ClutchPoints
The running back position is typically the most lucrative in fantasy football, but that was not the case in Week 1. With just five players topping 15 fantasy points, it was an all-around letdown. It was only one week, but fantasy football rankings are all over the place ahead of Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season.
Many big-name stars failed to deliver, but Derrick Henry came through yet again. The 31-year-old shredded the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football for a league-high 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His performance was marred by a late fumble, but Henry, at least for now, has reclaimed his spot atop the fantasy football Week 2 running back rankings.
Travis Etienne Jr. and Breece Hall were the only two other running backs to eclipse the century mark. Etienne, who entered the season with concerns about his backfield situation, exploded for 143 rushing yards, causing the Jacksonville Jaguars to trade Tank Bigsby on Monday.
Likewise, Hall shrugged off claims that he would lose his starting job to Braelon Allen with a 107-yard performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hall only topped 100 rushing yards once in 2024, putting him on the right track to begin the final season of his rookie contract.
However, despite their high rushing yard totals, neither Etienne nor Hall enters Week 2 as the No. 2 running back in fantasy football. That honor goes to Dallas Cowboys’ Javonte Williams, who scored twice against the Philadelphia Eagles. In PPR formats, Bijan Robinson ended Week 1 as the second-best running back after hauling in six catches for 100 receiving yards in the Atlanta Falcons’ season opener.
With a wealth of information to digest from Week 1, running back is arguably the most challenging position to pin down in the Week 2 fantasy football rankings.
With so many players disappointing in Week 1, most of the NFL’s running backs are looking to bounce back in Week 2. Most are too overqualified to be considered as “sleeper” targets, but a few matchups are too juicy to ignore.
After what he did in Week 1, it is difficult to call Javonte Williams a sleeper. He will not end the season as a top-five running back, but he certainly delivered for managers who bet on him early. Williams will be touchdown-dependent all year, but he gets a soft spot against a putrid New York Giants’ run defense in Week 2 that will likely be without starting linebacker Micah McFadden.
Alvin Kamara might be too long in his career to be an elite weekly fantasy option in 2025, but he certainly looked fresh in Week 1. Kamara recorded 45 rushing yards on 4.1 yards per carry before the New Orleans Saints abandoned the run as they played catch-up.
Kellen Moore’s offenses have typically been pass-heavy, but that certainly benefits Kamara, who is one of the best pass-catching running backs of the last decade. Kamara only received two targets from Spencer Rattler in...
