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 Early Round Targets
All of these running backs are currently among the highest-ranked RBs by ADP on DraftKings’ $15M Millionaire Best Ball contest.
Saquon Barkley, Eagles (ADP: 2.1)
Saquon Barkley was incredible last season for the Eagles. He rushed for over 2,000 yards, won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and eventually led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory. If Saquon Barkley is healthy, he is among the best offensive players in the league, but the big question is how closely he can replicate last season’s historic numbers. Expecting Barkley to rush for over 2,000 yards again is a huge ask. However, as long as he is healthy, it’s hard to envision him not being the best running back in football once again. The Eagles’ offense should see no drop-off from last season to next season. They still have Jalen Hurts, their elite offensive line, and their great group of receivers, which allows Barkley to do what he does. If they didn’t have a great passing attack, you would expect teams to completely sell out to stop Barkley. However, they will get burned by the likes of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith if they do that. Barkley is a worthy #1 overall pick in Best Ball drafts and should definitely be the first running back selected at the very least.
Bijan Robinson, Falcons (ADP: 4.3)
Bijan Robinson is currently the RB2 in Best Ball drafts and could be due for a career-best season. Last season, the offense lost its way in the middle of the season. That led to Kirk Cousins getting benched in favor of Michael Penix Jr. at the end of the season. This season, Atlanta is heading into the offseason with a clear QB1 in Penix and a great stable of weapons for Penix to work with. The Falcons’ offense should be exciting to watch with Robinson at the middle of it all. He finished third in the NFL in rushing last season, going for nearly 1,500 yards on the ground. He also finished fourth among all running backs in receiving yards, so he can be a threat in many different ways. Atlanta also invested heavily in their defense this offseason. It might not seem like that would directly affect Robinson, but that should make the Falcons a better team. Part of the reason that Barkley put up such incredible numbers is that the Eagles led so many games that they would just feed Barkley in the second half. If the Falcons don’t need to chuck it all over the field to win games late, Robinson will get even more touches and could put up even bigger stats than last season.
Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (ADP: 12.6)
Christian McCaffrey is one of the most fascinating players to consider for 2025-26 NFL Best Ball drafts. Personally, I am buying that McCaffrey will return to form and is worth a first-round pick. After leading the league in rushing in 2023-24, McCaffrey missed most of the season with an injury in 2024-25. He returned for four games but was never able to ramp up to full health, and then ended up sitting out the final couple of games of the season. However, McCaffrey is easily one of the best running backs in football when healthy. The 49ers were riddled with injuries last season and had a lost season. With McCaffrey and others back for next season, Kyle Shanahan will surely have a plan to get this team that ran the NFC for several seasons back to their former glory. If McCaffrey can stay healthy, he should be a top-four running back along with Barkley, Robinson, and Derrick Henry. The departure of Deebo Samuel should only get McCaffrey more touches and allow Shanahan to use him in some of those unique formations that used to exist just for Samuel.
De’Von Achane, Dolphins (ADP: 17.5)
De’Von Achane has the potential for a monster 2025-26 season. Going into last season, Achane was expected to split carries with Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright. However, by the end of the season, it was clear that Achane was the best option in that backfield. Mostert left Miami this offseason, so Achane will be the clear main man in the backfield, with Wright and Alexander Mattison providing some backup support. Achane really proved himself as an elite receiver out of the backfield in 2024-25. He led all running backs in receiving yards with 592 and also caught six touchdowns. In terms of rushing + receiving yards, he was a top-ten running back in the NFL last season. That includes the weeks that he was splitting more snaps, and the weeks without Tua Tagovailoa, where the Dolphins’ offense was a mess. If the Dolphins have more stability next season, Achane could be one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL and make the jump into that next tier of truly elite backs.
Kyren Williams, Rams (ADP: 29.2)
Kyren Williams is one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL. He burst onto the scene in 2023-24, finishing third in the NFL in rushing yards. He followed that up with another great year in 2024-25, finishing seventh in the NFL in rushing yards and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns. In standard scoring fantasy leagues, Williams has been a top-six running back each of the past two seasons. Derrick Henry is the only other running back in the NFL who can say the same. With Matthew Stafford returning to the Rams and Sean McVay at the helm, there is no reason to think this offense will change much. They were just a couple of plays away from beating the eventual Super Bowl champions in the NFC Playoffs Divisional Round last season. That offense should be one of the best units in the NFL once again and as long as Williams can stay healthy, they are a well-oiled machine that should allow him to put up similar numbers to each of the past two seasons. If he is going to be a top-six running back in fantasy scoring once again, that makes him incredibly undervalued in the current Best Ball market.
