8 RB Sleepers for Fantasy Football in 2025

Before we get to my favorite RB sleepers for 2025 fantasy football, we need to hash a few things out.

The term “sleeper” in the Fantasy Football world is often tossed around, but it can have different meanings and definitions for different people. You will see tons of content in various forms talking “sleepers” but the approach to what a “sleeper” actually is will vary. So, step one in this article will be defining a “sleeper”.

Sleeper: a player whose market and/or draft value is much lower than what their Fantasy Football production is projected to be.

Some examples of running back sleepers from 2024 include (ADP = average draft position):

• Chase Brown: RB36 ADP vs. RB10 Fantasy Football finish
• JK Dobbins: RB41 ADP vs. RB24 Fantasy Football finish
• Chuba Hubbard: RB42 ADP vs. RB15 Fantasy Football finish
• Rico Dowdle: RB45 ADP vs. RB23 Fantasy Football finish
• Bucky Irving: RB52 ADP vs. RB13 Fantasy Football finish

In all of the above examples, the running backs were drafted outside the top 30 for the position but had a substantial difference in their Fantasy Football finish and production. If you identified the above players as “sleepers” last year and drafted them, they could have given you a league edge. These players could have pushed you towards a championship, or maybe they did. That is where I come in for 2025.

The ADP for 2025 can be utilized to an extent this time of year, but likely will not be that accurate due to not enough drafts happening in mid-July. So I will not specifically reference ADP when speaking on the players below, but I wanted to use the above examples as a baseline in terms of running backs being drafted outside the top 30 for the position. I believe that the following eight running backs are current draft values who will have a large gap between where you drafted them pre-2025 and where they finish for the position by the end of 2025 for Fantasy Football. This article intends to help you “Play 2 Win” and push you towards a championship. So target these running backs in 2025.

8 RB Sleepers for Fantasy Football in 2025

1. Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars

The market feels completely down on Travis Etienne Jr., especially after he looked like the second-best running back for the Jaguars last season, and then Bhayshul Tuten was drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to add more competition. Tank Bigsby did play one more game than ETN, but edged him 168 to 150 in rushing attempts, 766 to 558 in rushing yards, and seven to two in rushing touchdowns.

2024 and the offseason of 2025 made people forget the impact Etienne has had on Fantasy Football in the past. In 2023, Etienne rushed for 1,008 yards but, more importantly, caught 58 balls for 476 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns, which resulted in 16.6 Fantasy PPG (#7). In 2022, Etienne’s first NFL season, he rushed for 1,125 yards, caught 35 balls for 316 yards, scored five total touchdowns, and averaged 12.1 Fantasy Points (#23). So in those two seasons, we saw one major rushing season, one major receiving season, and one major Fantasy scoring season.

Liam Coen is now the Head Coach of the Jaguars after serving as the Tampa Bay Offensive Coordinator. Yes, there can be an open competition between ETN, Bigsby, and Tuten for the primary role. But also yes, Coen can recognize the most talented back in his new system – which to me is Travis Etienne Jr. I project Etienne to take his job back as the lead running back for a Jaguars offense that continues to trend up and build, which in turn could have a huge Fantasy Football impact like Etienne has had in the past. Etienne is a former first-round talent who has the resume of a dual-threat, versatile running back.

2. Cam Skattebo, Giants

As a fifth-round rookie in 2024, Tyrone Tracy Jr. totaled 839 rushing yards, 39 catches, 284 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns. The Giants proceeded to draft Cam Skattebo in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Arizona State with the third pick in the fourth round. Skattebo is coming off a massive season, finishing second in the FBS with 1,711 rushing yards and tied for sixth in the FBS with 21 rushing touchdowns. Skattebo finished fifth in the Heisman voting. Skattebo’s dynamic skillset was on full display in the Peach Bowl loss to Texas, with him producing 143 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 99 receiving yards, and throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass. Skattebo is a compact 5’9, 219 lb back with great contact balance, plays physical, has solid footwork, makes guys miss, breaks tackles, can catch, and is a monster at racking up extra yards.

