5 League-Winning Running Backs for Fantasy Football in 2025

Every pick in fantasy football drafts truly matters, from the first overall selection to finding a late-round gem. Finding great value in the middle rounds can become true league-winners.

Our Skyler Carlin highlighted five league-winning wide receivers for fantasy football in 2025, but what about the running back position? Finding tailbacks with heavy usage has become more challenging with many franchises turning to rooms by committee. Circling some mid-round gems who carry potential to dominate the workload could prove to be invaluable.

While utilizing FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP) data for half-PPR leagues, here are five running backs who could prove to become league-winners.

League-Winning NFL Fantasy RBs

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Overall ADP: 23.3 (RB11)

Starting with a running back expected to go early, Chase Brown will likely fall in the second and third rounds of most leagues. With the opportunity to start late in the 2024 season, Brown flourished by providing six top-10 weekly finishes over the final eight games.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Brown is in line to start for the Cincinnati Bengals. Totaling 18.3 fantasy points per game over the final eight games of 2024 drives a ton of hype behind Brown, helping explain his RB11 ADP.

So, how could Brown become a true league-winner as an early pick? Much of this has to do with playing on one of the league's most explosive offenses. Brown got plenty of receiving work and scoring chances as a starter. If his high workload of 23.9 touches per game from the final eight games of 2024 keeps up, Brown has obvious top-five upside.

The trick will be retaining this many touches, for Samaje Perine and Tahj Brooks are expected to compete for work. Brooks could be a candidate to emerge as the season progresses, but for now, this still looks like Brown's backfield.

TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

Overall ADP: 60.0 (RB22)

Among a long list of rookie running backs with a chance to immediately turn heads, TreVeyon Henderson stands out in the crowd. We dove into Henderson's stock and his chances of becoming the New England Patriots' starting running back, and his stock seems to be rapidly rising at the right time.

While there should still be concerns around the Patriots' offense, this unit should also take a step forward. Drake Maye is entering his second season after a promising rookie campaign, the addition of Stefon Diggs to the passing game should be a big boost, and coach Mike Vrabel felt like a home run hire. More scoring opportunities will likely be present on the 2025 Pats, easing some worries about Henderson.

Becoming New England's clear starting running back will be the major hurdle for Henderson, but so far he's drawing rave reviews by being labeled a "difference-maker." He seems to be in the driver's seat to start, and Henderson's still in a situation where he won't be asked to do it all -- quieting some of the concerns surrounding his durability.

On an offense that should improve, Henderson has exciting upside with the potential to become a clear-cut RB1 on the Patriots.

Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Overall ADP: 67.0 (RB28)

Another rookie makes the list in the form of Kaleb Johnson. The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to have a fresh start in their backfield, moving on from Najee Harris while drafting Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

On an offense that carried the fifth-highest rush-play rate from 2024, Johnson has clear upside with an immediate role awaiting. However, he does have competition with veteran halfback Jaylen Warren. Similar to Henderson's situation, we're taking a risk on a rookie becoming the clear-cut top back. If Johnson controls the room, he could become a true league-winner.

While Pittsburgh added Aaron Rodgers and D.K. Metcalf in the offseason, the run game will likely remain a big piece of the offense. Rodgers is 41, meaning the Steelers will likely look to somewhat limit his passing attempts.

Early reviews are comparing Johnson's game to Harris. While this could be underwhelming for some, Harris still enjoyed successful seasons as a Steeler. He was RB20 in half-PPR leagues in the last two seasons, RB14 in 2022, and RB4 in 2021. Cracking the top-20 fantasy backs could make Johnson a real difference-maker for fantasy managers. The opportunity is there for Johnson to enjoy a large workload, and comparisons to Harris isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings

Overall ADP: 99.0 (RB34)

Following an injury to Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason got his first shot of carrying a substantial role with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. When he was healthy, Mason put up some big numbers -- including three top-10 weekly finishes in half-PPR leagues from Week 1 to Week 4.

Mason becoming a league-winner while sharing the Minnesota Vikings' backfield with Aaron Jones is likely the biggest risk of this list. Jones produced 1,138 rushing yards, 408 receiving yards, 4.5 rushing yards per attempt, and 8.0 yards per reception in 2024. He didn't have a "rough" season, ranking 11th in yards created among running backs (per PlayerProfiler).

However, we shouldn't ignore Jones turning 31 in December while Mason is just now emerging at 26 years old. Plus, Mason actually touted better efficiency last season with 4.8 true yards per carry (7th) and 5.4 yards per touch (9th) while Jones logged 4.3 true yards per carry (23rd) and 5.1 yards per touch (19th).

The Vikings had the 15th-lowest rush-play rate in 2024. With two quality backs and rookie J.J. McCarthy expected to start at quarterback, I wouldn't be surprised to see the run game become a bit more prevalent. If you're buying Mason's upward trajectory, his superior efficiency from 2024 could lead to a surprising 2025 campaign.

Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

Overall ADP: 118.0 (RB41)

After posting at least 1,000 rushing yards in his first two seasons, Travis Etienne took a huge step back in 2024 with only 558 rushing yards. The emergence of Tank Bigsby was a piece of the equation, for he logged 766 rushing yards. Bigsby was without question the more efficient tailback with 4.6 yards per rushing attempt compared to Etienne's 3.7, and this was with a larger sample size with Tank totaling 168 carries compared to Etienne's 150.

This paid off with Bigsby getting more work in the red zone with seven rushing touchdowns while Etienne totaled only two. At this point, Tank could be the clear-cut back when it comes to rushing attempts. Etienne totaled 52 targets and 39 receptions while Bigsby logged 12 targets and 7 catches.

This will likely be the role going forward. Bigsby should get the bulk of the ground work and goal line carries, and Etienne will likely take most of the targets and receptions. Between the two, I'd rather swing on Bigsby's excellent efficiency and scoring potential from last season. Plus, he has a much higher ADP at 118.0 overall compared to Etienne at 95.0.

One could argue Tank deserved even more work a season ago, and bringing in Liam Coen as head coach could help bring that to fruition. This should be a split backfield from start to finish, but I have a much easier time trusting Bigsby's efficiency. If one's going to be a league-winner, give me Tank with a RB41 ADP.

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