Five must-have PPR running backs to target after Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, and Derrick Henry anchor your 2025 roster. Alvin Kamara brings a rare combination of elite receiving ability and proven floor as he enters a Saints upgrade with a bolstered offensive line. Chase Brown steps into Cincinnati as a clean three-down option in a high-pace offense. Omarion Hampton lands with the Chargers in a run-heavy scheme with a clear path to workhorse usage behind a growing offense. Ashton Jeanty projects as a true workhorse for the Raiders, boosted by coaching staff and scheme changes. De’Von Achane headlines the cluster with top-tier upside in a fast tempo Dolphins attack, provided health cooperates. This quintet offers high-floor, league-shifting upside in all formats, especially in PPR formats where targets and catches matter most.

Ashton Jeanty sits among the decade’s elite RB prospects, ranking behind only Bijan Robinson and Saquon Barkley on both major boards. A 99.9 rushing grade at Boise State and a potent receiving skill-set earned him a plug-and-play role with the Raiders, raising his fantasy upside in a feature-heavy backfield.

The draft blueprint centers on a tight-pendulum approach: front-half rounds lean toward elite WRs and high-ceiling RBs, then lock in top-end talent at TE (George Kittle) and QB (Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes) as early as possible. Grid-wide, the plan emphasizes leveraging positional gaps, with strategic mid-round hits like Emeka Egbuka, Chris Olave, and Tetairoa McMillan to compound upside as rosters fill.

Beyond Jeanty, the piece highlights an arsenal of fantasy-friendly targets: Kittle’s all-around game as a top-three TE, Hurts’s ceiling with a favorable supporting cast, and a wide receiver corps that includes Olave, Mooney, and Jameson Williams. It also notes potential risk factors—injuries, O-line health, and QB transitions—that could tilt ADP and weekly start decisions, urging managers to balance floor with upside across the draft.

Brock Bowers’ Raiders tenure is centered on a tight-end rotation with Michael Mayer, a hallmark of Chip Kelly’s offenses. Two preseason games showed both on the field with starters in lengthy 12/13 personnel looks, but early game usage suggested Mayer handled more inline and early-down work while Bowers shined on pass plays and third downs. The data hint Bowers won’t hit a full-time 85% snap rate, and Mayer’s presence could cap his targets. The takeaway for fantasy managers: expect around 60% routes for Bowers this year, not an 80–90% lock, and prioritize top-tier tight ends who can survive a rotation.

Rest-of-season projections shift as Mayer’s blocked vs. receiving roles split, especially with 12 personnel as the Raiders lean into two-tight-end sets. After Mayer’s mid-season absence, Bowers surged to lead the league in TE fantasy points, but early usage data and coaching personnel changes temper that ceiling. With Geno Smith’s accuracy and Ashton Jeanty adding run-game depth, Las Vegas signals a more varied offense where Bowers remains elite but not invincible. This nudges rankings: McBride and Kittle gain edge in a crowded TE field, while Bowers sits near the top but outside the guaranteed TE1 tier in some formats.

Ashton Jeanty lands No. 6 to the Raiders and vaults into the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation, the fantasy world shifts to a backfield that could anchor Las Vegas’ attack in 2025. Jeanty’s Boise State numbers—7.0 yards per carry and 30 TDs in his junior year—are cited as blueprint material for a rapid, high-efficiency rookie impact. The betting boards place him ahead of Cam Ward, signaling a clear fantasy carry trajectory if the Raiders commit to a heavy early workload. The piece also spots Cam Ward, Omarion Hampton, and Jaxson Dart as intriguing counterpoints in a stacked rookie-class landscape, highlighting how quarterback and backfield splits could reshape OROY odds and weekly lineup decisions. The overall takeaway: Jeanty is the marquee name, but Ward’s Week 1 starting role and Hampton’s Chargers workload loom large for fantasy forecasts as the season nears.

Ward’s No. 1-overall pedigree draws attention from camp notes and preseason showings, pushing him into the conversation as a high-floor, opportunity-driven play. Hampton lands in a backfield with immediate upside, while Dart and a handful of high-upside rookies add late-round intrigue. The oddsboard leans toward Jeanty and Ward as the top two, a dynamic that underscores the season-long chess match fantasy managers will play—balancing early-round risk, projected touches, and game-script volatility as September approaches.