- Rhamondre Stevenson made the most of his workload: Although he ceded touches to TreVeyon Henderson throughout the season, Henderson was far more efficient than the rookie.
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Running back is a hard position to evaluate in fantasy football. Long gone are the days of a primary back getting 300 touches in a season. Nowadays, most backfields are split in some way — unless a special back like Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey or Saquon Barkley is leading the charge
Many teams have running backs who can grind out hard yards and take what is blocked for them, and then spell those grinders with more explosive players who can take any touch to the house in the blink of an eye. But who is earning you the most fantasy points with a single touch of the football?
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: 1.15 PTS/TOUCH
Gibbs finished as the overall RB3 in 2025, behind Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson, with 368.9 PPR points. He handled a career-high 320 touches in 2025 (243 rushes, 77 catches), racking up a massive 1,839 total yards (1,223 rushing and 616 receiving) and 18 touchdowns (13 rushing and five receiving).
Gibbs’ 243 rushing attempts were tied for the 11th most in the league with New York Jets runner Breece Hall, but a large part of why Gibbs finished seventh in rushing yards was due to his 5.0 yards per carry average (sixth best among qualifying backs).
That absurd efficiency helped Gibbs register 1.15 fantasy points per touch and an equally impressive 0.50 points per snap (second best). And he did all that while handling just 52 carries in the red zone (tied for eighth most with Josh Jacobs) and 10 carries inside the five (tied for 14th with Robinson).
2. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots: 1.12 PTS/TOUCH
Stevenson started the 2025 season as the Patriots' primary back, but by season’s end, he was taking a back seat to rookie TreVeyon Henderson (who averaged 0.97 points per touch). Stevenson finished the season as the RB24 with 180.8 points, just behind his running mate Henderson (RB20) with 208.2 points.
But Stevenson was far more efficient per touch. His nine total touchdowns helped propel him up those efficiency metrics, as his 162 total touches (130 rushing and 32 catches) are not the workload of a volume back. But the former fourth-round pick averaged 3.83 yards after contact per attempt, helping him stay on the field in tight games.
It’s a likely unsustainable mark for Stevenson, given that Henderson displayed much more juice, bettering Stevenson’s 4.6 yards per carry with a 5.1 mark (tied for third best among qualifying backs).
3. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins: 1.06 PTS/TOUCH
Achane was PFF’s second-highest-graded rusher in 2025 (91.0 PFF rushing grade). His 5.7 yards per carry also led the NFL among qualifying backs, as did his yards after contact per carry average (4.11).
That efficient production helped the former third-round selection crack the top five at his position (RB5) with 322.8 points. After the Dolphins traded wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos and signed quarterback Malik Willis, there is every chance the team will look to control games on the ground in 2026.
If that is the case, Achane’s fantasy points per touch could dip, even if his overall workload may increase to the point where he is the overall RB1 by this time next year.
Achane's 238 rushing attempts in 2025 were the 14th most in the NFL, and his 67 catches were enough for the sixth most in the league. His 106 snaps from the slot led all backs. Considering the Dolphins' needs at pass catcher, Achane could supplement his outstanding rushing production with a McCaffrey-level receiving contribution in 2026.
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Robinson had a career year in fantasy football across the board: 374.8 points, 0.44 points per snap and 1.02 points per touch.
He also had a career year in other metrics that matter, such as yards per carry (5.1), yards after contact (1,133), yards after contact per attempts (3.95), missed tackles forced (86) and runs of 10-plus yards (36). He was good. Very, very good.
And if it wasn’t enough that his rushing production was truly elite — 1,478 yards and an 83.4 PFF rushing grade — he averaged a truly absurd 10.4 yards per catch on 79 receptions (99 targets).
Robinson is a fantasy asset for the ages in all formats, and there is every reason to believe he can top this list in a year.
5. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: 1.01 PTS/TOUCH
The overall RB1 in 2025 got a truly mammoth workload. His 311 carries were the most of his illustrious career, while his 121 targets and 102 catches were the third most. Only Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor took on more attempts (323) than McCaffrey.
There have been just three 400-plus-point running back seasons in the past decade, and McCaffrey has two of them (David Johnson is the third, with 412.2 points in 2016). His 416.6 points in 2025 were the most by a running back in a season since his 469.2 in 2019.
McCaffrey didn’t grade out well this past season, though, with a 69.1 PFF rushing grade (39th out of 41 qualifying backs). And there is reason to believe this was the last truly great season from a truly great player.
The veteran's yards per carry average dropped from a career high 5.4 in 2023 to just 3.9 this past year— the second-lowest mark of his NFL tenure in which he has handled at least 100 carries in a season.
Nine of McCaffrey’s 10 rushing touchdowns came from inside the five-yard line, and his 75 red-zone rushing attempts led the NFL. He also logged only 27 runs of over 10 yards, again the second-lowest mark of his career among qualifying seasons.