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 Players
Let’s dive into players I am targeting in every fantasy football draft.
Daniels was a league-winning value last year in his rookie season as the QB6 in fantasy points per game. If we remove the two games in which he failed to play more than 50% of the snaps, he averaged 23.7 fantasy points per game and had 0.61 fantasy points per dropback. Those two figures would have ranked second and fourth among quarterbacks last year. In those 15 full games, Daniels averaged 58.2 rushing yards per game, which would have led all quarterbacks last year by 4.4 yards per game. He also wasn’t a pushover from the pocket, ranking 14th in yards per attempt, 11th in CPOE, and sixth in catchable target rate (per Fantasy Points Data). Daniels can improve in the passing department, though, which is incredibly scary for anyone not drafting him as he was 24th in highly accurate throw rate and 17th in off-target rate. Daniels has QB1 overall upside this season with a mid QB1 floor.
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.
Over the last three seasons, when he has been a starting quarterback, Justin Fields has finished inside the top ten fantasy quarterbacks in fantasy points per game (QB7, QB9, QB5). Last year, in his six starts for Pittsburgh, he was the QB7 in fantasy points per game while averaging 9.2 carries and 38.5 rushing yards per game. If Fields had kept up that rushing pace for the entire season he would have finished fifth in rushing yards per game among quarterbacks immediately behind Jalen Hurts. He also took a step forward as a passer last year. In Weeks 1-6, among 31 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranked 17th in CPOE, fourth-best in highly accurate throw rate, 12th-best in catchable target rate, and he boasted the ninth-lowest turnover-worthy throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). The weapons surrounding Fields aren’t amazing, but he’s not being asked to work with a totally barren skill cupboard as Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, & Mason Taylor should all be dependable receiving options. The Jets also have an offensive line that should have no problems buying him time in the pocket. Fields is a locked-in top-ten fantasy quarterback this season.
Brock Purdy continues to hum along as a QB1 in fantasy after finishing as the QB10 and QB6 in fantasy points per game over the last two seasons. Last year, Purdy flashed some rushing upside, too, as he ranked 11th in rushing yards and seventh in rushing scores among quarterbacks. Last year, he ranked third in yards per attempt, ninth in CPOE, and tenth in fantasy points per dropback. While Brandon Aiyuk could get off to a slow start this season, Purdy still has plenty of weapons at his disposal with Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings. Purdy should lead one of the best offenses in the NFL again this season that could be pushed to throw more if their defense takes a hit.
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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