2025 Week #2 Market Preview - The Running Backs

by Michael Nazarek (RELEASED - 9/9/2025)

Editor's Note: Below you will find a portion of our 2025 Fantasy Football Weekly Newsletter Market feature for Week #2. If you'd like to read about all positions including our Free Agent Player Rankings, please click HERE to order our 2025 Weekly In-Season Fantasy Newsletters.

Let's see if you've heard this before... The first week of the 2025 NFL season was inconsistent. It's always that way. What have we learned? It's only ONE WEEK. Patience is the key to winning. Of course, if someone in your league wants to dump under-performing QB Joe Burrow or RB Josh Jacobs in your lap at a bargain price, snatch him up now! Those owners are panicking for nothing and are well on their way to a losing season. Obviously, they are not reading this newsletter, so don't hesitate to take advantage! Now, let's get into this week's fantasy "Market"...

 

THE QUARTERBACKS

 

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-- QB Potpourri --

 

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THE RUNNING BACKS

 

-- Isiah Pacheco's Role --

 

Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is healthy, but his days as a workhorse back for the team in 2025 are likely over. Yes, he is playing more on early downs this season than he did late last year, but RB Kareem Hunt remains a major factor for the team's running game. Meanwhile, rookie RB Brashard Smith also mixed in and was the primary backup on early downs. Hunt took over as the third-down back, which is a role he held with the Cleveland Browns. Interestingly enough, it was Pacheco who took all of the snaps in the two-minute drill to end the first half. Meanwhile, Hunt was consistently on the field for short-yardage situations. They were all third and fourth downs, but the Chiefs haven't necessarily used their third-down backs on third-and-short in the past. Bottom Line: This is now an ugly 3-headed RBBC, one in which any of the backs can score when they are on the field, or none of them. This downgrades Pacheco into RB3 territory, while Hunt remains a flex option most weeks in larger leagues. As for Smith, he is a stash and hold for now. Any way you view it, the Chiefs are looking more like a passing team than a running team in 2025.

 

-- Travis Etienne Re-Emerges & Tank Bigsby is Traded --

 

We finally have some clarity in the Jacksonville Jaguars ugly running game situation and it certainly favors RB Travis Etienne Jr.. He rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries on Sunday, virtually ending the Jaguars career of RB Tank Bigsby. Late Monday night, Bigsby was traded to the Eagles for latter round draft picks. Bigsby will be the immediate RB3 for the Eagles, and likely battle for the primary backup position there. As for the Jaguars, rookie RB Bhayshul Tuten and RB LeQuint Allen Jr. will now fill the RB2/RB3 slots for the team. As a result, Etienne now upgrades to a RB2 for fantasy, with Tuten his handcuff. If you own Tuten, but not Etienne, he is now worth holding onto, since he will see more action each week to make a case to carve out a real role. Bottom Line: Etienne is the real winner here, so if you took a chance on him, congrats! Barring injury, you likely have yourself a solid weekly fantasy starter.

 

-- TreVeyon Henderson Has Room to Grow --

 

I own New England Patriots rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson in a dynasty league and I'm excited about his future. That said, it wasn't all roses for the young rookie. Yes, he caught six passes on Sunday and was a priority in the offense when he played. That was the good news. Now, the bad news. First, he was not the Patriots' third-down back. RB Rhamondre Stevenson was the primary running back for all situations. For the most part, Stevenson dominated snaps in the first and third quarters, but was in much more of a rotation in the second and fourth quarters. Overall, Henderson saw a 35% snap count, while Stevenson saw 65%. It sounds bad for Henderson, right? Think again. The fact that Stevenson and Henderson both played in early-down and passing situations means there is a good chance that at some point this season, their usage will swap, with Henderson seeing more snaps than Stevenson. Should that happen, Henderson would become a must start for fantasy moving forward. As it stands now, Stevenson is a risky RB3/flex option with little upside, especially in PPR leagues, while Henderson is a solid RB3 with RB2 upside.

