The 2025 Fantasy Football Sleeper Running Back Hunt: Beyond the Obvious Picks

Look, I’ll be straight with you. Every fantasy “expert” out there is peddling the same tired sleeper picks like they’ve discovered buried treasure. Isaiah Pacheco? Really? The guy who’s going in the fourth round is your big sleeper revelation? Please.

Here’s the thing about finding a true 2025 fantasy football sleeper running back: you need to dig deeper than the surface-level analysis that floods your Twitter feed every August. While everyone’s busy arguing whether Tank Bigsby or Travis Etienne will lead Jacksonville in carries, the real money is sitting there waiting for someone brave enough to actually take a risk.

The Problem with “Safe” Sleeper Picks

Fantasy football has become sanitized. Everyone wants that perfect balance of upside and security, which is exactly why most sleeper lists read like a committee meeting transcript: lots of safe options, zero conviction.

Take Tyrone Tracy Jr., who apparently made every sleeper list known to mankind last season and is somehow still being called a sleeper this year. When a player is universally recognized as having “breakout potential,” congratulations – he’s no longer a sleeper. He’s just another overhyped mid-round pick who’ll disappoint half the fantasy community.

The real sleepers? They’re the guys making you uncomfortable. The ones where you question your own sanity for even considering them.

The Actual Sleepers Worth Your Attention

Justice Hill: The Handcuff That’s More Than a Handcuff

Everyone knows Justice Hill exists. Few understand what he actually brings to the table. While Derrick Henry bulldozes through defenses at the ripe age of 31, Hill’s been quietly building one of the most underrated receiving profiles in the league.

Here’s what should terrify Henry owners: Hill ranked 21st among all running backs in route share last season. Twenty-first! Despite playing second fiddle to a future Hall of Famer, he still carved out meaningful passing game work in one of the NFL’s most run-heavy offenses.

But here’s the kicker, Hill isn’t just waiting for an injury. He’s already providing weekly value that nobody seems to notice. Six top-30 PPR weeks last season, including three inside the top 12. That’s not handcuff production. That’s legitimate fantasy contribution.

The market treats Hill like he’s some random backup, but the Ravens are treating him like a key piece of their puzzle. When – not if – Father Time catches up with Henry, Hill transforms from a decent flex play into a potential league winner overnight.

The Jaguars Backfield: Embracing the Chaos

This is where we separate the fantasy veterans from the rookies. Everyone wants clarity. Everyone wants to know who “the guy” will be in Jacksonville. Here’s your answer: nobody knows, and that’s exactly why this situation is beautiful.

Travis Etienne disappointed last season and looked every bit like a player whose explosiveness had diminished. Tank Bigsby showed flashes but couldn’t sustain consistent performance. Bhayshul Tuten brings that rookie excitement but comes with all the uncertainty of an unproven commodity.

The conventional wisdom says to avoid messy backfields. The smart money says to get shares of all three at their current prices because somebody in this group will emerge as a fantasy star, and when they do, their ADP will triple overnight.

New offensive coordinator Liam Coen just came from Tampa Bay, where he turned Bucky Irving from a fourth-round afterthought into a legitimate RB1 down the stretch. The Jaguars’ offensive line has quietly improved, and this team is desperate for playmakers.

You don’t need to pick the right horse, just make sure you’re at the track when one of them breaks away from the pack.

The Rookie Wild Cards

Jaydon Blue: The Cowboys’ Secret Weapon

Dallas spent the offseason pretending they were content with their backfield situation. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders? That’s the master plan for a team with championship aspirations? The Cowboys front office might buy that narrative, but the coaching staff clearly doesn’t.

Blue’s been earning first-team reps and passing-down work throughout training camp. The 196-pound speedster brings everything the Cowboys’ current backs lack – explosiveness, versatility, and the ability to make defenders miss in space.

Here’s the beautiful part about Blue’s situation: he doesn’t need to be an every-down workhorse to provide fantasy value. In today’s NFL, a change-of-pace back who can contribute in the passing game can easily outproduce plodding veterans who get more carries but do less with them.

The Cowboys’ offense should be dynamic enough to support multiple fantasy-relevant players. Blue represents the highest upside option in a backfield where everyone else has already shown you their ceiling.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt: The Seventh-Round Sensation

“Bill” has gone from complete unknown to training camp sensation faster than any player I can remember. Sometimes that’s fool’s gold. Sometimes that’s Bucky Irving.

The Commanders clearly want to move on from Brian Robinson Jr., and their alternatives aren’t exactly inspiring confidence. Austin Ekeler is a 29-year-old passing-down specialist coming off his worst season. Chris Rodriguez has been waived twice by the same organization.

Croskey-Merritt brings the one thing this backfield lacks – game-breaking ability. The seventh-round pick has shown he can create something from nothing, which is exactly what you need when you’re playing behind a questionable offensive line for a rookie quarterback.

The market has caught onto Croskey-Merritt, but he’s still being drafted as a flier rather than a legitimate option. That disconnect creates opportunity for managers willing to bet on talent over situation.

The Injury-Away Players Worth Monitoring