11 Second-Year Running Backs & Wide Receivers to Target in Fantasy Football

Aug 05, 2025

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

I’m always baffled by the roots of the term Sophomore Slump since most college freshmen party too hard their first year and make an attempt to get it together by the time their second year comes around, but maybe way back when, it was the opposite.

In the sports world and for our fantasy football purposes, this term refers to players who come into the league hot and maybe fizzle out a bit and regress in Year 2. However, this article is not about those guys and will focus on the second-year running backs and receivers we should be targeting in our 2025 drafts. Thanks to a talented 2024 draft class, there are plenty to choose from.

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Running Backs

Last season’s freshman RB class wasn’t nearly as strong as 2023, which brought us three top 20 backs in half-PPR scoring per game (Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and De'Von Achane), but there are some draft-worthy names in the group.

Bucky Irving, Buccaneers

He ended as the RB19 in half-PPR scoring on a per-game basis last season, but Bucky Irving could have been much more had he been given higher volume. The Bucs spent a large portion of the season in RB committee mode, with Irving averaging 14.9 touches per game to Rachaad White’s 12.2.

One big takeaway is that down the stretch when it counted, Tampa Bay gave Irving the keys. He out-touched White 45-7 in the final two regular-season games of 2024, and 19-3 in the Wild Card Round. Efficiency-wise, Irving was sixth among running backs in rush yards over expected per carry and fifth in yards after contact per attempt in his rookie campaign. The starting gig is now his, and the sophomore is currently being drafted as the RB10 according to 4for4’s ADP tool, and is ranked as the RB8 in half-PPR scoring.