Veteran Fantasy Running Backs: All Eyes on 2025 NFL Draft | West Divisions

by Samwise · Draft Strategy
running backs 2025 nfl draft

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Veteran Fantasy Running Backs: Don’t “Look Back in Anger” during the 2025 NFL Draft | West Divisions

The shelf life for a running back in the NFL is notoriously short. It causes veterans to have their heads on a swivel each year at this time. Realistically, it should be no surprise that teams plan for the future. Constantly looking back over one’s shoulder and being “up in arms” as fresh blood enters the league is useless. A running back’s eyes must always be facing forward, lest they’re overtaken sooner than later.  For the current NFL crop of veteran running backs, it’s a “wait and see” approach in the 2025 NFL Draft next weekend. Will they have backfield competition heading into the season?

NFL general managers backtracked on the purported “age cliff” RBs fall into. They discovered many of these veterans still had gas in the tank; several aging running backs received new contracts. Fantasy managers followed suit as the median age for “rock-toters” in 2024 had reached its highest point since 2020, a season limited by offseason COVID-19 restrictions. Maybe owners, GMs, and coaches did indeed notice the veteran running backs still had some juice. On the other hand, perhaps it was all just a waiting game. All parties foresaw a deep crop of young rookie running backs entering the league this year.

Many current starters are holding theirs as teams and fantasy managers wait with bated breath for the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s not to say everyone is fearing for their job. However, with such an electric group entering the league, numerous backs from last season may be teetering on the edge of being usurped. Or at the very least, being forced into a timeshare. Let’s track down the names of guys who might be looking behind them rather than straight ahead as their teams shop in Green Bay, Wisconsin. beginning April 24.

Today, we wrap up the series with the West divisions. Hang on tight.

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AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs | Isiah Pacheco

As usual, the league and fantasy football circles are laser-focused on the defending AFC champions. Signing Kareem Hunt again in free agency was a surprise move, if only because his M.O. is typically to avoid calls from teams until after training camp. The Chiefs returned him on a one-year deal after the 29-year-old plodded his way to relevance in 2024. Hunt managed just 3.6 yards per carry (YPC) and 56 yards per game (Y/G). However, he was invaluable when Isiah Pacheco went down with a broken fibula in Week 2, and the Chiefs’ other options were not starting-caliber.

The fact that they re-signed Hunt is good enough reason to believe his place on the team is secure in whatever role they decide. It’s a one-year agreement for $1.5 million, and it would cost them more than half of that to let him walk. The same can not be said for Pacheco.

Upon returning from injury, Pacheco was a shell of his former self. He averaged just 3.5 YPC and completely pulled an “Amber Heard” against Houston in the playoffs (six touches, 18 yards) while turning the ball over downs on a third-quarter rush. The Rutgers product has several factors playing against him this offseason. Aside from bringing back Hunt, Kansas City has very little invested in the back. 2025 is the final contract year for the seventh-round (251st overall) pick in the 2022 draft, and his dead-cap value is less than $20,000 to send him packing. The team would save over $1 million by cutting him.

The Chiefs aren’t usually ones to address the position early in the draft, but this year they could secure a slam-dunk in the second or third round. They’ll be on the lookout for a capable back on the ground and in the aerial attack.

Los Angeles Chargers | Hassan Haskins, Jaret Patterson

The Chargers have several other holes that need attention in the draft, but it’s not outrageous for Jim Harbaugh to reach for a running back late. He’s a notorious fan of the position. In 2024, J.K. Dobbins finally returned from the tough, injury-riddled road to relevance, finishing second only to Joe Burrow in the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting. Dobbins missed four games but still put up 1,058 scrimmage yards to go along with nine trips to the painted area.

The team signed former Pittsburgh Steelers workhorse Najee Harris to a one-year deal worth just north of $5 million. That could be construed as a “prove-it” deal, but at 27 years old, he’ll have to perform admirably behind the Los Angeles’ big offensive line to secure a mid-season extension. Harris has a career efficiency of 3.9 YPC, so while it’s easier said than done, he likely will have far better blocking than he’s used to.

Second-year pro Kimani Vidal is more than likely to take over the third-down role. Should the Chargers draft a running back earlier than expected, Vidal may be pushed down in the pecking order, but his job is safe. The same cannot be said for Hassan Haskins or Jaret Patterson, whether fresh legs are drafted or not. The reclamation projects have a combined 144 carries, with Haskins missing 2023 due to injury and Patterson spending 2023 and ’24 on practice squads. Not only would they cede jobs to a rookie, but potential free agents later in the summer, as well.

Denver Broncos | Audric Estime

The Broncos will draft a running back in 2025. The question is whether they will blow up the backfield entirely. Blake Watson and Tyler Badie have shown very little in the NFL thus far, and are already 25 years old. There is virtually no chance of overtaking a rookie or the pass-catching role. Their fit (if there is one) would be making the roster on special teams. Outside of that, both qualify for the practice squad if head coach Sean Payton chooses to keep them around.

