- Saquon Barkley goals to repeat as the general RB1 in Philadelphia: After a career-best season in 2024, Barkley is being drafted with the expectation that he can keep elite manufacturing in one of many league’s most run-heavy offenses.
- Bijan Robinson has a professional path to the 2025 RB1 crown: Following a breakout sophomore marketing campaign, Robinson is poised to take one other step ahead and fulfill the lofty expectations that surrounded him popping out of faculty.
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This fantasy soccer article sequence breaks down the hardest draft-day choices going through fantasy managers, utilizing Underdog’s common draft place (ADP) as a information. Every installment compares equally ranked gamers on the similar place, utilizing key stats from earlier seasons and contextual elements — together with workforce state of affairs — to determine the higher decide.
In the present day’s matchup highlights Philadelphia Eagles working again Saquon Barkley and Atlanta Falcons working again Bijan Robinson as we decide the most suitable choice to kick off the working again place in 2025 fantasy drafts.
SAQUON BARKLEY (RB1) vs. BIJAN ROBINSON (RB2)
Barkley is coming off a resurgent first season with the Eagles and his first total RB1 end since 2018. He recorded 4 separate weeks because the top-scoring fantasy working again and completed contained in the weekly high 10 in 9 of his 16 video games. Most notably, he eclipsed 2,000 speeding yards, reaffirming his elite ceiling. Expectations are sky-high heading into 2025, and Barkley might want to replicate that degree of manufacturing to justify his lofty ADP.
Bijan Robinson has opened his profession with back-to-back RB1 seasons, with 2024 serving as his true breakout. He completed as the general RB3, combining heavy utilization with elite effectivity. Robinson ranked top-five on the place in each carries and targets whereas additionally incomes top-five PFF grades as each a runner and receiver. With a transparent workhorse position and all-around talent set, Robinson enters 2025 as one of many most secure high-end fantasy choices.
UTILIZATION IN THE RUNNING GAME
Barkley dominated the Eagles’ backfield in 2024, main all working backs in alternatives per recreation (24.0 mixed carries and targets). He was the point of interest of the bottom recreation in practically all conditions, aside from late downs and short-yardage eventualities, the place Jalen Hurts took over. In reality, Hurts was Barkley’s major competitors for speeding quantity, registering 150 carries, second-most on the workforce and greater than the RB2 in Atlanta. Whereas Barkley’s quantity was elite, Hurts’ involvement close to the purpose line barely capped his landing ceiling.
Robinson, in contrast, was Atlanta’s go-to runner in all conditions, together with short-yardage and red-zone work, giving him an much more priceless position. His capacity to dominate touches no matter down or distance helped him keep shut to twenty alternatives per recreation. Coupled together with his standing because the second-highest-graded working again in 2024, Robinson’s mix of quantity and expertise cements him as some of the full and dependable fantasy weapons heading into 2025.
UTILIZATION IN THE PASSING GAME
Barkley wasn’t a significant component within the Eagles’ passing recreation, a minimum of to not the extent of his contributions on the bottom, and that was largely anticipated given Philadelphia’s deep receiving corps. His 39 targets ranked simply inside the highest 30 amongst working backs, a modest quantity that was greater than offset by his league-leading carry whole. Given his position and the offense round him, that degree of passing involvement is completely serviceable.
Robinson, then again, was way more concerned as a receiver. He averaged practically 4 receptions per recreation and had just one recreation all season with fewer than two catches, a robust degree of consistency for a working again. Nevertheless, he discovered the top zone by way of the air simply as soon as. With continued excessive utilization within the passing recreation, it’s truthful to count on that receiving landing whole to rise in 2025, making Robinson much more priceless in PPR codecs.
UTILIZATION IN SCORING RANGE
As famous earlier, Jalen Hurts was the Eagles’ major choice in goal-to-go conditions, main the workforce with 25 carries and changing 13 of them into touchdowns. Barkley wasn’t far behind in whole goal-to-go carries (22), however he dealt with simply 5 makes an attempt from two yards or fewer — in comparison with Hurts’ 17 — which restricted his landing output to a few in these conditions. Whereas Barkley remained concerned close to the purpose line, Hurts’ position because the short-yardage finisher clearly capped his scoring upside.
In distinction, Robinson dealt with 26 goal-to-go carries and scored 10 occasions, serving as Atlanta’s clear lead choice in these eventualities. Whereas the Falcons didn’t generate as many ultra-short-yardage alternatives, Robinson was nonetheless trusted to complete drives when these moments got here. Together with his persistently excessive red-zone snap charge, it’s doubtless Robinson stays the go-to choice in scoring conditions and will see much more alternatives in 2025 because the offense continues to evolve.
TEAM-LEVEL SITUATION
The Eagles have been probably the most run-heavy workforce within the NFL in 2024, powered by an elite speeding duo in Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, and supported by a top-tier offensive line that ranked second in yards earlier than contact per try. Even whereas going through the very best charge of stacked packing containers within the league — a development more likely to proceed — the mix of quantity, scheme and expertise in Philadelphia’s backfield leaves little room for concern about manufacturing for both Barkley or Hurts.
Whereas the Falcons weren’t fairly as run-heavy, they nonetheless completed seventh in run charge, giving Bijan Robinson ample alternative to shine. Atlanta’s offensive line performed a pivotal position in that success, incomes the league’s high run-blocking grade and rating seventh in yards earlier than contact per try. With just one change to the beginning unit — at heart — the muse stays sturdy for Robinson to proceed thriving behind one of many NFL’s best run-blocking teams.
POTENTIAL 2025 BACKFIELD COMPETITION
As talked about all through, Barkley’s major competitors for touches in Philadelphia stays his quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Nevertheless, for the sake of positional consistency, newcomer A.J. Dillon is value a quick point out. Dillon missed the complete 2024 season as a result of harm, so any analysis depends on his 2023 information. The one space the place Dillon has traditionally been utilized is in goal-to-go conditions — a task he dealt with successfully in Inexperienced Bay. Nonetheless, with each Hurts and Barkley totally succesful in short-yardage and scoring eventualities, it’s unlikely Dillon sees sufficient involvement to be a significant menace to Barkley’s workload.
In Atlanta, Tyler Allgeier stays the No. 2 choice behind Robinson, although his position has diminished considerably for the reason that begin of Robinson’s profession. After logging eight video games with double-digit carries in 2023, that quantity dropped to simply 5 in 2024, together with practically 50 fewer whole carries. In contrast to the break up method beneath Arthur Smith, the present iteration of the Falcons’ offense has made it clear: Robinson is the unquestioned lead again, and Allgeier is not a menace to his quantity in any significant manner.
Whereas the ultimate resolution is yours, don’t go into your draft blind. Take a look at PFF’s newest fantasy soccer rankings to see precisely the place Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson and the remainder of your targets stack up heading into 2025.
