2025 Fantasy Football: Avoid James Cook And These 3 Other Running Back Busts

Discover the top running back busts to avoid this fantasy football season, including high-profile names like Christian McCaffrey and James Cook, as injury risks and team dynamics threaten their production.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) dives for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Running back is one of the most important and one of the most polarizing positions in fantasy football. It's easily the most unpredictable position from year to year. Injuries and physical decline can sink a running back's production in a hurry and cause them to bust. These are the running back busts you should avoid this season. We will feature an RB1, RB2, R3, and RB4. 

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

CMC is the most polarizing player in fantasy football this season. Because his draft cost is so high as the fourth running back coming off the board in the first round, most fantasy owners are either all in or completely out on the San Francisco 49ers star rusher. The issue here is injuries. While there could be a decline in explosiveness from the 29-year-old running back who is coming off an Achilles and knee injury, if you could guarantee a full season of health, a lot more fantasy owners would be in on him. 

Welcome back, Christian McCaffrey.pic.twitter.com/oFb3XsYOMw

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) July 29, 2025

However, health is not only not guaranteed, but also unlikely. Since 2020, he has missed a whopping 37 games and only played in a total of 47. Over the past five seasons, he's failed to play more than seven games three times. Players don't typically get better or healthier as they get older and add more injuries to their resume. So we won't be betting on McCaffrey being the exception.

James Cook, Buffalo Bills

There is a lot working against Cook this season. Take your pick, because none of them are good. We'll start with the fact that he's a "hold in" and not participating in practice due to a contract dispute. We also just saw him refuse to play in the Bills' Preseason Week 1 game despite being suited up. Tensions seem to be rising in Buffalo, and missing time always raises the risk of both a slow start or soft-tissue injury. 

We also have the high likelihood of touchdown regression. Last season, he rushed for 16 touchdowns, which was up from his career high of two. That feels like a massive outlier and nearly impossible to repeat. If you take away the touches, he's a guy who barely cracked 1,000 rushing yards and caught 32 passes. Even if his TDs meet in the middle at nine, he doesn't come close to living up to his RB13 overall draft price. 

Those numbers could come down too, because it sounds like Ray Davis and Ty Johnson are both going to have a role in the Bills' offense this season. If Davis cuts into the rushing and Johnson takes away some passing on top of the ever looming presence of quarterback Josh Allen down near the goal line, Cook could struggle to crack the top 20 fantasy RBs this season.   

Cam Skattebo, New York Giants

We should not be drafting fourth-round injured rookies who are going to miss all of training camp as our RB3. Especially, when that running back was likely to be on the lesser side of a timeshare to start the season, regardless of health. Tyrone Tracy Jr is the running back to own in this backfield in redraft.

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) makes a catch during day one of the New York Giants training camp at Quest Diagnostics Giants Training Center in East Rutherford on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Skattebo is going to have a lot of catching up to do once he gets healthy, and unless something changes should only be viewed as a bench stash or a flier. Even if he did eventually win the job and get the majority of the snaps, how much is that worth in the New York Giants offense? 

Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns

The uncertainty surrounding Quinshon Judkins due to his domestic violence arrest has left a potential void in the Cleveland backfield. Ford is the back who fantasy owners are drafting as the next man up because he's a familiar face. We know what he is, and we know he lacks upside. You don't want to be drafting a plodding running back in what is expected to be either the worst offense in the league or close to it. There is no value there.

If you insist on drafting a piece of this backfield, pick a rookie and stake your claim. Either roll the dice on Judkins if you think he's going to play or take a flier on Dylan Sampson. Both at least have the upside of potentially being special. Ford's ceiling is a flex option you're not excited about playing.