Backup RBs to Prioritize in 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts

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  • By Nathan Hernandez

    Last Updated on June 23, 2025 12:05 pm by Jon Mosales | Published: June 23, 2025

    With veterans Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins finally landed in new homes for the 2025 season this past week, most backfields in the NFL on opening day are likely going to be very similar to what we see on the rosters as they stand. There are a few familiar names left in free agency, but no one left is likely to make much noise upon their arrival, should they receive an opportunity. Now that we know who’s on all the depth charts around the league, it’s time to identify the current starters and backups, who will be in what roles come the start of the season, and who could be overtaking their backfield down the stretch when it matters most. For some teams, the answers to those questions will be the same at all three stages, while others will likely see their primary ball-carrier evolve over time. Being able to identify which backup running backs are most likely to earn lead-back opportunities has been a critical factor in building a championship fantasy football season in your drafts. With a ton of intriguing rookie rushing prospects flooding backfields this off-season, there are going to be new names littered on the fantasy football RB leaderboards. Today, I’m going to be doing my best to help break down some of my favorite high-upside backup running backs for the 2025 season. For the purpose of this article, the “starting back” will be the player with the lower current ADP, and the backup will thus have the highest ADP of the two.

    Jordan Mason – Minnesota Vikings (ADP 96, RB31)

    Starter: Aaron Jones (ADP 83, RB29)

    Jordan Mason spent some time with the 49ers to start his career as a serviceable stopgap running back, and now he gets a chance to share the running workload in Minnesota with aging veteran Aaron Jones. The coaching staff has already praised Mason in the offseason and mentioned his potential to spell Aaron Jones in an effort to run the ball more and more effectively, namely around the goal line and other short-yardage situations. He was pretty remarkable in relief of Christian McCaffrey to start the 2024 season, finishing with at least 73 rushing yards in each of his first six starts. He had three top-8 weekly finishes across his first four games, and was the RB5 across the first month of the season, averaging 17.9 half-PPR FPPG in that span. Mason is a dynamic runner that just turned 26-years-old who has the chance to both offer weekly production as a backup with the ability to overtake the incumbent starter in Aaron Jones. The ADP discount is much less noteworthy in this instance, but that’s for a good reason. The upside case for both backs is enormous if this offense can replicate its 2024 production.

    Najee Harris – Los Angeles Chargers (ADP 110, RB35)

    Starter: Omarion Hampton (ADP 47, RB15)

    Najee Harris had 1,000 yards rushing in all four of his seasons with the Steelers since joining the team as a rookie first-round draft choice, and there’s a decent chance he starts the year with a significant role for the Chargers. The Chargers were running the ball more than most teams in the league last year, finishing 12th among NFL teams with 463 rushing attempts as a squad. He hasn’t come close to the dual-threat rookie season he cashed in, averaging 35 receptions per year over his last three seasons, after reeling in a whopping 74 catches in his debut campaign. While Harris doesn’t flash much explosiveness as he enters his fifth NFL season, he is a reliable hammer in the run game that hasn’t missed a single game in his career thus far, starting in 68-of-68 contests. If one thing’s for sure, Harris is going to be running the ball at least a decent amount for the Chargers, it’s just a matter of how the workload divides up between him and first-round rookie RB Omarion Hampton, and how quickly the talented youngster might be trusted with a workhorse role.

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    June 23, 2025, 12:05 pm