Rampant Rushers

The men who are set to terrorize the league on the ground.

Jahmyr Gibbs

After the stretch Gibbs had to end 2024 it would be silly to think he wouldn’t have a top three type of season in 2025. Gibbs was mythical late in the year when he was called upon. He got about seven to eight yards a carry, was a threat to pop off a homerun touchdown each play, and beat all defenders to his spot. One could make the case that he is the best running back in the NFL. Now he is set to command a larger workload with David Montgomery coming off of injury and the craziest part about the superstar is that he is yet to REALLY get going in the receiving game. Gibbs was a dominant force in the receiving game back at Alabama. For some reason the Lions haven’t fully unleashed his pass catching component. With Ben Johnson out of town though it may become a focal point in the new look Detroit Lions offense. If he actualizes the potential he has all around then we might just be looking at an all time great. It is simply absurd to think about the fact his ceiling is even higher than where he is now.

As good as Montgomery is, it is truly Gibbs’ time to command WAY more touches than Montgomery, especially with the difficulty of the Lions schedule next year. Off the top of my head the Lions play the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bengals all on the road for starters. Games where Detroit will need a spark. Montgomery is still one of my favorite guys, but Gibbs when he touches the ball reminds one of a prime Jamaal Charles gliding across the field to blaze a path that makes a defender look silly. If Gibbs’ was schemed for in the passing game there’s no doubt in my mind he could reach about 750-800 yards receiving. Watching football rather than just stats, Gibbs may have the cleanest highlight tape of any running back today.

Bucky Irving

The truth. Bucky Irving proved in just one measly season that he was a top ten back. This was all while only seeing about 50% of the snaps. His usage ramped up as the Bucs realized that sitting Bucky meant sacrificing the run game. His highlight plays in the limited reps he had to begin his NFL tenure were far beyond electric. Long 20+ yard runs are what made Tampa’s backfield his. He’s a special pass catcher and an elusive rusher that runs hard through tackles extracting as much yardage as possible. The turning point for Irving was when the Buccaneers met the Falcons in week five on Thursday Night Football. Tampa Bay was up three points with just under three minutes to go on the Falcons 32 yard line. The game was almost locked up. Irving takes a handoff on first down, follows his block, runs through a couple arm tackles, and looks for it all. It looked as if no one was in front of him and he wanted to seal the deal with a touchdown. That was until Jessie Bates swooped in with a firm punch directly on the football. Fumble recovered by Atlanta. The Falcons would then score to push the game to overtime. Bucky sat with a towel draped over his head on the bench while the Bucs watched the game slip away in the extra period. This moment of self reflection is when a legend was born.

From that point on he became a fan favorite. He ran with that much more juice. Emphasizing his ball security on each touch he took. His efforts propped up an offense for Baker Mayfield that saw his reliable target Godwin go down for the season. Things in Tampa at one point looked incredibly grim. Evans went down with a hamstring injury to all of the sudden make Cade Otton the team’s top pass catching option. Thankfully Evans returned and so did the balanced offense that rode on the back of Irving. Tampa’s offensive line is still an incredible unit. Maybe Graham Barton makes a jump and this run game is what sails the ship in Tampa Bay. Bucky is foolproof. If Baker is still slinging the football all over the field he will be the benefactor of being the second component of the team’s potent one two punch. If Baker has a year of regression, Bucky will be the bell cow that tries to win the NFC South for Tampa Bay alone. 

Breece Hall

Looking across the landscape of the NFL it would be hard to name a star running back in a worse situation than Breece Hall. He’s had no serviceable quarterback play along with no offensive line to run behind. This year though everything is different. Justin Fields has been entrusted to lead New York’s offense that should pound the rock 60-70 times a ball game. There’s no question Hall can do it all. Pass catching, power, vision, speed, and a hard nose for punching the football into the endzone. You either believe in Hall or think he’s been zapped since his ACL injury back in 2022. I’m in the camp that Hall has had the worst lineups maybe in NFL history. Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, and Tim Boyle leading your team’s offense is pathetic. It should make a grown man cry. Especially if that man is a Hall fan. Ground and pound old school football. That’s the New York Jets new brand. Breece Hall not being a threat in the passing game with Fields at QB seems like a facade to me. If Breece Hall gets going on the ground this team will surely feature a play action facet. With the Jets acquiring the Lions old passing coordinator to lead their offense it’s not hard to envision play action screens that go to Hall in the Jets offense.

