Get in tune with the Zero RB strategy with the guru himself, Kevin Tompkins!

While we might be a couple of weeks out from the NFL Draft, it’s never too early to think about some of the RB situations in the NFL from a Zero RB perspective. If you’re drafting right now, you’re able to take advantage of early ADP, where there isn’t as much information. Post NFL Draft, however, a ton of information will come with rookies getting NFL landing spots, knowing what veterans lose valuable spots, and what rookies and veterans will be competing with one another.

We’ll be diving into as many team situations as we can and pinpoint some of the best contingent backfields, committees, and backfields where a lot can happen. Let’s take a look.

Check out this guide from Richard Sickels for a full list of Fantasy Football Terms. 

Clean Contingent Backs, Tier 1

Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)

Tyler Allgeier is one of the cleanest contingent backs you’ll find, as the Falcons have nothing else behind him other than menial depth. He also has had a moderate standalone role in the past few seasons and has a 1,000-yard season on the ledger in his 2022 rookie season. Behind Bijan Robinson, Allgeier is one of the best bets for at least 60 percent or better of rushing attempts.

Jordan Mason (RB – MIN)

After a trade that sent Jordan Mason from the 49ers to the Vikings, it puts Mason in the catbird seat behind Aaron Jones, who has never been a picture of health in his career. Mason was awesome in the early part of 2024 but then struggled with some injuries. Then, Christian McCaffrey came back, relegating him to seldom-used contingent play.

Mason was rarely used in the passing game, so his overall upside is potentially limited to being a two-down grinder with a goal-line role, but he does it well and that’s good enough for RB2 treatment if Jones is out and his role holds through the NFL Draft.

Zach Charbonnet (RB – SEA)

Zach Charbonnet is the only back on this main list that could cut into a projected starter’s role without health being a factor. Kenneth Walker III’s 2024 season outside of the first six weeks was extremely underwhelming and ended the season with just a 3.7 yards per carry mark.

When Charbonnet got his opportunity with the Seahawks, he capitalized. In Week 2 and Week 3, Charbonnet scored a touchdown in each game and finished as RB8 and RB7 in those weeks. In Week 14, he was the overall RB1 with a 7-59 line receiving and 134 rushing yards plus two touchdowns. I’m on board with Charbonnet for 2025, but here’s hoping they improve the middle of that offensive line because it’s pretty gross.

Clean Contingent Backs, Tier 2

Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN)

The 2024 season for Tyjae Spears was a mixed bag, as Tony Pollard did take a ton of work as a workhorse back that took 68 percent of the non-quarterback rushing attempts last season. When Spears did get on the field in an extended capacity, he was excellent in the last few weeks of the season with four total touchdowns and three consecutive RB12 or better weeks in the fantasy playoffs.

Any back that can handle both a rushing and receiving role has my attention and while the Titans have talked about adding a running back in the draft, they have a bunch of other needs as well. It seems unlikely they’ll use anything more than Day 3 capital to bring in a back to replace Julius Chestnut, not challenge Pollard or Spears.

Blake Corum (RB – LAR)

While Blake Corum only took 58 carries last season as a third-round pick, he still maintains a nice contingent profile thanks to the Rams being so condensed with the depth they DON’T regularly use. Also, we haven’t seen much of Corum in general, so while the Rams have taken this car out of the dealership parking lot, they’re not far away yet.

As a mystery box option among some backs that have been used more by their offenses, we can still project a little bit. Corum never received more than eight touches in any game in 2024, but he was used well ahead of Ronnie Rivers for most of the season.

Clean Contingent Backs, Tier 3

Isaac Guerendo (RB – SF)

Isaac Guerendo saw his value shift up with the trade of Mason to Minnesota. With the always-emphasized running game in San Francisco, they’ve always been one of the most fruitful offenses to pluck contingent backs from for fantasy success. McCaffrey is getting older, and his repeated lower-leg injuries don’t help instill confidence in him playing another full season.

Guerendo had his moments last season, but he does need to survive the NFL Draft to feel much more confident in his role for 2025. We know that Kyle Shanahan loves drafting running backs and ‘Toy Story’ing’ them immediately; names like Joe Williams, Trey Sermon, and Tyrion Davis-Price come to mind. If the 49ers decide to draft a running back with Day 1 or Day 2 draft capital, Guerendo’s stock would plummet a bit.

