Week 7 Running Back Rankings & Projections: Javonte Williams Rises Into Top 3

Over the past two weeks, Rico Dowdle has pushed fantasy teams up the standings by scoring 66.30 fantasy points in PPR formats. His success in two games would rank him 28th in running back scoring for the year. Bijan Robinson (35.80 fantasy points) was the only running back to post a better day than Dowdle in Week 6. Three other running backs scored over 30.00 fantasy points.

Josh Jacobs (32.00)
De’Von Achane (31.00)
Cam Skattebo (31.00)

The second tier of top running backs in Week 6 scored between 22.80 and 25.50 fantasy points.

D’Andre Swift (25.50)
Christian McCaffrey (24.10)
Jonathan Taylor (23.70)
Kimani Vidal (22.80)

Christian McCaffrey is the only skill player (RB, WR, or TE) to score over 20.00 fantasy points in all six games (23.20, 22.70, 24.00, 26.10, 27.90, and 24.10), giving him elite consistency. The fantasy market is waiting for his first difference-maker game in 2025.

Best 2025 Fantasy Football Running Backs

Here are the top 12 running backs (scoring average) in PPR formats after six games:

Bijan Robinson (24.84)
Christian McCaffrey (24.67)
Jonathan Taylor (23.30)
Josh Jacobs (21.37)
De’Von Achane (20.58)
Javonte Williams (18.82)
James Cook (17.43)
Kyren Williams (17.22)
Jahmyr Gibbs (17.20)
Cam Skattebo (16.77)
Ashton Jeanty (15.45)
D’Andre Swift (15.34)

Week 6 Running Back Bust

Week 6 Fantasy Football Bust: Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Brown — Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns

After an exciting three-game run (338 combined yards with two touchdowns and six catches on 66 touches), the Steelers bottled up Judkins in Week 6 (12/36). Game score led to Cleveland rotating in two other running backs more than expected. As a result, he scored only 3.6 fantasy points while being on the field for 40% of the Browns’ plays (55%, 58%, and 56% over the previous three weeks).

Runner Up: Rhamondre Stevenson (13/18) ran into a brick wall all day long against the Saints’ defense. The Patriots looked his way once in the passing game despite being on the field for a season-high 72% of New England’s snaps.

Each week, I’ll release my weekly depth charts and projections on Wednesday, with a neutral eye that is informed by hints from previous results or in-season injuries. These statistics represent baseline outlooks, with their potential already factored in. Touchdowns create impact scores and winning fantasy days, especially in non-PPR formats. Who scores them each week is the Holy Grail that the fantasy market searches for weekly.

My projections will be sorted into rankings, which won’t look anything close to the weekly consensus. My man, Matt Brandon, is in charge of finding a balance between my player outlooks and the public view of each week's rankings.

Week 7 Fantasy Football Running Back Projections Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 7 top 12 running back projections:

Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys

After posting his lowest output in fantasy points (8.40), Williams returns home for only the third time in seven matchups in 2025. He saw his five-game scoring streak end against the Panthers, a matchup that looked favorable. Williams gained 230 combined yards with two touchdowns and nine catches on 47 touches in his first two home starts.

The Commanders rank 19th in running back defense (135.90 fantasy points). They’re holding backs to 4.2 yards per rush (146/608/2) while showing some risk in covering running backs (23/281/1 – 12.2 yards per catch) in the passing game.

The high games total in Williams' matchup gives him a better chance of hitting pay dirt at least once, setting up a high-floor day.

Week 7 Waiver Wire Running Back

Week 7 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Running Back: Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titan — Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (2) runs the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first quarter at EverBank Stadium. | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

Next week, six teams are on a bye, requiring fantasy game managers to look ahead to cover shortfalls in any potential lineup spots. Spears saw his snap count rise to 59% in his second game back after missing four weeks with an ankle issue. He gained 50 yards on his nine touches with four catches.

In his final two matchups in 2024, the Titans gave him a more active role, leading to two winning fantasy days (10/27/2 with three catches for 39 yards and 103 combined yards with three catches for 23 touches). His passing catching floor helps playable value as a cheat RB2 if needed.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR FULL WEEK 7 FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACK PROJECTIONS!

Here's the only running back projection update in Week 7:

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

With Hubbard cleared to play, I bump him to the Panthers' lead rush while giving Rico Dowdle the pass-catching edge.