Remember that brief window where Audric Estime seemed poised to take control of this backfield? Blink, and you missed it. After being active for 13 games in 2024, Estime had just 337 yards to show for it. Guys with brick-layer hands are not suited to be pass-catching backs, so that’s probably out, too. People forget that Estime came from Notre Dame with only fifth-round draft capital invested. His role is likely to revert to the de facto No. 3 back in the offense. If the Saints see a veteran free agent they like (see: unsigned J.K. Dobbins), Estime could find himself out of a job.

That leaves accomplished pass-catcher Jaleel McLaughlin, who has wrangled 59 passes in two seasons. His job is safe as the No. 2/change-of-pace option behind whichever rookie the team brings in. Competition from Javonte Williams is gone to Dallas. This is Payton’s chance to put his stamp on the Broncos as he’ll have the pick of the litter to play the Alvin Kamara role he coached in New Orleans, which he covets dearly. RJ Harvey and Cam Skattebo are just two of the crop that could especially fill that need.

Las Vegas Raiders | Zamir White, Dylan Laube, & Co.

Chris Collier is eligible to be signed to the practice squad after being active for just eight games between Baltimore and Vegas last season. The other three are very likely walking the plank before the season’s start. White pulled one of the most epic Amber Heards of 2024 by leaving a steaming pile on the field after being gifted the starting job. He rushed for 183 yards (2.8 YPC) in eight games. Though he could not possibly get worse, the sour taste he left in the organization’s mouth numbers his days. The team can eat $185,000 while saving over $1 million by giving him his walking papers.

Dylan Laube and Isaiah Spiller can safely be labeled as draft busts. The Raiders took a flier on Spiller after he was released by the Chargers. With barely over 100 total yards in two seasons and a paltry 2.5 YPC, he simply has not shown any progress. Laube (already old enough to rent a car as a rookie) was a sixth-round gamble in last year’s draft. The expectation was for him to be a pro-ready third-down option in the backfield. Instead, Laube was active for 10 games, had his number called once, and put the ball on the ground. That’s a tough first impression. Color these two as failed experiments.

After a decade in the league, do not expect the Raiders to bring back Ameer Abdullah, barring a catastrophic injury. The club signed another elder statesman in former Dolphin Raheem Mostert, who stands to either share carries with a rookie or at least spell him. That leaves second-year player Sincere McCormick with the No. 3 job ripe for the taking. McCormick barely got his feet wet last season, but ran hard with the ball and averaged 4.7 YPC. The undrafted rookie seems to have turned enough heads in practice since coming in as a UDFA in 2022. These two are likely the backups for a big-ticket rookie coming in the draft’s first round. Ashton Jeanty is the odds-on favorite to anchor the Las Vegas backfield.

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams

The LA Rams don’t necessarily have to do anything in their backfield. With that said, as we’ve seen in the past, head coach Sean McVay just can’t leave well enough alone. Particularly at the running back position— so all bets are off.

Kyren Williams confounded the critics and remained healthy all season en route to producing his second-straight campaign of 15-plus touchdowns. In the process, he left fan-favorite Blake Corum utterly invisible, save for being a high-profile handcuff. Can Williams do it again? Maybe not. Either way, Corum stands to work his way into the committee more often than in 2024, when he totaled just 265 yards. The rookie with a nose for the endzone was shut out of the promised land all season as Williams received opportunity after opportunity.

They’ll form a fearsome backfield in 2025, and journeyman Ronnie Rivers isn’t likely to be released in favor of a rookie. Rivens knows his role and doesn’t rock the boat, has been depended on for a spot-start twice since 2022, and has a YPC over 4.0. If the Rams take a running back, it will most assuredly come late.

Seattle Seahawks | Kenneth Walker III

Wait, what? Let’s kick the tires on the outside of the box. Seattle isn’t in trouble with the salary cap, but one doesn’t have to look too far down the road to forecast future spending. Their ends and safeties in particular are creeping upwards pretty quickly. It’s a far cry from 2000, when the entire line was under 25. Severing ties with a player of Walker’s caliber and gaining back $1.5 million (dead cap under $900k) isn’t going to make much of a dent. It’s never too early to look forward in some other way, however, and it’s a cinch that Walker won’t be present the next time Seattle makes a meaningful run.

Zach Charbonnet can do everything that Walker can do. So much so, it was a head-scratcher when they drafted him a year later. Charbonnet stands sour inches taller, weighs five pounds more. He’s a better receiver, has an identical YPC average, and an additional year on his contract (through 2026). Lastly, Walker has never remained healthy for a full season nor carried the ball more than 228 times. He rushed for 1,000 yards once, inching over the mark as a rookie in 2022.

