Running back is still the most important position in Fantasy football, but one of the downsides to drafting RBs in the first round is that the position is more injury-prone than the other skill positions. Because of that, many Fantasy football managers are opting to go wide receiver in the first round this year and then attempting to address running back with volume later on. Regardless of your first-round strategy, avoiding 2025 Fantasy football busts is a must if you’re going to have a successful season and having a reliable set of 2025 Fantasy football rankings can help put you on the right path.

Jets running back Breece Hall was the second player selected on average in last year’s drafts and was healthy enough to play in 16 games, but finished as RB16 with the New York offense struggling. So how can you avoid making mistakes like Hall in the early going? Before finalizing your 2025 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2025 Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, the model accurately predicted that Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert would fall well short of his ADP (RB23). The result: A season after rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 21 total touchdowns despite sharing time with De’Von Achane, Mostert fell out of favor in Miami and finished as RB60 after managing only 439 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.

The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020, nailing Jonathan Taylor’s monstrous season in 2021 and correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. 

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2025, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top 2025 Fantasy football busts

One of the 2025 Fantasy football busts the model is predicting: Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. A former wide receiver at Purdue who didn’t transition to running back until late in his collegiate career, Tracy rushed for 839 yards and five touchdowns while adding 38 receptions for 284 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. He showcased better-than-expected contact balance and vision for a player who is still clearly learning the position and that level of success early in his development creates room for optimism.

However, he was already on the older side for a prospect (he turned 25 in November) and now he’s expected to face stiff competition from Cam Skattebo, a fourth-round pick out of Arizona State who was a consensus All-American in 2024. He ranked 42nd among running backs in Fantasy points per opportunity last season and fewer opportunities might not bode well for him living up to his ADP (83) in 2025. The model ranks him behind backs like Rhamondre Stevenson and Austin Ekeler, who are available at least 30 picks later on average.

Another bust that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2025 have identified: Steelers running back Jaylen Warren. The Oklahoma State product spent the last two seasons behind Najee Harris on the depth chart, averaging 61.7 scrimmage yards per game. Warren has averaged 4.8 yards per carry in his career, but he has never averaged more than 8.8 carries per game in any of his three seasons.

While Harris is no longer on the roster, Warren’s workload might not increase significantly. Pittsburgh drafted Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who had more than 1,500 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Warren is being drafted before running backs like Zach Charbonnet, Najee Harris and Javonte Williams, but they are all available later in most Fantasy drafts. See which other Fantasy football busts 2025 to pick here.

How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings

SportsLine is also fading one of the first five running backs off the board in early 2025 Fantasy football drafts. The model ranks this player falling outside the top 10 entirely and failing to live up to his first-round price tag. You can only see who it is, and the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.

So which 2025 Fantasy Football busts should you be steering clear of? And which first-round RB shockingly falls out of the top 10 of the positional rankings? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that helped managers avoid a disastrous Raheem Mostert season in 2024.

2025 Fantasy football ADP

(PPR, via CBS)

1. Ja’Marr Chase (2.12)
2. Bijan Robinson (2.28)
3. Saquon Barkley (2.34)
4. Jahmyr Gibbs (4.78)
5. Derrick Henry (5.69)
6. Justin Jefferson (8.56)
7. Christian McCaffrey (10.12)
8. Josh Jacob (10.12)
9. CeeDee Lamb (11.12)
10. Josh Allen (11.31)