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With traditional fantasy football leagues wrapped up, it's time to start grinding rankings for NFL playoff fantasy football leagues or DFS contests. Remember, if you select any of these running backs for your FFPC playoff team, you cannot pick another player from that ball carrier's team. Choose wisely!
Today, we will review our Updated Wild Card fantasy football PPR running back rankings compliments of lead-ranker Nick Mariano. Many of you playing in playoff leagues are still competing for something, and we're here, as always, to help you win. Below, you will see where key running backs such as Bucky Irving, James Cook, J.K. Dobbins, Joe Mixon, Aaron Jones, and Jaylen Warren rank for the Wild Card weekend.
In addition to our Wild Card Weekend rankings, below you will find a summary of this week's most crucial fantasy football injury news. There are always critical injuries to track, so check back until kickoff. Good luck, RotoBallers!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
- 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
- Best ball fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
Wild Card Round Fantasy Football Running Back News and Injuries
- Audric Estime Inactive, Tyler Badie Officially Active
- James Cook Leads Buffalo Rushing Attack In Postseason
- Najee Harris A Low-End Option Against Baltimore
- Jaylen Warren Has PPR Value In Wild-Card Round
- Kimani Vidal Inactive For Wild Card Weekend
- Another Difficult Matchup For Joe Mixon Vs. The Chargers
- Derrick Henry Carries 100-Yard Streak Into The Playoffs
- Aaron Jones Limited On Thursday
- Gus Edwards Could Operate As Lead Back In Wild-Card Game
- J.K. Dobbins Officially Active For Wild-Card Weekend
- MarShawn Lloyd's Season Over Due To Hamstring Injury
- Justice Hill Looks To Be On Track Playing In Wild-Card Round
Wild Card Round PPR Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football
Rankings are updated until kick-off. Be sure also to check out our NFL playoff league rankings for fantasy football, specifically geared towards new playoff league contests starting up this week that run through the entire playoffs.
| RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Saquon Barkley | RB | 3 |
| 1 | 2 | Bucky Irving | RB | 5 |
| 1 | 3 | Kyren Williams | RB | 7 |
| 1 | 4 | James Cook | RB | 10 |
| 1 | 5 | Derrick Henry | RB | 11 |
| 1 | 6 | Josh Jacobs | RB | 12 |
| 2 | 7 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | 15 |
| 2 | 8 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 17 |
| 2 | 9 | Joe Mixon | RB | 20 |
| 3 | 10 | Aaron Jones | RB | 23 |
| 3 | 11 | Jaylen Warren | RB | 27 |
| 3 | 12 | Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | 27 |
| 3 | 13 | Austin Ekeler | RB | 28 |
| 3 | 14 | Najee Harris | RB | 32 |
| 3 | 15 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 50 |
| 3 | 16 | Ray Davis | RB | 52 |
| 3 | 17 | Ty Johnson | RB | 56 |
| 4 | 18 | Tyler Badie | RB | 57 |
| 4 | 19 | Javonte Williams | RB | 59 |
| 4 | 20 | Cam Akers | RB | 62 |
| 4 | 21 | RB | 63 | |
| 4 | 22 | Rachaad White | RB | 64 |
| 5 | 23 | Sean Tucker | RB | 65 |
| 5 | 24 | Jeremy McNichols | RB | 66 |
| 5 | 25 | Keaton Mitchell | RB | 69 |
| 5 | 26 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | 70 |
| 5 | 27 | Hassan Haskins | RB | 71 |
| 5 | 28 | Chris Brooks | RB | 72 |
| 5 | 29 | Cordarrelle Patterson | RB | 74 |
| 5 | 30 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | RB | 75 |
| 6 | 31 | Dameon Pierce | RB | 80 |
| 6 | 32 | Dare Ogunbowale | RB | 82 |
| 6 | 33 | Cody Schrader | RB | 84 |
| 6 | 34 | Will Shipley | RB | 87 |
| 7 | 35 | Rasheen Ali | RB | 92 |
| 7 | 36 | Michael Burton | RB | 95 |
| 8 | 37 | Frank Gore Jr. | RB | 96 |
| 8 | 38 | Ronnie Rivers | RB | 98 |
| 8 | 39 | Ty Chandler | RB | 103 |
| 8 | 40 | C.J. Ham | RB | 113 |
| 8 | 41 | Patrick Ricard | RB | 121 |
Wild Card Round Running Back Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Joe Mixon, Houston Texans - Fantasy Football Outlook
A midseason hot streak had Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon among the top options in fantasy football, but things have changed with Houston entering the playoffs against the Los Angeles Chargers. The 28-year-old is averaging 38.7 rushing yards across his past six games, and the Texans' offense has struggled overall, scoring a measly 15.6 points since December.
Now comes a Chargers defense that ranks third against fantasy running backs and fourth in scoring percentage allowed, which are not encouraging signs. Mixon is still on the fringe of being a RB1 due to his unchallenged workload in the Houston backfield, but managers in playoff formats shouldn't bet the farm on a huge performance, either.
- Nick Piotrowicz, RotoBaller
James Cook, Buffalo Bills - Fantasy Football Outlook
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook led the team with 1,009 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns during the regular season. After limited usage in Week 18 due to Buffalo resting their stars, Cook brings fresh legs into the Wild Card matchup against the Denver Broncos. While the Broncos have been stingier against the run than the pass over the last four weeks, the Bills are heavy home favorites (nine points). If the game script follows oddsmakers' predictions, Cook could get more opportunities than usual. He's a safe option for DFS lineups.
- Andrew Ball, RotoBaller
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