 

-- Dylan Sampson Breaks Out, But... --

 

The days of RB Jerome Ford leading the Browns backfield appear to be over. After Ford was ineffective early on Sunday against the Bengals, rookie RB Dylan Sampson took over to lead the Browns backfield. He led Cleveland in both rushing attempts and catches, and took over as the lead early down back. Surprisingly, Sampson was targeted eight times in the game, and seven of those targets came on early downs. An even bigger surprise was the use of RB Raheim Sanders, who played limited snaps, specifically in short-yardage and goal-line situations. That use netted him a score. Bottom Line: Ford downgrades to a risky flex/stash candidate just in case an injury strikes, while Sampson upgrades to a playable RB3/flex option, provided rookie RB Quinshon Judkins doesn't play. Judkins is set to practice this week, and may or may not play, while the NFL considers a suspension do to his recent domestic charges that were eventually dropped. Judkins is a definite stash until he plays. Any way you look at it, this backfield is fluid with a lot of moving parts. So... if you own Sampson in a redrafter league, and he is your RB4 or lower, you might want to consider SELLING HIGH in this case, since his role could shrink quickly once Judkins begins to play.

 

-- "Bill" Makes His Mark --

 

The Washington Commanders did not take it easy on rookie RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt in his first real NFL game. After RB Austin Ekeler got the start and played all 13 snaps early in the game, "Bill" entered in the second quarter and saw most of the rest of the snaps in the game despite Ekeler being the clear third-down and two-minute-drill back. Croskey-Merritt played 22 snaps on early downs outside of the two-minute drills, compared to RB Jeremy McNichols and Ekeler's nine. Croskey-Merritt ran 10 times for 82 yards and a score. While Croskey-Merritt will always be restricted by an offense with a running quarterback and a two-man backfield, he has reached the point where you can start him most weeks as a RB3 with RB2 upside when he scores. As for Ekeler, he downgrades to only a flex option in PPR leagues. As for RB Chris Rodriguez Jr, who was touted as the short yardage and a goal line back? Yeah, he was inactive on Sunday, so you can drop him now.

 

-- The Steelers new RBBC --

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers employed a surprising new running back rotation on Sunday and many fantasy owners will not be happy. Fear not, the results generated may cause the team to change things up down the road. Instead of rookie RB Kaleb Johnson starting and playing early downs with RB Jaylen Warren filling his normal third down back role, Warren took RB Najee Harris' role, while RB Kenneth Gainwell played the third down back role. Johnson was active, but only saw one touch. It wasn't all bad for Warren, though, as he played a very slight majority of the early-down snaps, and he saw all of the short-yardage and goal-line work. Warren actually led the team in carries, which should continue moving forward, and Warren got the score on a receiving touchdown. That said, Gainwell is a waiver wire target, especially in larger leagues. Johnson played two offensive snaps, both late into the third quarter. If you can stash and hold Johnson, do it. Otherwise, in a redrafter with a shallow bench, it may be time to drop him if you need immediate help at other positions due to injuries. Right now, Warren is a RB3 for fantasy, while Gainwell is a flex option for owners in larger leagues, but if Johnson has a breakout run, Gainwell could be pushed aside.

 

-- The Seahawks New RBBC --

 

The Seattle Seahawks running game is now a two-man RBBC. RB Zach Charbonnet not only cut into RB Kenneth Walker III's playing time, but he led the team in carries, rushing yards, and scores on Sunday. The Seahawks have a new offensive coordinator, and Walker missed most of training camp due to a foot injury. Last season, Walker played at least 60% of Seattle's offensive snaps in all situations, except for third downs, where Charbonnet played over 80% of the snaps on the year. The running back usage in Sunday's game was significantly different. Walker played 57% of the early-down snaps, which was a step down from last season. Charbonnet played the two-minute drill snaps back and also took the goal-line snaps. This led to a one-yard touchdown run. Charbonnet also averaged nearly twice as many rushing yards per carry as Walker. This is obviously not a good development for Walker and his fantasy owners, unless you also own Charbonnet. That said, there is a chance that things could revert back to the 2024 formula when Walker is 100% healthy. Regardless, right now, both backs are RB3s for fantasy, something Walker owners are obviously not happy about.

 

-- The Broncos New RBBC --

 

The Denver Broncos are now employing a three-man RBBC. RB J.K. Dobbins got the start, while rookie RB R.J. Harvey was sprinkled in significantly. The big surprise was the fact that RB Jaleel McLaughlin was a healthy inactive for the team. It was RB Tyler Badie, who was the Broncos' passing-down back. Badie played the majority of third downs and two-minute drill snaps, which left fewer snaps for both Dobbins and Harvey. Dobbins led the backfield on early downs, taking roughly two snaps to Harvey's one. The two had nearly identical yards per carry, except for a sweet 50-yard run by Harvey. However, Dobbins ran the ball more often and scored the touchdown. Most surprising, Harvey was only targeted once, catching that pass for -1 yards. As it stands now, both backs are RB3/flex options to use, but at least HC Sean Payton commented after the game that the team needs to run more. As for Badie, while he did see six targets, he only caught two passes, making him a risky flex option in larger leagues at best.

