Sport: NFL
In Fantasy Football, most people do not play in standard format or half PPR. Full PPR leagues have become the norm for leagues, and that is why targeting pass-catching running backs is crucial for these leagues. Receivers are already going to get points for receptions, but not having running backs do the same puts you behind your other league members. If you are playing someone who gets eight points from receptions from their two running backs, and you get one or maybe two points, that can be the deciding factor in winning or losing the week.
With the NFL becoming increasingly pass-heavy, there are a plethora of running backs who catch out of the backfield at a high level. Here are the running backs I would target. In most PPR leagues, it is ideal to target wide receivers, but if you are looking at running backs, here is a running back you should target in each of the first five rounds
Pass-catching running backs to target
Jahmyr Gibbs – Detroit Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs finished as the RB1 in total points in full PPR leagues and averaged 21.4 ppg, which wasthe second most for his position. He had 63 targets and caught 52 of those. Currently, Gibbs has an ADP of 5.4. Gibbs is extremely elite, and he goes hand in hand with the best offensive line in football. If you have pick three through five in your draft, go ahead and take Gibbs with confidence, as he has a strong chance to repeat as the RB1 again in 2025.
De’Von Achane – Miami Dolphins
De’Von Achane is one of the most explosive and fastest players in the entire NFL. He is currently going in the second round with an ADP of 13.8. Achane had 87 targets and caught 78 receptions last season. He led his position with eight games with seven or more targets.
If Tua Tagovailoa is not throwing it to Tyreek Hill, chances are he is looking for Achane. Achane does not just line up in the backfield either, which makes him so dangerous for fantasy football. He finished as the RB5 in full PPR and with vacated targets in Miami with Jonnu Smith traded, Achane has a great shot to see another 70 receptions in 2025.
Chase Brown or Breece Hall – Cincinnati Bengals & New York Jets
In the third round, there are two running backs I would look to target. Chase Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals burst onto the fantasy football scene in his second season with an RB10 finish in full PPR. The Bengals also pass at one of the highest rates in the entire NFL. Brown saw 65 targets and caught 54 receptions in 2024. 2025 looks like another year of a high-volume passing offense led by Joe Burrow, and with no threats in the backfield, we could see another 50-plus receptions. Brown has an ADP of 24 and can be taken to start the third round in 2025.
Breece Hall had a disappointing 2024 season with an RB16 finish after finishing as the RB2 in 2023. In 2023, Hall had 95 targets with 76 receptions. Due to a lackluster New York Jets offense in 2024, he saw his numbers dip and had 76 targets with 57 receptions. With a new coaching staff and new quarterback in Justin Fields, I am sure Hall will get back to the elite level of play he had just two years ago. Hall has an ADP of 32.4 and will be an RB1 in 2025.
Alvin Kamara – New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara is one of the best running backs in history when it comes to catching the football. In his first four seasons, he had 81 receptions three consecutive times and then 83 receptions in year four. His lowest number of receptions in a season was in 2021 when he had 47, but that was because he played in just 13 games. Despite a bad offense, Kamara will benefit from a handful of dump-offs, and he is the best playmaker on the Saints. A fourth-round ADP is a steal for one of the best running backs of his generation.
Chuba Hubbard – Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard saw 43 receptions last year and finished as the RB13 on a PPG basis. The running backs in round five all catch around the same number of passes. There is Joe Mixon and James Conner, but with age, I would not spend a fifth-round pick on either of them. Hubbard is a part of a young offense, and head coach Dave Canales has stated that he is crucial to the success of the Panthers’ offense.
For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2025 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!
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