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.
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Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Players Experts Love
Let’s dive into players our experts love to draft.
Fantasy Football Draft Picks to Target
Despite splitting time between the Raiders and Jets last season, Davante Adams still posted his fifth straight 1,000-yard campaign and finished as the WR14 (WR10 in points per game). He averaged over 2.0 yards per route run and ranked top-5 in both red-zone targets and targets share (27%), showing no signs of an age-related decline. Pairing with Matthew Stafford only boosts his outlook, especially under dome conditions in a highly competitive NFC West. Adams should feast as a reliable WR2, and his ceiling only rises if Puka Nacua misses time entering his third season.
– Andrew Erickson
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
Mike Evans wrapped up another stellar campaign in 2024, finishing as the WR9 despite playing just 14 games and extending his streak to 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons. After a mid-season hamstring injury, he came back strong, posting 68+ yards in eight straight games and leading the league in top-3 weekly finishes (tied with Ja’Marr Chase). He also set a career-high in yards per route run (2.52), proving he’s not slowing down. Evans saw a notable boost in production without Chris Godwin (17.3 vs. 11.8 PPG) but still led the Bucs in high-value opportunities. He remains a volatile but lethal fantasy WR2 with true week-winning upside.
– Andrew Erickson
Hubbard blew away everyone’s expectations last year as the RB13 in fantasy points per game. He was the Panther’s everydown workhorse and is primed to roll back into that job this year. Last season, he ranked third in snap share, fourth in opportunity share, 12th in weighted opportunities, and 14th in red zone touches. If Carolina’s offense can improve in 2025, the red zone numbers should climb. In 2024, Carolina ranked 24th in yards per play and 21st in red zone scoring attempts per game. The addition of Tetairoa McMillan, the continued development of Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, and the ascension of Bryce Young should improve those numbers. Hubbard has the talent and projected workload to crack the top ten backs in 2025. Last year, he ranked 11th in explosive run rate and seventh in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data).
– Derek Brown
Jaylen Waddle took a backseat in the Miami offense with Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane vacuuming up the underneath targets. And the games that Tagovailoa missed further cratered Waddle’s numbers. However, Waddle is just 26 years old, and part of his down year was related to a lack of TDs. Given how the Miami Dolphins’ season ended, I can’t imagine they run back the same offense they deployed in 2024. If Tyreek Hill continues his downward trajectory or Miami moves on from the speedy WR, Waddle will benefit greatly.
– Andrew Erickson
Bigsby had an awesome sophomore season for Jacksonville, especially considering how his rookie season unfolded. He finished as the RB40 in fantasy points per game with eight weeks as the RB36 or higher in weekly fantasy scoring. Bigsby wasn’t involved in the passing game, having only 12 targets last year. I don’t see that changing this season, so he’ll need to manufacture fantasy points on the early downs with his legs. He proved he can do that last season. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 21st in explosive run rate and second-best in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Bigsby will have to fight Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten for playing time, but he has the raw talent to carve out a role in this offense in 2025.
– Derek Brown
Calvin Ridley quietly returned solid value in 2024, topping 1,000 yards and leading the NFL in air yard share (48%). He surged late in the year, averaging 11.6 points per game (WR26) after DeAndre Hopkins was traded. With Nick Westbrook-Ikhine gone and No. 1 pick Cam Ward stepping in, Ridley remains the clear WR1 in Brian Callahan’s offense. He’s never finished worse than WR26 in a healthy season, making him a strong bet to beat his ADP again in 2025.
– Andrew Erickson
Jameson Williams finally broke out in 2024, finishing as the WR19 in total points (WR20 per game) with over 1,000 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 games. Despite competing for targets in a crowded Lions offense, he shined with elite efficiency – ranking 3rd in YAC per reception – and delivered three top-6 weekly finishes. From Week 10 on (post-suspension), Williams was the WR10, averaging nearly 14 fantasy points per game while commanding a 21% target share, nearly matching Amon-Ra St. Brown down the stretch. New OC John Morton has already dubbed 2025 a “breakout year” for Jamo – and if the offense shifts away from being so Sun God-centric, Williams’ ceiling could grow even higher.
– Andrew Erickson
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