I do not think Skattebo comes in and completely takes over as the Giants’ RB1 and has this workhorse role. I do believe Skattebo creates a committee with Tracy Jr., who was a former college wide receiver and likely will continue having a pass-catching role. I project this backfield to be a 1A, 1B situation, but the A for me is Skattebo. I project Skattebo to out-touch Tracy and handle the heavier rushing workload. Skattebo proved in 2024 to be a do-it-all back despite size and speed concerns. The production in 2024 was heavy, this guy has loads of confidence, he is a blue-collar punch-you-in-the-face type of back, and will be a solid Fantasy asset to roster.

3. Javonte Williams, Cowboys

The Cowboys signed Javonte Williams to a one-year deal worth $3 million. The Cowboys also signed Miles Sanders to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million, and then drafted Jaydon Blue from Texas in the fourth round. Javonte was a former second-round selection from the Broncos in 2021, and he flashed his rookie season with 903 rushing yards, 43 catches for 316 yards, seven total touchdowns, and 12.1 Fantasy PPG (#22). Unfortunately, Williams suffered a major knee injury the following year, had a recovery season the next year, getting back to full strength, and then fell into a running back carousel in 2024. One positive note from the last two seasons has been the consistency in reception numbers with 52 (#6) in 2024 and 47 (#16) the season prior.

Rico Dowdle (now a Panther) rushed 235 times for 1,079 yards and added 39 catches for another 249 yards with five total touchdowns for the Cowboys last season. This is the role that I project Javonte Williams to take on. Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue should fight each other for the secondary role behind Williams. The Fantasy market once viewed Williams as one of the next up-and-coming running backs with a bright future, but injuries deterred that. Injuries do not wipe out skill. This Cowboys offense will be dangerous through the air via Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson, so if Williams can take a piece of that, along with taking over the ground game that will be opened up by the aerial attack, it could mean big things for Fantasy Football.

4. Rachaad White, Buccaneers

As a rookie last season, Bucky Irving rushed 207 times for 1,121 yards, caught 47 passes for 392 yards, scored eight total touchdowns, and averaged 14.4 Fantasy PPG. This had a massive impact on the value of Rachaad White moving forward. The season prior, White rushed 272 times for 990 yards, caught 64 passes for 549 yards, scored nine touchdowns, and averaged 15.8 Fantasy PPG. With Irving stepping into the lead role in 2024, White’s volume and production dropped, with him rushing 144 times for 613 yards, catching 51 balls for 393 yards, scoring nine total touchdowns (repeat), and averaging 12.5 Fantasy PPG.

Tampa Bay implemented both Bucky and White last season as a committee, so while Irving was the lead and more productive, White still worked in plenty. As you go down your draft board, identifying running backs who are the RB2 on their team but still can have stand-alone value can lead to having solid depth on your Fantasy Football rosters. That is the case for White. I outlined the power of the pass-catching running back in an article previously written this offseason (here), and the data showed that 40/49 (81.63%) of the running backs from 2020-2024 who caught 50+ passes finished as a top-24 Fantasy running back. White has caught 51, 64, and 50 passes through his three NFL seasons and should continue to be a factor as a pass-catching running back which will have a direct positive impact on Fantasy Football scoring.

5.) Austin Ekeler, Commanders

Austin Ekeler has a history of Fantasy Football dominance with seasons of 19.3 (2019), 16.5 (2020), 21.5 (2021), and 21.9 (2022) Fantasy PPG. Ekeler’s best quality through his career has been his pass-catching skillset, evident by the numbers that include five seasons above 50 receptions, three seasons of 70+ catches, two seasons over 90 catches, six seasons over 400 receiving yards, three seasons over 640 receiving yards, and two seasons over 720 receiving yards. Ekeler has also had seasons of 18 and 20 total touchdowns in 2022 and 2021. The issue for Ekeler now is the combination of age (30 years old) and injuries, with Ekeler limited to 12 and 14 games the last two seasons, where he missed time.

Ekeler averaged 2.9 receptions and 30.5 receiving yards per game in 2024 in his first season as a Commander. If you were to take those averages across a 17-game span, that would be 49.3 catches and 518.5 receiving yards. I mentioned before the impacts of pass-catching running backs, and how 40/49 (81.63%) of the running backs from 2020-2024 who caught 50+ passes finished as a top-24 Fantasy running back. A healthy Ekeler should continue to be utilized as a pass-catcher, which should mean stand-alone value and depth for the running back position. Ekeler caught three, four, and five passes in the NFL Playoffs this past season for 26, 41, and 17 receiving yards. A pass-catching resume and a clear role make Ekeler worth taking a shot on in drafts.

