Backfields to Avoid Before the NFL Draft

Last off-season brought with it a seismic shift in the running back landscape that played a huge role in defining the 2024 football season both on the field and in fantasy. Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Josh Jacobs, Aaron Jones, JK Dobbins, and Tony Pollard all changed teams this off-season and finished as top-22 running backs in full-PPR scoring this season. Throw in Bucky Irving and eight of the 22 top scorers at the position this year were in the first year with their respective teams.

The projected 2025 free agency class of running backs won’t be able to hold a candle to last year’s cohort; Najee Harris headlines the group with Aaron Jones and JK Dobbins finding themselves in the same position as last year. While the free agency class is lacking, the 2025 NFL draft class makes up for in spades.

There are only a handful of running backs who carry very little risk of their team adding major competition for touches this off-season. Instead, there are probably 12-15 teams that will be bringing in a reliable free agent or drafting a quality running back in the first four rounds of the draft. I’m going to look at some of the murkiest RB situations across the league that will look very different six months from now and give you advice on how I’m handling each one in anticipation of free agency and the draft.

Denver Broncos

The best place to start this discussion is at the Denver Broncos. Sean Payton infuriated fantasy managers this season with his deployment of the running back room. Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Audric Estime formed one of the most inefficient three-headed backfields of all time. All three had between 310 and 540 rushing yards and they combined for only seven touchdowns with five total fumbles.