Receiving Floor: Why the 2025 RB Class Is Mispriced

By EJ · June 21, 2026 · Play For Keeps Articles

It feels like the dynasty prices of the 2025 rookie RB class don’t reflect the important aspects of their on field production. Their receiving PPG, or receiving floor, tells a story that should change how some of these guys are valued.

The receiving PPG / total PPG relationship at the RB position is nothing new.
The 2025 top 12 RBs by PPG show it cleanly. The top 3 — McCaffrey, Bijan, Gibbs — all averaged 9.9+ receiving PPG. Nothing groundbreaking. We all knew CMC carried his fantasy value through the passing game. Bijan and Gibbs are elite receivers. The guys who finished top 12 with little receiving production tell their own story.

Derrick Henry: 1.8 receiving PPG. No surprise. He’s 6’3, 247 pounds & a future Hall of Famer. His rushing production is elite and his rushing TD totals stick to him year over year like glue. Henry is the extreme outlier in 2025.

Jonathan Taylor: One of the best pure runners of this generation. His 2025 season produced a career high in receptions and 20 total TDs. The same amount of TDs that he had in his RB1 overall finish in 2021. Anointing any rookie as the next Jonathan Taylor type is usually a mistake.

James Cook: Another one with a low receiving floor that finished as an RB1 in 2025. This came on the back of 1600+ rushing yards, a career high by almost 500 yards, and 14 total TDs. The 14 total TDs were actually 4 fewer than he had last year. The TDs are consistent for James Cook. He plays on one of the best offenses conducted by one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Not a common theme in the NFL. None of this is new. The fantasy industry has known the importance of a running back's receiving floor for years. So why does it matter for the 2025 rookie RB class?

Take a look at the 2023 rookie chart. The big 3 of that class — Bijan, Gibbs, & Achane — are now hitting their primes. Rookie production matters. And receiving production correlates directly to overall production. Again, nothing new.

Which brings us back to the 2025 rookie RB class. Here's a few takeaways on what I observe from this chart.

Cam Skattebo: best in the class in both receiving PPG and total PPG. His sample is smaller, which inflates the numbers a bit. But 2025 Week 1 he was at a 12% snap share. Pull that game out and the numbers jump off the chart. He also comes with real concerns — major injury, new coaching staff. A fully healthy Skattebo used the same way in 2026, at his current dynasty price (RB19), is one of the best investments you can make right now. Chase the upside.

Omarion Hampton: a more reliable receiver than I expected. Team environment is the real story — great offense, great QB, and now Mike McDaniel as OC. The same coach who turned De’Von Achane into a PPR machine. Hampton has analytics concerns as a pure runner. But if McDaniel builds on this receiving floor, he could blow expectations out of the water.

Ashton Jeanty: pack your Jeanty bags as full as possible. It’s only a matter of time before he’s in a tier with Bijan and Gibbs. Elite prospect, elite talent, elite receiving floor — and he did all of this on the worst team in football last year. New head coach, new QB, and Bowers is the only real target competition. Worth every last penny right now in dynasty.

TreVeyon Henderson: the perplexing one. A high receiving floor was supposed to be his calling card as a prospect. He just didn’t get used that way in 2025. Should that change in 2026? I think so. Will it? Hard to say with Vrabel and McDaniels calling the shots. His RB11 price tag feels a tad too much right now. Hoping the volume improves in 2026.

Quinshon Judkins: the one I’m most concerned about. I like Judkins as a football player. Good runner, runs through contact. But his receiving floor is one of the lowest in the class and teammate Dylan Sampson actually averaged more receiving PPG. There’s a path where a new Cleveland regime makes him a true three-down workhorse and Sampson’s receiving share transfers to him. But banking on that at his RB9 KTC price is steep for a player who provided such a low floor through the air on a team that probably won’t be scoring much anytime soon.

The 2025 RB class was elite coming in. And it’s off to a hot start. This class will define fantasy teams for years to come. And some of these names are going to be central to the future of the position. The data is just telling us who to bet on and who to be careful with.

Tags: 2025 Rookie RB Class · Cam Skattebo · Omarion Hampton · Ashton Jeanty · TreVeyon Henderson · Quinshon Judkins · Derrick Henry · Dynasty Fantasy Football · Rookie RB · Receiving Floor

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