In every fantasy football format, running backs who catch passes are desirable assets. While it’s more pronounced in PPR, a target is worth more than a carry even in non-PPR. We’ve gone through all 32 teams to pinpoint the best pass-catching RB on each of them.
Who Is the Best Pass-Catching RB on Each Team in 2024?
Arizona Cardinals: James Conner
The Cardinals don’t really have a clear receiving back. The past two seasons, they’ve used James Conner in a three-down role. Although Conner’s target share was only 8% last season, it was 11.6% in 2022, which was 14th in the league.
The main addition the Cardinals made to their backfield was adding Trey Benson in the third round of the NFL Draft. However, he projects more as a pure runner, as his highest target share in a college season was just 6.5%. If Benson shines as a receiver, it would be quite a surprise.
Atlanta Falcons: Bijan Robinson
As underwhelming as Bijan Robinson’s rookie season was (thanks to Arthur Smith’s gross incompetence), he saw plenty of volume as a receiver. Robinson’s 17.2% target share was third in the league. That’s mighty impressive for a rookie, let alone a running back who only saw a 52.5% opportunity share in his team’s backfield.
Robinson actually led all running backs, not just rookies, in routes run. If he maintains similar passing game usage this season with Kirk Cousins at quarterback, the sky is the limit for his production.
Baltimore Ravens: Justice Hill
The Ravens were hoping sophomore RB Keaton Mitchell would occupy this role. Unfortunately, he won’t be ready to start the season as he recovers from a serious knee injury.
Their main offseason acquisition was obviously Derrick Henry. He will handle the majority of the Ravens’ rushes, but he’s never been much of a receiver. Henry’s highest single-season target share was 10.3% in 2022.
To open the season, Justice Hill will operate as the primary passing down back. His 8.9% target share led the Ravens last season. This is not a team that throws to its backs particularly often, though. Hill has value as the presumptive handcuff to Henry, but there’s nothing stand-alone here for fantasy.
Buffalo Bills: James Cook
If there is a flaw in James Cook’s fantasy profile, it’s not his receiving. The Bills use their main back as their receiving back. It’s the short-yardage and goal-line carries that Cook is unlikely to get.
Cook earned a 9.9% target share last season, which was easily tops in the Bills’ backfield. That may not seem like much, but it’s not like Josh Allen throws to running backs all that often. Per TruMedia, the Bills ranked 26th in the league in running back target share at just 15%.
Carolina Panthers: Chuba Hubbard
The Panthers are a bit of an unknown this season. They drafted Jonathon Brooks in the second round, making him the first running back off the board. However, he is going to open the season either on the PUP list or as an inactive as he works his way back from a November ACL tear. This leaves Chuba Hubbard in the RB1 role to start the season.
Last year, Hubbard led the team with an 8.2% target share. Hubbard should open the season in a three-down role. However, it remains to be seen how much work Hubbard receives once Brooks is back and acclimated.
We can reasonably infer Hubbard will remain in the role, though. Brooks wasn’t a prolific receiver in college. Now, to be fair, he spent two of his three collegiate seasons behind Bijan Robinson. But even in Brooks’ lone season as the clear lead back, he only commanded a 6.3% target share. That’s not a profile that screams passing-down back at the NFL level.
Chicago Bears: Roschon Johnson
The Bears are one of the trickier teams to decipher. The only thing we can say definitively is that it won’t be Khalil Herbert. It could easily be D’Andre Swift, whose best attribute was his receiving ability coming out of college. The reason I think it will be Roschon Johnson is due to the way Swift has been used in each of the past two seasons.
In 2021, Swift earned a career-high 18.4% target share. That dropped to 15.1% in 2022. Then, in 2023 with the Eagles, Swift’s target share dropped to 10%. The Eagles were right smack in the middle in targeting running backs with a 17% target share. They chose not to throw to Swift.
Meanwhile, as a rookie, despite being limited to just 81 carries on the season (a paltry 31.3% opportunity share), Johnson garnered a 9.5% target share. Surprisingly, he was tied with Herbert for the team lead. Still, we can readily dismiss Herbert as the receiving back this season due to Swift’s addition.
If Johnson winds up operating as the passing-down back, he won’t have stand-alone value. Rather, he would merely serve to take a chunk out of Swift’s fantasy value.
Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown
It sure seems like we’re not going to have a clear answer on who the lead back on the Bengals will be heading into the season. Chase Brown was there last year but barely saw the field. The Bengals signed Zack Moss, who has shown an ability to handle a large amount of work. However, Moss isn’t really a special player.
Moss had an 8.2% target share last season. He also had a game with six receptions. He’s not incapable of catching passes, but he’s certainly not as dynamic as Brown.
If you only look at Brown’s total volume, you’d see a quite useless 3.6% target share. But remember, Brown played only 12.2% of the snaps last season. When he was on the field, he often got the ball, as evidenced by his outrageous (and completely unsustainable) 48.3% targets per route run rate.
While that number is obviously going way down, it’s evidence of the Bengals’ desire to throw the ball to Brown when he is on the field. Even if Moss is the starter and primary early-down back, Brown is the overwhelming favorite for pass-game duties.
Cleveland Browns: Jerome Ford
Even in his prime, Nick Chubb was never a receiver. He saw a 7.3% target share in 2022 and a 6.3% target share in 2021. Filling in for an injured Chubb last season, Jerome Ford earned himself a 10.6% target share — higher than every year of Chubb’s career.
Ford is set to open the season as the lead back. It’s unclear whether he will operate on passing downs, though. Some teams like to have a different back on third downs. That means Ford could begin the season without the passing-down role but return to it when Chubb returns.
Either way, you’re not drafting any of the Browns running backs for their receiving work. They only threw to running backs 15% of the time last season, and that was with Deshaun Watson playing a mere six games. If he starts a full season, expect that percentage to get even lower.
Dallas Cowboys: Rico Dowdle
For the past three years, the Cowboys’ receiving back was Tony Pollard. Now that he’s gone, it will either be Rico Dowdle, whose career-high target share was last season’s 3.9%, or Ezekiel Elliott, who is 29 years old but saw a 15% target share last season.
Based on the comments we’ve gotten from Mike McCarthy, the team is not going to use Elliott as they did during his first run. He is best used in short-yardage situations. That doesn’t mean he won’t handle plenty of early-down work. But if there is going to be a timeshare, it makes sense that the younger, more dynamic Dowdle would be the preferred option on passing downs. If Elliott is out there, he would likely be pass-blocking anyway.
Denver Broncos: Samaje Perine
The Broncos’ backfield is a bit of a wild card this season. At various points over the summer, there were reports of both Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine potentially being on the roster bubble. We’ve also had positive coach-speak on Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.
As things currently stand, all three running backs are back with the team. Last season, the primary receiving back was Perine. His 11.8% target share was 17th in the league, and it wasn’t empty volume. Perine averaged 6.7 yards per touch, second in the league.
Surprisingly, Williams had a 13% target share, 11th in the league. Based on that, there is an argument that he is the best pass-catching back on the team. However, the Broncos led the NFL last season in running back target share at an absurd 30% — about 13% higher than the league average.
I’m projecting the overall target share for running backs to decrease this season. Given that Perine was used more frequently in hurry-up situations, I am giving the edge to Perine.
Detroit Lions: Jahmyr Gibbs
This one is as easy as it gets. The Lions have a two-man committee featuring Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The latter is a pure two-down grinder. His target share was a mere 5.3% last season. Meanwhile, Gibbs saw a 14.1% target share, ninth in the league.
Furthermore, Gibbs said to reporters that one of his primary focuses in this training camp has been working on his receiving and improving in that area. It’s not as if anyone needed more of a reason to know Gibbs would be the Lions’ best receiving back. There is zero doubt about this one.
Green Bay Packers: Josh Jacobs
Make no mistake about it, the Packers’ backfield is going to be a timeshare. Josh Jacobs will lead it, but Matt LaFleur has always used two backs.
For most teams, the running back handling passing-down work is the one on the lower end of the timeshare. In Green Bay, Jacobs still projects to lead this backfield in receptions.
Behind Jacobs will be rookie MarShawn Lloyd and veteran plodder AJ Dillon. It actually wouldn’t be a complete shock if Dillon opened the season in the passing-down role. Despite Aaron Jones being a vastly superior receiver, Dillon was playing ahead of him on third-down passing situations for much of the season.
While Lloyd should be able to beat out Dillon for the RB2 role, he’s not exactly a receiver. Lloyd’s highest college target share was just 6.7%. Jacobs saw a 13.4% target share last season. It may not be that high with the Packers, but he should be considered the heavy favorite to lead this backfield in targets.
