Looking at the three toughest fantasy football strength of schedules for the running back position in 2025.
Although everyone dreams of winning their fantasy football league every year, the reality is that doing so isn’t always attainable. In order to achieve this, you must make sure you do not have a bunch of busts at the running back position. The best way to do that is to steer clear of RBs who may cause you more harm than good.
With the running back position playing a pivotal role once again for the 2025 fantasy season, we break down the three toughest fantasy football strength of schedules for running backs. For the full fantasy football strength of schedules for 2025 wide receivers, plus other draft data, get our fantasy football draft kit! (more on that below)
3 Toughest Fantasy Football Strength of Schedules for RBs
Baltimore Ravens (Derrick Henry)
It’s no secret that Derrick Henry is a stud, and this Baltimore Ravens rushing attack is one of the best in the league. It’s also no secret that Derrick Henry is already 31 years old and has tallied 996 rushing attempts over the last three seasons (only Saquon Barkley has more than 900, with 996).
I’m not going to sit here and say that Derrick Henry is going to be a bust or that old age is finally going to get him this year. Fantasy players have been trying to project that for years, and it just hasn’t happened. Instead, what I’m trying to outline is that Henry tallied 1,783 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns last season. There isn’t much that tells us that can be repeated.
Even if Henry stays healthy all season again, he gives owners no value in the passing game and is reliant on big yard totals and plenty of touchdowns to bring elite-level value. Although Henry finished as RB4 in PPR formats last year, he faces the toughest fantasy football strength of schedule for fantasy running backs and would need to replicate last year’s near-MVP level campaign to hit those numbers again. He’s not a player to avoid, but he’s certainly one to be cautious of.
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Cincinnati Bengals (Chase Brown)
Few expected Chase Brown to burst onto the scene the way he did for Cincinnati last year. He finished as RB10 in PPR even though he didn’t get the majority of the snaps until Week 6. Even with his incredible production last year, he faces the second-toughest fantasy football strength of schedule for fantasy running backs and should be looked at cautiously.
From Week 6 on, when he was the clear-cut starter, Brown had 11 weeks where his owners relished in his production. Behind those performances were some worrying signs, however. In only one game did Brown have over 100 rushing yards, and he only had over 90 rushing yards in three. While he does provide upside in the passing game, he was very reliant on touchdowns and high reception totals to get his production.
Not only do the Cincinnati Bengals match up against tough run defenses this year, but they also play extremely tough matchups in Weeks 13-15 around the fantasy playoffs when they play Baltimore twice and Buffalo once. When the Bengals are playing from behind, Brown loses a lot of his value. With a tough schedule, too, there is reason to worry about Chase Brown.
Los Angeles Chargers (Omarion Hampton/Najee Harris)
Simply put, stay away from both Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris. The reasoning for Harris is pretty explanatory: he just suffered an eye injury the team has been very secretive about, and he will be splitting time with Hampton at best.
In the case of Hampton, the Los Angeles Chargers play the third-toughest schedule for fantasy running backs. On top of that, the Chargers were tied for 24th in red zone trips per game, with just 2.8.
While players can certainly produce without touchdowns, it seems impossible for Hampton to provide much value if he rarely gets to the red zone and he’s splitting time with Najee Harris. As if all that wasn’t enough, the Chargers are matching up against Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston and Denver during the fantasy football playoffs. Good luck trying to find points in those matchups.
Now that you have more fantasy data for your draft, it’s time for the most important thing. Read our 150 best fantasy football team names here!
