When I jump into any fantasy football draft, these players are going to be the first to hit my queue. Each category represents a few different targets depending on where I am in the drafting process, but these are my must-have players.
2025 Must-Have Fantasy Football Players
Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen own the top two tiers, however you want to order them, but in terms of return value, there is a tier of five. One of the reasons I love Burrow so much is that he lives at the end of this tier, with around 20-25 picks lower than the top two options.
Burrow finished as the fantasy QB3 after leading the league in attempts, yards and passing touchdowns. The thing that does stand out is that it took him to be the leader in those big categories, and he still finished only third. That isn’t lost on me. What stays with me is that you get volume, and lots of it.
The Bengals’ defense isn’t going to hold many back, which should lead to more offensive opportunities. The combo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins returning should lead to a huge floor for his passing yards. Rushing quarterbacks are still king, but you could put yourself in the position to draft more position players early. The late-round quarterback route is where I’ll go if I miss on Burrow, but the consistency you get while drafting three or four position players prior is weighted in fantasy gold.
Justin Fields (QB – NYJ)
Justin Fields isn’t flashy in the traditional fantasy quarterback sense. The idea of drafting Fields as your starting quarterback can be a bit foreign, but it really shouldn’t be. Over his six starts, he scored five rushing touchdowns, recorded three 50-yard rushing games and passed 24+ times in four out of the six starts. This was in Pittsburgh.
Going to the Jets, I like the offensive line better and the running backs with what they can do out of the backfield, plus Garrett Wilson‘s ability to get open with the right combo of wide receivers. Josh Reynolds‘ ability to play more short yardage and Allen Lazard‘s ability to stretch the field are also pluses. The supporting cast suits him well. Over those six weeks with the Steelers, despite some of the ugliness, he was still QB6 in fantasy.
Fields’ FantasyPros expert consensus ranking (ECR) has risen from the teens to 10 from June to July, but in a majority of drafting spots, you’re going to see him available around the 12th quarterback. Here is what I love the most about late-round quarterback targets: you get one high upside signal-caller, like Fields, and then pair him with safe floor play like Jared Goff or Brock Purdy. Fields might be one of the best upside quarterbacks in fantasy that isn’t going in the top eight of drafts.
Running Backs
Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – DET)
If you broke up the season into three pieces (Weeks 1-6, Weeks 7-12 and Weeks 13-18), Jahmyr Gibbs was never not an RB1 in points per game (PPG) in half-PPR. Take a look at his results in these buckets:
- Weeks 1-6: RB10
- Weeks 7-12: RB3
- Weeks 13-18: RB2
This is just a story of consistency for a running back that explosive and built around upside. He did this despite David Montgomery sharing the backfield (Montgomery missed Weeks 16-18). Gibbs had the highest expected points added (EPA) among starters per carry, had the top breakout rate among all starters, according to PlayerProfiler and was the second best in true yards per carry (YPC) at 5.21.
If David Montgomery wasn’t in the picture, I’d be comfortable with Gibbs as the top running back in the land. Despite Montgomery being there, Gibbs is still one of my favorite early draft targets when people are taking Saquon Barkley ahead of him.
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
Anyone who knows me probably isn’t surprised that Christian McCaffrey is on this list. He is indeed an injury risk. The Niners were weird about giving out all the info, and it backfired. Running backs not named Derrick Henry don’t tend to age well, so there is a ton of injury risk. The counter is that he is a monster in this offense, and the 49ers won’t take their foot off the McCaffrey gas as long as he’s standing.
We are a year removed from McCaffrey ripping off 2,000+ total yards and 21 touchdowns. Due to this risk, he is now going in the second round as the RB7. With the departure of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk‘s injury, he’ll be counted on in the passing game as much as in the running game. Even if he takes a few plays off mid-series to preserve health, which could be an argument against him, he will dominate the red zone. That is without question.
Figure out what you can stomach at running back, and if you can sprinkle in a little risk, McCaffrey could return as the No. 1 RB in fantasy in the second round.
Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR)
Chubba Hubbard finished 2024 as the fantasy RB13 in half-PPR. He put up almost 1,400 yards in 15 games played. Every game he received 20 carries, he was a top-10 fantasy running back. In seven games last season, he had 20+ touches in a game, finishing as a top-12 fantasy running back in six of them.
The Rico Dowdle signing doesn’t do much to scare me off. It’s a cheap one-year deal. Dowdle is insurance, not there to take away. The Panthers found some rhythm at the end of the year, and I think that makes them sneaky. Hubbard is RB17 in the ranks, but RB19 in average draft position (ADP). He has RB1 upside and should be drafted everywhere.
