20 Players Experts Love to Draft (2025 Fantasy Football)

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football players below. And you can check out which experts are higher or lower than our expert consensus rankings using our Fantasy Football Rankings Comparison Tools. Here are players fantasy football experts love to draft.

Fantasy Football Players Experts Love to Draft

Let’s dive into players fantasy football experts love to draft.

Fantasy Football Players to Draft

Players Pat Fitzmaurice Targets

Pat Fitzmaurice’s Rank	Player	ECR	Diff.
48	Tetairoa McMillan CAR – WR	71	23
58	Jerry Jeudy CLE – WR	70	12
63	Travis Kelce KC – TE	88	25
69	Stefon Diggs NE – WR	101	32
70	Kaleb Johnson PIT – RB	85	15
79	Evan Engram DEN – TE	93	14
83	Ricky Pearsall SF – WR	105	22
89	Drake Maye NE – QB	114	25

Players Derek Brown Targets

Derek Brown’s Rank	Player	ECR	Diff.
19	Davante Adams LAR – WR	37	18
21	Kenneth Walker III SEA – RB	43	22
34	RJ Harvey DEN – RB	77	43
38	DeVonta Smith PHI – WR	51	13
40	DK Metcalf PIT – WR	52	12.0
44	Tony Pollard TEN – RB	62	18
47	Tetairoa McMillan CAR – WR	71	24
48	Travis Hunter JAC – WR	68	20
55	Kaleb Johnson PIT – RB	85	30
56	Evan Engram DEN – TE	93	37

Players Andrew Erickson Targets

Andrew Erickson’s Rank	Player	ECR	Diff.
41	Xavier Worthy KC – WR	56	15.0
44	Tetairoa McMillan CAR – WR	71	27
46	Jaylen Waddle MIA – WR	64	18
55	Evan Engram DEN – TE	93	38
61	Calvin Ridley TEN – WR	75	14
62	Justin Fields NYJ – QB	109	47
73	Kaleb Johnson PIT – RB	85	12
74	David Njoku CLE – TE	95	21

Fantasy Football Outlook

Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)

It will fly under the radar that Walker was the RB12 in fantasy points per game last season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by injuries, but if Walker can stay healthy in 2025, he could finally put it all together with a top-five running back season. Walker proved last year that not only is he still one of the best pure rushing talents in the league, but he is also a true three-down back with passing-catching chops. Among 45 qualifying backs, Walker ranked third in first downs per route run, sixth in target per route run rate, and sixth in receiving yards per game (per Fantasy Points Data). Add all of that on top of leading the NFL in missed tackles forced per attempt and ranking tenth in yards after contact per attempt, and Walker could be a league-winner in 2025.
– Derek Brown

Xavier Worthy (WR – KC)

Xavier Worthy broke out down the stretch in 2024, posting at least four catches and 40+ yards in 10 straight games while scoring 12 total touchdowns (9 receiving, 3 rushing) on the year. From Week 11 on, he averaged over 2.0 yards per route run and 14.6 fantasy points per game – WR8 production over that span. He also ranked 10th in red-zone targets and finished the regular season as the WR21 from Weeks 11-17. With Rashee Rice facing an injury recovery and potential suspension, Worthy is in line to step into a featured role in Kansas City’s offense. Locked in as WR17 in projections, Worthy’s arrow is pointing way up heading into 2025.
– Andrew Erickson

Kaleb Johnson (RB – PIT)

The Steelers jettisoned Najee Harris and drafted his replacement as their lead back in the third round of the NFL Draft. Last year, Harris operated in an offense that was fourth in rushing attempts as Harris soaked up 299 touches (10th-most). Even if we lower those year-one expectations for Johnson, even 250 touches would have ranked 21st in the NFL. Johnson brings a big play ability that has been lacking over the last 2-3 years. Last year, not only did he rank fifth in breakaway percentage, but he was also eighth in yards after contact per attempt and 14th in elusive rating (per PFF). My love for Jaylen Warren hasn’t dissipated, but we have to listen to the Steelers with their move to acquire Johnson’s services. Warren will likely operate in his usual role while Johnson does the heavy lifting for Arthur Smith’s run-centric offense. Johnson is an RB2/3 who could be an RB1 down the stretch in 2025 if he can distance himself further from Warren better than Harris ever could.
– Derek Brown

Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)

Tetairoa McMillan lands in an ideal situation to emerge as the alpha wideout in Carolina. Drafted with top-10 capital (8th overall) the former Arizona star joins a Panthers offense in need of a true WR1. McMillan brings size, production and opportunity to a WR room featuring an underwhelming Xavier Legette and a promising but undrafted Jalen Coker. T-Mac was just one of 3 WRs in the FBS in 2023 to hit 1,396 yards, 10 TDs, and 89 receptions. The others being fellow top-10 WR draft selections: Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze. If Bryce Young takes even a modest step forward and continues to fuel fantasy success for his No. 1 target, McMillan could be this year’s breakout rookie receiver.
– Andrew Erickson