PPR Fantasy Football Running Back Sleepers and Draft Values: Undervalued Pass-Catchers

July 28, 2025

Justin's PPR running back sleepers to draft in 2025 fantasy football. His RBs with pass-catching upside, including Austin Ekeler, Justice Hill, and more.

Running backs run the ball, but they also catch the ball. Yes, I know that was probably the simplest opening statement ever in a fantasy football article, but sometimes you've just got to spell it out. Running backs are more than just runners.

You can get an edge in PPR leagues by identifying backs whose usage in the receiving game is being overlooked. Sometimes, these are top players who aren't getting valued quite as high as they should. Other times, they're deep sleepers who could be worth adding as late-round fantasy picks.

Here are five pass-catching running backs who are currently undervalued in PPR leagues.

Chase Brown - Cincinnati Bengals

When you hear the title "undervalued pass-catching running backs for PPR leagues," you probably think you're about to read about some deep sleepers. You're partially correct — there will be some deeper sleepers here! But we start with someone who is a consensus fantasy RB1 right now, but who is still being undervalued: Chase Brown.

Brown finished tied for sixth among running backs last season with 54 receptions, turning those into 360 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn't super productive on a per-play basis, tying for last among RBs with 50 or more catches in yards per reception, but he has the skill to improve on that in 2025.

Comparing "Expected" vs. Actual TDs for fantasy-relevant players in 2024 via @FantasyPtsData

> Trey McBride, George Pickens, the Vikings backfield, and Chase Brown got unlucky last year and are positive regression candidates

> I'm most worried about James Cook and McLaurin pic.twitter.com/1rNrAWQOLO

— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) June 26, 2025

Volume is king, and Brown should see a good bit of receiving volume this year. We could also see a little more of him on the ground as well, as he got off to a slow start last season. If we look at just the last eight games, his numbers extrapolate out to 1,340 rushing yards as well as 80 catches for 635 yards through the air.

Obviously, it's not as easy as just building off his final eight-game sample last year, but it does highlight that Brown was a better player to end the year than he was to start the year.

Brown is ranked around the RB10 spot in PPR leagues, which is already a few spots higher than his ranking in standard, but he has a good shot to finish closer to RB5 than RB10.

Cam Skattebo - New York Giants

Everyone knows that New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo led the Big 12 Conference in rushing attempts and yards last year, but it doesn't feel like people appreciate his impact in the passing game like they should.

Skattebo caught 45 passes for the Sun Devils last year, finishing with 605 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He was a major threat not only on the ground, but as a pass-catcher as well.

He now arrives in New York to play for a team that can really use him in the receiving game. Tyrone Tracy Jr. ranked 21st among running backs in yards per reception and 26th in yards per route run last year, so getting Skattebo involved more on passing downs could help this offense move the chains more effectively.

And that's without mentioning the path to early-down work for Skattebo as well. Tracy is a fine NFL running back, but he doesn't have an unassailable grasp on the bell cow role in New York. He's a fairly middle-of-the-road back, ranking 42nd last year in fantasy points per opportunity. Skattebo will have a chance to play a major role for the Giants.

Javonte Williams - Dallas Cowboys

Plenty of noise has been made this offseason about the state of the Cowboys' running back room. What was a major strength just a few years ago is now a huge weakness. Ezekiel Elliott hit the wall. Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle both left the Cowboys in free agency after one season apiece as the lead back over the past two years.

Here's the thing, though: Dallas has an iffy situation at running back, but they've still got to put someone out there, and it's pretty clear that "someone" is going to be Javonte Williams.

Miles Sanders is coming off his worst NFL season. Rookie Jaydon Blue has reportedly not had an encouraging summer so far, making it tough to see him do much in 2025. That really just leaves Williams.

From the Doin Alright podcast:

Bryan Broaddus said he recently spoke with Broncos HC Sean Payton regarding his former RB, Javonte Williams.

Payton mentioned that he’ll be two years removed from the major injury, and highlighted Javonte’s pass-catching and blocking abilities. pic.twitter.com/CC0RKMpQqj

— SleeperCowboys (@SleeperCowboys) June 5, 2025

Yes, Williams has seen a drop in production since tearing both his ACL and LCL in 2022, with his yards per carry dropping over the past two seasons. However, Williams is coming off a season where he finished eighth among running backs in receptions, so in full PPR formats, we can shrug off worries about his per-play effectiveness.

Austin Ekeler - Washington Commanders

Is Austin Ekeler washed? Well...maybe! He just had his fewest rushing and receiving yards since 2017, which is certainly not a good sign.

However, Ekeler also missed five games. His per-game rushing total might have taken a sizable hit, but he only dropped 0.6 receiving yards per game from his 2023 numbers and posted his highest yards per reception mark since 2019. As a between-the-tackles runner, Ekeler is probably done, but he can still contribute as a receiving option for quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Despite his rushing production being down, Ekeler ranked 13th in the league in receptions by a running back in 2024, and he was actually very productive when targeted. Per PlayerProfiler, Ekeler led all running backs in yards per reception and was fifth in fantasy points per opportunity last season.

The fact that he doesn't have a clear path to touches in the run game pushes his overall fantasy value down, but he can still be a major threat in the pass game, and he can still do positive things on his limited rushing attempts. For example, Ekeler finished last season with 6.5 yards per touch and 5.08 yards created per touch, both the best marks for any NFL running back.

Sure, some of that is from his receiving game work, but with Daniels being such a threat with the ball in his hands, Ekeler will likely face light fronts much of the time when he's in the game, setting him up for some solid run-game production when he does get opportunities.

Justice Hill - Baltimore Ravens

The addition of Derrick Henry last offseason meant that every other Ravens running back took a backseat. Henry had 325 carries last year, while the No. 2 back on the team, Justice Hill, had just 47 carries. But Hill had over twice as many targets and receptions as Henry, catching a career-high 42 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns.

PFF ranked the Ravens RB room #1 in the NFL:

- Derrick Henry: 93.5 rushing grade, 89 missed tackles forced, 6.0 YPC.
- Justice Hill: 89.0 receiving grade, 0 drops on 52 targets.
- Keaton Mitchell: 92.5 rushing grade in limited action.
- Rasheen Ali: Special teams boost. pic.twitter.com/CNFK0t1Qbk

— Ravens Nation 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 (@LIVERavenNation) June 24, 2025

At this stage in his career, Henry is who he is: a terrifying runner who also isn't going to really do much work as a receiver. He's had more than 20 catches just twice in his nine NFL seasons, and last year was the first time he had any receiving touchdowns since 2019.

So, when it comes to situations where the Ravens need a back on the field who can catch passes, it's going to be Hill. Signing Henry might be the best thing that's ever happened to Hill in the NFL, as the signing cleared out a logjam ahead of him and finally gave Hill a clearly defined NFL role.

There's also the "Henry has to start breaking down at some point" argument. It's true! There's no way Henry keeps being such a dominant runner between the tackles forever. At some point, there will be a fall-off, and the Ravens will need to account for that by giving Hill (or Keaton Mitchell, but probably Hill) more early-down touches as well.

I'm not saying Henry hits that proverbial wall in 2025. I'm just saying that if he does, Hill would be very valuable in fantasy. Even if he doesn't, though, Hill's receiving work makes him an intriguing dart throw at the end of PPR drafts.

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