Running Back Committees to Target in Fantasy Football (2025)

Andrew Ball's fantasy football running back committees to target in 2025. His top undervalued NFL backfields and draft targets for 2025 fantasy football.

It's one of the worst phrases in the fantasy football world: Running back committee.

Head coaches laugh in the face of fantasy managers and utilize multiple runners to keep their backs fresh to win football games. But as much as it hurts in the moment, history has proved they're correct. Running backs who carry the ball 300-350 times wear down faster.

So, committees don't have to be all bad. Here are four whom managers shouldn't avoid in 2025 drafts.

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Detroit Lions: Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery

The league's best running back duo has been together for two seasons in Detroit. They've finished inside the top 20 both years.

It helps that Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery play for one of the league's best offenses behind a great offensive line. The line won't be as dominant as prior years with the departure of Kevin Zeitler and the retirement of Frank Ragnow, but they still have two Pro Bowl tackles, including All-Pro Penei Sewell.

But the duo has distinct roles. Despite being the RB1 in PPR formats, Gibbs started all of one game for the Lions when Montgomery was healthy -- a start he shared with his running mate. Montgomery, meanwhile, was on the field for the opening drive of all 14 of his regular-season starts. Depending on how the game script played out, Gibbs sometimes didn't see a touch until the second quarter!

Montgomery started the games and also played the part of drive-finisher. "Knuckles" scored double-digit touchdowns both seasons (13 in 2023 and 12 in 2024). Only three of those came from outside the 10-yard line. It's the same role Jamaal Williams had before Monty arrived. Williams scored 17 times in 2022, with just two outside of 10 yards. Montgomery can easily see 10+ touchdowns again.

Interestingly, Gibbs had 16 scores on the ground (20 total) and matched Montgomery's total inside the 10. Keep in mind that Gibbs had three full games without Montgomery, during which he totaled 64 carries.

And that stretch is really where the stock on Gibbs skyrocketed. "Sonic" averaged 32.5 PPR fantasy points per game and continued his dominant run into the postseason. Will the touch division slant even more in Gibbs' direction in his third season with a new offensive coaching staff in Detroit?

Jahmyr Gibbs’ last 5 games played w/out David Montgomery

27.6 fantasy points
29.9 fantasy points
25.4 fantasy points
26.3 fantasy points
46.0 fantasy points

(31.0 fantasy PPG)

Prime-CMC numbers 👑 pic.twitter.com/SiiFYduOFD

— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) January 6, 2025

Gibbs still averaged 18.2 PPR FPPG in the 14 games with Montgomery, good for RB6, and is being drafted as the RB3 this summer. Montgomery, perpetually underrated, is a mid-round target for fantasy managers opting for a Zero RB strategy.

Los Angeles Chargers: Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton

J.K. Dobbins, one year removed from a torn Achilles, was an RB2 for the Los Angeles Chargers last season. The team let him walk in free agency and called on former Steeler Najee Harris to provide a positional upgrade.

Harris has been an RB2 or better and rushed for 1,000+ yards in all four of his professional seasons. Even better for fantasy football, he's been available. Harris has yet to miss an NFL game due to injury, despite various sprains and muscle pulls. He's a true workhorse back joining a team that vacated nearly 80 percent of running back rush attempts from the year prior.

Unfortunately, he's only on a one-year contract, and the Chargers drafted another three-down back in the first round. North Carolina's Omarion Hampton tallied at least 20 carries in eight of 12 games in his final season in Chapel Hill. He was almost unanimously viewed as the second-best running back prospect in this class.

Hampton is the future of the Los Angeles backfield. He and Harris can both be the present, and early offseason returns have been glowing.

Jim Harbaugh on if RB Omarion Hampton has caught up to Najee Harris: "Right now as my grandmother Marie Harbaugh would say, like peas in a pod. They are two peas in a pod." pic.twitter.com/DbgVzzCobN

— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) June 12, 2025

The Chargers, under Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, were top five in rush rate for the first two months of the season. Again, that was with Dobbins and Gus Edwards. After Dobbins' efficiency quickly slipped, the Los Angeles brain trust realized relying on Justin Herbert and wide receiver Ladd McConkey was the path to points.

