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Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football: Tyjae Spears headlines sleeper candidates at the RB position for 2025
Fantasy football managers are smarter than ever, so finding a player who's actually being slept on can be difficult. With that in mind, we're shifting our focus to late-round targets who could drastically outproduce their ADP in 2025. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Over the next week, I'll shine the spotlight on my favorite sleeper candidates at every key fantasy position. Today, we're taking a look at running backs. Justin Boone's Fantasy Sleepers Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers (Aug. 7) Tight Ends (Aug. 8) Tyjae Spears, Titans Calling the first two seasons of Spears' NFL career a mixed bag feels like I'm underselling it. As a rookie, he broke onto the scene with 838 scrimmage yards and 52 receptions, while playing alongside a legendary workhorse in Derrick Henry. The fact that Spears was able to earn that kind of role in a season where Henry was active for all 17 games is notable. Entering his sophomore campaign last year, Spears was locked in a battle for the starting job with Tony Pollard. The coaching staff consistently referred to the duo as interchangeable and a timeshare seemed inevitable. Unfortunately, Spears suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 that stole some of his effectiveness and handed the lead back role to Pollard. Hamstring and concussion issues also plagued Spears as the season went along and prevented us from seeing the real backfield tandem the Titans wanted to deploy. However, when Pollard was dealing with injuries and missed some time in the final month, Spears stepped up playing the majority of the snaps. Week Touches Scrimmage Yards TDs 15 10 92 2 16 13 66 2 17 23 103 0 The 24-year-old will begin this season behind Pollard again, but the 28-year-old has another year of wear on his tires. Meanwhile, Spears has looked explosive in practice and people around the team believe he's headed for an uptick in touches, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Head coach Brian Callahan admitted the ideal usage would involve both backs playing 'a little more evenly' moving forward. The Titans have also upgraded at quarterback with first-overall pick Cam Ward and made significant investments on the offensive line, so if Spears gets a chance — he could excel. Like most of the names on this list, it will probably require an injury to free Spears up to reach his fantasy ceiling in 2025, but he has the talent to overtake Pollard if the veteran's play drops off at all. Spears is a nice value in fantasy drafts as an RB3/flex option with the potential to erupt if Pollard misses time. Second-year backs with new opportunities Ray Davis, Bills — James Cook is in the process of holding in, as he attempts to negotiate a contract extension. If the two sides fail to get a deal done, we could see Cook make more 'business' decisions during the season. Meanwhile, in the two games where Davis played more than 50% of the Bills' snaps last year, the backup finished as a top-15 fantasy RB both weeks. Braelon Allen, Jets — Allen flashed in his limited opportunities as a rookie and continues to make noise in training camp. Breece Hall remains the lead back, but new head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are coming from a Lions organization that successfully used two backs. Though the Jets aren't expected to be anywhere near as potent as Detroit's attack, Allen will likely take on a bigger role in Year 2, while also being one Hall injury away from stardom. Jaylen Wright, Dolphins — Wright was quiet during his rookie campaign, aside from a 13-carry, 86-yard effort in Week 5. However, he certainly has his supporters within the building — like Tyreek Hill, who believes Wright should get more chances around the goal line. De'Von Achane is the unquestioned starter in Miami, but we're just one year removed from Achane and Raheem Mostert combining for 2,184 scrimmage yards and 32 total touchdowns. If Mike McDaniel wants to, he can use Wright in a complementary role that turns him into a fantasy RB3/flex. Late-round rookies with paths to start Dylan Sampson, Browns — Every day that Quinshon Judkins remains unsigned as he deals with his legal situation, is a step closer to Sampson having a major role to start the season. A likely committee with Jerome Ford could prevent Sampson from hitting the highest end of his range of outcomes, but he's the most exciting option in the Browns' backfield until Judkins suits up. Jaydon Blue, Cowboys — It's not surprising to hear that Blue is impressing in practice, when his main competition for touches are underwhelming veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. As the fifth-rounder gets more comfortable, it's possible the Cowboys will come to their senses and let him take on as much work as his 5'9', 196-pound frame can handle. A committee seems likely, but there's no risk to given where Blue is going in drafts. