Identifying breakout players for Fantasy Football before the season starts can set you up for success in your leagues. Targeting players who are poised to excel in your Redraft drafts or trading for them in Dynasty Leagues can provide you with the competitive edge needed to win a championship. If you’re familiar with my content, you know that my intention has always been to help you “Play 2 Win.” This article aims to assist you in achieving that goal by highlighting my favorite Fantasy Football breakout running backs for 2025.
Many Fantasy Football terms are defined differently, so I need to clarify what I mean by a breakout. Your definition, my definition, and the definition of countless others for a Fantasy Football breakout may have some similarities, but can also be looked at completely differently at the same time. I define a breakout as a player who can take a substantial leap in Fantasy Football production or a player who can have an immediate Fantasy Football scoring impact, which in either case is a major positional advantage in lineups for a given year.
In 2024 we saw the likes of Jahmyr Gibbs (RB1), Bijan Robinson (RB3), De’Von Achane (RB5), and Chase Brown (RB10) break out for Fantasy Football. Projecting into 2025, I have five running backs I feel can have their breakout season and be difference makers in your fantasy football lineups. Per usual, I will have some obvious names paired up with some spicy names. Let’s get it!
5 Breakout Running Backs for 2025 Fantasy Football
1. Bucky Irving, Buccaneers
Tampa Bay selected Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Expectations for a fourth-round running back are usually fairly low. The hit rate of those guys earning significant touches and becoming big Fantasy Football assets is pretty low as well.
Bucky is one of those rare cases. Irving finished the season with 207 rushing attempts (#19), 1,121 rushing yards (#10), 52 targets (#15), 47 catches (#10), 393 receiving yards (#9), and eight touchdowns. He finished with the 13th most Fantasy Points for the position and averaged 14.4 Fantasy points per game (PPG), which ranked 19th. Via playerprofiler.com, Bucky finished #5 in yards per touch, #5 in evaded tackles, #7 in breakaway runs, and #4 in yards created. This all came after Rachaad White had a heavy workload season in 2023, then proceeded to still have 195 touches in 2024.
The Buccaneers lost Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen to the Jaguars as he filled their Head Coach vacancy. Yes, Rachaad White is still going to have plenty of a role and catch balls. Baker Mayfield also has receiving weapons in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka, Cade Otton, and Jalen McMillan. This will be a great offense through the air that will open up plenty on the ground.
Irving finished three weeks with 23+ fantasy points, showing major upside as a rookie. The rushing numbers were great, there was a pass-catching role even with White, Irving was efficient, and he made the big plays… AND there is no way that year one was his ceiling. Bucky is one of the easiest candidates for a player who finished outside the top 12 for Fantasy Football to finish well inside for the position in 2025.
2. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders
Ashton Jeanty was dominant in college for Boise State. Jeanty led the FBS in scrimmage yards per game back in 2023 with 159.7. Jeanty then went on to lead the FBS with 2,601 rushing yards, which was the second most of all time, just 28 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ record. Jeanty led the FBS in scrimmage yards with 2,750 and finished second in rushing touchdowns with 29. Jeanty finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to unicorn wide receiver/corner Travis Hunter. He is a monster prospect who drew sixth overall draft capital by the Las Vegas Raiders in this year’s NFL Draft.
Jeanty joins a Raiders group that continues to shape their team. Brock Bowers had the best rookie tight end season of all time last year, Jakobi Meyers continues to be a consistent receiver, Geno Smith was brought in to take the lead quarterback role, and the Raiders also invested draft capital on rookie wide receiver Jack Bech (second round) and Dont’e Thornton (fourth round). Jeanty will have veteran newcomer Raheem Mostert to compete with in the backfield, who is 33 years old. Jeanty should take on the lead role with high odds to be a workhorse as a rookie. Jeanty has great combinations of contact balance, elusiveness, field vision, and a big bag of ball skills. JEanty is the ultimate yards creator with a massive statistical resume. This is a guy who checks the boxes of a “do-it-all” back in the NFL, and even if the offensive line and offense in general is not ideal we can still bank on talent + volume to win out.
3. Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks
Kenneth Walker III rushed for 1,051 yards as a rookie back in 2022 through 15 games. He then regressed to 905 yards on the ground the following year, also through 15 games. More regression came overall due to missing more time in 2024, playing just 11 total games. KWIII always feels like the “what if” player, in the event we get a full season at his potential. Prior to 2024, KWIII averaged 13.3 Fantasy PPG in 2023 and 13.5 in 2022, which ranked 20th and 16th for the position. So, when healthy, he has been an asset for Fantasy, but 2024 gave us a glimpse at what his potential truly is.
KWIII opened up the season rushing for over 100 yards and a touchdown, scoring 18.9 Fantasy Points before missing the next two weeks. When healthy, he displayed touchdown upside with eight scores through those 11 appearances. That is 0.73 TDs per game, which would be around 12 through 17 games. The stat that stands out the most for me is that Walker averaged 4.2 receptions per game last season, which across 17 games would have been 71 catches and ranked second among running backs for 2024. Walker scored 13+ Fantasy Points in 9/11 appearances, 18+ in 4/11, and over 20 points in 3/11 games. 16.5 Fantasy PPG ranked 12th for the position, which was a substantial leap from his prior two years. Yes, Zach Charbonnet exists and has proven to be a quality running back himself, but Walker averaged a healthy 64% of the snaps last season when playing, which defines his role on this offense. KWIII has a mixture of upside qualities both on the ground and in the air that we saw last season, and can finally breakout in 2025 if we see the guy we saw last year across a full year.
4. Quinshon Judkins, Browns
Quinshon Judkins had consistent upside in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns through his three college seasons as a prospect. Judkins rushed for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a Freshman at Ole Miss in 2022 through 13 games. Judkins then rushed for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023 through 13 games again. Then in 2024, Judkins transferred to Ohio State to pair up with Patriots’ second-round rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson to rush for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Browns selected Judkins in the 2025 NFL Draft with the fourth pick of the second round.
Nick Chubb is no longer in Cleveland as he joined Houston this offseason. Jerome Ford has led the Browns with 565 and 813 rushing yards the last two seasons due to Chubb’s injuries. The last time Chubb was healthy back in 2022, he rushed a massive 302 times for 1,525 yards. The Browns have been desperate for a true RB1, and they have that in Judkins. Judkins is a productive rusher who has solid size, contact balance, runs with physicality, and loves to score touchdowns. Fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson will compete for the RB2 role with Ford, and those two present more of a challenge to each other vs. either to Judkins. Volume + prospect upside = Fantasy Football instant asset.
5. D’Andre Swift, Bears
Year one in Chicago for Swift had some flashes, with four weeks ranging from 18.9-29.5 Fantasy Points last season. 959 rushing yards, 42 receptions for 386 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns on the year meant 12.6 Fantasy PPG (#21). The year prior for the Eagles, Swift rushed for a career-high 1,049 yards. Some highlights from his days back in Detroit (2022-2020) include seasons of 48, 62, 46, and 10 total touchdowns in 2020. Swift in Detroit going backwards 2022-2020 averaged 13.7 (#15), 16.1 (#8), and 14.6 (#15) Fantasy PPG.
The Bears had an excellent offseason, with the biggest Head Coach hire in Ben Johnson, who Swift has familiarity with from his days back in Detroit. The Bears also attacked their poor offensive line through the additions of Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and drafted Ozzy Trapilo. Rookies Luther Burden III (WR) and Colston Loveland (TE) make the passing game even better on top of DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. The only running back added was Kyle Monangai via the seventh round to compete with Roschon Johnson for the RB2 role. So, Swift has better coaching with a guy he knows, a better offensive line, more weapons through the air to open up the ground, and not much running back competition. For a pass-catching, playmaking running back who has had three seasons as a Top 15 back in Fantasy PPG, all signs point in 2025 being his biggest season.
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