Don’t forget it may be the first time in Justin Fields’ career that he has people behind him. The whole Jets organization has emphasized that there is no quarterback competition, the job is his. He gets to work with the guy who provided him the most success he’s had in his career back in college (as a passer), Garrett Wilson. This offensive line finally got revamped and hopefully Armand Membou’s unrivaled athletic profile translates to a premier tackle in the NFL. The noise around Hall simply isn’t loud enough. Even if Fields sucks, Hall will flourish. The amount of penalties that have sapped Hall of game changing plays is astonishing. It may even be historic how many times the Jets have been called for holding on these plays. On many occasions the hold has occurred on the opposite side of the field of the ball carrier. Hall WILL bounce back.

Devon Achane

Talk about a no brainer. Devon Achane is faster than every other athlete on the field every single game. Achane’s burst looks like he shot out of a cannon. The guy has a constant increase in speed as he blows by all defenders. He’s one of the most entertaining players in the NFL. He runs like a trackstar and with Tua at quarterback he will need to carry Miami. A pass catching machine who’s a threat to take it the distance on every rep he takes. Devon Achane barring injury will likely be a top 5 running back in fantasy.  Miami is rough right now, but the organization requires a season with a playoff win at this point. You can’t just waste Achane’s rookie contract. 

If Miami wants to even sneak into a Wild Card berth Achane will have to go nuclear. Achane is also in a league of his own when it comes to pass catching. He has a magnet for the football and propels a Miami offense that has looked downright putrid when facing the league’s REAL defenses. Shit Buffalo gives Tua nightmares daily. It is so unfortunate that Achane’s QB has a pool noodle, but regardless if Tua excels or not he is going to dominate next year. If A train finds any space it’s mesmerizing to see him run like Forrest Gump for an untouched TD. I questioned his durability prior to last season and his response was playing in all 17 games. Achane hasn’t even reached his ceiling on the ground. Is it preservation limiting his attempts? We’ll have to see.

Kenneth Walker

When Walker makes a highlight play it always seems to be something you may have never seen before. A cutback where he goes backwards to find his path. A run where Alex Anzalone flips him over his body and he does a somersault off of him to get back onto his feet and keep running. He’s just a special talent. He carried MSU back in college when he was essentially the only option at the University in the last 5+ years. He’s been unreal in the NFL; it's just a culmination of an injury bug and a patchwork offensive line that hasn’t allowed him to truly excel at the level he’s capable of. Drafting Grey Zabel to pave rushing lanes was something the star back had needed. The Seahawks whole offense as well as their offensive line has been retooled for this upcoming season. Last year they began the season missing both offensive tackles to kick off 2024 as the position would continually be volatile throughout the season. Now Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas should be good to go off the jump and this line should make significant strides from the output the Seahawks produced last season with the unit. For Walker it’ll be awfully nice to be able to exercise the patience needed to be a premier top 5 type of running back, but that’s not even the full story when it comes to K9. Klint Kubiak is the man who really should ignite Walker. 

Klint Kubiak coming from New Orleans to lead Seattle’s offense might be the most impactful move of the offseason. You heard that right. Kubiak’s background of flourishing ground games to set up a balanced attack on offense is the perfect style for the new Seahawks roster. K9 will be fed to the tune of having a career season. The wide receiver room is also filled with top tier talent and the franchise cashed in on a discount for one of the rising young arms in the NFL by signing Sam Darnold. The whole team is on the rise and Walker will most likely be the biggest benefactor of the team’s emergence. There’s no question Seattle had the best offseason in the NFC West. It’ll be a toss up between the Rams and Hawks to see who will take down this loaded division. For Kenneth, don’t throw in the towel yet. Even with Charbonnet looking formidable Walker is in another league behind a good offensive line, which he hasn’t had yet. After the worst year of his career the 24 year old has seemingly fallen off the radar for many. A staunch indication of this is that he’s being selected around the same range of RJ Harvey and Alvin Kamara in fantasy at this present time. He will clear both production wise in all likelihood.