The 2025 NFL Draft is over, meaning the rookies have found their new teams.
And there’s no better place to put your money where your mouth is on your hottest rookie takes for the 2025 season than on FastDraft.
The brand-new best ball platform has an ORIGINS contest, where you draft only rookies exclusively for the upcoming 2025 NFL season. Drafts are six rounds and take 5 minutes to complete (20-second time clock), with a third-round reversal thrown in for maximum strategy between 10 teams.
No position limitations. Full season total PPR scoring. No more of this Week 17 correlation nonsense.
The fastest drafts in all fantasy sports are taking place on FastDraft. Super. Sonic. Speed.
And you can draft these teams even FASTER with FastDraft’s multi-entry tool: Turbo Mode. Or as I like to call it, COOKING WITH GAS Mode.
Entrants submit a custom player rankings list, and then request a chosen number of teams to be “Turbo” drafted. The entrant will then seamlessly draft teams based on that custom player rankings list. No more gut picks. Just the rankings. There’s no easier way to do it.
So, what are you waiting for?
THAT’S CODE: FANTASYPROS
But before you dive headfirst, let’s do some prep. I’ll break down the best practices and optimal approaches to these super-charged drafts, given that I already have 35-plus FastDraft teams under my belt before the draft concluded.
Oh, that sweet, sweet 42% Tyler Shough exposure.
I’ll briefly recap part of the winning strategy in 2024’s contest and how to leverage that data into the 2025 season. I’ll also feature some of my favorite rookie targets/fades at respective Fast Draft ADPs.
2025 Fantasy Football Best Ball on FastDraft
2024 Recap and 2025 RB Strategy
Despite the 2024 rookie RB class being viewed as inferior to previous classes, the rookie running backs dominated the top of the FastDraft standings; Bucky Irving and Tyrone Tracy were the keys to victory. Part of the allure was that they came at a supreme discount in Rounds 3 & 4, highlighting “value” as the name of the game in FD streets.
But the landscape is vastly different in 2025, with RBs dominating the top 10 of Origins drafts. Rightfully so, given the supreme talent coming out of college.
I’m not going to overthink it. Given you will only get one shot or two shots at a top 6 RB in this class, I’m getting exposure to all these RBs as I build out my rookie portfolio. Sure, you might favor one over the other, but I see no reason why these top-six newcomers can’t fire in Year 1.
If I need to make the “bearish” case on any of them it’s probably with Quinshon Judkins and Kaleb Johnson. Judkins/Johnson profile as more traditional early-down volume dependent rushers with less confidence as receivers. Also the Steelers and Browns offenses? Gross. So exposure wise, I’m leaning more the Treyvon Henderson and R.J. Harvey paths.
But don’t stop there. FastDraft isn’t about the hero RB approach lifestyle. Remember, RB is the easiest transition to the pros, followed by WR, TE, and then QB.
Gobble up these RBs early and often.
QB Strategy
Next up is the WR vs QB debate. How many wide receivers and quarterbacks should FastDrafters be drafting?
Cam Ward is dialed in as the 1.02, and I think you probably have to eat the chalk. No QB projects more favorably for 17 games played among this class than Ward. QBs score the most points, making Ward a sure-fire bet to score inside your top 4 players every single week.
You also get the rare ability to stack Ward with several rookie Titans to take advantage of correlation in the later rounds between Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Xavier Restrepo.
After Ward, the remaining rookie QB ADPs are as follows:
- Jaxson Dart (QB – NYG): 11th
- Tyler Shough (QB – NO): 19th
- Shedeur Sanders (QB – CLE) 23rd
- Jalen Milroe (QB – SEA): 25th
- Dillon Gabriel (QB – CLE): 43rd
- Will Howard (QB – PIT): 50th
- Quinn Ewers (QB – LV): 60th
Plugged-in Saints beat reporter Nick Underhill believes that Shough will be the Saints’ starting QB in 2025, based on the draft capital they used on him and him being hand-picked by new head coach Kellen Moore.
