Nailing the running back spots is essential for constructing a solid DFS lineup. It’s a bit easier to project than the receivers, where touchdowns and big plays are going to result in weekly variance. The workloads for the top running backs are much more stable, so they’re typically more consistent fantasy producers.
However, that also results in some of the heaviest chalk you’ll see across the industry. How do you handle those players each week?
In this piece, I highlight running backs who stand out in our large suite of analytical fantasy tools, most specifically, our FantasyLabs Player Models. While the models are built for DFS contests, this is an all-purpose fantasy article with actionable information for all formats.
As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by Sean Koerner), player ratings in our Player Models will change as the projections change. For updates, visit the models directly.
And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Or you can just use our NFL DFS sims to effortlessly create advanced lineups.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:
Top NFL DFS Cash Game Options
Bijan Robinson ($7,900 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel)
Robinson entered this season as the No. 1 running back in most fantasy drafts, and he has lived up to that expectation so far. He’s rattled off at least 22.8 DraftKings points in each of his first two contests, and he’s currently RB4 in terms of fantasy points per game.
Robinson has displayed his full skill set through the first two weeks. He was inefficient as a runner in Week 1, but he made up for it with six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. His usage as a pass-catcher was more muted in Week 2, but Robinson bounced back with 22 carries for 143 yards on the ground. That makes him one of the few players capable of dominating in multiple ways.
His usage as a receiver has been particularly encouraging. RBs who catch passes are much more valuable than ones who don’t, and Robinson currently ranks fourth at the position with a 20% target share.
Unfortunately, Robinson does still have to deal with Tyler Allgeier. He’s going to continue to siphon off more work than ideal, but Robinson has still been on the field for 75% of the Falcons’ offensive snaps. Between his work as a runner, pass-catcher, and touchdown-scorer, he should see enough opportunities to return value most weeks.
Robinson gets an excellent matchup in Week 3 vs. the Panthers. Not only are the Falcons moderate 5.5-point road favorites, but Carolina is merely 20th in rush defense EPA to start the year. Robinson owns a +2.5 Opponent Plus/Minus on DraftKings, which is the second-best mark at the position.
Finally, the price tag on DraftKings for Robinson is too good to pass up. It results in a 95% Bargain Rating, which is the second-best mark at the position. Add it all up, and Robinson stands out as one of the clear top options at the position.
Jordan Mason ($5,400 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel)
While Robinson might be the Rolls-Royce on this slate, Mason is the Honda Civic. He’s a dependable midrange target who should provide plenty of value.
Mason has spent the first two weeks as the 1A in a committee backfield in Minnesota. He’s handled most of the early down responsibilities, playing on 58% of the snaps and handling 60% of the designed rushing attempts, while Aaron Jones has handled the pass-catching responsibilities.
However, Jones went down with an injury in Week 2 and has been officially placed on IR. That leaves Mason as a potential bell-cow back in Week 3. It’s possible that someone else could work into the rotation, but Ian Rapoport reports that we’ll see “a lot” of Mason vs. Bengals.
Mason was phenomenal when working as the 49ers’ top RB last season. Through the first seven weeks of 2024, Mason averaged 5.2 yards per attempt and 95.3 rushing yards per game. He also displayed some pass-catching chops, catching 10 of 12 targets.
The Vikings will take the field as three-point favorites in Week 3, setting up a nice potential game script for Mason. The Bengals are currently 21st in rush defense EPA, and with a backup QB under center, they could lean heavily on the run game. Mason ranks first at the position in projected Plus/Minus by a wide margin, and he should be nearly universally owned for cash games.
Tony Pollard ($5,700 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel)
It hasn’t been a pretty start to the year for the Titans. Cam Ward has unsurprisingly struggled out of the gates, which is not a unique phenomenon for rookie quarterbacks. Even the best QBs tend to struggle to start their NFL careers, and Ward should improve as the season progresses.
If the offense shows more signs of life in Week 3, Pollard has a chance to be an excellent value. He’s one of the biggest bell-cow backs in the league at the moment, and he’s available at favorable price tags across the industry.
Pollard has handled 89% of the snaps and 86% of the designed rushing attempts through the first two weeks. Julius Chesnut is the only other back on the roster to receive an attempt, and he has just two carries compared to Pollard’s 38. That’s one of the widest discrepancies in the entire league.
Pollard is also dominating the “money downs.” He’s played on 75% of the short-yardage snaps and 89% of the long-down-and-distance snaps. That hasn’t resulted in a ton of pass-catching opportunities, but it’s possible he adds that to his repertoire moving forward.
Pollard has at least 18 carries in back-to-back games, and he had 90 rushing yards against a tough Rams’ defense last week. All he needs to do is add a touchdown to his ledger to be one of the best values at the position.
Now available: our NFL DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
Top NFL DFS Tournament Options
Christian McCaffrey ($8,200 DraftKings, $9,100 FanDuel)
McCaffrey is always going to be in tournament consideration when he’s healthy. He’s basically a unicorn at the position, combining WR-like usage as a pass-catcher with plenty of rushing upside. McCaffrey leads all backs with a 25% target share for the year, racking up 17 total targets through the first two weeks. He’s responded with 15 catches, 125 receiving yards, and a touchdown, resulting in 33.5 PPR points before factoring in any of his rushing stats.
