2025 NFL Draft Rookie Fantasy Fallout: Running Backs (Part 3)
I love talking about running backs as much as humanly possible, so to conclude our post-draft rookie discussions at the position, I am going to give you a few of my favorite Day 3 gems at the position from the 2025 NFL Draft and detail each of their respective fantasy outlooks for 2025 and beyond.
Woody Marks, Houston Texans
Woody Marks going to the Houston Texans is a great fit if you ask me. I immediately fell in love with the pick when I saw it come across the screen. I liked Marks as a prospect coming into the draft this year, but I was unsure if the NFL would share my enthusiasm for the running back due to his older age and somewhat limited ceiling as an all-around volume back. So when I saw Marks go in the fourth round of this year’s draft, I was very happy. If you dig into Woody Marks’ skillset, you will find out pretty quickly that he is not the best and most refined rusher out there. However, he is an elite receiving option, which we love for fantasy football, especially with rookies as we try to project their year 1 role with their new teams. In 2024 at USC, Woody Marks hauled in 47 receptions for 321 yards, which is a lot of receiving work for a running back. On top of that, Marks’ best season in the receiving game came at Mississippi State in 2021, when he recorded 83 receptions for 502 yards, which was historically good at the time. As for Marks’s 2025 fantasy outlook specifically, his path to playing time is as a specialized pass-catching back. Joe Mixon is obviously the lead back in Houston, but the veteran running back has never really been that efficient of a receiving option, which is where Woody Marks excels. Plus, DeMeco Ryans and his staff seem to not like Dameon Pierce for whatever reason, so Marks should pass Pierce on the depth chart behind Mixon pretty quickly this fall. I am personally very excited about Woody Marks’ fantasy outlook this season, and I will be taking the rookie running back as a deep sleeper everywhere in drafts this summer. In terms of Woody Marks’ current dynasty value and outlook, this is also very positive, because I personally feel that the rookie running back is not being talked about nearly enough right now, and he is being undervalued in dynasty rookie drafts as well. Although Joe Mixon is not a free agent until March of 2027, the Houston Texans do have an out in his contract after this season, so if the veteran running back continues to show a decline in his game and efficiency like the second half of last season, the team could decide to move on. If this does indeed happen, Woody Marks COULD become the lead back in Houston for 2026 and beyond. I am not saying that this will absolutely without a doubt happen, but it is definitely something to think about and/or possibly prepare for. Based on the potential upside as a pass catcher, I would try your best to get Woody Marks everywhere late in your dynasty rookie drafts. Nobody is talking about Marks nearly enough right now, so he should come cheap and not cost you too much.
Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys
Jaydon Blue is a very interesting player to me. Blue is a very speedy and explosive running back, but he was never really someone who received a lot of volume in college, in the rushing game at least. In three years at Texas, Blue topped out at 134 carries, which is not a huge amount by any means. So clearly not the most experienced and refined rusher in the world. Blue does, however, provide elite upside in the receiving game as a pass catcher out of the backfield, thanks to his smaller frame and elusiveness. In 2024 at Texas, the young running back hauled in 42 receptions for 368 yards and 6 touchdowns, which is very impressive at the college level. Jaydon Blue’s fit with the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL intrigues me very much. At first glance, it might seem that Blue is buried on the depth chart here. But once you dig into it more, you will realize that the two running backs ahead of Blue have had very shaky careers in the NFL up to this point, to say the least. Miles Sanders has not been good or even relevant in a few years now, and honestly, I am not even sure if he will make the Cowboys’ roster at this point come week 1. As for Javonte Williams, he flashed greatly as a rookie, but he has just not been the same ever since he tore his ACL as a second-year pro in 2022. So, there is clearly an opportunity for Jaydon Blue in this backfield. This Dallas running back room seems a bit crowded right now, but if I am going to take a shot on someone, I am going to take a shot on the youth and explosiveness in Jaydon Blue. I am not sure if he will lead this Dallas Cowboys backfield in touches in 2025, but I am almost certain that the rookie running back will be the most efficient with those touches out of everybody there currently.
Switching over to dynasty, that is a different story, unfortunately. I am not nearly as high on Jaydon Blue’s dynasty value and outlook as I am his 2025 redraft outlook. I like the player, I just do not like the situation for the future beyond 2025 as much. I am fearful that Jaydon Blue will flash this year then get replaced in 2026 via the NFL Draft. Think of the Tyrone Tracy situation. Even though Tracy flashed last year, the Giants had no problem drafting Cam Skattebo this year, and now it looks like Skattebo will lead that team in touches this season and will overtake Tracy in that backfield almost immediately this fall. I, unfortunately, have the same fear with Blue. Jaydon Blue also has a very small frame compared to most other NFL running backs, so the rookie does not profile as a player who can handle a lot of volume. That does not help here, it could very well make things worse, actually. At the end of the day, you should be very happy with getting Blue in the second or third round of your dynasty rookie drafts. Just be aware, though that you may only get one year of good production from him before he is possibly replaced in that Dallas backfield in 2026.
Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears
Ben Johnson has shown in the past that he is not necessarily the biggest fan of D’Andre Swift, so Kyle Monangai going to the Chicago Bears intrigues me more than a seventh-round pick normally would. Monangai does not have the biggest measurables in the world for a running back, but he plays in a way that is much bigger than his size would suggest. Over his last two years at Rutgers, the talented young back hit over 1,200 yards on the ground each year and accumulated at least 8 touchdowns each year as well. Monangai is not going to give you anything as a receiver, so his ceiling is capped in that department, but he is a very efficient and refined rusher at the position. Kyle Monangai profiles best as a bruising between-the-tackles grinder, which could lead to a goal-line role as a rookie for the Chicago Bears in 2025. That could be a very coveted role in a seemingly much-improved offense from last year. I am aware that Roschon Johnson is still in the mix in this backfield, but Ben Johnson and his staff have no ties to the third-year running back, so the team has no real reason to give him work. Instead, the team will most likely defer to Kyle Monangai for that role, who this current staff drafted. Due to this, I could easily see Monangai being the true handcuff, maybe even a little more, to D’Andre Swift in 2025, not Roschon Johnson. In this scenario, Monangai would be the goal-line back for this offense, and Swift would be the volume guy and receiver out of the backfield. I would definitely keep an eye on Kyle Monangai as a very deep sleeper in your drafts this summer. Shifting over to Kyle Monangai’s dynasty outlook, that is a bit more complicated if you ask me. As I just explained, I like the projected role that he could fit into, but I am just not sure how much future value a seventh-round pick holds.
Draft capital tells us a lot about a player’s dynasty value, especially at the running back position. Late Day 3 picks like Monangai get replaced all the time, unfortunately, so keep an out for that in 2026. Kyle Monangai is flying extremely under the radar right now, so I would definitely take him in the fourth or fifth round of your dynasty rookie drafts. It is well worth it at that point, solely because of the potential role that he could carve out for himself in the Chicago Bears offense in 2025. But just know that he could very well be replaced in 2026 and, unfortunately, not be relevant in two or three years. Kyle Monangai’s 2025 redraft outlook right now is much more positive than his overall dynasty outlook.