When you’re on the clock in your fantasy football draft, sometimes playing it safe just isn’t enough. To win your league, you need to take some calculated risks – and that means reaching for the right players before someone else does. In this article, our collection of Featured Pros experts highlights the Players Worth Reaching For in 2025, offering insight into the players they believe are poised to outperform their average draft position (ADP). Whether it’s a breakout candidate, a rising rookie, or an under-the-radar value, these are the picks our experts say are worth the gamble.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Players Worth Reaching For in 2025
If you had to reach a round early for one guy this year, who is it and why?
DJ Moore (WR – CHI)
“DJ Moore has always been an elite talent as well as the primary target in whatever offense he has been forced to play in. In 2025, he’ll have a combination of the best QB and brightest offensive mind he’s ever played with/for. Moore’s going to set a career best in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He isn’t the same type of player as the new Head Coach Ben Johnson had in Detroit in Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he’s going to maximize Moore’s skill set and get him paid with a monster season just like he did with Brown in Detroit. Williams to Moore is going to be the breakout story of the early 2025 season, and the Bears are going to need it because that Division is a brutal gauntlet to navigate. They’re going to light it up, wins or losses be damned. He’s currently ranked as a fifth-round pick at #45 overall. I’m fine with drafting him ahead of WRs like Garrett Wilson #35 or the risky and overrated Rashee Rice #30, as well as the plucky, but undersized Ladd McConkey #19 in a run-first and run-second Harbaugh-focused offense.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
J.J. McCarthy (QB – MIN)
“According to current ADP, JJ McCarthy is going off the board as the QB19 in round 10. I’d bet my house he outperforms that value if he plays a full season. First, McCarthy is in a Kevin O’Connell offense that propelled former fantasy QB pariah Sam Darnold to a QB9 finish a year ago. Now, after a year to sit and learn the offense, McCarthy is ready to deliver the ball to the best receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson, with little run game to speak of. The offensive line is now more or less a top 10 unit, and the ancillary pieces in Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson are well above average. Add in the fact that McCarthy has wheels that he can use when needed, and this is a recipe for, at worst, a top-12 fantasy season. Waiting on QB and plucking McCarthy in the 9th (or potentially a couple rounds later) this summer is a strategy I’ll happily employ.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“Normally, I am not the aggressive type of drafter who reaches on players. I prefer a value-driven approach. But I’ll give you a player I like, somebody I consider a proactive pick. I’m at the point where I would follow Kevin O’Connell into a burning building; he’s worked magic with quarterbacks at all different talent levels. This season, he gets to work with J.J. McCarthy, a first-round talent who at least has a year in the building, a year of familiarity in the system. Minnesota has a very deep group of pass-catchers; it should be a fun offense. I expect McCarthy to outkick his ADP, perhaps by a significant amount. ”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports)
Drake Maye (QB – NE)
“Drake Maye has a chance to be the 2025 version of Jayden Daniels — a mid-round quarterback who provides solid passing numbers and big-time rushing production. I’m going to use Justin Fields as my alarm clock in fantasy drafts. When someone drafts Fields, I’m taking Maye in the next round. Fields’ ADP is No. 93 overall. Maye is No. 115 overall. So, yeah, I’ll probably be taking Maye about one round ahead of his ADP.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
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