Fantasy Football Running Back Draft Busts for 2025: Christian McCaffrey, Kenneth Walker and More

A couple days ago, I started a new fantasy football series pointing out some possible draft busts and steals at each position.

I looked at busts and steals at the quarterback position, and am now going to go over some possible draft busts at running back. Check back in the coming days for more draft bust and steal stories.

I'll be using the FantasySP Average Draft Position list for help in identifying some possible busts. I'm going to limit myself to the running backs currently going in the top 100 picks.

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Christian McCaffrey - 49ers

McCaffrey is an easy first choice for me. Ironically, he also could end up being a draft steal too. He ranks fourth among running backs and is going around pick 10 on average so far.

He was limited to four games a season ago, and I think he'll be less of a workhorse in an effort to get him through the season healthy this upcoming season. CMC is a fantasy star when he's on the field, but with some injury woes over his career, and now at 29 years old, I see him as a better chance to bust than be a steal.

Jonathan Taylor - Colts 

Taylor is still somehow just 26 years old, but injury woes are part of the reason I could see him being a bust next season. Another is that the Colts don't have a great option at quarterback right now, so defenses might be able to key in on Taylor.

He played in 14 games last season, which was up from 10 in 2023 and 11 in 2022. Those injury woes are still there, even if he's still a fairly young running back. 

Taylor is the No. 10 fantasy back on the ADP list and is going around pick 20 so far. I think that's a bit too early given some of his limitations.

Chase Brown - Bengals

Brown is the No. 11 back on the ADP list, and is at pick 27 on average.

He was the No. 10 fantasy back in fantasy points leagues last season. Brown is definitely capable of doing something similar on a stacked Bengals' offense next season, but I could also see Brown falling off.

We also don't know how Brown's body will hold up with a full season of a starter's workload. Unless his ADP drops a bit, I am probably going to try to avoid Brown this season.

Kenneth Walker III - Seahawks

Walker is the No. 16 back on the ADP list, and he's at pick 45 on average for now.

I think that's too high, especially after he was outscored by his own teammate (Zach Charbonnet) last season. Only playing in 11 games was part of the reason Walker finished behind Charbonnet, but after missing a few games in his first three NFL seasons, that's another reason to be wary of Walker.

I think there's better value picks near his current ADP. If Walker drops a round or so, then I'd be happy to take a chance on him. As is, I'm very skeptical of Walker and that ADP.

Chuba Hubbard - Panthers

Hubbard is the No. 17 back and is at pick 46 on average so far.

He had a solid season last year, but the likelihood he remains the No. 1 back for the team isn't as certain. Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne are other options for Carolina now, and it might mean that Hubbard ends up as a draft bust.

Some might think a pick in round five doesn't have a ton of risk involved, but hitting on those picks can take good fantasy teams to a higher level, while poor picks can lead to you missing the postseason. Hubbard is not a guy I'd want to take a chance on near his ADP. 

Omarion Hampton - Chargers

Hampton is the No. 18 back on the ADP list and is going at pick 47 on average. 

I love Hampton as a dynasty asset, and had high hopes for him until the Chargers signed Najee Harris in free agency. At best, I see Hampton and Harris having close to a 50/50 split of the backfield.

That will help Hampton's long-term value, but also hurt him for the upcoming season. Unless his ADP falls, I'm going to likely be skipping Hampton this season.