Fantasy football can change very fast. A player who looks like a bench option early in the year can become a weekly starter after one major change in his role. Chase Brown gave fantasy managers a clear example of that in 2025.
The Cincinnati Bengals running back had a much stronger second half of the season. His numbers after the midpoint were far better than his early-season results, both as a runner and as a receiver.
Brown finished the 2025 regular season with 1,019 rushing yards on 232 carries. He also had 69 catches for 437 yards. He scored six rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns across 17 games. His full-season total came to 282.6 PPR fantasy points.
The most important part of his season, however, came after Week 9.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Brown had 97 carries for 383 yards in the first eight games of the season. He averaged 4.0 yards per carry and scored two rushing touchdowns during that span.
His receiving work was also modest at first. He caught 25 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown.
The picture changed after the halfway point.
Over the final nine games, Brown had 135 carries for 636 yards. His average rose to 4.7 yards per carry, while his rushing touchdown total doubled from two to four. His receiving production also jumped sharply.
Brown caught 44 passes for 311 yards in those nine games. He added four receiving touchdowns to his total.
That meant Brown had 947 total yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns across the two phases during that nine-game span.
His fantasy output also showed the change. One data split from the 2025 season puts Brown at 12.0 PPR points per game in the first half and 20.7 in the second half.
That is a major jump for any running back.
His Workload Became the Big Story
The biggest reason for Brown’s rise was not simply better efficiency. His workload also became much larger.
From Week 9 through Week 17, Brown had the highest carry share among running backs at 83%, according to VSiN’s 2025 fantasy analysis. His route share was 62.2%, which ranked second among running backs in that span.
That level of use gave Brown chances on the ground and through the air.
VSiN also listed Brown as the RB4 over that stretch at 20.8 fantasy points per game. His expected fantasy output was even higher at 22.4 points per game.
Those numbers help explain why Brown became such a valuable fantasy option.
A running back can have great talent and still struggle for fantasy value if his team gives him only a small role. Brown had the opposite situation late in the year. Cincinnati gave him enough work to create a reliable weekly floor, while his speed and receiving ability gave him a path to big games.
Brown Was More Than a Running Back
One reason Brown became so useful was his work as a receiver.
His 69 catches ranked far above his 54 receptions from 2024. He also improved his receiving yardage from 360 yards in 2024 to 437 yards in 2025.
That matters a lot in PPR formats.
A running back does not need to score a touchdown every week if he gets several targets. Receptions can protect his fantasy score on days when the rushing attack struggles.
Brown showed that value late in 2025.
In Week 16 against Miami, he scored 32.9 PPR points. He had 66 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 43 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. The next week, he posted 29.1 PPR points against Arizona, with 101 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Those two games showed his ceiling.
The Cincinnati Offense Helped
Another key factor was the offense around Brown.
The Bengals had a high-scoring attack, which created more chances for touchdowns and passing work. Brown also benefited from a role that placed him close to the center of the offense.
PFF noted that Brown’s late-season success had a strong connection to his playing time and the overall situation in Cincinnati. The site also pointed out that Brown finished third in fantasy points per game over an eight-game stretch late in the season.
That does not mean every game will produce huge numbers. Fantasy football always has matchup risk, game-script risk and touchdown variance.
Still, a running back with heavy carries, regular targets and a place in a strong offense has several paths to fantasy value.
Why His Second Half Matters
The second-half numbers are useful because they show what Brown can do when Cincinnati gives him a major role.
His early-season numbers alone could make him look like a decent but limited fantasy back. The later numbers tell a different story.
He moved from 383 rushing yards in his first eight games to 636 yards across his final nine. His receiving yards rose from 126 to 311. His combined rushing and receiving touchdowns also climbed sharply.
Most importantly, the Bengals trusted him with more touches.
That trust gave fantasy managers something they always want from a waiver pickup: volume.
What Fantasy Managers Should Watch
There is still one major question. Can Brown keep that workload?
His late-season production was excellent, but fantasy managers should not assume that 20-plus points every week will continue. His second-half role was unusually strong, and changes in the backfield can affect his touch count.
PFF also noted that Brown’s ability to keep the starting role was an important question for the 2025 outlook.
For fantasy managers, the key signal is not one big game. It is the combination of carries, targets and snap share.
If Brown continues to receive a large share of the rushing work while also seeing regular passes, his fantasy value remains strong.
A Waiver Pickup With Real Upside
Chase Brown’s 2025 season shows why fantasy managers should look beyond basic season totals.
His full-year numbers were already strong, but his late-season production was the real reason for excitement. After the halfway point, he produced 636 rushing yards, 311 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns in nine games.
His rise was not based on one lucky performance. His workload increased, his receiving role grew and his fantasy average climbed from 12.0 PPR points per game in the first half to 20.7 in the second.
For fantasy managers searching the waiver wire, that type of trend deserves attention.
Brown proved that he can handle a heavy workload and contribute in both parts of the offense. If his late-season role remains intact, the player who emerged in the second half could be far more important than the one fantasy managers saw at the start of the year.
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