg2
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) February 1, 2025
Skattebo’s pass-blocking leaves a lot to be desired. NFL coaches are notorious sticklers when it comes to protecting the quarterback. They will not hesitate to pull him off the field if he is a major liability in this area. It could limit his upside if a team chooses not to play him in passing situations.
However, a strong NFL coaching staff can work their magic with Skattebo’s blocking. If he can improve in this area, then Skattebo has the potential to blow past RotoBaller’s current rookie RB8 ranking.
Overvalued Running Backs
Ollie Gordon II - Oklahoma State
Gordon is a well-known name in devy football circles. He was considered one of the top backs in the nation following the 2023 season. However, a poor 2024 has caused Gordon to fall in the eyes of many dynasty gamers. Gordon regressed across the board statistically last year, and his advanced metrics were also concerning.
Among 156 backs with 100+ carries, Gordon finished 79th in PFF Elusive Rating, 99th in PFF Rushing Grade, and 91st in YCO/A. Even more head-scratching was the fact that Gordon’s struggles cannot be completely blamed on Oklahoma State’s offensive line play. The team finished 2023 as PFF’s 95th-highest run-blocking offensive line compared to a 69th-place finish in 2024.
It’s hard to say exactly what went wrong for Gordon this past season, but it does make you think twice about drafting the former four-star recruit. His place as the RB9 in RotoBaller’s current rookie rankings feels a tad high for a player with so many concerns.
Quinshon Judkins - Ohio State
Judkins burst onto the scene as a freshman at Ole Miss. He ran for 1,567 yards and scored 16 rushing touchdowns in his first collegiate season. This is the kind of early production dynasty gamers love seeing from a running back prospect.
Great opening drive by Ole Miss capped off by a Quinshon Judkins touchdown.
— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) November 12, 2023
He would eventually transfer to Ohio State for this past season where he worked in tandem with fellow back TreVeyon Henderson. This did not phase Judkins though, as he still eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground and scored 14 rushing touchdowns to help lead Ohio State to a National Championship.
The 22-year-old back certainly passes the eye test when watching him play. The issue is that some of his advanced metrics are a bit underwhelming. Out of 156 backs with at least 100 carries in 2024, Judkins ranked 96th in PFF Elusive Rating and 116th in YCO/A.
Judkins is a good player, but he seems a bit overrated as the RB5 in RotoBaller’s rookie rankings. There are equally talented players with better metrics ranked below him. Depending on when he’s taken in the NFL Draft, Judkins could be a good value if he falls to the backend of Round 1 in single quarterback drafts or the second round of super flex drafts.
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