While wide receivers are the cornerstones of many dynasty rosters, it's the running backs that help give you the extra horsepower needed to secure a championship.

The days of true workhorse RBs are fading, as teams are starting to deploy committees. While it makes sense from a football perspective, it admittedly frustrates fantasy football managers. Even so, with high-end running backs coming in and making an impact right away in Year 1, securing top talent is crucial for maintaining success.

While RBs tend to age quickly (unless you're Derrick Henry), veterans can still offer significant value for one/two-year windows. Here are five options you should look to acquire if you're in a win-now window in your dynasty league, accompanied by their age at the start of the 2025 season.

You can also view my dynasty rankings ahead of the 2025 season here, where I will have an update after the NFL draft, where I will add the 2025 rookie class.

Veteran RBs To Trade For In Dynasty Fantasy Football

Joe Mixon - Texans

  • Age (as of Sept. 2025): 29-1 (29 years, 1 month)

Heading into last season, Joe Mixon was one of my most sought-after veteran RBs across the board, and nothing is changing that this season.

After spending his first seven years with the Bengals, he anchored Houston's ground attack to the tune of:

  • 281 touches
  • 1,325 total yards
  • 12 total TDs

From a health/production standpoint, there's no reason to suspect the Texans won't give him the lion's share of the workload again in 2025. He crested 200 rushing attempts for the sixth time in seven seasons, and his 4.15 yards per carry was good for his second-best mark in his career.

Mixon was one of 10 RBs to crest 17 points per game and was part of a pretty incredible cohort.

 

Mixon carries a dynasty ADP of RB22 as of this writing, which means cost should not be a prohibitive factor to getting him on your squad.

With so many managers looking to move off of aging RBs, that makes them the perfect short-term investments for savvy dynasty managers who just need that extra piece to elevate their roster into a true title contender.

Trade negotiations: Start with an early-2nd

Alvin Kamara - Saints

  • Age: 30-1

In his eighth season, Alvin Kamara continued to elevate his game. He might not be the same dynamic player he was earlier in his career, but he's shown he can still deliver big-time fantasy numbers for managers everywhere.

In 2024, among all RBs, Kamara finished first in targets (89), second in receptions (68), and second in receiving yards (543). He also finished as the RB5 in PPG.

However, he also set career high marks in:

  • Rushing attempts - 228
  • Rushing yards - 950

He also posted his best yards per carry mark (4.1) and total PPR (265) since 2020.

Not bad for a 29-year-old.

Perhaps even better? Kellen Moore said Kamara will remain a big part of their offense moving forward.

It remains to be seen what the Saints will look like at QB this season, but a crafty veteran paired with an offensive-minded head coach is always a nice starting point.

Kamara's dynasty value currently sits at RB23, so he's right in that same range as Mixon. If your league has PPR scoring, Kamara is a must-add for any managers with sights set on a fantasy championship in 2025.

Trade negotiations: start with a mid-2nd

James Conner - Cardinals

  • Age: 30-3

In a similar boat as Kamara, James Conner is entering the twilight of his career, but I believe there's still value to be had at his current price point.

Conner is the cheapest of the bunch so far with a dynasty value of RB30, so theoretically, he should be the easiest to acquire.

Also like Kamara, Conner had a career-best season in 2024 across several categories. His 236 rushing attempts, 1,094 rushing yards, and 4.6 yards per carry marks were all career-highs. In addition, he tallied the second-most receptions (47) and second-most receiving yards (414) of any season in his career.

The clear RB1 on an offense led by Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison, and Trey McBride is going to have value. Conner has also clearly demonstrated an ability to handle a large workload and remains significantly involved in the passing game.

Mistakenly, I assumed rookie Trey Benson would carve out a larger role in the rushing attack, but that never materialized. Even if he takes a step forward in Year 2, Murray had the second-most rushing attempts last season. Long story short, this backfield belonged to Conner last year, and there's no reason to suspect that will change in 2025.

Trade negotiations: start with a mid-2nd

Aaron Jones - Vikings

  • Age: 30-9

New year, new team, new Aaron Jones.

After beginning his career in Green Bay, Jones found immediate success during his first season with the Vikings.

Jones set career-high marks in snaps (700), rushing attempts (255), and total touches (306). The Minnesota offense was firing on all cylinders under Kevin O'Connell and Sam Darnold, and Jones played a big part in that.

With Darnold gone and the team pivoting to J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings also brought in Jordan Mason to bolster the backfield. While it does sound like Mason will vulture some high-value touches near the goal line, I'm still in on Jones playing a sizable role for the first-year QB.

Jones carries a dynasty value of RB34, and that's just too cheap for the starting RB in a KOC-led offense. Toss in offensive weapons Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, and there will be plenty of scoring opportunities for this squad regardless of who's at QB.

Trade negotiations: start with a mid/late-2nd

Christian McCaffrey - 49ers

  • Age: 29-2

We've finally made it to the timeline where Christian McCaffrey is the veteran option we're suggesting you go trade for to bolster your chances at a title this season.

What a world we live in.

In all seriousness, there are two ways you can approach CMC: either he's played his best football and the injuries we saw last year gave us all the evidence we needed, OR a full offseason of rehab and the most talented RB in a fantasy-friendly offense is ready to run it back in 2025.

I'm choosing to believe in the second half of that statement.

The RB room in San Francisco is pretty barren, and the offense is going to look different without Deebo Samuel (traded) and Brandon Aiyuk (injured) for the first part of the season.

CMC is currently the dynasty RB15, and I think he still offers top-six upside at the position. His dual-threat capabilities are well-known, and I don't have to remind you of the type of monster fantasy performances he's graced us with in the past. This is all about making a call and getting a sense of how the CMC manager in your league is feeling.

Is it too bold to send a late first-round pick to snag CMC for one last ride? Maybe, but we do play to win championships after all.

Trade negotiations: start with a late-1st