One of the biggest consensus knocks on Shough from draft analysts and NFL scouts alike, other than his 26-year-old age, is that he struggles under pressure. The Saints have invested a lot in their offensive line, so there should be some optimism that the unit can provide better protection upfront under a new scheme.
Spencer Rattler, under horrible circumstances last season, averaged 10.3 points per game. That was the same as Tyrone Tracy, who was a league winner in Fast Draft in 2024.
I won’t go out of my way to draft Shough given all the closing line value I have already accumulated, but I think he is a fine pick at the end of Round 2 for those drafting on FD for the first time.
He’s a much better pick than Shedeur Sanders. I think the move with Sanders is to just take him when he falls drastically past his ADP. If his head is screwed on right, he’s the best QB on the Browns. But the floor is zero.
I also prefer Shough from a value perspective to Jaxson Dart. I don’t think the Giants want to rush Dart into the lineup. And even when he does end up starting at some point, I’m not convinced his Year 1 production will be better than Shough’s.
My favorite QB to select is Milroe (other than Cam Ward). Because I don’t think he’s even a complete zero without the starting job. The Seahawks GM and HC have already talked about getting him on the field, where he can use his legs. Those points count in the best ball format. And if Sam Darnold goes down or implodes, the former Alabama QB would be valued as highly as a first-round pick in the Fast Draft format.
Chase the rushing upside with Milroe compared to some of these fringe WR rookies and other QBs. I also got zero Milroe exposure in Origins pre-draft, so I will be targeting him aggressively.
As for the rest of the QBs. No for me, dawg. This is a bad QB class and I have virtually zero interest in guys outside the top 5.
WR/TE Strategy
Now onto the WRs/TEs. Again, not a great class overall at the top, but some interesting depth pieces as the rounds progress.
Fast Draft is full PPR, so WRs do have that scoring advantage working in their favor. It’s also best ball scoring, so we don’t have to predict the exact 80-yard TD catch weeks from some of the more explosive WRs in this year’s class.
But projecting those outcomes for some of these WRs is so much easier said than done. When in doubt, just go RB.
Now, this doesn’t mean we are going to full-blown zero WR (although it is rather enticing for) because we have some WRs at the top to draft.
Travis Hunter is ranked the highest, followed by Tetairoa McMillan. Now I have McMillan ranked over Hunter, so it’s very clear to me where my exposure is going to be weighed. I think McMillan has a 100-catch ceiling in Year 1 with the Carolina Panthers. I don’t want to full fade Hunter, but early on in the offseason, I am gravitating toward T-Mac as the clear alpha on his offense.
After the first 10 picks, the rest of the top WRs and TEs come off the board, with one more RB (Cam Skattebo).
If an RB falls outside the top 10, you double-tap the position.
Tight end has commonly been such a hard position to bank on for rookies. Rookies TEs have rarely produced and FastDraft does not feature a dedicated tight end position to leverage.
Although this narrative has been somewhat debunked in recent years, I outlined the rookie tight end renaissance in my article titled, “How to Value Rookies in Fantasy Football: Pre-NFL Draft (2025).”
So even though FD doesn’t have positional leverage at tight end, the TE positional tag has suppressed their ADPs. Imagine how higher their ADPs would be if they were labeled at WRs instead of TEs that were both selected inside the top 15?
Because we had two TEs selected inside the top 14 picks overall in the real-life 2025 NFL Draft. As I stated in that piece previously mentioned, a rookie tight end needs strong draft capital to produce in Year 1. And boy, did we get some high draft capital.
I’ve been firmly on the Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren in dynasty train since the very beginning. But I’ll acknowledge that their Year 1 outlooks are probably very similar. It wouldn’t shock me if Warren out-produced Loveland in Year 1, given he is a much older prospect (also not coming off a shoulder injury).
Although I do slightly lean toward Loveland, given that he is the highest drafted tight end since Kyle Pitts (4th overall), and I prefer the Chicago Bears offense over the Colts. Ben Johnson could fully unleash him as his first hand-selected player since becoming Chicago’s new head coach.
I will also note that the Bears’ offense was the fourth-healthiest last season (according to FTN’s Adjusted Games Lost), suggesting that this “crowded room” could clear up quicker than most looking at the surface would project.
