It’s that time again. Dynasty rookie fever SZN is here. The 2025 NFL Draft is in the rearview, and rookie drafts will start flying daily. Before you dive head-first into our fantasy football mock draft simulator and run 3,000 rookie drafts in preparation, please read up on this talented prospect class as I roll through my positional primers. You can find each of them in our 2025 Dynasty Draft Kit. Below, you can check out my must-have dynasty rookie draft targets.
Must-Have Dynasty Rookie Draft Targets
Let’s dive into my must-have dynasty rookies to target to help you prepare for your drafts! You shouldn’t need a top-four dynasty rookie draft pick to add one of these players.
Jaxson Dart (QB – NYG)
Well, it happened. Jaxson Dart got first-round NFL draft capital. In the end, only Dart and Cam Ward walk away with first-round draft capital, and they stand alone in their own tier in this rookie draft class. I know Ward was selected as the first overall pick, and Dart didn’t arrive in New York until the 25th selection, but Dart is now my QB1 for this class. I have had him above Ward during the entire NFL draft cycle. I love his combination of arm talent and rushing upside. He’s currently the 1.07 in our Superflex rookie ECR. Dart should be a locked-in first-round rookie draft pick. The conversation for me with Dart begins at the 1.05. In 1QB, the Dart conversation begins in the early second round of rookie drafts. I expect to see him start games sometime during the 2025 season. Russell Wilson‘s play and Dart’s progression in training camp and the preseason will determine how early that is.
RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)
IT’S R.J. HARVEY’S WORLD & WE’RE ALL JUST LIVING IN IT! I couldn’t be happier for Harvey and the Broncos. This is a wonderful pairing of situation and talent. Harvey and his second-round NFL draft capital land in a backfield where his only direct competition is Audrice Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin. Before the NFL Draft, Harvey was my RB5 of this class, but now, after the conclusion of the draft, he has risen to my RB3. I’m sky-high about his prospects and will be heavily overweight in the rookie draft season. It’s hard not to love a player that ranked inside the top 20 among FBS running backs in each of the last two seasons in breakaway percentage and elusive rating (per PFF). Add in Sean Payton’s running back usage, and Harvey looks primed to smash. Over the last two years, Payton has ranked fifth and first in running back target share. Harvey is in play as high as the 1.05 in every dynasty format. He’s currently my 1.07 in super flex rookie rankings.
Kaleb Johnson (RB – PIT)
After Johnson was maligned after the combine for his “slow” 40-yard dash time, the fantasy community seemingly was turned off by him. I never waivered in my love for Johnson, and now we’ll see some capitulation from those who were fading him after the Steelers selected him in the third round of the NFL Draft. Johnson is a perfect fit for the Steelers’ run scheme, and he should be considered the early favorite to gobble up volume on the ground. Jaylen Warren remains on the roster and will prominently factor in, but Johnson has the raw talent to seize more of the work in this backfield, unlike Najee Harris could ever do. I know that’s saying a lot for Johnson after Harris handled 299 touches last year, but the upside is there. Johnson has an explosive play element to his game that Harris never has after ranking fifth in breakaway percentage last year (per PFF). Johnson is a late first-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAC)
Jacksonville added to their backfield with the selection of Tuten in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Travis Etienne is gone after this year, and Tank Bigsby has only two years left on his rookie deal. Tuten could easily be the future of the Jags’ rushing attack. The combine superhero posted strong tackle-breaking numbers over the last two years, ranking top-ten in elusive rating in each season (per PFF). He was also tenth in yards after contact per attempt and breakaway percentage last season. It doesn’t take much effort to see that Tuten could be this year’s Bucky Irving, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if Etienne and Bigsby do just enough to hold him off this season, and the true breakout isn’t until 2026. Tuten is a late second-round home run swing in dynasty rookie drafts.
Jarquez Hunter (RB – LAR)
Hunter is arbitrage Bhayshul Tuten in rookie drafts. Hunter, much like Tuten, is headed to the NFL (Rams) via the fourth round of the NFL draft. Also, like Tuten, Hunter finds himself possibly buried for 2025 behind two veterans, but he also possesses the talent and pathway to surpass one or maybe both of them in the running back pecking order. Kyren Williams is a free agent after this season. The Rams thought so much of Blake Corum‘s rookie season that they addressed running back again this year. Hunter isn’t the same caliber of athlete as Tuten (7.1 RAS), but he did run a 4.44 40-yard dash and finished his collegiate career with an impressive tackle-breaking resume. Hunter has ranked inside the top 24 in yards after contact per attempt in each of the last three seasons while also sitting in the top 22 in breakaway percentage in two of three years (per PFF). Hunter offers the Rams an explosive element that neither Williams nor Corum has. Last year, among 46 qualifying backs, Williams ranked 44th in explosive run rate, 37th in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 40th in yards after contact per attempt (per FantasyPointsData). Hunter is the best running back value on the board in dynasty rookie drafts. He’s consistently available in the third round of dynasty rookie drafts and will occasionally fall into the fourth round. At the end of the second round, I’m looking at the board and figuring out where which pick I need to acquire to secure his services safely.
