Outlook: Joe Mixon turns 29 this summer but continues playing at a high level. An injury kept him out of three of Houston's first five games. But upon his return to the lineup in Week 6, he scored 10 total TDs over the next six games. The RB2 price that fantasy managers paid in 2024 was paying off. But he finished the season with a dud as the entire offense cratered to an anemic level, scoring only once the rest of the season.

Once again, Mixon enters draft season as an RB2. It's a lot to ask of a 29-year-old RB to continue playing at a consistently high level. Personally, I'm not a fan of relying on RBs at that age, especially having to use a premium draft pick to get them. And as mentioned above, the Texans have a leaky O-line that's ranked in the bottom-third of the league. Now throw in the fact that the team signed RB Nick Chubb, who is also 29 years old, and you have the makings of a season that falls short of expectations for Mixon. His production history says yes, draft him. But his age and other conditions beyond his control say let someone else draft him. Either way, you should have guarded optimism when it comes to Joe Mixon.

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Outlook: The mauling Knuckles, to his speed merchant teammate Jahmyr "Sonic" Gibbs, Montgomery was once again a strong RB2 in multiple formats. Although Gibbs ascended to the clear RB1 role in the offense, Montgomery still played a major role, piling up over 1,000 total yards and 12 touchdowns. Montgomery remains the short yardage, and goal line specialist for one of the best offenses in the league. Prone to a few missed games due to his playstyle, and not nearly as explosive as his backfield mate, Montgomery's fantasy value is heavily dependent on his scoring opportunities. If the Lions offense takes too big of a step backward, Montgomery could be the one who suffers the most, but he still checks in as a RB2 option.

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Outlook: Jones was rock solid in his first year with the Vikings, rushing for a career high 1,138 yards. His additional 408 receiving yards, and 51 receptions also approached career highs. Most importantly, he played a full season for only the 3rd time in his career. Entering his age 31 season Jones figures to again lead this backfield in touches if health allows, as Minnesota gave Jones $13 million guaranteed in the offseason. The addition of Jordan Mason via trade is simply insurance/future proofing at this point, as Jones is realistically locked in for this season. I just don't see him being able to repeat the fortuitous health from 2024 and that baked in risk makes him more of a low-end RB2.

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Outlook: Swift was a bit of a letdown in his first season with Chicago. With health, not talent, being the knock on his career, Swift managed to play a full slate of games for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, he was a largely irrelevant fantasy asset for most of them. He averaged a career low 3.8 yards-per-carry, exceeded 60 yards rushing in only 7 of 17 games, and wasn't involved in the passing game nearly as much as he should have with only 42 receptions.

Despite the offensive struggles and inconsistency of 2024, everything's coming up roses for Swift in 2025. Other than a 7th round pick, Chicago added no competition to the backfield, making Swift the unconditioned starter. His former coach knows how best to deploy him in the offense, and he should play the Jahmyr Gibbs role in the game plan. He's one of the few backs in his tier that have a clear path to a BOOM! finish if this Chicago offense can put it all together.

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Outlook: Viewed as a durability risk throughout his NFL career, Conner somehow seems to be aging like wine, setting career highs in games played (16), carries (236), receptions (47), rushing yards (1,094), and receiving yards (414) last year. He also tallied nine touchdowns, marking the fourth consecutive year in which he's scored at least eight times. Conner even maintained a legitimate lead back workload in an era of running back by committee -- his 283 touches far exceeded that of backups Trey Benson (69), Emari Demercado (40), and Michael Carter (46), who combined for 155.

On paper, nothing has changed since the final whistle blew in Week 18. Conner is still the starter, and he's still followed on the depth chart by Benson, Demercado, and Carter, though whether all four will make the team again is unclear. If anything, the veteran feels more secure in his lead-back duties than he did entering last season when the then-rookie Benson looked like a possible threat. While all that can be viewed as positive, there are underlying concerns relating to health and age with Conner, who has still never appeared in every game in his eight NFL campaigns, turning 30 during the offseason -- a notorious milestone for running backs.

Taking everything into account, Conner heads into 2025 as a borderline top-20 fantasy back with RB2 value as his ceiling and an RB3 or flex designation on the downside in case all those miles on his body catch up to him.

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