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 every AFC North team to pinpoint the best pass-catching RB on each of them.
Which Running Backs Are the Best Pass-Catching Options on Each AFC North Team in 2024
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.
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.
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.
