The NFL Draft is in the rearview, and now it is time to turn towards the upcoming season. This is a look at the best running back sleepers for 2025 NFL Best Ball drafts.
It’s also never too early for a couple of NFL Best Ball drafts. Join a league right now in the DraftKings lobby.
2025 NFL Best Ball RB Sleepers
All of these running backs are currently outside the top ten highest-ranked RBs by ADP on DraftKings’ $15M Millionaire Best Ball contest.
James Cook, Bills (ADP: 35.8)
James Cook was one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL last season. Josh Allen steals the spotlight in the Buffalo offense, but Cook had a fantastic season at running back in 2024-25. Cook ended up tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns, despite Josh Allen also being in the top ten in rushing scores. The Bills’ offense started to rely heavily on plays where Allen could run it in himself or hand it off to Cook, rather than passing for touchdowns. Cook is also capable of breaking long runs and averaged over 63 rushing yards per game last season. Buffalo will have one of the best offenses in the NFL again next season, and that should lead to another high-scoring season for James Cook.
Joe Mixon, Texans (ADP: 44.2)
Joe Mixon has been one of the best running backs in the NFL since being drafted in 2017. Last season was his first year in Houston, and he had a really solid year. Despite missing some games through injury, Mixon rushed for over 1,000 yards in just 14 games. That had him in the top ten in the NFL in rushing yards per game, behind only the top backs in the league. He also finished 11th in the NFL in rushing touchdowns despite missing three games. Based on those numbers, Mixon is a top-ten running back in the NFL, but isn’t being drafted as such in Best Ball drafts so far this offseason. The Texans also made an effort to upgrade their offensive line this offseason, both through free agency and the draft, which should only help Mixon improve his numbers. If he can stay healthy, he should be a top-ten running back in the league once again.
TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots (ADP: 60.9)
TreVeyon Henderson is one of the most exciting rookies from the 2025 draft class. Ashton Jeanty is already being drafted in Best Ball contests like he is going to be one of the best backs in the league, which he very well might be. However, Henderson is being undervalued in drafts so far. He was taken by the Patriots, which should be a great spot for him. They had a shaky running back situation last year, with Rhamondre Stevenson seeing less playing time due to poor play, but there was no real viable replacement for Stevenson. Henderson was a star at Ohio State and played incredibly throughout the College Football Playoff en route to a National Championship win. He should be able to establish himself as the lead back in New England right away. With a new coaching staff calling the shots with sophomore quarterback Drake Maye, this offense should be much improved and Henderson could have a big-time rookie season.
Kaleb Johnson, Steelers (ADP: 75.9)
Kaleb Johnson is another rookie who is being somewhat undervalued in the market. Johnson was an incredible running back at Iowa, finishing seventh in the country in rushing yards last season. He is now on the “Iowa of the NFL,” the Pittsburgh Steelers. They run an old-school offense, just like Johnson ran at Iowa, where they want a running back to run it between the tackles 20+ times per game. Najee Harris was the lead back for the Steelers last season, but split carries with Jaylen Warren by the end of the season. Harris left Pittsburgh this offseason, but Warren is still on the Steelers, so he will likely split carries with Johnson again to start the season. However, Johnson is more the style of runner that Mike Tomlin prefers, so if he can hit the ground running, he will likely be the lead back. Also, with so much uncertainty around the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh, they could end up being a run-heavy offense.
