Nailing your draft is the first step toward building a championship fantasy football roster, and it all starts with identifying the right players to prioritize. Here, Joe Pisapia reveals his must-have draft targets for the 2025 season. Whether it’s elite value, breakout potential, or league-winning upside, these are the names you need to circle on your cheat sheet.
Joe Pisapia’s Must-Have Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Quarterbacks
Early QB is not my first choice of strategy this season, but if Lamar Jackson falls far enough (top of the third round), I’m taking him. Lamar is coming off another MVP-caliber season, and his passing yards finally eclipsing 4,000 is a great sign of his maturity at the position. The best part is that Josh Allen typically goes before him, sending out the warning signal of when Lamar would be poised to be selected. His 41 TDs were also a career high, and his 900+ rushing yards are fantasy gold. If you have enough depth of knowledge at RB/WR, you can afford to draft Lamar in the third round and pick up ground at skill positions later.
Joe Burrow had a monstrous season, nearly passing 5,000 yards passing and finishing as QB3. That was despite a very rocky start to the year for the Bengals. Yet, he’s the fifth QB off the board. I get it, he’s behind the rushing bunch, but he’s poised for another huge season and will go rounds later than the running quarterbacks. I like that value, and the defense is still awful. That means plenty of shootouts and high fantasy point totals!
I was a big supporter of Justin Fields last year, and he was QB6 after his first six games as a starter before Mike Tomlin replaced him with Russell Wilson, who is 10 years his senior. Well, hell hath no fury like a rushing QB scorned, and Fields now finds himself with a new OC fresh from the Lions (Tanner Engstrand), a strong run game, and his old college teammate Garrett Wilson. Fields may not always make it look pretty, but I believe he’s a top 10 fantasy QB this season, and he’s being drafted well past that range.
Speaking of quarterbacks with wheels, Drake Maye is sneaky quick and has shown the acumen to make big plays in his brief stint as a rookie last year. Now, he’s got a real HC and OC, with an improved offensive line and more weapons around him. Maye is my favorite “late round QB” after Fields, and that combo would be my ideal value pairing in Superflex formats.
Some people have forgotten already about J.J. McCarthy. Don’t be one of those people! We saw what retread Same Darnold could do under Kevin McCarthy in that loaded Vikings offense. Now, we drop in a much more athletically gifted quarterback into that mix in McCarthy. He may have some rookie peaks and valleys, and he is returning from a knee injury. However, all reports on him so far, health-wise, have been positive, and after watching J.J. at Michigan, I have faith he’ll be up to the task and immune to the pressure.
Running Backs
If I take a running back in Round 1, it’s going to be Bijan Robinson. I may have overrated him in his rookie season, but after last year, I can comfortably say it was all Arthur Smith’s fault! He should yet again make a run at 2,000 all-purpose yards and 15 TDs. He’s the focal point of the Falcons’ attack and the only slam dunk first-round running back, in my opinion.
Every year, people undervalue Derrick Henry, and every year, I make my league mates pay! Henry fell just shy of 2,000 yards rushing, and he posted 18 total TDs in ’24. The Ravens’ offensive line is built to play this performance on repeat, as Henry is typically available later than he should be, considering he is a rock in your fantasy lineup. Who cares that he doesn’t light up the reception board? Yards are yards. Touchdowns are touchdowns. And Henry gets enough of both to be a rock star, building block again this season.
He gets dinged for his size, but I don’t see significant competition coming from within, so if Chase Brown stays healthy, that Bengals offense is going to make him an RB1 again this year. If you can snag him somehow as your RB2, I like him even better! He would have finished as a top 10 RB last year had he been the full-time starter out of the gate.
The Mike Vrabel/Josh McDaniels brain trust has found their new “Patriot-Style” back, and this one is more talented than the James Whites and Kevin Faulks of yesteryear. Henderson is a playmaker, something the Pats offense has lacked for years. His speed and receiving ability, coupled with his pass protection skills, could make Rhamondre Stevenson obsolete at some juncture. However, Stevenson’s presence keeps Henderson’s ADP in check and at a value that makes me want to invest.
I love Kaleb Johnson for the Steelers. Sure, Jaylen Warren is still around, but his health track record has been less than thrilling, and Johnson is the power back the Steelers love. I expect that, come fall, Johnson will be in a great position to be a strong RB2 with excellent TD equity. I would take Johnson over Warren without hesitation, and you should as well.
Outside of Issac Guerendo, Jordan Mason is my favorite backfield backup speculation. Mason proved with the 49ers that he could handle a full workload. All that stands in his way is an aging and declining Aaron Jones, and Mason would immediately become a high-end RB2 with the Vikings if he became the lead back. There’s a reason Minnesota looked for a legitimate backup for Jones. Pass on Jones and draft Mason late instead. Then, play the waiting game.