Kaleb Johnson (RB – PIT)
There is a big clump of rookie running backs that make up the 20 range of fantasy running backs, with Kaleb Johnson being the cheapest of the group, according to FantasyPros ranks at RB29. You can argue that Jaylen Warren could take on a bigger role now that Najee Harris is gone, but I don’t think the team wants that. I think they want to run it back how they did last year, and that’s why Johnson has a great shot to walk into significant touches.
Johnson graded out high in Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) elusive rating, yet he may be used more as a north and south runner, which will work well in Arthur Smith’s offense. They won’t be afraid to throw to him in the open field with some of that elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability either. His ADP is what makes him so intriguing, with the lowest cost, in a run-heavy offense, making him a must-draft RB3 for your fantasy team.
Wide Receivers
Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)
If I can pair one of the top wide receivers with Ladd McConkey to start my draft, I’m doing it. He had the 11th-best receiving grade via PFF of wideouts with 100+ targets. Among wideouts who played qualified snaps, McConkey ranked fourth overall with 2.59 yards per route run.
McConkey’s ability out of the slot to haul in targets, get yards after the catch and even put up an over 10 average depth of target (aDOT) looks to me like a Puka Nacua-lite. Some can argue that maybe his rookie year was the peak, but this team will want the ball in his hands, and they will find it across the middle at will. McConkey could walk out of 2025 as a top-five wide receiver in fantasy.
Rashee Rice (WR – KC)
It seems you’re either in a Rashee Rice returns to where he left off or Xavier Worthy is the captain now camp. If that’s the case, I am siding with Rice. We spoke all season long about how Worthy was playing the Rashee Rice role.
In the three games Rice played before being out for the season, he posted nine or more targets, 100+yards and a touchdown in two of them. He finished no worse than WR17 in half-PPR over those three weeks. Though the offense has changed, Rice should return to his featured first look role on the outside. If he avoids an injury, he should easily be able to return top-15 wide receiver value and max out inside the top 10.
Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA)
What a messy year it was for Dolphins receivers. Year-over-year, Jaylen Waddle lost about a full yard per route run, which is a huge number. Part of this was the offense moving into more run plays versus how they used to stretch the field. The other culprit could have been Jonnu Smith, who is now gone.
I’m not worried about Darren Waller, nor should you, and that should lead to Waddle being a force across the middle of the field again. He’s going off as the WR33, with top-20 wideout potential if the ball gets back in the air.
Jauan Jennings (WR – SF)
There are a lot of mouths to feed in San Francisco, but I believe Jauan Jennings is still the most underrated, even after starting his breakout last year. Deebo Samuel is gone and Brandon Aiyuk’s injury leaves him up in the air. Jennings can and has played both roles in place of those wide receivers last year, and he earned Brock Purdy’s trust.
Jennings played over 40% of his snaps out of the slot, which could increase with Ricky Pearsall on the outside. He averaged 2.24 yards per route run, which ranked 16th among wideouts, and an over 10 aDOT. I believe Jennings can be the No. 1 WR in this offense. Touchdowns will be key for him to become a top-20 wideout in fantasy or be a comfortable WR3 for your fantasy team. He’s one of the better values to invest in the Niners’ offense.
Josh Downs (WR – IND)
Josh Downs is a pretty popular breakout for many. The reason is his dominance out of the slot and ability to stretch it into more. Had he not missed a few games, we could easily be looking at him with 80+ catches and 1,000+ yards. He ranks high in the yards per route department and tops among Colts receivers.
Daniel Jones at quarterback might not be a bad thing for Downs, being a checkdown option. If Anthony Richardson comes back healthy and takes the next step, Downs could be a Jaxon Smith-Njigba-lite. His ADP is too good not to invest in.
Keon Coleman (WR – BUF)
Coming into his second year, Keon Coleman is a great breakout target. He proved to be a big play target; we just needed more consistency and offensive targets. He averaged over 19 yards per catch, and even without serious target volume, could be this year’s Jameson Williams.
When you get to the 40 range of wideouts, you should look to take a shot or two on high-ceiling players, and Coleman has the potential to take the top wideout spot in Buffalo this year.
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce (TE – KC)
Travis Kelce has lost a step, but the pricing just seems off for a tight end who still brought in 97 balls last year. He was the most targeted tight end in the red zone, yet put up a career low three touchdowns.
Rashee Rice’s return will take focus in the red zone, which should create positive touchdown regression just based on his targets alone. We are in an elite tight end world right now, and there is a chance Kelce could pop back to being a top-three tight end, but at half the cost. If I miss on the top options, Kelce becomes a prime target instead of trying to deal with late-round options.
Evan Engram (TE – DEN)
It’s hard not to imagine Evan Engram can become a favorite target of Bo Nix very early on. Sean Payton is going to move Engram around and create opportunities.
The Broncos, outside of Courtland Sutton, suffered from no other real threat. Engram can not only be that, but also a force in the red zone. Engram represents the last of the “I need to draft this guy” tight ends, with real top-five tight end upside.
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