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.
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Must-Have Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Here are a few must-have fantasy football draft targets our analysts love.
Welsh’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Justin Fields (QB – NYJ)
Justin Fields isn’t flashy in the traditional fantasy quarterback sense. The idea of drafting Fields as your starting quarterback can be a bit foreign, but it really shouldn’t be. Over his six starts, he scored five rushing touchdowns, recorded three 50-yard rushing games and passed 24+ times in four out of the six starts. This was in Pittsburgh.
Going to the Jets, I like the offensive line better and the running backs with what they can do out of the backfield, plus Garrett Wilson‘s ability to get open with the right combo of wide receivers. Josh Reynolds‘ ability to play more short yardage and Allen Lazard‘s ability to stretch the field are also pluses. The supporting cast suits him well. Over those six weeks with the Steelers, despite some of the ugliness, he was still QB6 in fantasy.
Fields’ FantasyPros expert consensus ranking (ECR) has risen from the teens to 10 from June to July, but in a majority of drafting spots, you’re going to see him available around the 12th quarterback. Here is what I love the most about late-round quarterback targets: you get one high upside signal-caller, like Fields, and then pair him with safe floor play like Jared Goff or Brock Purdy. Fields might be one of the best upside quarterbacks in fantasy that isn’t going in the top eight of drafts.
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
Anyone who knows me probably isn’t surprised that Christian McCaffrey is on this list. He is indeed an injury risk. The Niners were weird about giving out all the info, and it backfired. Running backs not named Derrick Henry don’t tend to age well, so there is a ton of injury risk. The counter is that he is a monster in this offense, and the 49ers won’t take their foot off the McCaffrey gas as long as he’s standing.
We are a year removed from McCaffrey ripping off 2,000+ total yards and 21 touchdowns. Due to this risk, he is now going in the second round as the RB7. With the departure of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk‘s injury, he’ll be counted on in the passing game as much as in the running game. Even if he takes a few plays off mid-series to preserve health, which could be an argument against him, he will dominate the red zone. That is without question.
Figure out what you can stomach at running back, and if you can sprinkle in a little risk, McCaffrey could return as the No. 1 RB in fantasy in the second round.
Check out all of Welsh’s must-have fantasy football draft targets 
DBro’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Tony Pollard (RB – TEN)
Pollard had a strong 2024 season as the Titans’ workhorse starter. He ranked ninth in snap share, opportunity, and weighted opportunities. Pollard finished as the RB22 in fantasy points per game while ranking 18th in explosive run rate and sixth in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data).
The pitiful nature of the Titans’ offense last year outside of Pollard crushed his season. He was only 22nd in red zone touches and was the RB15 in expected fantasy points per game. If Cam Ward can elevate this offensive ecosystem and Pollard can retain this awesome role, he could finish as a high-end RB2 this season.
Tetairoa McMillan (WR – CAR)
The Panthers finally gave Bryce Young a true No. 1 WR this season with the addition of Tetairoa McMillan. The Carolina Panthers selected McMillan inside the top 10 in the 2025 NFL Draft. McMillan could be a wonderful volume hog this year in what looks to be an ascending passing offense.
Last year, in Weeks 12-18, when Young was hitting his stride, the Panthers ranked 13th in neutral passing rate. We could see that number increase this year, with a true number one option leading the way. Last year, during that same stretch, Young ranked eighth in CPOE, fifth in deep throw rate, 12th in highly accurate throw rate and second in hero throw rate, per Fantasy Points Data.
McMillan is an incredibly talented receiver who can step up quickly. During his final two collegiate seasons, he ranked 17th and 21st in yards per route run. He’s a battle-tested man coverage beater as well. In 2023-2024, McMillan had the third-most and the 10th-most man coverage targets (among FBS wide receivers) while also ranking eighth and 10th in yards per route run against man coverage, per PFF.
Don’t be surprised if McMillan is a WR1/WR2 in his rookie season.
Check out all of DBro’s must-have fantasy football draft targets
Erickson’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Calvin Ridley (WR – TEN)
Calvin Ridley quietly delivered solid fantasy football value in 2024, finishing with over 1,000 yards for the second straight season while leading the NFL in team air yard share (48%). While he only finished as the WR26 in total points and WR40 in points per game, he did outperform his WR35 ADP.
Ridley’s late-season surge – 11.6 points per game (WR26) after DeAndre Hopkins was traded, essentially doubling his fantasy points per game – showed what he can do as the undisputed top option.
With Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and his nine touchdowns gone, and first-overall pick Cam Ward now under center, Ridley could thrive as the clear No. 1 WR in a Brian Callahan-led offense. According to 4for4’s Justin Edwards, the Titans rank top-five in vacated targets to receivers and first to receiver targets inside the 10-yard line.
If Ward is even average, Ridley’s elite usage profile makes him a strong bet to exceed his WR34 ADP. The Titans’ No. 1 WR could be a huge success in fantasy football, given his finish as the WR29 in expected points per game and WR17 in total expected fantasy points in 2024.
Keep in mind that Ridley has never finished worse than WR26 in any healthy season he has played during his NFL career.
Check out all of Erickson’s must-have fantasy football draft targets
Joe’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
The Broncos’ No. 1 receiver remains Courtland Sutton, and he’s by far the most investable at the position on the depth chart. Bo Nix found Sutton in the red zone quite a bit, and clearly the two had a connection last year. That can only get stronger in year two, as Nix grows and develops, and Sutton remains his clear-cut No. 1 target.
Check out all of Joe’s must-have fantasy football draft targets
Fitz’s Must-Have Draft Targets
Zach Ertz (TE – WAS)
If I don’t take a tight end early in my drafts, I’ll wait until the double-digit rounds and grab Ertz, whose ADP is TE20.
The 34-year-old Ertz had 66 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns last year, finishing TE7 in PPR fantasy scoring.
Ertz and rookie QB Jayden Daniels really clicked late in the season, with Ertz scoring six TDs in his last seven regular-season games. The veteran tight end wrapped up the season with 11 catches and 104 yards in a playoff loss to his old team, the Eagles.
Daniels is a star, and the Washington offense is on the rise. Ertz’s age will scare away a lot of drafters, but he showed last year that there’s still gas in the tank, and the price is right.
Check out all of Fitz’s must-have fantasy football draft targets
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