Zero RB and Hero RB drafters, this article is for you. If you’re loading up on WR while drafting Brock Bowers or Trey McBride early, the running back position is going to need attention further down the draft. That’s where these RB sleepers for fantasy football could come into play to help you round out your roster.

Fantasy Football Running Back Sleepers For 2025

Jordan Mason, Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings somewhat solidified their running back room during the offseason—Aaron Jones landed a two-year, $20 million extension with the team, and then they agreed to terms with Jordan Mason on a two-year, $12 million contract that included $7 million fully guaranteed. Mason was a waiver wire darling for some last season, and now in a new environment, I really like this 1-2 punch that the Vikings have going on.

Injuries played a big role in Mason's Year 3 breakout, finishing the season with 789 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games while Christian McCaffrey was sidelined. He also forced a missed tackle on a league-high 37.3% of his carries last season (min. 150 carries), according to Next Gen Stats. In Weeks 1-8 (before McCaffrey's return), Mason also led the NFL with 51 missed tackles forced.

I still believe Jones has juice left in the tank, but it's never a bad idea to have some insurance behind a running back who's going to be 31 in December.

There also wasn't much production behind Jones in 2024 either. Cam Akers had 297 yards on the year compared to Jones' 1,138 (the Vikings ranked 19th in rushing overall). Minnesota knew it needed to improve the run game for the new-ish quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and Mason put them in the right direction.

I like the idea of Mason complementing Jones in this backfield. We can expect Mason to be more of the early-down grinder with Jones getting more of the pass-catching work. Mason can handle that physical role, and now the Vikings can hope that Jones will stay healthy throughout the entire season as well.

We never expect injuries, but right now, Mason not only has standalone value in fantasy, but if Jones were to go down, then he would have the upside of more touches in a solid offense.

 

Najee Harris, Chargers

I actually really liked Najee Harris landing with the Los Angeles Chargers during free agency. Sorry, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, it's not us, it's you.

Here's one thing everyone knows about Harris: he is damn durable. He has never missed a game and is coming off his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season.

This feels like the season offensive coordinator Greg Roman could finally get that running game he wanted to help out quarterback Justin Herbert. Last season, it never really came together for Edwards and Dobbins—according to The Athletic, the Chargers finished 24th in rushing success rate.

The Chargers weren't done adding to their running back room (see: Omarion Hampton), but Harris will be reliable between the tackles. Like the Seahawks, the Chargers still need more help on the interior of the offensive line. The knock on the Chargers for Harris could be that they were only 22nd in running back fantasy points, which could be attributed to the lack of running back involvement in the passing game.

But still, we have to remember how solid Harris has been in the past. According to Ian Hartitz, Harris racked up a 24% missed tackle rate, which was the eighth-highest mark among all running backs with 150-plus carries.

Going into the 2025 season, Harris should be viewed as more of a low-end RB2. Zero-RB drafters, you know what to do …