The official start of the 2025 NFL season is quickly approaching. The league year and free agency will open at 4 p.m. on March 12. Teams will begin signing free agents, and any trades agreed to before the new league year will become official on that date.
Before the league year officially kicks off, there are a couple of other key dates to remember. Teams must designate franchise players by March 4. The NFL also has a legal negotiating window from March 10 to 12, during which teams can begin contacting and negotiating with the agents of unrestricted free agents. We’ll hear deals breaking during that window, even though they can’t become official until March 12.
It’s time to start breaking down the 2025 free agency class, including J.K. Dobbins, Javonte Williams, and Najee Harris at the running back position. This year’s free agents are loosely ordered based on talent, age, plus previous and expected future fantasy relevance. Be sure to follow Fantasy Points throughout free agency for in-depth breakdowns of every major (and minor) move. We’ll track every off-season transaction from a fantasy perspective through our “Free Agency Tracker” articles and Graham Barfield’s “Fantasy Fallout” pieces.
Be sure to check out the Free Agency Previews for Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, and Tight Ends…This article is powered by Fantasy Points Data. Subscribe now to get our to take your research to the next level.
Unrestricted Free Agents
An unrestricted free agent is a player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract who is free to negotiate and sign with any team. The age for each player is the age he’ll turn in the 2024 calendar year.
Fantasy Starter
J.K. Dobbins (LAC, 27)
Dobbins suffered his second catastrophic leg injury in three years after rupturing his Achilles tendon just 30 snaps into his fourth season in 2023. He settled for a one-year, $1.6 million prove-it deal with the Chargers just before the NFL Draft last off-season, reuniting with Ravens play-caller Greg Roman. Dobbins demonstrated he still has plenty left in the tank by finishing second in Comeback Player of the Year voting in his first season playing double-digit games since his rookie year in 2020. Dobbins posted 195/905/9 rushing (4.6 YPC) and 32/153 receiving (4.8 YPR) on 38 targets (9.2% share) to finish as the RB18 with 14.8 FPG. He owned a 63.9% snap share and a 50.9% carry share and ran 187 routes (14.4 per game) in 13 contests — he missed four games for a knee injury.
Dobbins ranked 44th in stuff rate (53.8%) but 10th in yards off of explosive runs (296) among 46 RBs who logged 100+ carries. Dobbins owns a career 5.2 YPC average and a 50.3% success rate on only 429 carries, and he has the most upside in this year’s RB free agency class. Teams could still be hesitant to hand him anything more than a two-year deal because of his two catastrophic leg injuries from 2021-23. He should at least see a bump in pay and additional interest from teams after settling for a deal from the Chargers last off-season. He has the potential to be a high-end RB2 in the right situation if he can expand on his work in the passing game.
Fantasy Relevant
Nick Chubb (Cle, 30)
We listed Chubb as a “player to avoid” last off-season, and he inevitably struggled in his return from the catastrophic knee injury he suffered in 2023, which was the second major knee injury of his playing career. He was one of the most efficient RBs of all time through his first six seasons, averaging 5.3 YPC and 84.6 rushing YPG with a 48.4% success rate. He came nowhere close to maintaining his historic pace after sitting out the first six games of the season, and he eventually ceded work to Jerome Ford before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 15.
Chubb posted 102/332/3 rushing (3.3 YPC) and 5/31/1 receiving (6.2 YPR) on 11 targets (2.9% share) to average 7.3 FPG. He owned a 40.3% snap share and a 55.2% carry share and ran 74 routes (9.3 per game) in eight contests. He ranked 45th in YPC (3.27), 43rd in explosive run rate (2%), and last in YACO/ATT (1.96) among 46 RBs who logged 100+ carries. In his last full season in 2022, Chubb ranked fifth in YPC (5.05), third in explosive run rate (7.6%), and third in YACO/ATT (3.52) among 42 RBs who logged 100+ carries. Chubb’s best days are behind him as he enters his 30s. Any team that signs him is hoping that he can regain some of his old form with another year removed from his 2023 knee injury. He’s unlikely to be handed a starting job in free agency, but he could be given a chance to compete for a lead runner spot.
Cam Akers (Min, 26)
Akers made his second comeback from an Achilles injury in 2024 after previously doing it in 2022. He previously ruptured his right tendon in the first week of the 2021 season before tearing his left Achilles in the middle of the 2023 season. Akers played the first five games of 2024 with the Texans before the Vikings acquired him and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick for a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick. Overall, Akers posted 104/444/2 rushing (4.3 YPC) and 14/68/3 receiving (4.9 YPR) on 18 targets (2.8% share) to average 6.3 FPG. He owned a 25.7% snap share and a 25.3% carry share and ran 107 routes (6.7 per game) in 16 contests. He ranked eighth in explosive run rate (6.7%) and sixth in YACO/ATT (2.75) but last in stuff rate (55.8%) among 46 RBs who logged 100+ carries. Akers played fairly well in his limited opportunities in his second return from an Achilles injury, which should earn him a chance to compete for a backup in training camp after he had to wait until late July to sign with Houston last year.
Ameer Abdullah (LV, 32)
Abdullah made his living as a special teams player in his first two seasons with the Raiders, playing more than half of their special teams snaps. He more than doubled his offensive snaps from his first two seasons (391) in 2024 (410) out of necessity, but he was more effective than Zamir White and Alexander Mattison. Abdullah posted 66/311/2 rushing (4.7 YPC) and 40/261/3 receiving (6.5 YPR) on 47 targets (7.7% share) to finish as the RB38 with 9.0 FPG. He owned a 38.2% snap share and a 17.9% carry share and ran 241 routes (15.1 per game) in 16 contests. He finished with his most scrimmage yards (572) and touchdowns (5) since his posted 714/5 scrimmage in his third NFL season with the Lions in 2017. His stock has risen after last season, and he should land another short-term deal since he’s been a valuable contributor on special teams and as a passing back.
