Draft These League Winners or Stay Poor

As we get close to closing out the 2025 NFL Training Camp, we are rapidly approaching the start of fantasy football redraft season. Before we even get into any news or camp buzz, I have seven players today (1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX) that I will proudly plant my proverbial flag for. There are some high picks for sure, but there are a few late round guys that I personally believe should be on every team you draft this summer. Let’s get into it with my first Wide Receiver.

He’s Him

Unless this is your first time ever playing fantasy football (if it is, welcome!), you know that Malik Nabers showed flashes last year of an absolute superstar wide receiver in the making. He would have broken the rookie reception record in a season, if another all-world sensational rookie didn’t exist in Las Vegas. Something that I think the fantasy community has underrated is the fact that Nabers had 170 targets, in 15 GAMES.

The reason that Nabers isn’t a consensus Top 5 pick in fantasy this season is because those targets came from a bottom 2 QB room in the NFL last year. He only had 109 receptions, and only scored 7 touchdowns. He also had a relatively low Yards per Reception stat, due to the bad QB play and not having the luxury of being able to run longer developing routes. However, he was only 5 targets behind Ja’Marr Chase for the league lead. The main reason that Nabers is my guy this year, however, is the upgraded QB room in New York.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Russell Wilson is any better than like the 25th best QB in football at best. However, Tommy DeVito is gone, replaced by Jameis Winston and rookie 1st round NFL draft pick Jaxson Dart. For Nabers to have even Daniel Jones’ level play in 2025, things will have to go horribly wrong in that QB room. If Nabers has even average quarterback play, and still sees 170 targets (or more), there’s potential for 30 more receptions and several hundred more yards than he got as a rookie. I think Malik Nabers has the potential and the situation in 2025 to truly ascend into the top tier of wide receivers when 2026 rolls around.

The Speed Demon

De’Von Achane has so far been the tale of 2 seasons in his first 2 NFL years. In Year 1, he displayed ultra efficiency, efficiency that didn’t seem possible to repeat again, especially at any kind of volume. He was a true league winner late in drafts, though injury derailed him from truly being the story of the season.

Then in Year 2, volume was king for Achane. His efficiency tumbled off a cliff, but he made up for it with nearly 300 touches, and he displayed the ability to handle a workhorse role in the offense, especially when Tua Tagovailoa was starting for Miami.

Which is more likely the accurate representation of Achane’s fantasy production profile in 2025? I’d like to make the case that the answer is both. Miami was absolutely abysmal on offense last season, mostly because Tua went on IR in the middle of the season with yet another concussion. However, their offensive line was also atrocious and banged up all year, and it forced the Dolphins to put the training wheels on the play calling and be far more conservative than they were the year before.

Raheem Mostert is gone, replaced by 2nd year player Jaylen Wright and rookie back Ollie Gordon. I think both of them will mix in and possibly take some goal-line work, which could open up Achane more as a slot receiver or motion back to get out into space. The main thing is that if the Dolphins can be more competent on offense, Achane will at least equal his production from last year, if not out-pace it.

And if the Dolphins go back to being a scorched earth offense like 2 years ago… Imagine De’Von Achane getting 300 touches again but at 75% of his efficiency from Year 1. We’re talking about 2,000 total yards here in that scenario. And if he runs hot on touchdowns and big broken plays, something he didn’t get most of last year… He will be in the RB1 overall contention if that comes to pass.

Even if that doesn’t come to pass, I think Achane is still viewed as, at worst, the 2nd best weapon on the Dolphins. And if Tyreek Hill truly has slowed down, Achane may be THE weapon for them. As long as he stays healthy, he will be given the ball a lot, and hopefully in better positions to succeed than he was last year. Jonnu Smith is gone, the Dolphins invested some draft capital and money into the O-Line, and Mike McDaniel is probably on the hot seat if this year is another failure. I love the bet on Achane, especially as a 2nd round pick.

One TE to Rule Them All

I personally don’t believe any price for Brock Bowers is too high outside of ahead of Ja’Marr Chase at the 1.01. The fact that you don’t even have to pay that price, and can get him in the 2nd round instead, makes him almost an auto-click for me when he’s there.

This man just set the all-time rookie reception record in NFL history for ALL positions, not just the wide receiver rookie record. He’s arguably the greatest Tight End college prospect we have ever seen, at least in the past 10-20 years.

Bowers had a record-breaking rookie year with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell as his QBs, with a horrifically bad offensive coordinator and the worst rushing offense in the league by a country mile. I don’t think the Raiders are going to become a top 5-10 offense in the NFL by any stretch. However, I do think they could be a league-average offense under Geno Smith and Chip Kelly pretty easily.

If even just that outcome occurs, Bowers will have much better potential for touchdowns. And as a 2nd year player, there is still a solid probability that he improves as a player in Year 2. Now, take into account that there’s also a solid possibility that Bowers earns even more targets this year than he did as a rookie…

If any of those 3 scenarios happen, Bowers at worst returns value in the 2nd round as the 1st Tight End off the board. If 2 or all 3 of them happen… you’ll need Bowers to win anything in fantasy this year. And for me, to not have to pay a 1st round premium for access to that kind of upside, I will happily be overweight on Bowers across all the teams I draft for 2025.

He Can’t Possibly Play Both Sides

“Travis Hunter, the cornerback?” Yes. The Cornerback. More importantly, the number 2 overall pick in the NFL draft who also has some of the best wide receiver tape we’ve seen in a long time among the scouting circles. I’m going to keep it a buck here folks. I don’t care about his snap share or how much he’s going to play on defense.

