Knowing which players to target is important when preparing for your fantasy football drafts, especially at the running back position. Running backs are highly valued because they are often the highest-scoring position especially when considering feature backs who receive a large volume of carries and targets.
In most leagues, you will need two running backs in your starting lineup with the opportunity to start three in a flex position. Injuries often happen with running backs and their respective offensive lines, so it’s important to have reliable options on your bench too. If you are to be successful in your fantasy football league, nailing your draft at running back is crucial. Yes, you will have opportunities to improve at this position through waivers during the season, but it will be difficult to do so unless you’re near the bottom of your league which is what we want to avoid.
Let’s look at five fantasy football running backs that have a favorable schedule this season. Some will be no-brainer picks and some may be under the radar. I will be focusing on full PPR leagues for this list so the value may be slightly different for anyone playing in standard or half-PPR leagues.
Fantasy Football Running Backs To Target
Saquon Barkley
Let’s go ahead and get one of those no-brainers that I previously mentioned out of the way. Last year Saquon Barkley finished the season as the RB1 in fantasy points per game, finishing with 378 touches, 2,283 yards, and 15 total touchdowns. Among 46 qualifying running backs, he had the fourth-best explosive run rate.
The big thing that helped Barkley was the Philadelphia Eagles awesome offensive line. Among those 46 running backs, Barkley had the highest yards before contact per attempt (3.55). That helped him tremendously and it most likely will help him again in 2025 as Philadelphia will once again have one of the league’s best offensive lines.
Make no mistake about it this is still an elite running back, good line or not, but when you put an elite running back with an elite offensive line you get the BEST running back in football. According to FullTime Fantasy, the Eagles running backs have the easiest schedule in all of football for weeks 1-17 and that is enough for me to take Barkley as the first running back overall in drafts over guys like Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.
James Conner
2024 was the first season for James Conner since 2021 that he’d played more than 13 games. He finished as the RB11 in PPR leagues, racking up 283 touches and 1508 total yards with nine touchdowns. Conner didn’t look like he was slowing down at all, so it seems unlikely that he will relinquish his workhorse role in 2025.
Assuming he can remain healthy again this season, Conner is set to smash. Last year, he was second in missed tackles forced per attempt, 11th in yards after contact per attempt, and sixth in explosive run rate. He also retained his receiving game excellence, sitting sixth in yards per route run and seventh in receiving yards per game.
With the Arizona Cardinals running backs having the second-easiest schedule, Conner could be a wonderful value in fantasy football again in 2025. You certainly could do a lot worse than Conner as your RB2 in 10-team leagues and if you somehow grab him as your RB3, then you’re most likely stacked at this position. Look for Conner to take some pressure off of Kyler Murray, as 2025 could be a make-or-break year for the young quarterback.
Breece Hall
New York Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn has stated this offseason that the Jets could operate with more of a committee approach in the backfield for the 2025 season. That’s certainly concerning for Breece Hall so I won’t pretend that there is no risk here, but he remains the most talented running back in that room. If this is an equal competition for work based on talent alone, Hall should still be the lead back in New York.
Last year Hall was the RB17 in fantasy points per game, ranking eighth in snap share, 15th in opportunity share, and 10th in weighted opportunity. Hall produced adequately on a per-touch basis in 2024, ranking 15th in explosive run rate, 16th in yards after contact per attempt, and fifth in receiving yards per game.
With the Jets turning to Justin Fields to be their new signal caller, I believe this could be a boost for Hall, as the Jets could be poised to transition to more of a rushing team. New York running backs have the third-easiest schedule so Hall should be a solid RB2 this season, even if he is ceding a little more work to Braelon Allen or Isaiah Davis.
Kenneth Walker
Kenneth Walker is someone who always seems to fly under the radar. He was RB16 in fantasy points per game last season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by injuries, but if Walker can stay healthy in 2025, he could finally put it all together and be a top-10 running back this season.
Walker proved last year that not only is he still one of the best pure-rushing talents in the league, but he is also a true three-down running back with pass-catching chops. Among 45 qualifying running backs, Walker ranked third in first downs per route run, sixth in target per route run rate, and sixth in receiving yards per game.
The Seattle Seahawks running backs have the fourth-easiest schedule this season, so add all of that on top of leading the NFL in missed tackles forced per attempt and ranking 10th in yards after contact per attempt, and Walker could help you be a league-winner in 2025.
De’Von Achane
De’Von Achane continued his strong RB1 ways last year, finishing as the RB6 in fantasy points per game. In his 16 full games played, he averaged 17.3 touches and 92.6 total yards. His otherworldly per-touch efficiency didn’t hold up last year, but he certainly wasn’t bad. Among 46 qualifying running backs, he was 19th in explosive run rate and missed tackles forced per attempt.
He was a stud in the receiving game, sitting at ninth in yards per route run and second in target share and receiving yards per game. The Miami Dolphins have a lot of question marks going into the 2025 season, but Achane isn’t one of them.
With the Dolphins running backs having the fifth-easiest schedule for the 2025 season, Achane should easily continue to post RB1 numbers. If you can snag him in the third round or later I would take that without hesitation, but don’t be afraid to take him in the second round either if running backs are going fast.
Main Image: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
