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The time all football fans have been waiting for is almost here. The 2025 NFL season is right around the corner, with training camps and the preseason underway. However, that also means that fantasy football managers are doing their due diligence as their drafts approach.
Every season, there are several breakout players who get drafted far later than they should. There are also duds who crash your season before it begins, whether that is due to injury or disappointment.
For many years, the running back position was king in fantasy football. But in recent years, fantasy managers have become more reliant on wide receivers for consistent production. The emergence of the zero-RB strategy has taken off over the last decade. I am a believer in that strategy in most instances. Part of that is because of how the game has changed. The days of 3,000 passing yards per season for a quarterback being the bar are long gone.
Not to mention, historically, receivers have been healthier than running backs.
But much like life, the NFL is cyclical. The re-emergence of the running game took center stage in 2024, while receivers dealt with far more injuries. In fact, wideouts had the worst season in recent memory.
Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, and seemingly every Packers receiver all missed significant time, just to name a few.
As we look forward to 2025, getting the running back position has become even more critical. So, let's take a look at the top five fantasy football breakout candidates at running back.
(For transparency, some players already have early ADPs but still need to be moved up your boards)
Top 5 Fantasy Football RB Breakout Candidates
1. Bengals RB Chase Brown
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown tops this list. Now, you might think to yourself, ‘he's already going as a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2.' But I am here to tell you he needs to be ranked higher.
Strangely, he is a post-hype sleeper. Last season was supposed to be his breakout year. But early on, it was newly acquired Zack Moss that stole the spotlight. But once Moss went down with an injury in Week 8, Brown took off. He played a staggering 88% of the offensive snaps.
Yes, you read that right.
Typically, most RB1 starters are on the field between 65-80%. But what he did on the field was just as eye-opening, finishing as RB4 from that point on.
But this take has far more to do than just opportunity. The Bengals have notoriously been slow starters, particularly on offense. This year, they are looking to break that trend. Quarterback Joe Burrow is getting extended looks in the preseason. Both stud receivers are healthy. The defense is still leaky, creating shootout potential.
The Bengals should produce one of the friendliest fantasy football offenses this year.
Players like Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, and De'Von Achane are consistently going in front of him. Jacobs has almost 2,000 career touches in six years. Ummm, that is a lot. Taylor might play on the league's worst, most turnover-prone offense in football. Achane plays for a Dolphins team that is one Tua concussion away from being the worst offense in football.
Brown is my overall RB6 and has upside to finish even higher.
2. Bills RB James Cook
The Buffalo Bills came within moments of reaching their first Super Bowl in 31 years last season. Obviously, Josh Allen is the biggest reason why. But a close second was tailback James Cook.
The Bills organization finally realized that they needed more balance on offense. And Cook made fantasy football managers very happy, they did.
The 25-year-old is coming off a career year, which saw him rush for 16 touchdowns. While normally I would argue there is obvious regression coming, in this offense, that may not be the case.
There are so many eyes on Allen close to the goal line, Cook simply walks into the end zone half the time. His production landed Cook a massive 4-year, $48 million contract last week.
He is currently ranked as a high-end RB2, a couple of spots behind the aforementioned Chase Brown. I have him right behind him as my RB7, ahead of Jacobs, Taylor, Achane, Kyren Williams, and Bucky Irving.
3. Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard
Chuba Hubbard was doubted by just about everyone last year. Even as he lit the NFL on fire early on, it was believed it was a flash in the pan. He was supposed to relinquish the job to Jonathan Brooks when he returned from injury.
What did Hubbard say to that: hold my beer, that's what he said. Well, that, and making fantasy football managers very happy.
He ran for a career-high 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns. He even caught 43 balls, showing off his prowess out of the backfield. The Panthers' offensive line is even better this year. Quarterback Bryce Young looked really good down the stretch.
All signs point to Hubbard outpacing his RB20 status and approaching low-end RB1 numbers this year.
4. Broncos rookie RJ Harvey
The Denver Broncos used a second pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select running back RJ Harvey. He ran for nearly 3,000 yards the last two seasons at UCF.
Harvey is slated to begin the season battling with J.K. Dobbins for duties in the backfield. But if you know anything about fantasy football, you are aware that Dobbins is highly unlikely to even play eight games.
Not to mention, Harvey profiles at being the pass-catching back in Denver. That is a really important factor when deciding where to rank him because head coach Sean Payton has always featured his tailback in the pass game. Darren Sproles, Reggie Bush, Alvin Kamara; ringing any bells?
The Broncos are expected to fight for the AFC West division this year. Bo Nix broke out as a rookie, and this offense is even better. Harvey is going off the board around the seventh round in drafts, behind players like Aaron Jones Sr. Sr. Sr. (ahem, sorry, just one Sr.), and fellow rookie Traveyon Henderson.
Thanks, but no thanks, I'll happily scoop Harvey with incredible upside in this offense.
Oh, and reports out of camp are that he looks incredible.
5. Giants tailback Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The New York Giants drafted Arizona State standout running back Cam Skattebo in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, that was less an indication they needed a new RB1 and more that they needed some toughness up the middle.
This is Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s job. Make no mistake about it.
In a struggling offense, the 2024 rookie excelled. Tracy rushed for 839 yards on 192 carries, for a 4.4 ypc average. He also showed off his pass-catching chops, reeling in 38 of 53 targets for another 284 yards.
The G-Men are expected to be vastly improved on offense this season.
Quarterback Russell Wilson is well past his prime. But he will still be an upgrade from what fantasy football managers had to witness last season. The offensive line is improved, and Malik Nabers should take another step forward this season.
Look for Tracy to post more than 1,300 total yards this season, with a clear RB2 upside for fantasy managers.