Houston Texans: Joe Mixon
Last season, the Texans’ backfield was very much a work in progress. Dameon Pierce opened the season as the starter with Mike Boone handling obvious passing downs. By the middle of the season, Devin Singletary was playing all three downs. Then, later in the season, Dare Ogunbowale started handling most of the passing downs.
There’s certainly a chance the Texans spell Mixon on third downs for Ogunbowale this year, but C.J. Stroud is not one to check it down often. Even if Ogunbowale plays the majority of obvious passing downs, he will either be blocking or running to clear space.
Stroud threw to running backs 14% of the time last season, the second-lowest rate in the league. Mixon had a 10.8% target share in Cincinnati. If he merely matches that in Houston, it would easily be enough to lead the team.
Indianapolis Colts: Jonathan Taylor
Out of all the teams in the NFL, the Colts are the one we are guessing the most at as to who will be the passing-down back. Jonathan Taylor is certainly a capable pass catcher, but the team just doesn’t use him that way. Taylor’s target share was a paltry 7.6% last season.
However, Taylor was targeted at a rate of 10.8% and 10.6% in the previous two seasons. Those numbers came on offenses that featured mostly traditional pocket passers.
The Colts’ current quarterback is Anthony Richardson. Given his mobility, we can project him to throw to running backs less than Gardner Minshew II. That’s a scary thought for the receiving upside of any Colts back as they only saw a collective 14% target share last season.
With a full season of Richardson, they may very well be at the bottom of the league in running back targets. Given that Taylor is vastly superior to every other back on the roster, even if he is pulled on third downs for Trey Sermon or Tyler Goodson, I suspect Taylor will see more targets on first and second down than the other two anyway.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Etienne Jr.
When the Jaguars drafted Tank Bigsby, they did so intending to lighten the load off of Travis Etienne Jr. Unfortunately, Bigbsy was not ready to play in the NFL. As a result, Etienne was thrust into a near-every-down role, playing 74.3% of the snaps.
Kansas City Chiefs: Isiah Pacheco
This one requires a bit of a leap of faith. For the past couple of years, Jerick McKinnon has monopolized the Chiefs’ receiving-back role. This year, the team opted not to re-sign him.
Behind Isiah Pacheco, the Chiefs have failed 2020 first-rounder Clyde Edwards-Helaire and 2023 UDFA Deneric Prince. Historically, Andy Reid always uses a third-down back. But even if CEH handles that role, Pacheco is the favorite to lead this team in targets.
Pacheco saw a 9.6% target share last season. That was more than McKinnon. Meanwhile, Edwards-Helaire earned just 4.1% of the targets.
The Chiefs have shown a clear commitment to Pacheco as their RB of the future. Expect a career year from him, which includes career highs in targets.
Las Vegas Raiders: Ameer Abdullah
I would be lying if I said I was overly confident in this one. For the past two seasons, Ameer Abdullah has been the Raiders’ primary receiving back. Given his veteran status, I still peg him as the favorite for the role. However, rookie sixth-rounder Dylan Laube has been garnering high praise in training camp.
Laube hails from a non-FBS school but was a monster out of the backfield in his senior year, catching a whopping 68 passes. Abdullah is now 30 years old. There’s certainly a chance Laube will take over the role. The only thing we can be sure of is it won’t be Zamir White.
Los Angeles Chargers: J.K. Dobbins
The Chargers also find themselves on the list of teams difficult to figure out. We know the receiving back won’t be Gus Edwards, but that’s about as far as we can get.
J.K. Dobbins was a capable enough receiver in college, with a college career-best target share of 7.7%. We didn’t get to see much of his receiving ability in the NFL because he played with Lamar Jackson and has also been hurt for most of the past three years.
Given Dobbins’ history with OC Greg Roman and the Harbaughs, plus his veteran status, he’s the presumptive favorite. But can he stay healthy? So far, the answer has been no.
If Dobbins can’t do it, then rookie sixth-rounder Kimani Vidal would likely get the next crack at it. Either way, this projects to be a low-volume passing attack. Fantasy managers are not drafting any Chargers running back for their receiving.