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders — The man known simply as Bill has gone from a seventh-round rookie who people had never heard of when I brought him up, to a training camp darling and likely preseason star in the coming weeks. Brian Robinson Jr. is a reliable starter, but doesn't have the extra gear to make gamebreaking plays. Austin Ekeler is a solid change of pace back at this stage of his career, but he's on the wrong side of 30. There's a legitimate path for Croskey-Merritt to take over this backfield during the season. Woody Marks, Texans — The Texans continue to be vague about the recovery timeline for Joe Mixon, which puts his Week 1 availability in doubt. Head coach DeMeco Ryans recently gave a very honest assessment about veteran backup Nick Chubb, suggesting his best days are well behind him. That opens the door for Marks — a fourth-rounder with a three-down skillset, who could be especially useful in the passing game. Kyle Monangai, Bears — The fact the Bears didn't do more to address their backfield this offseason was puzzling. Maybe they knew something we didn't about Monangai, who they drafted in the seventh round. D'Andre Swift will open the season as the starter, but his hold on the job seems very loose. We're already seeing Monangai get first-team reps in practice and head coach Ben Johnson identified him as a player they'll 'be able to trust this fall.' Whether it's Monangai or Roschon Johnson or a veteran they sign before the season, someone else is going to factor into Chicago's run game in 2025. Justin Boone's Fantasy Sleepers Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers (Aug. 7) Tight Ends (Aug. 8)
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What could go wrong for Saquon Barkley as a top-3 fantasy pick
Yahoo Fantasy analysts Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski examine the potential risks of drafting the Eagles RB early including workload concerns, possible touchdown regression, and the 'Tush Push' effect. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Let's keep moving here because I think our 2nd overall pick is coming up here, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, he's the 2nd overall pick according to consensus Yahoo ADP, but actually, Scott, none of us, me, you, or Boone have him ranked as the 2nd overall player. Boone and I have him ranked as the 3rd overall player behind the guy that we'll talk about next, Bijan Robinson, Robinson, but, uh, you have Saquon Barkley ranked as the 6th overall player, so you already kind of have these reasons in your head percolating about why Barkley, maybe won't fail but might be disappointing. Talk about what can go wrong here for Barkley this season. Yeah, there's two stats I really can't unsee. The first one, everybody knows it, including the playoffs, 482 touches, which is just an enormous number, and we're talking about somebody who's headed into his 8th NFL season and had some injury problems, as many running backs do, although it seemed like no running backs other than McCaffrey got hurt last year, but 482 touches is an enormous number for a guy who's already deep into his career. And last year, no one-yard touchdowns, and his average length of touchdown was 29.4 yards, which is just an unsustainable, unrepeatable, not gonna happen again number. So, the touchdown bush survived. They tried to get rid of it. They couldn't get rid of it. It's hard to kill. It's a, you know, Bruce Willis diehard. The touchdown bush is still here. Jalen Hurts runs it well. The Eagles, they, you know, they have the offensive line to do it. They have that kind of, uh, nerve to keep running it, like, go ahead and stop it, you know, it's almost like an arrogance to them. And why shouldn't they be? They're really good at a play that is incredibly valuable to keeping the offense efficient and getting those touchdowns you need when you get in close. So, I think Barkley's touchdown count is a little bit tenuous and his workload that he's coming off and where he is in his career. I always want, the longer I play fantasy, the more I want to try younger, younger, younger. And I, I get nervous taking these. And I realized last year was a great year for older running backs. And so many guys changed teams, went to better situations. We saw Henry do that. We saw Barkley do that. We saw Jacobs do that, and they were all winners. But I'm nervous to take a guy when I can take some of these players who haven't had their best season yet, like a Robinson, like a Gibbs, some of these guys who are younger, who are in good situations too. There's no way I'm taking Barkley second overall. And if he fails, it will be because the touchdowns came in way under expected, or that workload caught up to him. Close
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy football - Top-12 RB rankings for dynasty
Yahoo Sports fantasy analysts Matt Harmon and Justin Boone run through the top dozen running an impact for Fantasy entering dynasty this summer. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Justin, we're gonna quickly rank these guys, uh for dynasty here. I think we'll be in agreement that Ashton Gentry's #1, Amarian Hampton, based on what you said earlier, I'm guessing is gonna be your #2. How do we order the rest of these guys? The third running back is Trayvon Henderson. Henderson's pretty straightforward, right? I love the game-breaking speed. I love the pass-catching ability, and like I said earlier, I think he is going to thrive as a pass catcher in that offense. That's where he's gonna make his hay. Next, and we have to put a huge asterisk next to this one. It is still Quinshaw Judkins. He is the guy with the talent who would be my #2 back in. Although, personally right now, probably just taking him off my draft board entirely and not drafting him anywhere. Then RJ Harvey, I think like we talked about, he might have a slower start, but eventually he will take over and he's going to be a pretty good back for fantasy. Caleb Johnson, I just think he's a great value compared to the other running backs above him. Not going to be the guy that's gonna win you your league, but could come in, and in the spots I've taken him, I'm looking at him as like an RB3 or a flex on my teams. The next guy for me, like we said, it's two together, it's Scattibo, and it's Tin. Scattibo, I think there's a chance he could