Fantasy Football: 3 rookies (and one veteran) headline breakout candidates at the RB position for 2025

With the NFL season approaching and fantasy football drafts in full swing, there’s never been a better time to determine which players could be this year’s breakout stars.

It seems easy in hindsight, but identifying young talent on the verge of making a major leap is often what propels fantasy managers to championships.

Advertisement

Over the next week, I’ll highlight my favorite breakout candidates at every key fantasy position. Today, we’re taking a look at running backs.

[Justin Boone's 2025 breakout candidates: QB | RB | WR (coming soon) | TE (coming soon)]

Omarion Hampton, Chargers

In the past, I tried to avoid highlighting rookies as breakout candidates because they’re in a category of their own after we spend all offseason discussing them. However, in recent years it’s become almost impossible to speak about breakout running backs without mentioning a couple rookies, especially when you have a class this strong.

While Ashton Jeanty stole most of the headlines and eventually went sixth overall to the Raiders (more on him later), Hampton also earned that rare first-round RB draft capital — going off the board 22nd to the Chargers.

Advertisement

While some people will debate whether it’s smart to invest that high of a pick on a ball carrier, it was well deserved for both players. In addition to a 6-foot, 221-pound frame, Hampton posted an impressive athletic profile, including a 94th percentile speed score and a 91st percentile burst score. The 22-year-old is also coming off back-to-back seasons with over 1,500 scrimmage yards and over 15 touchdowns at North Carolina. Jeanty’s presence in this class might have been the only thing keeping the Hampton hype train in check.

Now, fantasy managers can let themselves be inspired by Hampton’s potential in a Greg Roman scheme, where he can star as a north-south runner and a true three-down difference-maker. Jim Harbaugh even referred to him as a four-down back at one point this offseason.

It was evident that Harbaugh wanted to build a strong run game a year ago, but the inconsistent health of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards made that task harder than it should have been. Still, that duo accounted for eight top-15 weekly fantasy performances and Dobbins was the RB14 in fantasy points per game before injuries derailed his season.

Hampton will presumably be running behind a better offensive line, as well. The Chargers added guard Mekhi Becton to a group that already featured three first-round picks and one of the best tackle tandems in the league.

Advertisement

Maybe you’re worried about Najee Harris turning this into a committee? Don’t be. Hampton is unlikely to be a workhorse during his first season, but the good news is that he doesn’t need to be in order to have meaningful fantasy results. Think about Jahmyr Gibbs, another first-round runner who was overshadowed by a superstar in his class (Bijan Robinson). In that debut campaign in 2023, Gibbs shared his backfield and only played 56% of the Lions’ snaps, yet finished as the RB11 (fppg).

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Hampton is far more dynamic than Harris and will have a head start on the veteran, who’s expected to miss some time at the beginning of training camp following an eye injury he suffered during a recent fireworks mishap.

Advertisement

This all boils down to Hampton being positioned for a significant role in an ascending offense that wants to feature their backs. It’s hard to believe a first-round runner could be under-appreciated by the fantasy community, but I’d argue that’s where we’re at with Hampton being drafted as the RB21 at the Round 4-5 turn. I’ll have him on the majority of my redraft rosters if that continues.

Boone’s redraft rank: RB17 (Strong RB2 with potential to push his way into the low-end RB1 range)

Ashton Jeanty, Raiders

It seems silly to devote much space in this article to Jeanty, who is one of the more obvious rookie breakout candidates in recent years. On top of an elite prospect profile and the aforementioned top-six draft capital, he joins an offense ready to make him the engine of their attack. Chip Kelly has given us plenty of high-end fantasy starters over the years and he’ll bring an uptempo approach to the Raiders, while giving Jeanty as many touches as he can handle. There’s also minimal competition in the backfield, unless you’re concerned about a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert.

Advertisement

It might feel dangerous using your first-round fantasy pick on a rookie, but Jeanty is worthy and has an excellent shot to be a top-five RB in Year 1.

Boone’s redraft rank: RB5 (Immediate bell-cow RB1 with an elite fantasy ceiling)

TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots

Henderson is the third and final rookie I’ll mention on this list, though Kaleb Johnson should get an honorable mention for almost making the cut. Henderson gets the edge over him thanks to higher draft capital, a more explosive profile, top-notch pass-catching ability and his pass-protection skills. This should help win over a new coaching staff who would love nothing more than to keep Drake Maye’s jersey clean.

Advertisement

So, why does his ADP have him down at RB28 in the seventh round? Fantasy drafters who are scared off by the committees OC Josh McDaniels deployed in his previous seasons with New England should remember Rhamondre Stevenson has found himself in the doghouse with prior regimes due to fumbling issues and an overall lack of big-play ability. It shouldn’t take long for Henderson to establish himself as the best option and a safety net for Maye. The Patriots also have the eighth-easiest RB slate in my Fantasy Strength of Schedule Matrix, so get ready for Henderson to significantly outproduce where he’s going in current drafts.

Boone’s redraft rank: RB20 (Low-end RB2 with a high floor thanks to receiving stats)

Jordan Mason, Vikings

Mason is one of the few non-rookie backs who meet the criteria of a breakout candidate this year and in the interest of not making this an All-Rookie Team, I’m awarding him the last spot. If you read my article on players set to excel with new teams, you already know why I’m in on Mason this year. If you didn’t, let’s recap.

Advertisement

The Vikings traded for Mason after he shone as an injury-replacement starter for the 49ers last season. Since then, Minnesota’s coaches have spoken about their backfield as a two-man band with Mason serving as a power complement to veteran Aaron Jones, who turns 31 in December. That’s a role that should make Mason a weekly flex option with the potential for much more if Jones starts to break down given his age and injury history.

If Jones were to miss time, Mason would enter the fantasy RB1 conversation.

Boone’s redraft rank: RB31 (Consistent flex option with league-winning injury-replacement upside)

Advertisement

Stay tuned for the rest of Justin Boone's breakout series