The ‘Hawks, like other teams, might not get a chance to pick from a pool of talent like this for several more years. With Charbonnet sticking around for two more years, they can afford to bring a high-profile rookie in to be the future at the position. Look for the Emerald City to put current starter Walker on the trade block to entice teams who lose a running back in camp. Zach Charbonnet‘s fantasy stock would skyrocket (as would the rookie’s), and managers who waited patiently could be rewarded.

Arizona Cardinals | James Conner

On today’s episode of “Hoarders,” we take a look at the backfield of misfit toys in Glendale, AZ. We have a trio of less-than-spectacular 26-year-olds and Zonovan Knight, who requires a compass to find his current team. All of these names are squarely on the chopping block. “Bam” Knight is practice eligible, so it’s fair you’ll find him there. The Cardinals could draft a late running back that slides right into the No. 3 role, but it’s unlikely with the team having many other needs to address.

It’s hard to justify Emari Demercado being rostered. Fantasy managers know his name from being a “Hail Mary” replacement for a few weeks, but all he did was disappoint. Deejay Dallas had been around the block more times than a night walker. His only home is on special teams, and that’s where he’ll land. Carter is a hard runner who has 21 starts under his belt in the league. If they dodge backs in the draft, Carter will lock up roster spot number three. If not, he’ll do so elsewhere.

James Conner is still the man in Arizona after signing an extension, but he is as good as gone after the coming season when his salary leaps to $10 million in 2026. He’ll be watching the draft intently for his replacement to join Trey Benson. Conner shocked everyone last season by logging his first-ever injury-free campaign in eight seasons at the ripe young age of 29. He set career-highs in rushing yards, scrimmage yards, and attempts. He finished just short of setting highs in three other major categories. With all of that said, the Cardinals did not draft Trey Benson to be a handcuff. In a limited role, he put up 5.1 yards per touch (Y/T) on 3351 scrimmage yards in 13 games, total. Benson will have just turned 22 when the season starts, and there’s going to be a far healthier dose of him alongside Conner this season.

San Francisco 49ers | Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo

What does Kyle Shanahan have up his sleeve? A lot of it has to deal with unanswered questions. Many around the league think that Christian McCaffrey has played his last full season in the league. McCaffrey has Bilateral Achilles Tendinitis (read: not just one, but both Achilles tendons). Not only did it prevent him from getting on the field for the first half of the season, but it stands to reason that a degenerative affliction would cause a person to adapt. I’m no doctor, but it seems like that’s the sort of thing that would cause him to go down with a non-contact PCL injury, ending his season.

Whether that is the case or not, the “degenerative” part of the equation is the most telling. His Achilles tendons are not going to improve. Good days, bad days… sure. But he’ll likely never return to the same old “Run CMC,” particularly at 29 years old.

After backup Jordan Mason suffered an injury of his own, rookie Isaac Guerendo took over the starting duties. With Mason traded to Minnesota for a pair of draft picks, it seems like an open road for Guerendo. However, he lacked the explosion most expected. Once entrenched in a larger role, his YPC rapidly deteriorated. In his final four games, he logged 5.2 YPC, 3.6, 3.8, 2.5. Mind you, the last one was on limited duty.

The question in Shanahan’s offense is always, “Is it the back, or is it the coach?” There is no challenging the fact that McCaffrey is one of the best running backs of this generation. However, Guerendo’s up-and-down nature as a fourth-round pick, combined with the team’s willingness to suddenly part with Mason’s 880 yards on 5.5 Y/T, raises eyebrows. The educated guess is that Shanahan goes even younger at running back in this deep draft, moves Guereendo to No. 3, and plans for the future. In the meantime, he’ll keep his star around as long as he’s able.

The Captain Has Turned On the Fasten Seat Belt Sign

It’s going to be a wild ride next weekend, and the fantasy fallout will be felt as managers in all formats start slapping the panic button. For veteran NFL running backs, they will be watching carefully to see what their teams do in Green Bay as it applies to their remaining relevance in the league. Not all will be bucked from their starting positions, but some will. Or they’ll be forced into a committee and watch from the sidelines as rookies slowly increase their snap counts.

In dynasty, this situation is particularly fluid; a veteran’s trade value immediately begins to diminish as soon as a new fantasy running back is drafted. Now is the time to evaluate the players on dynasty rosters and be realistic about their role(s). Some of the players mentioned here only offer significant contributions to those set to contend for this year. For many, they may not lose their job immediately, but the clock is certainly ticking on their shelf life. And that’s just the beginning. Teams stand to be so overloaded at the position post-draft, surprise camp cuts and signings are certain to follow.

Thanks for coming along on this ride. Be sure to check out the top of the page to investigate the other divisions. Am I wrong about yours? Let me hear it on Twitter/X (link below).

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