McCaffrey has also handled 66% of the team’s rushing attempts through the first two weeks, including 22 carries in Week 1. He hasn’t been as efficient as usual with those opportunities, but he’s still getting plenty of volume.
Ultimately, it gives him arguably the top ceiling on the slate every time he takes the field. Only Mason is showing up with a higher optimal lineup rate in Sim Labs.
Bucky Irving ($7,100 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel)
Irving spent most of his rookie season in a committee with Raachad White, but he has taken the RB job by the reins in 2025. He’s seen 75% of the snaps and 69% of the rushing attempts in Tampa, and he was extremely efficient as a runner as a rookie. He averaged 5.2 yards per attempt, so that much volume is an exciting prospect.
Irving is still ceding work to White on third downs, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting involved in the pass game. He’s been targeted on 19% of his routes run, resulting in 10 total catches through the first two weeks. It gives him a well-rounded workload that should produce plenty of fantasy points.
Irving gets an excellent matchup vs. the Jets in Week 3. The Bucs are listed as 6.5-point home favorites, and like most running backs, Irving does his best work in that split. He’s averaged a +5.42 Plus/Minus in 11 games as a favorite, and that figure increases to +6.78 when favored by more than four points (per the Trends tool).
The Jets’ defense has also hemorrhaged yards through the first two weeks, and they’re 29th in the league in rush defense EPA. Irving stands out as an excellent option on this slate, particularly at just $7,400 on FanDuel.
Jonathan Taylor ($7,200 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel)
Taylor has steadily gained steam throughout the week, and he looks back to his old self in Shane Steichen’s offense. With Daniel Jones turning into “Indiana Jones,” the Colts have moved the ball at will through the first two weeks. They’re currently first in the league in yards per game, and Taylor has been a big reason why. He’s averaged 5.5 yards per attempt, and he’s added five receptions for 77 yards and a score through the air.
Taylor is coming off a monster performance in Week 2, finishing with nearly 200 yards of total offense. There’s no reason he can’t put together another ceiling game in Week 3. The Titans have been dreadful against the run so far this season, ranking dead last in rush defense EPA. Taylor will also take the field as a favorite, and he’s averaged a +4.27 Plus/Minus in that split for his career.
Ultimately, Taylor provides similar upside to the top backs on the slate, and he does it at a slight discount.
Contrarian NFL DFS Tournament Options With Upside
Josh Jacobs ($7,000 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel)
The Packers are looking like a juggernaut to start the season. They cruised to a blowout win over the Lions in Week 1, and they followed that up with a comfortable win vs. the Commanders in Week 2. Micah Parsons has turned their defense into a beast, while their offense ranks fourth in EPA per play.
Jacobs has handled the lion’s share of the work in the Green Bay backfield. He’s played on more than 80% of the snaps and racked up 84% of the team’s rushing attempts. Only Chase Brown and Pollard have handled a higher percentage of their team’s carries.
Jacobs hasn’t had a ceiling game yet, despite scoring a touchdown in both contests to start the year. That said, it seems like it’s just a matter of time. He’s getting all the carries he can handle, and Jacobs had two games with three scores last season. His matchup vs. the Browns isn’t ideal, but 100+ yards with multiple scores is always in his range of outcomes.
Saquon Barkley ($7,800 DraftKings, $8,900 FanDuel)
Barkley will likely be the lowest-owned option among the top RBs on Sunday. He’s projected for just over 10% ownership across the industry, and getting Barkley at an ownership discount is always something to consider.
It hasn’t been an excellent start to the year for Barkley, who has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Still, there is no denying his talent. He was an absolute monster for the Eagles last season, and as long as he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to expect much different in 2025.
Barkley’s matchup vs. the Rams is tough on paper. Los Angeles has been stout defensively through the first two weeks, though they’ve been better against the pass than the run. However, Barkley absolutely torched the Rams in two matchups last year. He had more than 300 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in their regular-season meeting, and he followed that up with 205 rushing yards and another two scores in the playoffs.
Jaylen Warren ($5,500 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel)
Warren isn’t quite a bell-cow back for the Steelers, but he’s pretty darn close. Rookie Kaleb Johnson has been basically banished to the shadow realm to start the year, while Kenneth Gainwell has handled just 31% of the carries.
Warren hasn’t had much success as a runner to start the year, though he did turn four targets into four catches and 84 yards last week vs. the Seahawks.
Warren stands out as an undervalued option across the industry in Sim Labs. He’s checking in with the fourth-highest optimal lineup rate on DraftKings, and he’s ninth at the position on FanDuel. His ownership projection is closer to 10% across the industry, so he’s an interesting source of leverage.
Quinshon Judkins ($5,000 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel)
Judkins is a play on talent more than anything else in Week 3. The matchup vs. the Ravens is one of the worst possible. Cleveland is a massive underdog, so playing one of their running backs seems like a recipe for disaster. Judkins hasn’t seen usage on passing downs, making him even riskier.
Still, Judkins was basically on the team for two days before leading the team in carries in Week 2. He needed just a couple of practices to overtake Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford in the pecking order. With a full week of practice under his belt, it’s possible that his role only grows moving forward.
He turned his 10 carries into 61 yards last week, and there’s a chance that he’s a special player. If that’s the case, this could be our only opportunity to buy him at a really cheap salary.
Pictured: Saquon Barkley
Photo Credit: Imagn
