FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast

Episode: Week 5 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings & Tiers: Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts (Ep. 1746)

Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: Chris Welsh, Pat Fitzmaurice (Fitzy), Andrew Erickson

Overview

This episode dives deep into the Week 5 fantasy football running back landscape, tackling the ECR (Expert Consensus Rankings) top 36, breaking down key situations impacted by injuries and byes, and providing actionable insights, tiers, and strategy for navigating one of the roughest running back slates of the season. The hosts, Welsh, Fitzy, and Erickson, dissect must-starts, flex gambles, and this week's hottest waiver-wire debates, while weaving in their distinctive blend of research-backed advice and tongue-in-cheek commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of Running Backs in Week 5

• Tough Landscape: Injuries (notably Trey Benson), byes, and depth issues have left fantasy managers scrambling.
  • “Running backs with byes and injuries, it’s getting a little scary. We’re in the scary territory, so hopefully we can October walk you through it.” — Chris Welsh [01:01]
• Optimistic Mindset: Erickson’s glass-half-full approach to the RB apocalypse:
  • “That’s why we put the work in, right? … Who are we going to rely on to step up and deliver for our fantasy team?” — Andrew Erickson [02:45]

2. Top 12 RBs: Studs and Must-Starts

• Top 12 ECR RBs: Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Jameer Gibbs, Devon Achane, James Cook, Saquon Barkley, Omariyon Hampton, Breece Hall, Derrick Henry, Ashton Jeanty, Kyren Williams, and Javonte Williams.
• Omariyon Hampton (ECR 7)
  • 86% snap share last week, significant passing game usage due to O-line injuries, making him a top-10 lock despite Chargers’ O-line woes and matchup.
  • “You are seeing Hampton kind of make up the slack as a rusher with more of that receiving juice… Locked and loaded. Top 10 running back.” — Erickson [06:17]
  • “294 total yards…the last two weeks. 6.4 yards per carry. Pass-catching usage is really encouraging.” — Fitzy [06:46]
• Ashton Jeanty (ECR 10)
  • Monster Week 4 despite rough O-line; remains trusted for his tackle-breaking, big-play upside, but Raiders O-line is shaky.
  • “Jeanty’s fantastic…You could see how good he is at making people miss…just a matter of time before he got going.” — Fitzy [08:01]
  • “So I think he is as advertised…when he rips off the big touchdown run like he did last week, that’s when he’s going to score fantasy points for you.” — Erickson [09:09]

3. RB2s and The Volume Play Debate

• RB13-24 Highlights: Cam Skattebo, Quinshon Judkins, Bucky Irving, Travis Etienne, Ken Walker, Jordan Mason, Alvin Kamara, J.K. Dobbins, Chuba Hubbard, David Montgomery, Tony Pollard.
• Rookie Turnaround: Four rookies cracking the top 14 after rough starts to the year.
• Quinshon Judkins (ECR 14)
  • High volume, working in all scripts; low ceiling this week due to matchup, but very steady.
  • “The floor is super, super high because he’s going to get loaded up with touches regardless of the game script.” — Erickson [14:17]
• Jordan Mason
  • Debate about fading after a poor Week 4; Bears D tough on RBs, and his pass-game role is more limited than hoped due to emergence of Xavier Scott.
  • “Mason’s pass game role isn’t as high as I thought…it’s similar to Judkins where he is a volume bet.” — Erickson [17:16]
  • “The Browns are giving up 2.9 yards per carry to running backs, and if Mason can’t get it going on the ground, he’s probably not going to have a very good day because he doesn’t add much as a pass catcher.” — Fitzy [17:45]

4. RB3/Flex Territory: Where the Decisions Get Gross

• ECR 25-36 Notables: Woody Marks, Chase Brown, TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson, Zach Charbonnet, Bill Croskey-Merritt, Nick Chubb, Isaiah Pacheco, RJ Harvey, Rashad White, Kareem Hunt, Chris Rodriguez.
• Woody Marks
  • Role is rising, but Texans’ run game remains a mess due to poor line play; Marks offers PPR floor.
  • “When you have a bad offensive line…you need a creator at running back…his pass catching ability at least raises the floor.” — Fitzy [20:43]
  • “The Texans are going to try to take it to this Ravens underman unit and run the ball down their throats…so I like Woody Marks.” — Erickson [23:13]
• Bill Croskey-Merritt
  • Bubble-wrapped but highly efficient—Commanders haven’t unleashed him. Stats and the “eye test” say he’s their best back.
  • “Bill Croskey-Merritt is PFF’s second highest graded running back so far this season and…the highest success rate in the league…maybe the Commanders are going to realize that.” — Fitzy [27:17]
  • “He looks like the best running back on Commanders…on a down to down basis he is being very productive as a rusher.” — Erickson [25:52]
• Kareem Hunt
  • Designated goal line/receiving back for the Chiefs; very low floor, but by necessity, is a desperation play.
  • “Spray and pray, baby. That’s what it all takes with Kareem Hunt…” — Erickson [29:30]
  • “He gets a lot of high value touches…so it’s not pretty. But I think you could play him in a pinch and get hopefully 10 PPR points out of him on a good day.” — Fitzy [28:44]