take that job. I don't necessarily think that's gonna happen. I think it's gonna end up being a committee. And then Tootin, he is such an explosive player. That's a backfield, again, another one that's kind of looking for that guy to step up. And then it's actually Jerquez Hunter on the Rams, and he's a guy who is very explosive. He brings something that I think the other backs in that Rams backfield don't. Then we go to Jayden Blue, like I said, not sure he's ever going to be the lead back, but certainly, you know, intriguing this year. Could he end up carving out a role? I think he will. I think it's just gonna be a committee there though. After that, we're gonna go to Dylan Sampson, and we talked about him. I guess we could put an asterisk next to his name as well because depending what happens with Judkins, Samson could really vault up this list a few spots. Then I'm gonna go to Berard Smith on the Chiefs, and now we're getting into an area where I don't think he's ever going to be the lead back, but it really sounds like Andy Reid has a plan for him, wants to use him in the passing game. so we could see Brochard Smith give us some value this year. If it does happen, it's not gonna be as an RB1 or probably even an RB2. It's gonna be more of a flex play, but where you get him, if he returns flex value this year, that is gonna be great. Close
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Gators 2025 Position Preview: Running Backs
Florida Gators 2025 Position Preview: Running Backs originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier has always loved to run the ball. In his coaching career, Napier's teams have been known to have incredible running back rooms. Advertisement This has especially been true since he took over in Gainesville. Last year, the Gators rushed for 161 yards per game and had one of the best backfield groups in the SEC. Now, even with one of Florida's top rushers gone from a year ago, the Gators still have a loaded running back group in 2025. With Montrell Johnson Jr. leaving for the NFL, the top of the backfield belongs to a sophomore coming off a very impressive freshman year and a veteran poised for a big 2025. Dec 20, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh (13) celebrates after he runs with the ball during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Florida's leading rusher from 2024 is back with Napier to join star quarterback DJ Lagway in the backfield. Jadan Baugh, who earned Freshman All-SEC honors last season, broke out in a big way in his first career start, which came against Kentucky last season. He rushed for 106 yards and an absurd five touchdowns, tying a single-game program record. Advertisement In total last year, Baugh led the Gators in rushing yards with 673, attempts with 133 and was tied for the team-high with seven scores on the ground. Coming off this monstrous freshman season, he is ready for another big year in 2025. The back who was tied with Baugh for the team lead in rushing touchdowns was Ja'Kobi Jackson, who is entering his fifth collegiate season and third in Gainesville. Jackson played in all 13 games last year with one start. The Pensacola, Florida, native ran the ball 95 times for 509 yards and seven touchdowns. Behind Baugh and Jackson in the depth chart will likely be redshirt sophomore Treyaun Webb and redshirt freshman KD Daniels. Webb started as Florida's backup last year for the first four games before suffering a season-ending fractured tibia, earning a redshirt. He totaled 98 yards on the ground and one score. As for Daniels, he was one of the top running back prospects in the country in the 2024 class out of West Point, Mississippi. Like Webb, Daniels played four games last season. He had 11 carries for 77 yards and one touchdown, which came in Florida's Gasparilla Bowl victory over the Tulane Green Wave. Advertisement Although Lagway will get most of the headlines before the 2025 season, the Gators' loaded backfield group will definitely be one to watch out for. Athlon Sports' Florida Gators 2025 Position Previews: Quarterbacks This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Fantasy Football Rankings — Justin Boone's Top Running Backs
Yahoo Sports' Justin Boone won the FantasyPros Most Accurate Expert Award in 2019 and has eight top-10 finishes in the competition. Follow the links below to see his latest redraft rankings at every position. Advertisement Christian McCaffrey, 49ers - CMC was a full participant in OTAs, which is a great sign after a season almost entirely lost to injuries. Kyle Shanahan and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak have both suggested McCaffrey will be back to a significant workload this season and I'm buying it. He's my RB4 overall. Joe Mixon/Nick Chubb, Texans - The signing of Chubb combined with vague reports that Mixon will be ready at some point during training camp have me slightly concerned. Repeating as the RB8 in fantasy points per game was already going to be a challenge, but now Chubb will give him better competition for touches. It's forced me to move Mixon into the low-end RB2 range. RJ Harvey/J.K. Dobbins, Broncos - The Harvey hype train has been temporarily slowed down by the Dobbins' signing. I still prefer Harvey as the more dynamic option at this stage of their careers and we know Dobbins has struggled with injuries in the past. However, both backs will likely return value with Harvey as a borderline fantasy RB2/RB3 and Dobbins as an RB3/flex while healthy. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] 2025 Fantasy Rankings QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Top 300 Running Backs 2025 Fantasy Rankings QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Top 300