 

-- The Vikings New RBBC --

 

The Minnesota Vikings debuted a new RBBC on Monday night. Veteran RB Aaron Jones got the start and played the entire first two series, but RB Jordan Mason then rotated in throughout the game, sharing backfield duties in a near-even split. Each back took over for full series of plays. Snaps were nearly even on both early and late downs, indicating the Vikings trust both backs in any situation. That opens the door for game-to-game volatility depending on performance. While this appears to be a solid 50/50 timeshare, things could change depending on injury and age. In other words, if Mason produces some big yardage games, he could eventually emerge as the lead option. As it stands right now, both Jones and Mason are RB3s for fantasy, but Jones has the edge in PPR leagues, since he not only led in catches (3-1), but also caught a late sweet TD on a wheel route from the backfield. Do NOT underestimate what Jones can still do at the age of 30!

 

-- RB Potpourri --

 

Let's take a look at some of the other more notable RB performances from last week... Dallas Cowboys RB Miles Sanders saw 5 touches on Thursday against the Eagles, but did fumble. Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Rachaad White saw 3 touches on Sunday against the Falcons. Atlanta Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier saw 10 carries against the Bucs on Sunday. New York Jets RB Braelon Allen scored on 6 carries on Sunday against the Steelers. Indianapolis Colts rookie RB D.J. Giddens saw 12 carries on Sunday against the Dolphins. Arizona Cardinals RB Trey Benson saw 9 touches on Sunday against the Saints. New Orleans Saints RB Kendre Miller saw 5 carries on Sunday against the Cardinals. Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle saw 5 touches on Sunday against the Jaguars. San Francisco 49ers RB Brian Robinson Jr. saw 10 touches on Sunday against the Seahawks.

 

THE WIDE RECEIVERS

 

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-- WR Potpourri --

 

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THE TIGHT ENDS

 

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-- TE Potpourri --

 

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The following is the initial in-season free agent player rankings list for the 2025 NFL season. If you're looking for a free agent off your leagues' waiver wire to fill a need (maybe depth), these are the players to consider...

 

FREE AGENT PLAYER RANKINGS

 

BLUE - Priority Waiver Wire Target

RED - Secondary Waiver Wire Target

 

Rank	Quarterbacks	Rank	Tight Ends
1	Order Now to View List	1	Order Now to View List
2		2
3		3
4		4
5		5
6		6
7		7
8		8
9		9
10		10
11		11
12		12
13		13
14
			* - Starting Due to Injury
	* - Starting Due to Injury
Rank	Running Backs	Rank	Wide Recievers
1	Dylan Sampson, CLE ®	1	Order Now to View List
2	Trey Benson, ARZ	2
3	Braelon Allen, NYJ	3
4	Brian Robinson Jr., SF	4
5	Kareem Hunt, KC	5
6	Kenneth Gainwell, PIT	6
7	Tyler Allgeier, ATL	7
8	Miles Sanders, DAL	8
9	Justice Hill, BAL	9
10	D.J. Giddens, IND ® *	10
11	Bhayshul Tuten, JAX ®	11
12	Rico Dowdle, CAR	12
13	Kendre Miller, NO	13
14	Ollie Gordon, MIA ®	14
15	Kyle Monangai, CHI ®	15
16	Brashard Smith, KC ®	16
17	Ty Johnson, BUF	17
18	Dare Ogunbowale, HOU	18
19	Ray Davis, BUF	19
20	Rachaad White, TB	20
21	Blake Corum, LAR	21
22	Tyler Badie, DEN	22
23	Rahein Sanders, CLE	23
24	Samaje Perine, CIN	24
25	Jeremy McNichols, WAS	25
26	Zamir White, LV	26
27	Devin Singletary, NYG	27
		28
	* - Could Start Due to Injury
			* - Could Start Due to Injury
Rank	Place Kickers	Rank	Team Defenses
1	Order Now to View List	1	Order Now to View List
2		2
3		3
4		4
5		5
6
7
8
9
10

 

End.

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