So, although in common practice it’s usually fine to just fade rookie TEs, I can’t say that with confidence regarding this year’s class. Especially considering the lack of star power WR alternatives. You have to pick somebody in Round 2 of these Fast Drafts and the NFL told us during the draft they preferred the tight ends over the WRs. Knowledge is power.
Speaking of those WRs. I think you still want to gravitate toward WRs with spike week potential such as Matthew Golden, Luther Burden and Jayden Higgins.
Golden, in particular, profiles as an absolute pain in redraft managed leagues given the Packers’ incessant need to avoid using a No. 1 WR. But he’s a fast, explosive player, and there’s a role for him to fill attached to Jordan Love.
Reach on Cam Skattebo
And I’m not opposed to going aggressively after Cam Skattebo over the Day 2 WR crop. We want RBs in this class and he is supremely discounted because he went in Round 4 (by three draft slots).
If Skattebo was drafted just three slots earlier…
He’d join this list of RBs drafted on Day 2 or earlier that averaged at least 30 receiving yards/gm in their final seasons:
Saquon Barkley, David Johnson, Joe Mixon, Antonio Gibson, Najee Harris, Travis Etienne Jr., Rachaad White, Zach Charbonnet, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Omarion Hampton.
His ADP would be much closer to Harvey’s instead of by nearly nine draft slots.
I understand that in dynasty drafts, selecting a player like Skattebo over WRs drafted much earlier is malpractice. But if he earns the starting job in New York – just takes one Tyrone Tracy fumble – he is going to out-score most, if not all, the WRs/TEs going ahead of him.
I love Emeka Egbuka, but this is 2023 Jaxon Smith-Ngijba and 2024 Rome Odunze all over again for his 2025 production.
Final Targets and Final Thoughts
After we get outside the top 20 or selections, just get back to hammering away at RBs while avoiding the second-round tight ends with clear roadblocks ahead of them, such as Elijah Arroyo and Terrance Ferguson. Although if it’s them against WRs in similar scenarios, I’ll take T-Ferg on the Rams offense all day.
Bhayshul Tuten should be circled on your boards with an ADP of 22. The new Jaguars coaching staff has no allegiance to Travis Etienne or Tank Bigsby. And Tuten is explosive AF.
Jets tight end Mason Taylor has the clearest path to production, but it’s reflected in his ADP as the TE3. He has such a clean projection to the next level that I’ll draft him at his ADP, especially compared to some of the fringy WRs in his range that or Day 3 rookie RBs that have zero guarantees. MT is “safe”. Even though we draft for upside, not every single one of the six selections needs to be a swing for the fences.
Just be careful not to chase Taylor’s steam if he starts to get more expensive. He has an Austin Hooper/Dalton Schultz archetype. Hardly a MUST-HAVE player.
As we round out the remaining selections from 25 onward, here are the names that stick out to me as values.
- Jaydon Blue (RB – DAL): 31st – explosive pass catcher on a weak Dallas RB depth chart.
- Woody Marks (RB – HOU): 36th – pass catcher that Houston traded up for.
- Kyle Monangai (RB – CHI): 52nd – bowling ball no-nonsense RB that Ben Johnson will love once he gets sick of D’Andre Swift.
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt RB – WAS): 58th – We saw four different RBs get snaps for WAS last season.
- Jaylin Lane (WR – WAS) 65th – explosive YAC monster that can contribute on special teams.
- KeAndre Lambert-Smith (WR -LAC) 85th – downfield threat attached to Justin Herbert.
- Konata Mumpfield (WR – LAR): 141st – Rams’ 7th-round WR selection.
Some final thoughts.
If this Bears offense takes off in Year 1 under Johnson and Year 2 of Caleb Williams, it will be 100% correlated to a rookie breakout. I can’t confidently pinpoint whether it will be Loveland or Burden, but I bet one hits in a big way. #BearDown in Origins.
Tre Harris dealt with a lot of injuries in college. If he gets hurt again, I wouldn’t put it past KeAndre Lambert-Smith to take on the WR2 role in LA.
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