Updated Best Ball Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings (2025): Saquon Barkley, Ashton Jeanty, Christian McCaffrey, Bucky Irving, Bhayshul Tuten

June 29, 2025

RotoBaller's updated 2025 fantasy football best ball running back rankings and tiers. These RB best ball rankings are for Underdog, DraftKings, NFFC, and more.

The new NFL campaign is still a few months away, but best ball draft season is here, and we've got you covered with our 2025 fantasy football best ball running back rankings. Identifying the right running back picks throughout your draft is key, so use these early best ball rankings for Underdog, DraftKings, NFFC, FanDuel, and more. In the rankings table below, check out where key best ball RBs like Saquon Barkley, Ashton Jeanty, Christian McCaffrey, Bucky Irving, and Bhayshul Tuten stand among other notable ball carriers.

Be sure to check out all of our fantasy football best ball articles. And if you're looking for even more of an edge, check out our Best Ball Draft Kit and Tools, including the best ball live draft assistant, best ball mock draft simulator, and best ball draft cheat sheets -- all part of the Best Ball Team Sync platform.

Two of RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analysts -- Phil Clark and Nick Mariano -- have put together their consensus staff rankings, which will be updated regularly through the start of the 2025 fantasy football offseason.

2025 Best Ball Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football

For anyone who isn't very familiar with fantasy football best ball leagues, they are essentially draft-only leagues with no moves during the season. Once a best ball draft is completed, nothing else happens -- no setting weekly lineups, no trading, no waiver wire moves.

Every week of the season, the best combo of fantasy players on your team is automatically calculated and used to determine the highest possible scoring outcome. Best ball drafts always start earlier than regular drafts, and they are already in high gear!

Be sure also to check out our 2025 fantasy football rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of other great rankings. In case you missed it, you can also see our Dynasty League rankings, and 2025 NFL Rookie rankings. Bookmark that page, and prepare for all of your drafts.

Fantasy Football Running Back Player Outlooks

Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is coming off a historically great year in which he topped 2,000 rushing yards in only 16 games. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year totaled 345 rushes in the regular season, adding another 91 through four postseason games. One can't blame the Eagles for riding the hot hand, as he averaged 5.8 yards per carry behind a talented offensive line. He tacked on 33 catches for 278 yards and a pair of TDs as well.

Now 28 years old, Barkley has averaged 369 touches over the last three seasons when you include the '24 playoff run. We're drafting him near the top of the first round with the hopes that endurance holds and the same unstoppable formula plays out. But it would be irresponsible to overlook the workload concerns, even if the team is largely returning the same roster. Alas, most players have a downside to be aware of, so don't overthink yourself into knots given Barkley's elite, proven blueprint for success.

- Nick Mariano

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is healthy after a year largely lost to bilateral Achilles tendinitis and then a PCL injury to his right knee. He averaged just four yards per carry and under four yards per catch (3.8) for the first time in his career, no matter the sample size. CMC also failed to score a touchdown on his 65 total touches. The 29-year-old has now missed over half of the season in three of his last five campaigns, but the healthy 2022 and '23 were stellar (especially after the SF trade).

Last year may have been a wash, but the previous season supplied a career-best 21 total TDs with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Still on the right side of 30, McCaffrey is likely defined as the boom-bust pick of 2025 fantasy football drafts. Many fantasy managers stuck near the back of the first round will grab CMC with the hopes of getting a discount on a top player, as the 49ers hope the entire offense can enjoy better health.

- Nick Mariano

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year running back Bucky Irving took over the lead role in the backfield after the Week 11 bye and didn't look back, winning fantasy leagues all over for managers. Irving finished his rookie season with 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while adding 392 receiving yards. The 22-year-old will split work with Rachaad White and Sean Tucker again, but figures to take the bulk of the workload after impressing down the stretch of the 2024 season.

Irving took 32% of the team's rush attempts after the Week 11 bye while White took 29% and Tucker took 10%. For Irving to pay off at cost, he is going to have to remain hyper-efficient on a per-touch basis, or he is going to have to grow the gap between himself and White. New offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard has already made comments noting that this is a committee, which could scare managers away from Irving's Round 2 ADP.

- Brant Henson

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