May, June, and July are months heavily focused on shaping Dynasty Fantasy Football teams. The NFL Draft is over, which means we now know draft capital and landing spot opportunities the incoming class of rookies have. Part of managers shaping their Dynasty teams through the offseason is adding the rookie class to rosters. This comes in the form of rookie drafts or trading for those rookies later on. When it comes to these rookie drafts, the early rounds tend to go somewhat similarly in terms of what players are drafted where, but the later rounds are where a lot of darts are thrown. The later rounds can mean drafting a rookie you eventually drop to waivers, or possibly finding the next “Puka Nacua” or “Bucky Irving” type of rookie that turns into a major Fantasy Football asset.
Running back depth charts can be hard to understand this time of year, especially when it comes to understanding the splits or opportunities for touches before the coming season. Some running back depth charts are very clear, while others feel a bit murky here in May. Identifying players, especially in the later rounds, who can earn some volume as rookies, can be huge for gaining an edge in your Dynasty Leagues. Within this piece, I give you four running backs to target in the later rounds (third round of your rookie drafts on) who I feel have an opportunity to turn into Fantasy Football assets at a low cost. If your rookie drafts are over, these could be players you package in other trade deals in the future. Hopefully, we walk away with at least one gem from this list if we reflect on this article a year down the road.
3 RB Sleepers for 2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Drafts
1. Bhayshul Tuten (RB, Jaguars)
In 2023, Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 863 yards and 10 touchdowns, and also caught 27 balls for 239 yards and two receiving touchdowns for Virginia Tech. The next season, Tuten rushed for 1,159 yards and 15 touchdowns, and caught 23 passes for 81 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Tuten ran a 4.32 at the NFL Combine (position best), is explosive, runs with contact balance and power, and can hit the home run play. Tuten displayed great efficiency and made guys miss at a high rate.
The Jaguars selected Tuten in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Jaguars hired Liam Coen this offseason, who was the former Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator. Just last season, Coen implemented a fourth-round rookie in Bucky Irving for Tampa Bay, who rushed 207 times for 1,121 yards as well as caught 47 balls for 392 yards. Tank Bigsby rushed 168 times, and Travis Etienne Jr. 150 times in 2024, but with Coen in his first year as the Jaguars’ Head Coach, he may want to shape this offense to be his own. Getting the fourth-round rookie he was part of selecting in this year’s draft involved could be a true example of putting a Coen stamp on the Jags.
Tuten has been a third-round selection in the rookie drafts I have completed.
2. Tahj Brooks (RB, Bengals)
Tahj Brooks rushed 290 times for 1,538 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023, and caught 29 passes for 72 yards. In 2024, Brooks rushed 286 times for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns, and caught 28 balls for 199 yards and a receiving touchdown. Brooks has a powerful 214-pound base, forces tackles with quick cuts, and has proven to be able to handle a large workload. Back-to-back highly productive rushing seasons are evident by the big numbers.
The Bengals drafted Brooks in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Following Joe Mixon’s departure from the Bengals to the Texans before the 2024 season, Chase Brown exploded onto the scene after a couple of weeks. Brown was a former fifth-round selection by the Bengals. Zack Moss is still on the roster and has been recovering from a neck injury that resulted in an IR placement last season. Pass-catching veteran Samaje Perine also joined the Bengals this offseason. Brooks has a true chance to create more of a one-two punch for the Bengals than what they implemented last year. Brown should lead the team in touches, but Brooks can factor in for some short-yardage and red zone work as well. I am not convinced Brown is a workhorse, so a bruiser like Brooks could factor in in 2025.
Brooks has been a fourth-round selection in the rookie drafts I have completed.
3. Kyle Monangai (RB, Bears)
Kyle Monangai rushed 242 times for 1,262 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 for Rutgers. In 2024, Monangai rushed 256 times for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns. Monangai has a 5’8 – 211 pounds muscular frame. Monangai is quick, has solid contact balance, and finds ways to create yards.
The Bears selected Monangai in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bears were rumored to be in the hunt for Ashton Jeanty in the first round, but after the Raiders selected Jeanty, they passed on any other running back until Monangai. As the roster stands today, D’Andre Swift is the team’s clear RB1, and 2023 fourth-round selection Roschon Johnson is the competition for the RB2 role. The Bears hired former Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson this offseason. In 2024, Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 250 times through 17 games, and David Montgomery rushed 185 times through 14 games for the Lions. Johnson is obviously used to implementing two running backs into his offensive systems, which is encouraging for Monangai if he could beat Roschon for that RB2 role. Swift is very dynamic as a dual-threat running back, so Monangai could be a guy who does some of the dirty work for small yard gains or spells Swift from time to time. Pending the Bears do not sign a Nick Chubb or JK Dobbins, who are both still floating in Free Agency still.
Monangai has gone undrafted in some of my rookie drafts.
