Updated 2025 fantasy football RB draft rankings sharpen the focus on Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, and Christian McCaffrey, while balancing risk and workload projections. The guide frames running backs by tier and role, highlighting De'Von Achane's explosive upside, TreVeyon Henderson and Bhayshul Tuten as late-round ceiling boosts, and the veteran floor provided by Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb. Joe Mixon’s injury outlook and potential committee shifts are noted, with the piece underscoring the value of late-round depth and multi-format rankings.

Injury news and early-season usage are central to 2025 drafts. Expect committees in several spots, with Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry anchoring ground games, while rookies and mid-rounds like TreVeyon Henderson and Bhayshul Tuten offer high ceiling in PPR and standard formats. The ranking portal emphasizes multiple formats (PPR, half-PPR, standard) and dynasty/best-ball variants, urging managers to bookmark updates through Week 1 to stay ahead of ADP moves.

Overall, the ranking refresh leans into volume, efficiency, and opportunity as the backbone of fantasy value. The article also nods to backfield diversification—how Achane, Gibbs, and Robinson fit into high-octane offenses—and provides a path for bold early picks and safer floor plays, all aimed at optimizing draft-day strategies for 2025.

Two undrafted rookies headline a day of roster-theater for Detroit, as Day 16 of training camp resembled a scrimmage with implications for the 53-man cut. Kennelly flashed with first-team reps, delivering run stops and a blitz breakup that caught eyes in a crowded depth chart. Cooper answered with robust run stops and a later tackle-for-loss, hinting at versatility along the front. The Lions scrimmage-like drives exposed improved competition across offense and defense, with Gibbs and Montgomery splitting touches and St. Brown and Jameson Williams making timely plays in the red zone. Hutchinson leaned into pressure, while Robertson and Ya-Sin varied their coverage clips. Branch and Joseph showed aggressive instincts that could push youngsters for snaps behind them. The tempo with Hooker and Goff orchestrating drives from the goal line outward produced several scoring moments, including a St. Brown TD and a few red-zone successes. With Mekhi Wingo’s return looming over roster math, Detroit’s defensive line depth could tilt in subtle but meaningful ways as joint practice with Houston looms.

Carolina’s backfield is branded for an old-school ground game, with Hubbard and Dowdle shaping a reliable 1-2 punch that fantasy managers will chase in 2025. In Seattle, Kenneth Walker III faces a tough bounce-back arc as Zach Charbonnet looms as a legitimate workhorse-in-waiting. Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs is pegged for a historic, multi-thousand-yard year from scrimmage, while Isiah Pacheco projects to top 1,000 rushing yards even if the Chiefs’ offense evolves by 2026. The Jaguars’ RBs look set for a crowded, pass-first attack, with Etienne, Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten all carrying upside.

ESPN’s 12-team fantasy mock draft (PPR) muscles through the final week of NFL preaseason with a flurry of bold calls, most notably Stephania Bell grabbing Las Vegas rookie Ashton Jeanty at No. 5 overall in a bid to reverse-engineer late-round upside. The board still anchors on Barkley, McCaffrey, Jefferson and Chase, but several rooks and pass-catchers push into the mix as immediate-week 1 favorites or high-upside darts. The exercise also stacks top targets like McCaffrey, Lamb and Nabers behind strong offenses, while a handful of veteranRBs and WRs who carry multi-team appeal pepper the later rounds. The draft leans into big-play potential, with contending teams like the Raiders, Bengals, Vikings, and Lions placing emphasis on dynamic backfields and pass-catching corps. In sum, this mock underscores the ongoing value of combining established stars with risers who could deliver spike weeks in Week 1 and beyond, while also highlighting the risk-reward calculus of rookie and mid-round targets in a 12-team, PPR setting.

Across the table, the lesson for fantasy managers is clear: anticipate role clarity early and roster versatility late. A few players—Nacua, Achane, Gibbs, London and Nabers—emerge as potential league-winners if opportunities align, while others carry day-one uncertainty, especially in volatile backfields. The mock reinforces the importance of zero-RB flexibility, mid-round handcuffs, and the discipline to pivot when preseason chatter shifts before Week 1.

Chase stands as the safest top pick at wide receiver for fantasy in 2025, driven by a stable Bengals offense and Burrow’s ceiling. He led all WRs in fantasy points and points per game last season, and Cincinnati’s coaching and personnel remain unchanged, reducing regression risk despite the usual year-over-year drop-off for a first overall scorer. Bijan Robinson slices through the RB landscape with remarkable consistency, flashing over 70% of Falcons snaps and 17 carries in nearly every game across the back half of 2024, hinting at sustained value even if some regression is possible.

Jahmyr Gibbs sits among the most intriguing 1-2 RB targets, having finished with elite per-carry metrics in the Lions’ backfield and the prospect of a larger role with offensive tweaks in Detroit. Justin Jefferson continues to be a linchpin for the Vikings, his production bolstered by a high-end receiving grade and strong yards-per-route metrics, though his fantasy finish hinges on development around him. Barkley posted the highest RB fantasy points in 2024 but carries more volatility; Kirk Cousins’ connection with Jefferson compounds the Vikings’ upside as the offense stabilizes into 2025. Nathan Jahnke’s rankings accompany profiles that translate directly to smart draft-day moves for redraft, dynasty, and DFS alike.