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Most-Undervalued 2025 NFL Fantasy Football Running Backs!
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Top 2025 NFL debates: Who are the most undervalued running backs, and are they winners or busts?
Every fantasy football season, a few players at each position divide the fantasy football landscape. There seems to be no “liking” of the player; one must simply love or hate that player, with no in-between. I wanted to take a look at three running backs who seem to be dividing the fantasy football community and take a deeper dive into three of the most polarizing running backs for 2025 fantasy football drafts.
Without further ado, let’s jump in and break down whether you should be in or out of some of these fantasy football undervalued running backs!
Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks – ADP: RB16
Walker is a polarizing name. Some love him, some hate him. Some people think Kenneth Walker will be the clear-cut RB1, while others think Zach Charbonnet is going to be heavily involved, or perhaps even take the driver’s seat. However, if you’re asking me, Walker is the guy here, no questions asked.
Klint Kubiak has been an OC twice, and in both years, he predominantly used one guy and operated under a zone-heavy scheme. How did the two Seattle backs fare on zone concept runs in 2024? Let’s take a look, courtesy of Fantasy Points’ Data Suite:
| Player | Zone Att% | YPC | MTF/ATT* | YACO/ATT** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker | 52.90% | 3.44 | 0.28 | 2.25 |
| Charbonnet | 48.90% | 2.58 | 0.11 | 1.88 |
*MTF/ATT = missed tackles forced per attempt
**YACO/ATT = yards after contact per attempt
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Charbonnet was excellent on man/gap concept runs, but if Kubiak is going to come over and implement a zone-heavy scheme, it’s a huge upgrade for Walker and a sizable downgrade for Charbonnet.
Also, Kubiak loves to utilize RBs in the pass game, and Walker was better than Charbonnet in that department last season, posting 0.87 fantasy points per route run, 1.43 yards per route run, and a 90+% catch rate, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. One thing I will call out is that Charbonnet was substantially better in pass pro than Walker, per Pro Football Focus.
At the end of the day, the Kubiak scheme lends itself better to Walker’s skill set, and he’s one of my must-draft players this season.
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals – ADP: RB20
Yes, Conner is getting older, and he does have a lengthy injury history. However, he was awesome last season, and Trey Benson is his main threat for competition. Conner is going to get the rock a ton in 2025 and should be a workhorse back for this Arizona squad.
Not only does Conner have 1,000+ yards and 7+ TDs in each of the last two seasons, but his 47 receptions and 414 receiving yards last year were his most in a season since 2018, not to mention an excellent 8.81 yards per route run!
Beyond that, he had the second-best MTF/ATT in the NFL last year and a healthy 2.65 yards after contact per attempt! The price tag on James Conner is either baking in an injury, preparing for a Trey Benson emergence, or perhaps both, but in terms of projected workload in 2025, there aren’t many guys going after him with fewer questions than Conner.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams – ADP: RB13
Fantasy football aficionados fancy themselves Kyren Williams, whereas film junkies and data nerds are quick to point out his flaws. There are definitely some concerning numbers under the hood for Williams, but volume is king in fantasy football, and Williams is the unquestioned lead back in a Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford offense with Day 2 and Day 3 RBs from recent NFL drafts behind him.
Let’s start with the positives. Kyren Williams has a nose for the end zone, and L.A. continuing to lean into more man/gap concept runs bodes well for Williams. Williams has 26 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons, trailing only Derrick Henry at the RB position during that span. Another thing that Kyren is very good at is getting a few yards on every carry and avoiding negative plays.
Fantasy Points’ Data Suite classifies a “stuffed” run as “any run that does not result in a first down or touchdown, less than 4 yards on first down, or less than 3 yards on any other down.” Last season, he had the seventh-lowest stuff rate, and in 2023, he had the second-lowest!
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Now, let’s address the negatives. The fumbles were an issue last season, and he has to figure that out, not to give McVay any inkling of giving more work to Blake Corum or Jarquez Hunter. Additionally, while Williams is great at getting four yards on just about every carry, explosion is not an element of his game, and he truly needs volume and TDs to boost his fantasy production. He’s a compiler. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially if the volume is there, but it’s who he is.
| Statistic | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Explosive Run Rate | 3.90% | 1.9% (3rd-lowest) |
| MTF/ATT | 0.21 | 0.13 (10th-lowest) |
| YACO/ATT | 2.75 | 2.09 (7th-lowest) |
*Ranks amongst RBs with at least 100 carries, per Fantasy Points’ Data Suite
The hate on Williams may be accurate to an extent, but at the end of the day, he scores touchdowns and is going to get 15+ carries every game as the lead back for [what should be] a very potent Los Angeles Rams offense.
You can find & follow Colby Conway on the X! Undervalued running backs.