Los Angeles Rams: Kyren Williams
In reality, Kyren Williams is not a great receiver. He averaged 0.77 yards per route run last season, 37th in the league. His 32 receptions in 12 games were a product of volume. Yet, he’s still the best receiving back on the Rams.
How can this be? It’s the way Sean McVay utilizes his running backs.
Williams led all running backs in opportunity share at 83.9%. The Rams like to have one back who plays on all three downs. Even though Williams was incredibly inefficient with his targets, when Matthew Stafford checked it down, the ball went to Williams since he was almost always on the field. That is how he managed an 11.5% target share.
Williams will open this season in the same role he had last year. It’s possible he gets hurt or proves to be a fluke, resulting in Blake Corum overtaking him, but that’s not something I’m willing to predict.
Miami Dolphins: De’Von Achane
Despite the notion that the Dolphins like to push the ball downfield (which they do), this is a team that actually threw to its running backs a lot last year. The Dolphins’ 22% target share to RBs ranked sixth in the league.
When Tua Tagovailoa does opt to throw to a back, it’s usually to De’Von Achane. As a rookie, Achane only commanded an 11.3% target share, but that was largely due to him opening the season as a backup and being injured. Achane is the clear receiving back, as Raheem Mostert’s 6.8% target share indicates he is not.
Minnesota Vikings: Aaron Jones
I’m expecting a relatively even split between Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler in terms of snaps and total touches in the Vikings backfield. But when it comes to who is going to handle the most receiving work, I have to give a strong edge to Jones.
While Jones has never been a high-volume receiving back, he’s always been a productive pass catcher. Before last season, he caught at least 47 passes for four consecutive years.
On the other hand, Chandler doesn’t have a rich history of pass-catching. Last season, Chandler did catch at least three passes in four of his final eight games. However, that was more of a product of circumstance than a deliberate intent to utilize him as a receiver. The only thing standing in the way of Jones leading this backfield in target share is his health.
New England Patriots: Antonio Gibson
I’m going out on a limb with this one, but maybe not as far as you think. Back in 2022, Rhamondre Stevenson’s overall RB10 finish was due in large part to his heavy receiving workload. He caught a very nice 69 passes that season. His 17.3% target share was fourth in the league.
Last year, Stevenson was still effective as a receiver, but his target share dipped to 12.8%. Meanwhile, Ezekiel Elliott was able to earn a 12% target share.
The Patriots have a new coaching staff, so it’s a little dangerous projecting based on what happened last year. However, we’ve seen many NFL teams make their third-down back someone other than their early-down guy.
I think Stevenson will be the primary runner and Gibson, who has a history of pass-catching as a former wide receiver, will sub in on third-down and obvious passing situations.
New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara
Throughout his career, Alvin Kamara has always been a great pass catcher. As he’s gotten older, his efficiency has declined, and it’s noticeable. However, what hasn’t changed is his ability to catch the football.
Last season, Kamara was second in the league with a 19.3% target share. Derek Carr just checked it down to Kamara over and over again. Kamara averaged 1.73 yards per route run, fourth in the league, but only 6.2 yards per reception, 26th in the league.
The Saints’ two other backs are Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller. Neither is even a slight threat to Kamara as the best pass-catching back on this team.
New York Giants: Devin Singletary
It’s difficult to project the Giants’ backfield in a post-Saquon Barkley world. Devin Singletary will definitely be the lead back, but will he be a three-down back? I genuinely don’t know.
Last season, the Texans were willing to use Singletary on all three downs at times. But by the end of the season, it was Dare Ogunbowale in the receiving back role.
If Singletary isn’t the receiving back for the Giants, the role would almost certainly go to rookie fifth-rounder Tyrone Tracy Jr. The Purdue product is a former wide receiver. In three of his four years at Iowa and one of his two at Purdue, he had more receptions than carries. If the Giants trust the rookie early, it wouldn’t shock me if Tracy wound up topping Singletary in receptions.
New York Jets: Breece Hall
The Jets are one of only a handful of teams I expect to use the same back on all three downs. Breece Hall is one of the most talented backs in the league. In his first year back after tearing his ACL, Hall earned a 17% target share despite being limited for a quarter of the season.
Hall’s target share will likely come down this season, as Aaron Rodgers is far more adept at getting the ball to wide receivers than Zach Wilson. However, there is not a single back on this team worthy of spelling Hall on passing downs. Hall will only come out of the game when he is tired or is getting a series off.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Jaylen Warren
It’s wild to think that Najee Harris earned a 14.5% target share as a rookie. Ever since then, the Steelers have made it a point to throw to Harris as little as possible.