Harris will start the season as the RB1, and the expectation is that we will slowly see a shift toward Hampton taking command of the backfield. Still, both should see 10+ touches per game on a playoff-caliber team. Those running backs are hard to pass up in fantasy drafts.

Hampton, the new hotness, has a higher ADP than his veteran counterpart. Harris can be an extremely valuable selection for fantasy managers who focus on other positions early in drafts.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Kaleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren

Najee Harris' departure also opened an opportunity in Pittsburgh. Jaylen Warren, as underrated a runner as he is, wasn't headed toward a 300-touch season. The Steelers were on the prowl for their early down bruiser.

They found one in the third round of the NFL Draft, selecting Iowa's Kaleb Johnson. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry in his final season as a Hawkeye and led the Big Ten with 1,537 rushing yards, while fumbling just three times in his Iowa career.

Johnson may be the shiny new car, but that doesn't mean Warren won't have a role. While he may develop into a reliable pass-catcher, Johnson's skills in that department pale in comparison to Warren's. The formerly undrafted 26-year-old caught 61 passes in 2023 and another 38 in 2024.

Aaron Rodgers, possibly due to age catching up to his legs, targeted his running backs more often than he had in his previous stops. Jets running backs saw a 20 percent target share, led by 76 targets for Breece Hall. Waren should exceed 50 targets if he stays healthy this season, and could start the season as the full-time starter.

Pittsburgh has two coaches, Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith, notorious for leaning on a running game. Dating back to his Tennessee days, Smith's teams ranked third, third, 25th, second, fourth, and fifth last season in Pittsburgh, the outlier being the season Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson led the Atlanta backfield. There will be plenty of opportunities for the new duo in Pittsburgh, and even a sprinkle of Kenneth Gainwell mixed in.

Johnson will eventually eat into the early down carries, if he isn't already doing so when Week 1 kicks off. But Warren has been a flex candidate, especially in PPR formats, in his last two seasons with a double-digit average for touches. Expect both running backs to fall into that category in 2025.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Etienne Jr., Tank Bigsby, and Bhayshul Tuten

Because Travis Etienne Jr. was a major letdown as a second- or third-round pick and Tank Bigsby doesn't catch passes, some in the fantasy football community are ready to anoint fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten as the successor in Jacksonville.

While it may be early to make that declaration, one of these men will lead the Jacksonville backfield, one who could produce a bevy of fantasy points under the new offensive-minded head coach, Liam Coen.

Coincidentally, the comps between this backfield and Coen's previous backfield in Tampa Bay make a ton of sense. Etienne is the Rachaad White -- a do-it-all running back whose efficiency numbers leave a lot to be desired. But, in the end, both have top-5 fantasy seasons under their belts.

From 2023-2024, there are 40 RBs to have 250 carries. Etienne ranks:
- 36th in rush success rate
- ⁠36th in YPC (only Javonte, Zeke, Mattison & Hunt are worse)
- ⁠33rd in YAC/attempt pic.twitter.com/Js1dNpIeUz

— Rob (@RobLorge) May 8, 2025

White's poor play eventually caused him to lose snaps and touches to an undersized fourth-round rookie (Bucky Irving). Sound familiar?

But White was still an RB2 in PPR leagues last season! The pass-catching role in Coen's backfield has been fantasy football gold, and it seems like Etienne's to lose. He burned so many managers last season that he's extremely cheap in drafts right now. That may change by August as signs continue to point toward Etienne being atop the depth chart.

How long will that last? It depends on his play. That's why Tuten is also an enticing option as a potential successor.

And then there's Bigsby. The former third-round pick was a more efficient runner than Etienne behind the poor Jacksonville offensive line (one that should improve in 2025). But that's about all he did. He has eight receptions in two seasons. He's the least exciting option of the three, but could wind up with the most carries, especially near the goal line. Managers can take a chance on him in non-PPR formats.

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