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 I’m targeting in every draft.
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Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Must-Have Quarterbacks
Let’s dive into players I am targeting in every fantasy football draft.
Before he essentially missed the last three games of last year’s regular season with a concussion, Hurts was the QB5 in fantasy points per game. The Eagles leaned heavily on their ground game last year with the fewest passing attempts in the NFL, but that number will regress. Philly will pass more in 2025. It’s not a question of if but how much. The “Tush Push” is still here despite certain NFL teams and their envy attempting to get rid of it. Hurts spiked the ball in the end zone 14 times last year as he led in red zone carries. While I don’t see him hitting that number again, ten-plus rushing scores are probably a lock. Hurts also ranked first in carries per game and third in rushing yards among quarterbacks. I know I’ve discussed his rushing impact a ton here, but it’s not like Hurts was a bad passer last year. Among 40 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranked fourth in yards per attempt, second in CPOE, 13th in highly accurate throw rate, and he had the 11th-lowest off-target rate last year (per Fantasy Points Data). With a cupboard full of skill weapons and a top 5-10 offensive line, Hurts remains a top-four fantasy quarterback with QB1 overall upside.
I was down on Bo Nix entering last season. Early on, it looked like I was right about my evaluation of him as a prospect. Nix STRUGGLED out of the gate before turning it on in Week 5. Once the candle was lit for Nix, he coffin nailed my evaluation of his upside in the NFL. In Weeks 5-18, Nix was the QB6 in fantasy points per game, ranking 15th in yards per attempt, tenth in CPOE, ninth in highly accurate throw rate, and eighth in fantasy points per dropback (per Fantasy Points Data). I’ve never been happier being proved wrong. He was nothing short of amazing and placed third in the NFL Rookie of the Year voting. He also provided rushing upside, which I didn’t expect in the NFL. Last year, he ranked tenth in carries per game and eighth in rushing yards among quarterbacks. Denver added Pat Bryant, R.J. Harvey, J.K. Dobbins, and Evan Engram to this offense in the offseason. Nix could take another step in 2025 with the added weaponry and be a top-five quarterback.
Prescott is an amazing late-round quarterback value. He is primed to return to the QB1 ranks in 2025. With George Pickens added opposite CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and Jalen Tolbert, Prescott has enough weaponry at his disposal to excel in Dallas’s pass-centric offense. Last year, in Weeks 1-8, Dallas ranked eighth in neutral passing rate and tenth in pass rate over expectation. Last year, Prescott’s passing touchdown rate dipped to 3.8%, which was the first time since 2020 that his passing touchdown rate had dipped below 5.8%. Prescott will throw for more touchdowns in 2025. We’re only one season removed from him finishing as the QB4 in fantasy points per game, seventh in yards per attempt, eighth in CPOE, and sixth-best in highly accurate throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). Invest in Prescott.
Yes, I know we haven’t seen J.J. McCarthy play outside of an abbreviated preseason sample last year, but I’ll be targeting him everywhere this season. This should remain a pass-happy offense after ranking eighth in neutral passing rate and third in pass rate over expectation last year (per Fantasy Points Data). The Vikings remain loaded with skill players and added to the offensive line this offseason to give their new signal caller all the time in the world to dice up opposing pass defenses in 2025. Sam Darnold (yes, that Sam Darnold) finished as the QB9 in fantasy points per game last year, continuing a long history of Kevin O’Connel’s quarterbacks finishing as QB1s. I believe McCarthy will keep that streak alive. He was a stellar prospect who has been airdropped into the perfect situation. In his final collegiate season, McCarthy ranked inside the top 12 FBS quarterbacks in passing grade, adjusted completion rate, yards per attempt, adjusted completion rate with downfield throws, and against pressure (per PFF). It’s wheels up for McCarthy in 2025.
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