6. Nick Chubb, Texans

In Week 2 of the 2023 NFL Season, Nick Chubb suffered a horrific knee injury that many thought he would not be able to come back from. Chubb did appear in eight games the next season after a long recovery, rushing 102 times for 332 yards and four total touchdowns. We could not have expected much in what would be his final season with the Browns, coming off that knee injury. The last time Chubb was fully healthy was in 2022 when he rushed 302 times for 1,525 yards, scored 13 total touchdowns, and averaged 16.6 Fantasy PPG (#6). Chubb finished four straight seasons from 2019-2022 with over 1,000 rushing yards, with three of those seasons over 1,200 yards. Chubb has historically been one of the league’s elite rushers and is a well-known “freak athlete”. Videos have surfaced this offseason of Chubb lifting heavily in the gym, looking healthy and hungry.

The Texans signed Nick Chubb to a one-year $2.5 million contract this offseason. Joe Mixon is currently dealing with some foot/ankle issues, but is said to be on track for training camp. Mixon did miss time in 2024, playing in 14 games, but did finish with 245 rushing attempts for 1,016 rushing yards, caught 36 passes for 309 receiving yards, scored 12 total touchdowns, and averaged 17.2 Fantasy PPG. The Texans have two veterans with great resumes in Mixon (28) and Chubb (30). Would it be impossible for this backfield to become a committee if both guys are at full strength? If Chubb is even a fraction of his former self, that could have a big translation for Fantasy Football should Mixon miss time or Chubb simply carves out a large role for himself.

7. Justice Hill, Ravens

Back in September of 2024, the Ravens and Justice Hill agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $6 million, which prevented Hill from entering Free Agency. Hill carved out a role with Derrick Henry becoming a Raven as the pass-catching back in the system. Hill caught 42 balls for 383 yards, scored four total touchdowns, and averaged 8.5 Fantasy PPG. Hill finished weeks with some upside Fantasy scoring, with 11.5 (Week 1), 21.6 (Week 4), 13.8 (Week 7), 14.2 (Week 12), and 17.8 (Week 15) Fantasy Points.

Lamar Jackson had career highs in 2024 through the air in passing attempts (474), passing yards (4,172), and passing touchdowns (41). This is encouraging for any of the Ravens’ pass-catchers. An extension by Baltimore basically said, “Hey, we think you are important, so we are keeping you here,” to Hill. Derrick Henry will continue to have a monster workload, but Hill can, at the same time, be a candidate to catch 45-50 balls. Seeing some of the upside Fantasy scores from last year, and knowing that depth at the running back position can be slim due to injuries and role changes, makes Hill worth rostering.

8. Tahj Brooks, Bengals

Tahj Brooks rushed 290 times for 1,538 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023, and caught 29 passes for 72 yards. In 2024, Brooks rushed 286 times for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns, and caught 28 balls for 199 yards and a receiving touchdown. Only Ashton Jeanty (first-round selection by the Raiders) and Omarion Hampton (first-round selection by the Chargers) averaged more rushing yards per game than Brooks in 2024. Brooks has a powerful 214-pound base, forces tackles with quick cuts, and has proven to be able to handle a large workload. Back-to-back highly productive rushing seasons are evident by the big numbers.

The Bengals drafted Brooks in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Following Joe Mixon’s departure from the Bengals to the Texans before the 2024 season, Chase Brown exploded onto the scene after a couple of weeks. Brown was a former fifth-round selection by the Bengals. Zack Moss is still on the roster and has been recovering from a neck injury that resulted in an IR placement last season. Pass-catching veteran Samaje Perine also joined the Bengals this offseason. Brooks has a true chance to create more of a one-two punch for the Bengals than what they implemented last year. Brown should lead the team in touches, but Brooks can factor in for some short-yardage and red zone work as well. I am not convinced Brown is a workhorse, so a bruiser like Brooks could factor in in 2025.

Who are your favorite RB Sleepers for 2025? Drop some names in the comments below! For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2025 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!