Rico Dowdle (RB – CAR)

In a weird turn of events, Rico Dowdle signed with the Carolina Panthers and will probably earn a bit of a standalone role behind Chuba Hubbard for 2025. There wasn’t too much of a starting running back free agent market for Dowdle, it seems, but on a Panthers team that showed signs of being a real NFL team over the second half of last season, Dowdle is a clear contingency play if something were to happen to Hubbard.

Jonathon Brooks is likely out until 2026 with yet another ACL tear, and only seldom-used special-teams ace Raheem Blackshear remains – well behind the Hubbard and Dowdle. Dowdle could be a solid RB2 but doesn’t have the upside of other backs thanks to the offense and Dowdle’s skill.

Unclear Backfield Committees

Travis Etienne (RB – JAC) and Tank Bigsby (RB – JAC)

We’ve had a bunch of situations throughout the years where neither RB has a leg up on the other in the pecking order, making them both values in fantasy drafts. From Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor to James Conner and Chase Edmonds, to Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker III. Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby could be that new duo where both backs will get work, but how they perform will dictate who gets what work, where Etienne will almost always have the advantage in the receiving game and Bigsby is the more efficient back in the run game.

Bigsby is not a receiving back by any measure, with just 11 targets in 15 games, but for a back you don’t have to draft too early, beggars can’t exactly be choosers. Especially if Bigsby, as the kids say, “has the juice.” Summer reports and training camp updates could shape the ADP for both backs with ebbs and flows.

Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC) and Kareem Hunt (RB – KC)

This backfield was headed up by Kareem Hunt from Week 4 and then was a committee back upon Isiah Pacheco’s return in Week 13. Pacheco’s fractured fibula seemed to take its toll on him as he didn’t look anything close to the same running back we had seen in previous seasons. The fact that the Chiefs had to bring Hunt off of his couch for 200 carries says everything we need to know about this backfield.

The Chiefs SHOULD bring in another RB, but will they? They need juice in the worst way, and in a strong running back draft class, it behooved the Chiefs to add one (or more) backs to the RB room. That would shake up this backfield, and we’d have a new Zero RB star on our hands depending on who it is.

Javonte Williams (RB – DAL) and Miles Sanders (RB – DAL)

To say the Dallas Cowboys have mismanaged their backfield for multiple seasons is an understatement. Last season, it was Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott for some reason. This season, it’s looking like Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders.

Williams looks nothing like he did in 2021 with the Broncos before his multi-ligament knee injury in 2022 seemed to sap a lot of his athleticism. The solid receiving profile remains but with consecutive seasons at 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry, he might be washed.

(Again, as the kids say.)

Sanders has been through the washer and dryer repeatedly since leaving Philadelphia to sign with the Panthers before 2023. He’s found it difficult to even get on the field, and when he has, he hasn’t been that great with -0.4 and -0.8 rush yards over expected per attempt (RYOE/Att) in the last two seasons.

The Cowboys are incredibly likely to draft a running back to shake up this room and probably need to. I just can’t imagine going into a season with these two backs heading up the rushing attack.

Raheem Mostert (RB – LV), Sincere McCormick (RB – LV), and Zamir White (RB – LV)

The Raiders look to go into 2025 with three of the running backs of all time. Yup, there they are! The only back here with a glimmer of hope for the future is Sincere McCormick, who was very efficient and looked like a competent back with a 51 percent success rate per NFL Next Gen Stats as well as positive season-long marks in RYOE (31) and 4.7 yards per carry in a small sample size.

Raheem Mostert could still surprise a little bit as an older back who doesn’t have as much tread on his tires as a 33-year-old back. Remember, Mostert was a primary special-teams player from 2015 to 2019 and has just 759 career carries in his 10 seasons. Zamir White is a cut candidate after winning the Mike Davis Award last season as “fantasy running back everybody projects for 200+ carries because he’s at the top of the depth chart.”

(Sure, it’s not a real award, but it should be.)

McCormick deserves a second look, and Mostert could remain productive, but it’s no lock that the Raiders won’t draft another RB to muddy everything up. In fact, it could be a landing spot for Ashton Jeanty. If that’s the case, McCormick/Mostert could both be late-round dart throws.

Contingent Situations That Could Change After The NFL Draft

Baltimore Ravens

Even with Derrick Henry in tow, the Ravens could add another back to Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, and Rasheen Ali. We know the Ravens love collecting RBs, and they may draft one with an eye to the future.

