Having the top-tier running back on your fantasy roster is a huge advantage throughout the season. But most have to spend some high-end capital to have those stars rostered. Here are some running backs to look out for who are being slept on by most people and who can be a potential RB1 in your fantasy rosters this 2025 season.
Travis Etienne (JAX)
Current projection RB 30
2024 was a head-scratcher for Travis Etienne, as he was projected as RB 9 but finished the season as RB 35. But I am not giving up on Etienne so quickly. Etienne last season was still top 10 in efficiency while still only missing 2 games in his entire career. In fantasy, the best saying is “the best ability is availability” because you need players whom you can count on to be playing week in and week out. Also, Etienne is one of the best duel-threat running backs this league has to offer. He was 9th in all-purpose yards in his RB 3 season in 2023 among all players.
We must remember he was RB 3 in 2023, and he is getting a new offensive-minded head coach this year in Liam Coen. He just had Bucky Irving produce a breakout rookie season and Rachaad White, who was still in the top 20 of running backs. Coen had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rush for 149 yards/game & White ran the 7th most routes for a running back. All these signs point to Etienne bouncing back in 2025.
Tyjae Spears (TEN)
Current projection RB 35
Excitement was high for Tyjae Spears around this time last year, while Derrick Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens. But that soon ended as the Tennessee Titans signed veteran Tony Pollard to the backfield. Spears ended the 2024 season as RB 42 while missing 6 games. Pollard ranked 20 spots higher but only outscored Spears by 70 points in 4 extra games.
There are some upsides for Spears as we head into the 2025 season. He averaged 1-point per fantasy opportunity, which put him in the Top 15 among RBs. Along with that, to finish the 2024 season, Spears was RB6 between Week 15 through Week 17 and did not play in Week 18. At the young age of 23 years old, Tyjae Spears has Top 10 potential and could be the fantasy steal of the draft for the 2025 season.
2025 Rookie Class (excluding Ashton Jeanty)
This year’s rookie running back class is loaded with talent. The head of the class is Ashton Jeanty, but I am excluding him from this list because he is not much of a sleeper, with a projection of RB 17 without even being drafted yet. While a team will use a top 15 pick on Jeanty, there is more talent to go around to possibly some already-established teams.
Some of the names to look out for this upcoming draft season are Omarion Hamption, TreVeyon Henderson, Kaleb Johnson, Quinshon Judkins, and many more. All these running backs have the tools and skillset to become every down back in this league. The positive for them is that many teams do not value the running backs as much as others. A rookie will be the cheaper option moving forward into the season while teams can address other holes on the roster.
My favorite is TreVeyon Henderson for fantasy purposes. He is the best dual-threat running back in this class. While rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2024, he also had 27 catches for 284 yards while sharing a backfield. These are my feelings on the talent alone, but if he finds himself on a high-powered offense in April, he will shoot up the rankings immediately.