2025 Running Back Rankings for Standards, Half-PPR, and Full PPR

It is time to continue my 2025 rankings series for fantasy football. This week, I am focusing on the running backs. I originally intended to rank my top-60 overall. However, I try to provide you with a little more context and bang for your buck. Never mind that this article is free. I did not want to leave you with just one set of rankings, because fantasy football is not that simple. There are many scoring settings to consider. A running back’s value can change quite a bit depending on the format in which you play. Below, you will find my running back rankings for Standard, Half-PPR, and PPR scoring formats. Before I get to the rankings, here are some of the unique challenges that fantasy managers must navigate when it comes to drafting running backs.

Injuries and Opportunities

The running back position carries more variance than any other position group in fantasy football. Running backs have some of the fastest and strongest people in the world running full speed to bowl them over upwards of 300 times throughout the season. As a result, injuries continue to disproportionately affect running backs more than any other skill position group. Among the 31 running backs who carried the ball at least 150 times last year, only 10 of them played in all 17 games. And last year was not even that bad when it came to prominent running back injuries. (Sorry, Christian McCaffrey managers.)

Then there is the game itself and the way teams deploy personnel. The average NFL team calls a running play on 40 to 45 percent of its offensive snaps. Many NFL teams use multiple running backs throughout the game. Sometimes, a secondary back is inserted into the game to give the starter a blow. Or it may be a complementary back who can provide an element that may not be the starter’s bread and butter. However, you should not rely too heavily on these secondary and tertiary options. Volume is still king in fantasy football, and a healthy RB1 is still a desired commodity.

Yearly vs. Weekly Rankings

Let’s get this out of the way. It is a near certainty that someone inside the top 10 in my running back rankings finishes the 2025 season outside the top 40. There is also a very good chance that someone low on this list (or perhaps someone not even on it) finishes as an RB1. At the very least, there will be relative unknowns who emerge as top-20 options weekly. And that is something that fantasy managers must keep in mind. Although my running back rankings are based on how I expect them to finish the season, fantasy football is and always will be a weekly game.

For example, Justice Hill finished last season as the overall RB39 in Half-PPR scoring. Not bad, right? But he only finished five of 15 weeks as a top-30 back last year. Hill has a precise role in Baltimore’s offense as the pass-catching complement to Derrick Henry. If Henry were to miss time, Hill’s role would not change a whole lot. Because of that, I have him outside my top-50 overall in my running back rankings, even in PPR leagues. However, Isaac Guerendo finished as a top-30 back in all six games in which he played more than 10 (yes, TEN) offensive snaps. Guerendo’s 2025 fantasy value is almost entirely tied to the health of McCaffrey. If McCaffrey misses time, Guerendo instantly becomes a top-20 running back. Even though Guerendo is also outside my top 50, I would much rather draft him than Hill.

Draft Strategy: From Zero to Hero

There are several schools of thought when it comes to drafting running backs in fantasy football circles. Some popular draft strategies include the Robust RB, Zero RB, and Hero RB approaches. Robust RB is a strategy in which you prioritize running backs early. Adopting this strategy means relying on expected volume and seeking value elsewhere. Kyren Williams was, by most accounts, one of the most inefficient running backs in the NFL last year. He finished the year as the overall RB7. Last I checked, fantasy football leagues are still won and lost by total points each week, not style points. It may not always be pretty, but this has been a tried and true fantasy football draft strategy for a reason.

Zero RB is a strategy in which you focus on the other positions early and wait to draft your running backs. It is best used in formats that reward receptions, be it Half-PPR or full PPR. This strategy also requires fantasy managers to consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of players at other positions. For example, you may want to secure Brock Bowers or Trey McBride to give yourself a sizable advantage at the tight end position, while looking for value at running back later. Similarly, if you are convinced that one of the top quarterbacks is going to separate himself from the pack this year, you can grab him early instead of a running back.

Hero RB attempts to bridge the gap between Robust RB and Zero RB. In Hero RB, you draft a running back early who will anchor the position. You then wait and look to draft several backs later, who you can mix and match into your RB2 and/or Flex spots. This makes sense in theory because you should be able to gain an advantage at most positions while remaining strong at running back. However, you are putting yourself behind the eight ball in the event of an injury.

I think that too many fantasy managers are married to a specific strategy without putting enough thought into roster construction. Those who opt for Robust RB need to identify value at other positions and should ideally select two of the top 10 players in my running back rankings. If you’re employing a Zero RB strategy and Terry McLaurin is your WR1, you are probably missing the boat. A Hero RB build may be a dicey proposition if McCaffrey or Williams is your RB1.

2025 Running Back Rankings

For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2025 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!