2025 Fantasy Football: Best and Worst Picks from Each Round

I love Malik Nabers. I think there’s a good chance he’s the WR1 at this time next year. He sees tons of targets and has no competition for them. Even though Russell Wilson isn’t very good, he’ll be a big upgrade over what Nabers had to work with at the end of the 2024 season, which was Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito. Nabers had the fourth-most unrealized air yards as a rookie, so that’ll improve with upgraded quarterback play. Nabers’ toe injury scares me, but he’s had that problem since college, and has been dominant at every opportunity.

Christian McCaffrey has great upside based on what he’s accomplished in the past, but he’s now an older running back with an extensive injury history. I always say that you can’t win your fantasy drafts in the first couple of rounds because half the league will draft a stud, but you can lose you fantasy draft by selecting a bust. No one in the first round has greater bust potential than McCaffrey, who hasn’t been able to finish three of his previous five seasons. McCaffrey, who has chronic Achillies tendonitis in both feet, has missed 48.5 percent of his games since 2021.

A.J. Brown has been my choice here, but a hamstring injury could derail his season. I love Bucky Irving. He’s fourth on my Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings. He has insane upside in an electric offense, and Rachaad White is likely to be phased out or traded.

Trey McBride is a great talent, but there’s no way I’m drafting any tight end, let alone the second-best tight end, in Round 2. The running backs and receivers in this round are just way too good.

Omarion Hampton’s ADP has risen a whole round recently, but for good reason. Najee Harris’ vision has been compromised by a fireworks accident, so it seems as though Hampton will control the entire backfield. Playing in a great offense, Hampton will have tons of great opportunities.

Tyreek Hill is now in his 30s, and he looked like he lost a step last year. Miami also doesn’t have the offensive line to support his downfield targets. Tua Tagovailoa’s poor health is an issue as well. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, Hill could be thrown in jail at some point soon.

Round 4 is a complete dead zone. I don’t like any running backs or receivers chosen in this round – aside from TreVeyon Henderson – so I usually find myself targeting a quarterback or George Kittle unless I’m lucky enough to land a third-round player in this range. If I had to pick a quarterback or Kittle that I want more than anyone else, it’s Jayden Daniels, who will likely expand upon his rookie campaign with Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel enhancing his supporting cast.

Tetairoa McMillan was a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he wouldn’t have been chosen in the top 10 in a normal year. Heck, he wouldn’t have even been a top-10 pick this year had meddlesome owner Axe Tepper not gotten involved with the decision-making once again. McMillan admittedly doesn’t love football, so will he put forth the work effort to be a great pro? It seems like he has “bust” written all over him.

I think people forgot how great Calvin Ridley can be because of last year’s results where he was playing with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. Ridley led the NFL in unrealized air yards in 2024, which basically means that he would’ve enjoyed a massive season with improved quarterbacking. Cam Ward is unproven, but will almost certainly be a massive upgrade over Levis and Rudolph. Ridley’s situation reminds me of Terry McLaurin’s heading into 2024, so Ridley could enjoy the type of season McLaurin just had.

Alvin Kamara is one of the primary players on my Fantasy Football Busts list. He’s an older player who has worn down late in the season in recent years. Given how bad the Saints are, Kamara may not get many touches late in the year when the fantasy playoffs begin.

Travis Hunter used to go in the fourth round of fantasy drafts back in May. For some reason, his ADP has dropped to the sixth round, making him a great value. Hunter is a dynamic talent, and the Jaguars will make it a point to feature him because of the draft capital they spent on him.

Stefon Diggs in the sixth round seems rather horrible. Diggs is a 31-year-old receiver coming off a torn ACL, and he’ll be playing in a run-first offense for the first time in his career. I wouldn’t even draft him in the ninth round.

I’m not a fan of the seventh round now that Ricky Pearsall and Emeka Egbuka have moved into the sixth frame. Matthew Golden is a good choice though. He’s had a great training camp, and the upside is there because of his downfield ability.

Travis Kelce is useless at this stage of his career. He tends to save himself for the playoffs, and yet he barely did anything in the playoffs last year. Kelce and Rashee Rice operate in the same area on the field, so Kelce could be even less productive than he was in 2024.

Tyrone Tracy, not Cam Skattebo, is the primary running back on the Giants. We have confirmation from trusted reporters. There’s no reason he should be going as late as the eighth round.

Cooper Kupp is done. He barely played in the postseason last year, and there’s a reason why Sean McVay jettisoned him. Kupp will be playing without McVay for the first time in his career. It won’t go well.

There’s a good chance Kenneth Walker is dealt at the trade deadline. Walker is in his contract year, and the Seahawks are not going to be a good team. If I’m right, Zach Charbonnet could be a monster during the second half of the season.

Chris Godwin is a truly awful pick in the ninth round. There was pessimism about him being available for Week 1, and yet that was in early July. This reminds me so much of the Christian McCaffrey situation last year. It wouldn’t be shocking at all to see Godwin play only a handful of games this year.

Drake Maye is my favorite sleeper quarterback. He has terrific upside because of his big arm and scrambling ability. It’s also worth noting that the Patriots have the second-easiest schedule in the NFL.

I referenced Cam Skattebo a bit earlier. Everyone remembers Skattebo’s great game versus Texas in the college football playoff, which is causing him to be severely overdrafted. Skattebo should be a 14th-round pick, as he’s currently third in the pecking order of a three-man committee.

Tucker Kraft is the best tight end value in fantasy this year. He should be going in the ninth or perhaps even the eighth round instead of the 11th. He had some big performances last year, and Matthew Golden’s presence will open things up for him over the middle of the field.

Marvin Mims is being overdrafted because he had two great games to close out 2024. However, Sean Payton is infatuated with size from his receivers, which is why he used a third-round pick on Pat Bryant. It’s likely that Mims will be relegated to special teams this year with Bryant or Troy Franklin being an upgrade across from Courtland Sutton.

Isaac Guerendo is another potential league winner. Christian McCaffrey has failed to finish three of his previous five seasons. Guerendo could post massive numbers if McCaffrey gets hurt again.

It’s puzzling that Luther Burden is going so early. The Bears have such a crowded receiver group, and Burden has been injured. Ben Johnson has even expressed frustration with Burden’s poor health.