The reality is, Hunter projects to be a very good NFL player with his skill set. He’s in a Liam Coen offense, most likely playing the Chris Godwin role (the #1 fantasy wide receiver last year before his injury). Trevor Lawrence is a solid QB, with potential to be better than that. Even if Hunter gets only 50% of the offensive snaps, he will be, at worst, the 2nd target in the offense.

However, there’s also potential that Hunter is outright better than Brian Thomas Jr. If he is, he will be someone you have to have to win money and championships this 2025 season. I prefer to make bets on elite athletes, and I tend to trust that peripheral situations like playing time will work themselves out naturally. I want to bet that Hunter was the number 2 pick for a reason, and I’m willing to take the “L” if he’s not.

The Other First Round RB

The clear #1 rookie in fantasy this year before the season is Ashton Jeanty, pretty much without question. And I do agree, Jeanty is a great prospect and has landed in a solid situation in Las Vegas. However, I would argue that Omarion Hampton’s situation on the Chargers is as close to optimal as you can get for a rookie RB.

The Chargers are a run-first, run-heavy offense for a coach who wants to control possession and play tough defense. However, they have a star-level QB as well in Justin Herbert. Herbert can carry the offense when called upon, and Hampton is the newest weapon for him out of the backfield.

While not nearly as early a pick, Hampton was still a 1st round pick in the NFL draft. He showed supreme talent and consistency in college in his final 2 years, and played with a somewhat similar style of QB at North Carolina in Drake Maye. Above all though, Hampton’s current ADP just doesn’t make any sense to me.

The difference in opportunity level between Hampton and Jeanty is minimal, especially with Najee Harris missing all of camp so far with a vague eye injury sustained on the 4th of July. Najee is a free agent signing, and the coaching staff has no prior loyalty that could cause them to prefer Najee or start Najee over Hampton.

Is the talent level really wide enough between Jeanty and Hampton to garner a 2-3 round gap between them in 2025 redraft ADP? To me, I don’t think the talent difference is that far apart at all. Hampton is a 1st round rookie RB, on a good, run-heavy offense, with very little competition for touches. And he’s going anywhere from the end of the 2nd to the middle of the 4th round? Yes please, I will be taking him everywhere I can at that cost.

The Sophomore Slingshot

Drake Maye does basically everything we want Quarterbacks to do for fantasy. He has a cannon right arm that allows him to throw deep with ease, and he’s not shy about doing so. And as you can see above, he rushed for 421 yards last year in just 13 games.

Now, were his rookie stats anywhere as impressive as Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix? Not at all. But let’s look at context here. The Patriots were absolutely atrocious on the offensive line, and at the skill positions. They have one position player from last season being drafted in the top 150 players in Rhamondre Stevenson, and he’s probably going to be replaced by the end of the year by new rookie TreVeyon Henderson.

Their defense was almost equally atrocious last season, something they spent most of their cap space and attention addressing in the off-season. Meanwhile, they spent the majority of their draft capital on putting weapons and protection around Drake Maye with Henderson and rookie receiver Kyle Williams.

The Patriots also brought in veteran receiver Stefon Diggs to give Maye a primary target to throw to. With all of these improvements around Maye, he now has a chance to truly show what he can do and grow as a QB, and hopefully spend less time running for his life and trying not to die on the field.

The reality is that Drake Maye is a young, ascending, Konami code QB in an underrated offense in a pretty weak division outside of the Bills, and he has a new play-caller and new head coach that will actually protect him and design an offense around his skill set. In 1 QB leagues, Maye is a fantastic dart to throw at the end of your draft, especially if you missed out on the elite QBs early on. And in Superflex, Maye is the ideal QB2 for your team, primed with rushing upside and big play potential to give your lineups juice alongside a more steady QB1. He’s my favorite QB target in 2025 by far.

Land of the Giants

This may be somewhat of a controversial pick, and that’s okay. As you can probably tell, I am the type of person who likes to make bets on players who break molds, because I believe to break fantasy, a player usually isn’t the type of player who fits neatly into a mold and is easily predictable.

Cam Skattebo’s production profile is almost off the charts in college, especially his last year at Arizona State. He rivaled Ashton Jeanty from that standpoint. So why was he a 4th round NFL draft pick? Well, there are some questions about his athleticism at the next level, questions that I honestly share.

However, the production and the talent level are things I simply cannot ignore, especially with Skattebo in a situation in New York where the opportunity is ripe for the taking. The only player standing in Cam’s way is Tyrone Tracy, an even later rookie pick from last year’s draft. Tracy had a solid rookie campaign for an otherwise inept Giants team, but he did not do anything to stand out or win the job by any means.

Furthermore, reports out of camp have been very positive for Skattebo, with the coaching staff supposedly loving his drive and skill set already. An injury has set him back for sure, and it does hurt his early season outlook a bit. But I just don’t think Tracy does enough things well to keep Skattebo from taking the job from him by season’s end.

And if Cam does win the job at any point this season, he has the potential and opportunity to truly produce for you as a late round selection. He has pass-catching upside and 3 down potential that is hard to find late in your draft, and if he plays to his strengths in a way that his perceived lack of top speed doesn’t affect him in the NFL, you’ve got yourself a weekly RB2 or Flex play. Skattebo is easily my favorite late round stash at Running Back this season, and he should be yours too.

For more “My Guys” content from FantasyNow+, check out Justin’s article.