Jaylen Warren is the passing-down back and is a far superior talent as a receiver. He had a 15.3% target share last season, while Harris was at just 7.9%.
From a pure snap standpoint, this is essentially an even timeshare. Given that these backs are viewed as equals, Warren having the superior pass-catching track record solidifies his spot as the best receiving back on this team.
Philadelphia Eagles: Saquon Barkley
The Eagles may very well pull Saquon Barkley on third downs or obvious passing situations. However, even if they opt to do that, Barkley should see enough work in the passing game on early downs to lead this team in receptions.
Barkley has always been a true three-down back. He is one of the best runners in the league and has a history of high target shares. Last year, he was at 15.3%.
Despite the fact that rushing quarterbacks throw to running backs less, Jalen Hurts targeted the RB position 16.5% of the time last season. The Eagles did not spend significant financial capital to sign Barkley to make him a glorified two-down grinder. Expect to see pass plays designed for Barkley, allowing him to easily lead the Eagles in targets.
San Francisco 49ers: Christian McCaffrey
If there is one team in the league where there is absolutely no doubt as to who the receiving back is, it’s the 49ers. Christian McCaffrey is arguably the greatest pass-catching back in NFL history.
Since entering the NFL, excluding the two years he was injured (2020 and 2021), McCaffrey has led all running backs in target share every year of his career. The 49ers may try and reduce McCaffrey’s workload to keep him fresh coming off a 400+ touch season, but absolutely no one is a threat to his role as the receiving back.
Seattle Seahawks: Zach Charbonnet
The Seahawks’ situation is not as straightforward as it may seem. Zach Charbonnet is the clear passing-down back. However, he and Kenneth Walker III saw near identical target shares last season (7.7% and 7.6%).
This year, we have a new coaching staff that drafted neither of these backs. The roles will likely be determined purely by performance; a true meritocracy.
Based on the skill sets of both backs, I give the edge to Charbonnet. The sophomore RB has a much stronger history of receiving, most notably an 11.2% target share his final season at UCLA. Walker had fewer than 20 receptions in all three of his collegiate seasons. The role likely belongs to Charbonnet.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rachaad White
Last year, the Bucs had to put a lot on Rachaad White’s plate due to the simple fact that they didn’t have another NFL-caliber running back on the roster. In an effort to combat that, the team drafted Bucky Irving in the fourth round this season.
Interestingly, Irving was a very good pass catcher in college, earning a 12.7% target share in his final season at Oregon. Even so, it would be a major stretch to expect White’s passing-down role to be reduced. White was one of the worst runners in the league last season, but he was one of the best receivers. If anything, White deserves a higher target share than the 12.7% he saw last season.
Any role Irving can carve out would likely come at the expense of White’s early-down work. Fantasy managers can confidently expect White to be a prolific receiver once again.
Tennessee Titans: Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard
I know I’m supposed to give you an answer here, but no backfield in the entire NFL is as even as the Titans’ backfield. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears have nearly identical skill sets. They can and will be used interchangeably.
Spears earned a 14.7% target share as a rookie playing alongside Derrick Henry last season. Pollard’s target share was 11.1%, which was actually a career-high. While that may suggest Spears is the superior receiver, I expect neither back to have any defined role.
Both will handle early-down work. Both will handle passing-down work. Whichever one ends up with the larger target share will be purely circumstantial. Both backs are worth targeting in fantasy for their receiving upside.
Washington Commanders: Austin Ekeler
Was Austin Ekeler’s poor 2023 season a product of age-related decline or his early season high ankle sprain? We’ll probably find out this season. Regardless, Ekeler should dwarf Brian Robinson Jr. in target share.
Robinson was actually quite efficient as a pass catcher last season, leading all running backs in yards per reception at 10.2. His 1.72 yards per route run was fifth.
If the Commanders need Robinson to catch passes, he can. But Robinson is not the receiver that Ekeler is. Ekeler is one of the best receiving backs of all time. Last year was the first time since 2018 that Ekeler was outside the top five in target share. If he’s healthy this season, even if his ability is declining, he should at least be toward the top of the league and far ahead of Robinson.