Chasing upside is the name of the game when building a championship-winning fantasy football roster. Whether you’re looking for breakout stars, league-winning late-round picks, or high-risk, high-reward talents, targeting players with massive ceilings can be the difference between a good team and a great one. To help you identify this year’s top boom-or-bust candidates, we’ve gathered insights from our collection of Featured Pros experts. These analysts have pinpointed their favorite high-upside players for the 2025 fantasy football season. Check out the guys who could explode and become true difference-makers. Let’s dive into the expert picks.
- Cheat Sheets: DBro | Erickson | Fitz
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
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- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
2025 High-Upside Players
Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
“Chase Brown started only 10 games last year and still finished his sophomore campaign in RB1 territory. The Bengals featured him down the stretch once they realized the weapon they had. With Cincinnati only using a sixth-round pick on Tahj Brooks, there’s no reason to believe that Brown won’t continue to be featured with Zack Moss as the handcuff. There is potential for a Top 5 RB season from Brown, and I’d be willing to take him over a guy like Kyren Williams or Bucky Irving.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)
RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)
“R.J. Harvey priced as the RB22 is a steal. Harvey is set to explode in his rookie season. The runway is clear for takeoff. Sean Payton just put second-round capital behind a back that enters a room with Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, and J.K. Dobbins. No, I’m not worried about Estime or McLaughlin when they couldn’t carve out consistent roles last year with only the ghost of Javonte Williams standing in their way. Dobbins will assist Harvey on early downs so Denver doesn’t run their talented rookie into the ground, but I don’t project him taking away passing down work or high-leverage opportunities. It’s hard not to love a player like Harvey, who has ranked inside the top 20 among FBS running backs in each of the last two seasons in breakaway percentage and elusive rating (per PFF). Add in Payton’s running back usage, and Harvey looks primed to smash. Over the last two years, Payton has ranked fifth and first in running back target share. I’m drafting Harvey over David Montgomery, Joe Mixon, Chuba Hubbard, James Cook, and fellow rookie Omarion Hampton.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
James Conner (RB – ARI)
“I love James Conner at his current ADP and believe he is being taken at least a round too late. Conner was a top ten back last season, with the Cardinals making no changes to their offense and Conner signing a sizeable new contract. I would take him well ahead of Kenneth Walker. Walker averaged just 3.7 YPC behind an offensive line that remains one of the league’s worst, while Zach Charbonnet takes the vast majority of receiving snaps.”
– Ben Wasley (The Fantasy First Down)
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