It’s important to know who to target as you prepare for your fantasy football drafts. Of course we want to let value come to us in places, but sometimes you have to reach a bit to get your must-have fantasy football players in drafts. Our analysts provide players they are targeting wherever possible. Here are a few of their must-have fantasy football players for 2025 drafts.
You can find all of their must-have players here: Fitz | DBro | Erickson | Joe
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Must-Have Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Here are a few must-have fantasy football draft targets our analysts love.
Fitz’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Bucky Irving (RB – TB)
Surprisingly, I’ve heard a lot of fantasy analysts say that Irving is overpriced at his late-second-round ADP.
I had little interest in Irving last year after he clocked a sluggish 4.55 at the combine at only 192 pounds. I picked him up in waivers in one of my leagues, and Irving was a catalyst for me in a championship season.
Irving had 1,514 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns last season, and he played only about one-third of the Buccaneers’ offensive snaps over the first month of the season, when Rachaad White was still Tampa’s lead RB. Irving also had a toe injury at midseason that cut into his snap counts in a few games.
In fact, there were only seven games last season in which Irving played more than half of the Buccaneers’ offensive snaps, including their one playoff game. But in games where he did play more than half of the offensive snaps? In those seven games, Irving averaged 127.3 yards from scrimmage per game, with six touchdowns.
Irving averaged 3.93 yards after contact per attempt, according to PFF – tops among all RBs who had 60 or more carries. He ranked seventh in PFF rushing grade, ninth in breakaway percentage, and fourth in yards per route run (1.62) among RBs with at least 20 catches. And while yards per carry is sort of a bad, noisy stat, it’s still worth noting that Irving averaged 5.4 yards per carry.
And it all looked as good as the numbers suggest. Irving is one slippery, elusive dude.
I’d be quite pleased to get Irving somewhere near the 2/3 turn.
Check out all of Fitz’s must-have fantasy football draft targets 
DBro’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Dak 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’ pass-centric offense. Last year, in Weeks 1-8, Dallas ranked eighth in neutral passing rate and 10th in pass rate over expectation.
Prescott’s passing touchdown rate dipped to 3.8% last season, 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.
It will fly under the radar that Kenneth 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.
2025 RB Leaders in FD/RR (min 25 targets)
per @FantasyPtsDataDON'T Sleep on Kenneth Walker's receiving upside pic.twitter.com/QZKJLRNsMI
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) June 12, 2025
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 10th in yards after contact per attempt, and Walker could be a league-winner in 2025.
Check out all of DBro’s must-have fantasy football draft targets
Erickson’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Marvin Mims (WR – DEN)
Marvin Mims flashed major upside in the second half of 2024, averaging 62 receiving yards per game and leading all WRs in yards per route run (3.63) from Week 11 onward. He also posted a strong 28% target rate per route run on the year, ranking 13th in the NFL. Still just 23 years old, Mims is a prime third-year breakout candidate in a Broncos offense looking to grow alongside Bo Nix.
Tucker Kraft (TE – GB)
In 2024, Kraft led all tight ends in yards after the catch per reception (8.8) with an eye-popping 15 missed tackles. Second only to George Kittle in 20+ yard catch rate (22%).
GB’s tight end ran away with the starting job over Luke Musgrave and never looked back, finishing as the TE8 overall and 10th in points per game (8.3). The Packers passing game never fully got unlocked with Jordan Love constantly banged up, but this receiving corps is wide open for somebody to step up. A roster filled with beta WRs looking for an alpha to emerge especially with Christian Watson suffering a torn ACL injury late in the year. Kraft has a real shot to lead this team in red-zone looks AND explosive plays after leading the team in red-zone targets with Love healthy last season (1/game).
Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed at the end of the season – that 100% – that Kraft has the potential to be a George Kittle or Travis Kelce type of player.
Check out all of Erickson’s must-have fantasy football draft targets
Joe’s Must-Have Draft Targets
TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE)
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.
Check out all of Joe’s must-have fantasy football draft targets
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