The preparation for your perfect 2025 fantasy football draft begins now.
Have a battle plan when you show up for your in-person draft or fire up the laptop for your online draft. But don’t make it a rigid plan.
Fantasy drafts are unpredictable. Average draft position goes out the window. Your competitors will make unexpected picks. You’ll occasionally get snaked on a player you wanted.
Be flexible. Be nimble. Be prepared.
And get those reps in before draft season arrives! Test your draft strategies by mock-drafting with the FantasyPros Draft Simulator.
Here’s a look at some of the battle plans our analysts will be using for their 2025 fantasy football drafts. And you can find each of their perfect draft plans below.
- Fitz’s Perfect Draft Strategy
- DBro’s Perfect Draft Strategy
- Erickson’s Perfect Draft Strategy
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
Perfect Fantasy Football Draft: Strategy, Advice & Targets
Fitz’s Late-Round Draft Strategy
Approach to Rounds 11+
Continue to build depth at WR and RB.
When drafting RBs late in the draft, try to get pieces of unsettled backfields where the pecking order could abruptly change.
Consider grabbing a second quarterback if you’re in a league with 14 or more teams or a league with a lot of roster spots.
Some leagues require you to draft a team defense and a kicker. If your league has those positions but doesn’t require you to actually draft one of each … don’t. Instead, throw an extra couple of darts at late-round RBs. At worst, you’ll drop those late-round RBs right before the start of the season to get your defense and kicker. But maybe a preseason injury to a starter turns one of those late-round RBs into a winning lottery ticket.
Check out Fitz’s complete Perfect Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
DBro’s Favorite Late-Round Quarterbacks to Draft
Later-Round Quarterbacks to Target
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’Connell’s quarterbacks finishing as QB1s. I believe McCarthy will keep that streak alive. He was a stellar prospect 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 Pro Football Focus (PFF). It’s wheels up for McCarthy in 2025.
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.
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 10th 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, which could be pushed to throw more if their defense takes a hit.
Last year was disastrous for C.J. Stroud as he tumbled from the QB7 in fantasy points per game to the QB28. Everything that could have gone wrong did. His offensive line imploded. Nico Collins was in and out of the lineup, while Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs were lost to season-ending injuries.
Stroud didn’t help matters with the fifth-highest time to throw and the 15th-highest pressure-to-sack ratio, per Fantasy Points Data. Stroud will operate behind a retooled offensive line in 2025 that honestly couldn’t be worse than what he dealt with last year. The skill player cabinet has been restocked with a nice mix of veterans and youth, with the additions of Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Nick Chubb, and Justin Watson. Everything is setting up nicely for Stroud to make a run as a top-12 fantasy quarterback again this season.
If you’re looking to punt quarterback in your drafts this season, Matthew Stafford should be in the mix for your fantasy football teams. Before tailing off at the end of last season, with Puka Nacua back in the huddle, Stafford was performing as the QB11 in fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he ranked 10th in yards per attempt, sixth in passer rating, and 11th in highly accurate throw rate and fantasy points per dropback, per Fantasy Points Data.
Cooper Kupp is gone and replaced by the always awesome Davante Adams. Tyler Higbee will be ready to roll, and Terrance Ferguson has been added as his heir apparent. Stafford could turn back the clock in 2025 with another QB1 season for fantasy football.
Check out DBro’s complete Perfect Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
Erickson’s Approach to Round 2
Approach to Round 2
It’s Drake London SZN, folks. The Falcons receiver has the chance to be the No. 1 overall fantasy receiver this season, and I don’t want to miss out on it.
I feel pretty strong about Nico Collins as a clear-cut dark horse WR1 overall target as well.
And I expect both their teams to get off to fast starts given their early-season schedules.
The Falcons’ opening schedule — Buccaneers, Vikings, Panthers, Commanders — before a Week 5 bye week is pretty juicy for this offense to get off to a hot start compared to last season. Also, the Falcons will play 11 of their 17 games indoors (including all three in the fantasy playoffs).
I love this opening stretch for C.J. Stroud in a potential bounce-back season — Rams, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans and Ravens before a Week 6 bye.
The fantasy playoffs also look very nice for the Texans, given they will play indoors in all but one game from Week 13 onward.
In the last two seasons, Nico Collins was just one of three wideouts to average 14.6+ fantasy points per game (PPG). Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown were the other two.
Because I’m so bullish on Collins/London, I’d like to select a running back with my first pick.
It feels good to start with a running back/wide receiver combination in the first two rounds, with paths for both players to finish first overall at their respective positions.
As you outline your plan of attack, you should have some idea of what you’ll do in round two based on who you selected in round one.
When you ask me what my favorite spot to pick from in a 12-team league is, I will most likely reply with the end of the first round. And that’s behind the idea that I can select Drake London in round two, so be sure to look at your drafting site’s ADP.
While it is enticing to have Ja’Marr Chase as the 1.01, it seemingly forces your hand into a running back at the 2-3 turn. If you aren’t sold on those backs, you might need to wait longer at the position. Ideally, Bucky Irving is still there.
If you go to Bijan Robinson at 1.02, it’s probably taking you completely out of the top 12 wide receiver range by the time your next pick comes around.
Through the first two rounds, my focus is on elite backs and wideouts. I want two elite players, regardless of their position, with my first two picks. If the board dictates those are two wide receivers, one running back and one wide receiver, etc., so be it.
Make sure you have tiers in your cheat sheet.
The way that the board looks based on early ADP, your best bet at two elite players is either RB/WR or WR/WR starts, picking closer to the end of round one.
I recommend following a Hero RB approach rather than a Zero WR or Robust RB one. Every draft is different, so you should always remain fluid in your approach. But based on the data at our disposal, following the former should set your roster up for success in the early rounds.
Just factors to consider if you have the option to pick your draft slot.
Early-Round Players to Target
Mid-Round Players to Target
Late-Round Players to Target
Check out Erickson’s complete Perfect Fantasy Football Draft Strategy