Tre Harris (WR – LAC)
Harris, the soul-snatching route savant, lands with the Bolts in the second round of the NFL Draft and should quickly become Justin Herbert‘s trusted second option in the passing game opposite Ladd McConkey. Yes, Harris will have to hop either Mike Williams or Quentin Johnston to crack the starting lineup, but I’m not worried about his ability to do so. We’re discussing a player who has ranked first and ninth in yards per route run over the last two years, stacked up against arguably a former first-round bust and a veteran who looked like he was running on empty last year (per PFF). The Chargers are looked at as a run-heavy team, but that isn’t necessarily true and might not be in 2025. Last year, after Week 7, the Bolts ranked 11th in neutral passing rate and seventh in pass rate over expectation (per Fantasy Points Data). Harris sits atop my Tier 3 of rookies and should be considered a borderline first-round rookie draft selection. Yes, I know I’m aggressively above consensus depending on which ADP of other ranking set you’re looking at, but I want to be with a player who was my WR2 predraft and is my WR3 post-draft with the new addition of Travis Hunter in my wide receiver rankings. Harris is set to smash in his rookie season.
Jayden Higgins (WR – HOU)
Higgins got the capital I was hoping for as the fifth wide receiver selected in the NFL Draft at the top of the second round. Higgins should immediately file in as the starting outside receiver opposite Nico Collins. Higgins was an underrated player during the entire draft process after ranking 27th and 16th in yards per route run and first and 18th in receiving grade during his final two collegiate seasons (per PFF). The addition of Higgins and fellow former Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel should push Christian Kirk while also hopefully fueling a big bounceback season for C.J. Stroud. With Tank Dell likely out for the entire 2025 season, Higgins has a clear path to playing time and should selected no later than the mid-second round of dynasty rookie drafts.
Jaylin Noel (WR – HOU)
Noel was disrespected by the NFL as he dropped into the third round of the NFL Draft. The Houston Texans stopped his tumble and called his name with the 15th pick in the third round. I expect Noel to use this as fuel for the fire and walk into the building with a chip on his shoulder. Noel has the play strength, route prowess, and speed to play in the slot or on the outside. He could struggle to find playing time in his rookie season with Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, and his former collegiate teammate Jayden Higgins all sitting above him on the depth chart. Collins and Kirk have had their injury issues over the last few years, so it’s easily possible that Noel will be starting by midseason. While Noel’s short-term playing time is up in the air, he has the talent to exceed expectations. If there was ever a time to bet on talent over situation and landing spot, IT’S NOW with Noel. He has the goods. Last year, Noel ranked in the top 30 in receiving grade and yards per route run while sitting second in deep receiving yards among FBS wide receivers (per PFF). Noel has been consistently falling to the tail end of the second round or the top of the third round in rookie dynasty drafts. He’s my 17th overall player in 1QB and Superflex rankings. While you might not have to draft him that high, that’s the time when you should start surveying the draft board and plan out when or how you’ll get into position to draft Noel.
Elijah Arroyo (TE – SEA)
Arroyo is headed to Seattle after the team called his name in the second round of the NFL Draft. The former Miami Hurricane is an athletic mismatch weapon who will push Noah Fant for snaps from the jump if his blocking is up to snuff. Fant is an unrestricted free agent after this season, so while the outlook for 2025 has its worries, it should be wheels up for Arroyo in 2026. If Cooper Kupp also proves in 2025 that he doesn’t have much left in the tank, Kupp could be gone, which would leave Arroyo as the second target in the passing attack behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In his final season in college, Arroyo ranked 23rd in yards per route run and second in yards after the catch per reception among tight ends (minimum 20 targets, per PFF). Arroyo is a late second-round selection in dynasty rookie drafts that will occasionally fall into the third round.
Terrance Ferguson (TE – LAR)
The Rams now have their heir apparent to Tyler Higbee. Higbee is a free agent after this season. I expect Ferguson to get his feet wet in his rookie season and assume the starting role in 2026. At tight end, high-end athleticism is so highly correlated to high-end production. Ferguson checks that box emphatically with a 9.32 RAS score, a 4.63 40-yard dash, and 91st percentile or higher marks in the vertical and broad jumps. Last year, Ferguson also crushed it in nearly every efficiency metric I can find, ranking 14th in yards per route run and receiving grade, third in yards after the catch per reception, and 22nd in missed tackles forced (per PFF).
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