The 2025 NFL season is just days away. In fact, there will be real NFL football between the Eagles and Cowboys on Thursday night. That means it is now time to get back into the rhythm of setting a weekly fantasy football lineup.
Running backs have seen a resurgence over the past few seasons, at least in the actual NFL. As for fantasy football, the running back is just as important as it has always been. The scarcity of the top running backs alone make them a valuable part of any team.
It can be tricky to create a lineup in Week 1, mostly because there is so little information to go on. Sure we can extrapolate what might happen based on last season, but every new season brings its own unknowns.
But it is still possible to gain an edge over your opponents.
Below we will take a look at our fantasy football running back rankings ahead of Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
Week 1 Top Fantasy Football Picks – 2025
Forgive me, but it is incredibly tempting to go chalk during Week 1. After all, we still have little new information to work with after the offseason.
Let's start with Saquon Barkley.
It would be impossible to leave Barkley off this list after his incredible 2,000-yard season last year.
Barkley will certainly be a big part of Philadelphia's offense again in 2025. And they could not have asked for a better opponent in Week 1.
The Cowboys are now without Micah Parsons after trading him to the Packers. They do gain Kenny Clark, which should help their defense against the run in the long term. But in Week 1, Clark may not be ready to make a huge impact.
If the Cowboys play anything like they did in 2024 on defense, Barkley could be in for a huge game.
Dallas ranked bottom five in most statistical categories against the run last year. They also allowed the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL at 25.
Barkley's the best running back in the league and going against a soft run defense. Easy decision in Week 1.
Next there's Falcons superstar Bijan Robinson.
Robinson took his game to another level in 2024. He boosted his rushing numbers to 1,456 carries and 14 touchdowns, a huge improvement from his rookie season.
Bijan did see some slight regression in the passing game, but he was still a priority target.
The Falcons go up against a stingy Buccaneers defense in Week 1, which is not ideal. But Robinson is still a must-start.
Trust the talent with Bijan Robinson. And the fact that he'll be the focal point of Atlanta's offense, regardless of game situation.
Finally, there's Jahmyr Gibbs.
Sonic had a great 2024 campaign of his own, leading the NFL with 20 total touchdowns.
Gibbs is right up there with Saquon and Bijan as the best running backs in the league. But Gibbs has a few unique situations that have raised questions around his fantasy outlook for 2025.
First, there's the turnover on Detroit's offense. Ben Johnson is now the head coach in Chicago with John Morton replacing him. Whatever tactical advantage is lost there remains to be seen.
The Lions also lost Frank Ragnow to retirement and replaced Kevin Zeitler with rookie Tate Ratledge. That creates two questionable spots on Detroit's stellar o-line.
If you've got Gibbs on your team, pay close attention to Week 1's matchup against the Packers.
But for now, trust the talent and start Gibbs no matter what.
Another Top Pick
Bucky Irving is another back who could have a strong performance in Week 1.
Bucky is set for an incredible 2025 season after earning the starting job as a rookie. He ripped off 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last year. And he was involved in the receiving game too.
One reason why Irving is so appealing ahead of the 2025 season is his usage in 2024. It took the Buccaneers a while to figure out that Bucky is their best running back.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that he'll come out of the gates with a large workload to start the season.
As for their opponent, Atlanta played above its weight class against the run in 2024. They are due for regression.
Some of my confidence comes from knowing how the Buccaneers prefer to play under Todd Bowles. Tampa loves to establish the run, regardless of whether they're winning or losing. Even if Bucky has to split carries with Rachaad White again (I doubt it) there will be plenty of carries for both backs.
Start Bucky with confidence in Week 1.
Fantasy Football Sleepers – Week 1 (2025)
It would have sounded odd last season, but De'Von Achane is a sleeper headed into Week 1 of the 2025 season.
Many NFL fans are understandably down on the Dolphins after a disappointing 2024 season. But that's not the only reason why the fantasy community is down on Achane ahead of Week 1.
Achane has been dealing with a calf injury, which caused him to miss multiple weeks of training camp. There is also plenty of excitement about Ollie Gordon carving out a role in Miami's backfield.
But this is still Achane's job until we see otherwise.
And the forecast looks extremely positive for Achane in Week 1.
He's officially back at Dolphins practice and trending towards playing in the season opener. His teammate Jaylen Wright is injured, which means that Achane is the source of speed in Miami's backfield.
The Dolphins face off against the Colts in Week 1, which is far from an invincible defense.
There is still some uncertainty around Achane's volume in Week 1. But the potential is there for Achane to be the RB1 of Week 1 if he gets enough work.
NFL Fantasy Football Week 1 Running Back Rankings
- Saquon Barkley, PHI (vs. DAL)
- Bijan Robinson, ATL (vs. TB)
- Jahmyr Gibbs, DET (at GB)
- Christian McCaffrey, SF (at SEA)
- Jonathan Taylor, IND (vs. MIA)
- Bucky Irving, TB (at ATL)
- Derrick Henry, BAL (at BUF)
- De'Von Achane, MIA (at IND)
- Ashton Jeanty, LV (at NE)
- Chase Brown, CIN (at CLE)
- Alvin Kamara, NO (vs. ARI)
- Chuba Hubbard, CAR (at JAX)
- Josh Jacobs, GB (vs. DET)
- Kyren Williams, LAR (vs. HOU)
- James Conner, ARI (at NO)
- Omarion Hampton, LAC (vs. KC)
- James Cook, BUF (vs. BAL)
- Kenneth Walker III, SEA (vs. SF)
- TreVeyon Henderson, NE (vs. LV)
- D'Andre Swift, CHI (vs. MIN)
- Tony Pollard, TEN (at DEN)
- Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG (at WAS)
- Isiah Pacheco, KC (at LAC)
- Breece Hall, NYJ (vs. PIT)
- Aaron Jones Sr., MIN (at CHI)
