There was a point when it felt like an outright necessity to give a draft class three years before determining whether or not those players hit. Things have changed to a degree, as we’ve seen an influx of young players entering the NFL and making an immediate impact on their respective teams.
Taking a look back at the 2023 NFL Draft shows us a bit of a mixture: Some players entered the NFL and took the league by storm, while others might have gotten off to a slower start, but now look primed to make an impact for your fantasy rosters. Here’s a look at a few notable third-year players and their 2025 fantasy football outlook.
- 2025 NFL Draft Guide
- 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
- 2025 NFL Mock Drafts
- Dynasty Mock Draft Simulator
Dynasty Draft Advice: Third-Year Players
Running Backs
The 2023 NFL Draft was very kind to fantasy managers when it comes to the running back position.
Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, De’Von Achane and Chase Brown all finished as top-10 options at the position in PPR formats in 2024. Of those four — Gibbs, Robinson and Achane are locked and loaded RB1s moving forward thanks in part to their ability to contribute in the receiving game. There’s an argument to be made that all three are top-five options at running back in dynasty formats.
The same could be said about Chase Brown as well, but his situation feels like the one most likely to be impacted by another addition to the Bengals’ running back room in 2025.
If the Bengals do add another running back, it may cap Brown’s ceiling a little. He’s still an explosive and efficient player, however, who will be able to make the most of his touches. The reality of the situation is nearly all running backs (outside of an elite few) find themselves in some variation of a committee. The Bengals may look to add a running mate for Brown to keep him fresh. Still, Brown should be treated as a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside.
Zach Charbonnet has impressed when given the opportunity, but with Kenneth Walker ahead of him, it’s tough to trust him as more than an RB3 currently. The caveat is that if Walker misses time, it’s easy to trust Charbonnet as a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside.
Tank Bigsby turned in a solid second season, rushing for over 700 yards and averaging over 4.5 yards per attempt. It’s fair to wonder if he’s supplanted Travis Etienne as the top option there, but until we see how new head coach Liam Coen plans to utilize his running backs, it’s tough to trust either player as more than an RB3.
Tyjae Spears was banged up in 2024 but didn’t flash as much as we hoped playing behind Tony Pollard. He’s best treated as a depth option moving forward. The same could be said for Kendre Miller, who seems to get a groundswell of hype every offseason, but I’m not trusting him as more than a bench flier.
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