5. The Trey Benson Fallout: Arizona RB Debate

• Trey Benson to IR: Emergency situation for Cards backfield.
• Michael Carter vs. Emari Demercado
  • Consensus: Carter is the recommended play for Week 5, expected to handle early down/goal-line and a fair amount of passing game work.
  • “For this week, I like Michael Carter the most…He’ll be the 1A of this backfield for Week 5 specifically.” — Erickson [30:55]
  • “I’ve got Michael Carter at RB28, right behind Woody Marks, right ahead of RJ Harvey and Nick Chubb…Demercado is going to be the preferred passing down guy.” — Fitzy [32:52]
  • Carter is now a “clear top-30 RB, ahead of guys like Nick Chubb, Croskey-Merritt, TreVeyon Henderson.” — Erickson [32:25]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment Description | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Weekly RB landscape & injuries | 01:01 | | Top 12 RBs ECR rundown | 03:10 | | Omariyon Hampton analysis | 04:44 | | Ashton Jeanty analysis | 07:20 | | RB2s & Rookie turnaround | 12:17 | | Quinshon Judkins debate | 13:16 | | Jordan Mason discussion | 15:10 | | Woody Marks flex viability | 20:43 | | Bill Croskey-Merritt "eye test" & usage hopes | 25:52 | | Kareem Hunt desperation play | 28:03 | | Trey Benson fallout—Michael Carter vs. Demercado | 30:55 |

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Running backs with byes and injuries, it’s getting a little scary. We're in the scary territory, so hopefully we can October walk you through it.”
  — Chris Welsh [01:01]

• “86% of the snaps last week… Hampton has been fantastic. The issue and the only concern…is about Joe Alt being out. No, it’s another hit at this offensive line…But you are seeing Hampton kind of make up the slack as a rusher with more of that receiving juice.”
  — Andrew Erickson [04:44]

• “Jeanty’s fantastic. I never really lost the confidence…big game came against a pretty bad Chicago Bears run defense. The Colts are more of a neutral matchup this weekend. That offensive line is really my only issue with Ashton Jeanty and why I’m not ranking him a little more confidently.”
  — Pat Fitzmaurice [08:01]

• “He’s been that all year long. Even though the rushing totals haven't been just like week four, he’s been breaking tackles at a high rate…when he rips off the big touchdown run like he did last week, that’s when he’s going to score fantasy points for you.”
  — Andrew Erickson [09:09]

• “Mason's pass game role isn't as high as I thought it might be…continuing to deal with injuries on their offensive line…Mason is similar to Judkins where he is a volume bet, but where Judkins has that pass game usage a little more than Jordan Mason does.”
  — Andrew Erickson [16:16]

• “Spray and pray, baby. That's what it all takes with Kareem Hunt.”
  — Andrew Erickson [29:30]

• “I think Michael Carter will be the 1A of this backfield for Week 5 specifically. Again, I don't think it's going to be as high as 70% like it was last year because I think that they still like DiMarcado and he's going to have a role. But I would lean towards Michael Carter, especially getting red zone touches, red zone carries.”
  — Andrew Erickson [30:55]

• “I've got Michael Carter at RB28, right behind Woody Marks, right ahead of RJ Harvey and Nick Chubb. And I've got Amari DiMarcado RB35…Carter is going to be the preferred early down guy. DiMarcado is going to be the preferred passing down guy.”
  — Pat Fitzmaurice [32:52]

Actionable Takeaways & Tier Guidance

Top 12 RBs: Remain must-start regardless of matchup; worry more about environment for those with O-line concerns (e.g., Hampton).

RB2s:

• Play the volume—even in bad offenses, usage (Judkins, Mason) is king.
• Rookies are asserting themselves post-September.

Flex/Desperation Tier:

• Woody Marks, Krosky-Merritt: Play if you need a back with a path to 15 touches (especially in PPR).
• Kareem Hunt: Goal line/receiving-dependent “spray and pray.”
• Michael Carter: Immediate plug-in for deep leagues, top-30 RB with Benson out.

Waiver Watch:

• Michael Carter prioritized over Demercado for Week 5; target immediately in FAB/waivers.

Final Notes

This episode is critical listening (or reading) for anyone facing tough Week 5 RB decisions in fantasy. The hosts deliver not only sharp, nuanced rankings takes but also evidence-based methods for adapting on the fly—with waiver-wire pivots, workload diagnosis, and honest assessments of matchup-based ceilings and floors.

For up-to-date weekly rankings: fantasypros.com/rankings
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