The fantasy football running back option you can’t overlook

There is a long, rich history of the scarcity of running backs in fantasy football.

The great RB Gold Rush during the first couple of rounds of drafts in the early 2000s led to the creation of PPR scoring. They remain among the most popular picks in early rounds despite prejudicial scoring and the change to a more pass-heavy game in the NFL. Acquiring good RBs can be difficult, so fantasy managers have given up going after the rare gems and instead employed Zero RB Theory, when they just scoop up whatever scraps are left.

What we have rarely seen is a surplus of good RB options in any given year. Yet, here we are in 2025, grappling with choices between which decent RB options to start or sit because our rosters are so stacked with RBs. And we can’t even unload them because most other rosters are also flush with usable RB options.

Of the early picks, there have been some mild disappointments but no real busts. You have to dig all the way to Round 4 to find Kenneth Walker III as the first real RB who has played his way out of your lineup — other than by injury.