Running backs took back a lot of their previous respectability this year, and the wideouts did not fare as well. You’ll see a swing back towards more running backs in the earlier rounds of your 2025 fantasy draft. We’ll break down those backs with at least 100 touches and see if there is anything from the top of each metric that can point towards a better 2025 season.
2024 Fantasy Points
What was interesting and painful was that while the Top-10 from 2023 only had four running backs repeated in 2024, they were the No. 7 through No.10 backs (Kyren Williams, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Derrick Henry). None of the Top-6 returned as those biggest difference-makers of the ten best fantasy backs. The Top-10 from 2024 will be well represented in fantasy drafts but half or more will disappoint. It happens every year. It was an oddity that the six best fantasy scorers were not Top-10 in 2023.
Notable too was that Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs all were on new teams and yet had stellar years.
The below stats are from the 41 running backs that scored at least 100 fantasy points in a reception-points league.
Yards per Carry
There are no shocks here, but it is very encouraging to see Bucky Irving Top-5 in yards per carry as a rookie on a team that entered the year with an offensive line that exceeded all expectations. Even Rachaad White ran for 4.3 YPC for the Bucs. Jerome Ford did a lot with his 103 rushes as the No. 4 in the metric and the Browns offensive line typically is above average but Nick Chubb only managed a career-low 3.3 on his 102 runs. The Panther’s improvement in blocking was carried forward by Chuba Hubbard in his first notable season.
A big surprise was the decline in rushing by the Chiefs who only rated No. 22 in running back fantasy points. Their O-line has long been elite but that did not come through for the rushing game this year with Kareem Hunt’s paltry 3.6 YPC. Isiah Pacheco never really returned from his stint on IR and had just 3.7 YPC on his 83 carries.
Yards per Catch
Not just the realm of third-down backs, anyone who can turn a catch out of the backfield into a first down or touchdown is a solid team asset. The rookie Ray Davis led the group but only logged 17 catches, and James Cook ended with 32 receptions and an 8.0-yard average. There were no real surprises with the top of the batch, but it is obvious how differently offenses employ their backfield for receptions. Kyren Williams, Chuba Hubbard, J.K. Dobbins, and Rhamondre Stevenson all had solid performances as a rusher but didn’t offer much as a receiver. Interestingly, all those backs had around two catches per game as sort of a minimum for full-time backs.
Perhaps a coincidence, but four of the Top-5 were all new to their teams. Derrick Henry rated highly but only caught 19 passes. The Lions offense throws to the backfield often with a quarterback who never runs. Both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were Top-6 in yards per catch.
Carries per Game
Here’s where the most consistently reliable fantasy backs are found. There were only two backs with more than 20 carries per game, which was more than the zero from 2023 or the two from 2021 and 2022. The common expectation for 2025 is that running backs will do better and will be drafted more often and earlier than in recent seasons. There’s no question that the Top-10 backs in this metric had higher production and will be coveted in fantasy drafts. Bottom line – higher the touches, the better the chance to be a difference-maker.
Jerome Ford showed up well in yards per carry, but had a low amount of work to judge. The worst in the metric were mostly third-down backs or secondary backs.
Catches per Game
This metric has a large bearing on fantasy points in reception-point leagues. But, those backs with a high amount of catches was actually down last year. The group that caught over five passes in the last seven years consisted of only ten instances, and those were by Alvin Kamara (3), Christian McCaffrey (4), and Austin Ekeler (2). The only other one was Saquon Barkley in 2018.
Most backs average around three catches. Those backs with fewer than two catches per game were mostly backup types, though Brian Robinson Jr., Jonathan Taylor, and Derrick Henry posted great rushing stats and just were not used much out of the backfield in those offenses.
Touches per Game
This is the true measurement of importance for a fantasy running back. Seven backs averaged over 20 weekly touches and here’s where Barkley finally popped to the top post. The Top-40 that was considered for the analysis almost all had over 10 touches and the rest were just backup types.
Big Games
This is maybe the most important metric of them all. You can build a good team with players that offer consistently good games. But those difference-makers with their monster performances can lock up that week, offer high points for tie-breakers and win seasons when overall points matter.
Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry were very well represented in fantasy league playoffs. Barkley’s five 30+ point performances were weekly bonanzas. But using 20-point efforts as the measurement, Bijan Robinson, De’Von Achane, and Josh Jacobs were the only backs that turned in at least half of their games with 20+ points. Henry and Barkley only managed seven each. The biggest surprises were Chuba Hubbard (6) and Chase Brown (5) who were not even the starter in Week 1.
Negative Runs
This metric is dual-edged. On the one hand, it could be that these backs were not as talented at picking holes or too often bounced a run outside instead of taking what the defense was giving up in the middle. Likely more related is the quality of their team’s run blocking. After all, these tackles are made before the back even reached the line to pick a hole or make a move.
Kareem Hunt was one of the worst with yards per carry (3.6) and yet was the best (6%) in avoiding negative runs. That also suggests that the line was good enough to get him to his hole but then he did little when he got there.
It is also surprising that Chuba Hubbard, Tyrone Tracy, and Tank Bigsby rated so well in minimizing negative runs and all ran at least 150 times. And yet all three played for teams that turned in a bottom-rung season, so it could be that opponents were fine with their opponents rushing because they spent most of the games well ahead and defending the pass instead.
The more notable are the backs that had the worst results. De’Von Achane, Joe Mixon, Kenneth Walker, and Alvin Kamara were all weekly fantasy starters and yet were the worst at being tackled behind the line of scrimmage. Those offensive lines were complicit in the failure of many rushing plays.
Top-10 performances for the week
This is another telling measurement – how often did a running back log a Top-10 performance among all fantasy backs for that week? Joe Mixon fared better here though most of his success came early in the season. As good as Kyren Williams, Breece Hall, Josh Jacobs and Alvin Kamara seemed, they all failed to be Top-10 in less than 40% of their games. Compared to each other, only five backs managed to turn in RB1 stats in at least half of their games.
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