The Best College RBs for Fantasy Football in 2025

Or: Why Spend $13 Million on a Junior? Because He Might Drop 40 on Duquesne.
There are two kinds of college fantasy players:
- The ones who’ve been scouting spring games since March.
- And the ones who panic-Google “who starts at running back for Georgia Tech” five minutes before lineups lock.
This article is for both.
Running backs are the soul of your salary cap squad—the difference between fantasy glory and screaming into your couch cushions at 2:15 p.m. ET because your $12 million guy has... six yards. Pick wrong, and you’re stuck watching your buddy’s backup from Rutgers go off for 24 points while your Heisman hopeful is decoy-blocking in the red zone.
So here’s your guide: the elite, the reliable, the bargains, and the “I don’t totally know what I’m getting but it feels spicy” options for 2025.
💰 Elite Tier ($13.0 Mil)
Jeremiyah Love – Notre Dame
Fantasy Price: $13.0 Mil
The gold standard. Love does it all—explosive runs, pass-catching, goal-line scores, and just enough national TV exposure to make every carry feel personal. The offense runs through him, and you will too if you don’t roster him. There’s a reason he’s the most expensive RB in the game. He’s worth it.
Desmond Reid – Pittsburgh
Fantasy Price: $13.0 Mil
Desmond Reid is like that quiet kid in class who turns out to be a genius—and also returns punts for touchdowns. He can put up points in every phase of the game and has a fantasy-friendly workload that never quits. He’s not flashy on name recognition, but he’ll torch a defense for 30 before the second quarter’s done.
💰 High-End RB1 Options ($12.0–11.0 Mil)
Makhi Hughes – Oregon
Fantasy Price: $12.0 Mil
Transferred from Tulane after racking up 2,700+ career rushing yards. He’s a volume machine with elite vision, and Oregon is going to feed him until the ducks fly south. Already a top-graded RB by PFF, and now in a high-powered offense that scores for fun.
Darius Taylor – Minnesota
Fantasy Price: $12.0 Mil
Minnesota might be allergic to passing, which is great for you because Taylor is a true bell cow. Over 1,300 total yards and 10+ touchdowns in a run-heavy scheme. Not flashy—but very fantasy-flavored.
Jaheim White – West Virginia
Fantasy Price: $11.0 Mil
White led WVU in rushing last season and added solid receiving work. He’s elusive, efficient (5.7 YPC), and probably on zero national radars. But in fantasy? He’s already on the shortlist of breakout stars.
💸 Mid-Tier Starters ($9.5–7.5 Mil)
Jamal Haynes – Georgia Tech
Fantasy Price: $9.5 Mil
Haynes is what you get when you combine consistency with just enough upside to make your group chat angry. Nearly 1,000 rushing yards, steady volume, and nobody is stealing his touches. He’s not flashy—but he’s on winning rosters.
Caden Durham – LSU
Fantasy Price: $9.0 Mil
Durham showed out as a freshman and has the RB1 job locked down in Baton Rouge. If you’re looking for a high-floor RB2 with legit RB1 upside, this is the pick that keeps you in the game every week.
Nate Frazier – Georgia
Fantasy Price: $8.5 Mil
One of the fastest players in the country, Frazier looked electric in spurts last season. Georgia will probably be a top 10-15 team all year long but might struggle to move the ball through the air. Bad news for UGA fans, but great news for Frazier owners - he might turn out to be the most underpriced player in the game.
Kaytron Allen – Penn State
Fantasy Price: $8.0 Mil
If Kaytron Allen weren’t sharing the backfield with Nick Singleton, we’d be talking about a top-5 RB. But here we are—splitting carries, losing passing-down snaps, and still putting up 1,000-yard potential. High floor, sneaky ceiling.
Quintrevion Wisner – Texas
Fantasy Price: $7.5 Mil
Wisner is the kind of mid-price back who could end up as a top-10 guy if things break right. He flashed all-purpose skills last year and is projected to lead Texas’ backfield again. He didn’t score a ton of TDs last year, but with Jaydon Blue departing to the NFL, there is a healthy amount of vacated receptions and redzone work for Wisner to pick up.. unless CJ Baxter returns and messes up the vibe (more on that in a second).
🔮 Budget Gambles (Under $7.0 Mil)
Antwan Raymond – Rutgers
Fantasy Price: $6.5 Mil
Honestly? I didn’t know much about him before writing this. But Rutgers keeps pumping out productive fantasy backs, and Raymond is the next one in line. If he takes over the starting job early, this might be the cheapest 20-point back on the board -- and he showed some flashes last year that should make the three Rutgers fans here very excited!.
Jadan Baugh – Florida
Fantasy Price: $6.5 Mil
Explosive, shifty, and sneaky good in limited work last season. Florida is still figuring things out on offense, but Baugh could be the one constant. Perfect cheap option to round out your bench—or flex when feeling spicy.
CJ Baxter – Texas
Fantasy Price: $5.5 Mil
Injuries derailed his 2024, but when healthy, Baxter was electric. If he reclaims any kind of lead role, this is the steal of the year. Of course, if he doesn’t… well, that’s why he’s $5.5M.
Gideon Davidson – Clemson
Fantasy Price: $5.5 Mil
True freshman with all the hype in the world. Coaches are already buzzing, depth chart is wide open, and he has the tools to take over quickly. Big risk, big reward—and a name to file under “how did I not start him in Week 3?”
🏁 The Wrap-Up: Buy Smart, Score Big, Regret Nothing (Well, Maybe One Thing)
You’ve got $100 million to play with—so don’t just buy names, buy opportunity.
- Want high-end certainty? Love, Reid, Hughes, and Taylor are your anchors.
- Need consistent value? Haynes, Durham, and Allen give you that weekly stability.
- Looking for the league winning breakout? Wisner and Frazier are right there.
- Feeling risky? Load up on Baxter, Davidson, Baugh, or Raymond and enjoy the chaos.
Just remember—it’s college football. Nothing is guaranteed except weirdness. One of these guys will go for 38 points on a random Thursday night. One will fumble twice and get benched for a walk-on from Valdosta.
The only thing you can control is how smart you spend.
Choose wisely. And never, ever bench a guy just because he plays for Rutgers.