Fab's Top Five Fantasy Football Running Backs to Draft in 2025

Michael Fabiano | Aug 21, 2025

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley will be one of the first five running backs picked in 2025 fantasy football drafts. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

True featured running backs can be hard to find these days, so fantasy managers should expect them to come off the board fast and furious when it comes time to draft. In fact, you’ll probably see at least five or six backs have their names called in the first 12 picks. All of them, of course, will project to lead their teams in touches.

Let’s take a look at my top-five fantasy running backs for 2025, and what you can expect from them heading into the new fantasy football season.

5 Best Fantasy Football RBs

1. Bijan Robinson, Falcons (ADP – 2.0): Robinson is coming off a breakout season that saw him post more than 21 touches and 20-plus points per game. Still, I can see the stud runner posting slightly better numbers this season … that’s right, I don’t think Robinson has hit his fantasy ceiling. The Falcons should boast one of the league’s best and most fantasy-friendly offenses, and Robinson will be the centerpiece.

2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions (ADP – 4.0): Gibbs posted a monster 2025 campaign, posting more than 360 fantasy points and finishing first among running backs. While he’s very likely to see some touchdown regression (he scored 20 times), Gibbs is still a great bet to finish in the top five at the position once again in Detroit’s explosive offense. Even while sharing work with David Montgomery, Gibbs remains an elite player.

3. Saquon Barkley, Eagles (ADP – 3.0): Barkley was an absolute fantasy monster in 2024, rushing for 2,005 yards while scoring 15 total touchdowns and 355.3 points. That makes it tough to rank him outside of the top three, but I would also keep in mind that he is very likely to see some regression. In fact, I have listed as a player to beware of drafts. Still, you’ll see Barkley as a top-five pick in a lot of 2025 leagues.

4. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders (ADP – 15.0): Fantasy managers might think ranking Jeanty this high is a risk, as he’s never played a single NFL regular-season game. However, we’ve seen no shortage of rookie runners post top-five seasons, and Jeanty has all the tools to be a real statistical beast in the offense of coordinator Chip Kelly. Compared to Alvin Kamara, Jeanty has sky-high potential and is easily a fantasy first rounder.

5. De’Von Achane, Dolphins (ADP – 15.0): Achane has been a fantasy star ever since his rookie season, averaging 17-plus points per game in each of his first two NFL campaigns. This season should be no different, as the Dolphins will continue to lean on him as both their lead runner and a prominent pass catcher out of the backfield. He is dealing with a minor soft tissue injury, but he’s expected to be fine for Week 1.