As the pre-training camp lull in news takes full effect, now is a good time to take an appraisal of the best ball landscape and decide which players we feel good about and which players we don’t. Looking at the current average draft position (ADP) on Underdog, these are the best values in the early rounds.
- Best Ball Rankings
- Best Ball Consensus ADP
- 2025 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football Draft Values to Target
Round 1
Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)
The first round is littered with good options this year, and there aren’t many wrong options, but Malik Nabers provides one of the more interesting values. As a rookie, Nabers led the league with a massive 162 targets, breaking Puka Nacua‘s rookie wide receiver record set in 2023 of 105 catches.
The massive caveat to the situation is that Nabers has had poor quarterback play. While it is no slam dunk for 2025, the Giants believed in Jaxson Dart enough for him to be a first-round player on their board. If he’s even slightly better than last year’s dross at the position, it could be a big second year for Nabers.
what if i went on love island and just talked about how Malik Nabers put up 1,200 yards as a rookie with the worst group of QBs ever the whole time
— Andrew (@gmengalaxy) July 10, 2025
Round 2
Brock Bowers (TE – LV)
We mentioned one record breaker already, so let’s move on to another. Brock Bowers’ 112 receptions were the most by any rookie ever, not just at the tight end position. There remains an air of skepticism about Bowers with his ADP firmly in the second round, but with such high volume paired with a quarterback upgrade in Geno Smith, Bowers could be even better this time around.
Round 3
Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
People seem to be very divided on Chase Brown, and it’s not an uncommon thing when a running back comes out of nowhere to be highly relevant. Just look at Kyren Williams for another example. The fact remains, though, that from Week 9 onwards, Brown averaged 20.6 PPR points per game with 23.6 touches per game.
Perhaps Zack Moss, Khalil Herbert or sixth-round rookie Tahj Brooks eat into that volume slightly, but Brown has shown he’s an explosive player and has the trust of the team. In best ball, we want players who can score highly and keep the pace up.
Round 4
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
It seems strange that a quarterback coming off a QB1 season, where he performed to a level rarely seen by any other quarterback, is the QB2. But that’s the case for Lamar Jackson, as he sits one spot behind Josh Allen.
Perhaps Jackson does see some level of regression after last year’s incredible numbers, but this is a quarterback who has rushed for 130+ attempts in all but one season of his career and led the league with 8.8 yards per attempt (YPA) last year, scoring three more fantasy points per game than Allen. There aren’t many true difference-makers in this league, but Jackson is one of them.
No QB has limited mistakes better than Lamar Jackson over the past two seasons ???? pic.twitter.com/lBn9yGoiMl
— PFF (@PFF) July 8, 2025
Round 5
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
While Jalen Hurts isn’t quite as strong of a bet or as good of a passer of the ball as Lamar Jackson is, his ADP puts him at QB4, which seems like a potential bargain.
Hurts’ biggest advantage is his goal-line role, which has seen him score 42 touchdowns in his last 62 regular-season games. With the tush push still a legal play, and nobody having figured out how to defend it just yet, Hurts should be firmly in your mind when you reach the fifth round.
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