Maybe I’ll be wrong, but I’m at peace with that possibility based upon Cam Skattebo’s ADP. He’s the type of player who could reach blue-collar, folk hero status in New York very quickly. Skattebo should see the goal line work at the very least to start with, and I believe he’ll bring a much-needed edge to an offense that lacked one last season. I’m betting on this marriage working and chants of “Booo” filling Met Life Stadium. In fantasy terms, a fun, cheap purchase with upside.
My favorite late-round dart throw is the running back from Rutgers, Kyle Monangai, who I believe is going to play the David Montgomery role in the Chicago backfield for Ben Johnson, not Roschon Johnson. Monangai is a tough runner, and what he lacks in explosive speed, he makes up for in effort. Hence the Monty comparison. Rather than fight on the wire for him in September, I’d rather draft and stash him on my bench.
Wide Receivers
Ladd McConkey was a “must-have” for me last year, and he even exceeded my expectations. He’s poised to perform even better in 2025, and I believe he could eclipse 100 catches if he plays every game. Tre Harris will be another asset to emerge and take some pressure off McConkey and put it all on opposing defenses. More on Harris later.
The easiest bet I made last year was over on Terry McLaurin’s receiving yards (925.5). What a gimme! McLaurin has been the model of consistency with very little help from his quarterbacks over the years. He’s now had 5 straight 1K yard seasons and was WR6 in half PPR last year. Even if the 13 TDs regress to 9-10, He’ll be a steady WR1 all year with Jayden Daniels under center for his sophomore season.
Davante Adams is old, but far from done. His metrics were outstanding last year, despite his age, and now he’s playing in a REAL offense with a veteran QB and another alpha in Puka Nacua. Unlike Hamilton and Burr, the world should be wide enough for both receivers. Plus, the upside of Adams should Nacua experience another injury is monumental. So much floor, so much upside, so much Adams for me this year!
The Broncos’ No. 1 receiver remains Courtland Sutton, and he’s by far the most investable at the position on the depth chart. Bo Nix found Sutton in the red zone quite a bit, and clearly the two had a connection last year. That can only get stronger in year two, as Nix grows and develops, and Sutton remains his clear-cut No. 1 target.
If healthy, Chris Godwin is a steal at his ADP. The Bucs’ offense has become quite special over the last two years, as Baker Mayfield has finally realized his talents. Godwin was having a terrific season before injury, and with free agency looming in two years, Godwin should be motivated to put up some big numbers. Even if he starts slow, be patient. Godwin was on pace for a career year in 2024, and 2025 could be his best yet.
Dave Canels is a good football man. He fixed Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and Bryce Young in successive seasons. Tetairoa McMillan immediately becomes the best target in the Panthers’ offense and could have the next sneaky Brian Thomas Jr. rookie season we saw last year. McMillan has the size and skills to be a true number one at the NFL level and gives Young a prime, polished receiver to pepper with targets. Also, the defense is still bad! Yay! So, expect plenty of late-game fantasy points from T-Mac.
A few years ago, as a prospect, Cedric Tillman caught my eye. Last year, he showed for a brief stint what I saw. Tillman can be an impact fantasy receiver, but he’ll need Joe Flacco to play most of the games for Cleveland for that to happen. I like the low-cost, high-reward of Tillman. If it goes bust, you can move on, but if he balls out, he becomes a WR3 for pennies on the dollar.
Quentin Johnston was NOT the answer. Tre Harris is the hand-picked No. 2 wide receiver by the Harbaugh regime and has very little competition standing in the way of becoming the No. 2 target for Justin Herbert. His college tape was really strong, and I think the Chargers will challenge the Chiefs for the NFC West now that they can reopen the passing game for business with Tre Harris alongside my last year’s favorite pick, Ladd McConkey.
Geno Smith is an upgrade of the group of jabronis playing quarterback for the Raiders last season. New HC Pete Carroll is a pro, and Jack Bech should acclimate well to this offense and I believe will be a steady improver as the season goes on, garnering more volume and making fantasy owners grateful for his late round selection.
Always follow the money! Jayden Higgins is the first-ever NFL Round 2 draft pick to receive a fully guaranteed contract. EVER! That means he’s a major priority for this offense and will be called upon early and often to contribute. There are plenty of targets to be had here; the only concern is the poor offensive line protecting C.J. Stroud.
Tight Ends
The first six weeks of the season were slow, to say the least, for Mark Andrews, who was involved in a car accident in training camp. From Week 7 on, Andres was TE4 overall in half PPR and led all TEs with 10 TDs. He remains the go-to red zone receiver for Mark Andrews and the number two target in the passing game. If you bought low on him last year, he was a league winner. You can draft him at a discount this year and have the same upside.
Bo Nix is a short king when it comes to ADOT, and Evan Engram could easily become his safety blanket in year two. Engram was disappointing last year, but mostly due to injuries. If healthy in 2025, he could easily become a top 5 TE in fantasy. Don’t forget he was TE3 in ’23 and TE6 in ’22 before bad health dragged him down.
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