Chicago Bears

New head coach Ben Johnson has already chosen not to use D’Andre Swift once, and it’s likely to happen again. Swift could be on the move, but I can’t imagine Johnson wanting to use Swift now when he didn’t before. It’s a backfield that could see one of the better backs in this draft class assuming the top spot in Chicago. Omarion Hampton, perhaps?

Cincinnati Bengals

The thing that gives me trepidation about Chase Brown is the fact that the Bengals could add to the RB room. If Brown (and Zack Moss for that matter) survive the NFL Draft, Brown would be a workhorse back. Moss would be a solid, no-nonsense ZeroRB contingent play behind him.

Cleveland Browns

There are only two RBs on the roster: Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong. It’s almost a lock that the Browns will bring in one or more backs. With so many needs, it may not happen in the early rounds. The later a back is drafted, the more secure Ford feels and same with Strong.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos likely select a back in the NFL Draft as they’re currently sitting with Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime at the top of their depth chart. We know that Sean Payton loves to mix and match RBs – and everybody in a skill position on offense. This backfield probably stays a committee no matter who the Broncos bring in, so there will still be good reasons to draft McLaughlin and Estime as ZeroRB contingent backs.

Houston Texans

Joe Mixon was a solid top option and with not much behind him, the Texans could opt to replace Dameon Pierce. Pierce only saw 40 carries last season with Dare Ogunbowale carrying a jack-of-all-trades role in both the receiving and rushing game. Mixon will turn 29 this summer and with an eye to the future, could bring in a back with more ability for this and future seasons.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have Jonathan Taylor, who is locked in as a workhorse. There’s no arguing about that. Behind him is a different story with 2024 holdover Tyler Goodson still on the roster in addition to 2025 additions Khalil Herbert and Salvon Ahmed. It’s anybody’s guess here, but if the Colts bring somebody in, it’s likely to be somebody on Day 3. Whoever that is will still compete with this lot of backs to be the primary contingent play behind Taylor.

Los Angeles Chargers

It’s very possible that, despite bringing in Najee Harris in free agency, the Chargers are not done adding to the room. After Harris, we’re looking at Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins. Not exactly inspiring confidence there. Harris could see some competition for the top Chargers back and could plunge both into Zero RB chaos like the Jaguars’ situation with Etienne and Bigsby.

Miami Dolphins

De’Von Achane is perched at the top of this Dolphins’ RB room, but the team also brought in Alexander Mattison as depth and to compete with 2024 draftee Jaylen Wright. Wright didn’t pass the eye in terms of NFL readiness, which took his stock as a Zero RB sleeper down a bit. It remains to be seen if the Dolphins continue adding to the room, but they certainly could as we’re talking about a Mike McDaniel system that doesn’t fall far from the Kyle Shanahan tree.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints have so many holes to plug as they feel like the Titanic with a ton of leaks and not enough people to stop the water from coming in. RB may not be high on their priorities with Alvin Kamara still fine, but clearly off his peak. Kendre Miller could get the first crack as spelling Kamara and possibly manning a standalone role with the Saints in 2025. So could Jordan Mims, who has a solid receiving profile. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is also somebody who exists and has a job. There are a lot of moving parts here that are yet to be sorted.

New York Giants

With Tyrone Tracy Jr. leapfrogging Devin Singletary to become the Giants’ top rusher, it’s still possible the Giants add an RB to at least compete with Singletary and Eric Gray. Singletary will be 28 by Week 1 and has an out in his contract that could make the 2025 season his last one in New York. Drafting a developmental back is in the cards for the Giants in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jaylen Warren may get the chance to lead this Steelers’ backfield with Najee Harris now in Los Angeles after what feels like decades of waiting. While the Steelers did add Kenny Gainwell to the Arthur Smith machine of RB greatness (patent pending), Pittsburgh is live to add a back in the draft. A feather in Warren’s cap is that the Steelers do not have a second-round pick, so that removes one piece of high draft capital from the equation. If Warren loses anything from an RB in the draft, it’s likely a goal-line role.

Washington Commanders

In what could be the world’s most boring backfield, Brian Robinson has been solid but not spectacular by any measure in his three seasons in Washington. Austin Ekeler still is hanging around to catch some passes with the third-highest YPRR (1.69) among running backs with 150 pass routes. On the ground, he was much more efficient than Robinson was. The Commanders also liked using Jeremy McNichols, too, so that could be somewhere for Washington to upgrade in the interim.

Kevin Tompkins is a contributor to Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Kevin on Bluesky @ktompkinsii.bsky.social and right here on Optimus Fantasy.