Get ready for your dynasty draft with our Dynasty Draft Primers! Pat Fitzmaurice provides his dynasty draft advice, rankings, and tiers for each position in his Dynasty Draft Primers. Below you can find his dynasty draft advice for each position and how to access his full Dynasty Draft Primers to prepare for the 2025 NFL season.
Dynasty Draft Advice
Let’s dive into my dynasty draft content to help you prepare for your drafts!
Dynasty Draft Advice: Quarterbacks
The value gap between quarterbacks in Superflex dynasty leagues and quarterbacks in 1-QB dynasty leagues is massive. We’re talking Grand Canyon here.
In Superflex, you can start a second quarterback in a Flex spot designated as a Superflex spot. You’ll almost always want to start a quarterback in the Superflex spot – even a mediocre one – because quarterbacks generally score more points than running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.
There is an insatiable demand for starting NFL quarterbacks in Superflex leagues. In a 12-team Superflex league, there are typically 24 quarterbacks in starting lineups every week and just 32 NFL teams. That means several of the teams in a 12-team Superflex league don’t have a third starting quarterback and could be crushed by quarterback injuries, benching and/or bye weeks.
Demand for quarterbacks plummets in 1-QB dynasty leagues. Sure, it’s still advantageous to have a high-scoring signal-caller such as Lamar Jackson, and having a high-scoring young quarterback such as Jayden Daniels is even better.
But 1-QB dynasty leagues often have more than one Flex spot in starting lineups. The more lineup spots, the more the impact of a high-scoring quarterback is muted. Also, you can more easily justify not having a high-scoring quarterback in a 1-QB league if you have a young quarterback capable of becoming a high-scoring quarterback.
Check out my Dynasty Draft Strategy, Rankings & Tiers: Quarterbacks 
Dynasty Draft Quarterback Notes
In four seasons as an NFL starter, Jalen Hurts has finished QB6, QB1, QB2 and QB6 in fantasy points per game. Hurts finished QB8 overall last season, largely because he was knocked out of a Week 16 game with a concussion and missed the last two regular-season games. Rushing value is a big part of Hurts’ fantasy appeal. He’s averaged 13 TD runs over the last four years, hitting double digits each season. Hurts has also amassed more than 600 rushing yards in each of the last four years. The Eagles had the run-heaviest offense in the league last season, and Hurts has never piled up big passing totals. But the Eagles face one of the tougher schedules in the league this year, and Hurts could be forced to throw more, which could ratchet up his fantasy value even higher.
Dynasty Draft Quarterback Rankings
Dynasty Draft Advice: Running Backs
In the fable The Three Little Pigs, the least astute of the three pigs built a house made of straw, and his slightly less dim brother built a house made of sticks.
If those little pigs had dynasty teams, they would have built their teams around running backs.
That’s not meant as a slight against NFL running backs. Those brave, underpaid souls hurl themselves at bloodthirsty defenders time and time again. Like crash-test dummies, their raison d’être is to absorb physical punishment. And that’s one of the reasons not to build a dynasty team around running backs.
Because of the nature of their work, running backs tend not to have long NFL careers.
There are exceptions, of course. Derrick Henry is a Sherman tank in shoulder pads. He’s entering his 10th NFL season and has shown no signs of slowing down.
But Henry is an anomaly.
Nick Chubb had five productive seasons before a gruesome Week 2 knee injury ended his 2023 season and put the rest of his career in jeopardy.
Javonte Williams seemed to have a promising career ahead of him. He tore his ACL early in his second season and has struggled to get back to his rookie form.
The Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft even though he tore his ACL the previous fall while playing for the University of Texas. Brooks returned to action last November and re-tore the same ACL in his third game back. He has already been ruled out for the 2025 season, and his NFL future is in doubt.
Not every running back sustains a major injury, of course. But the value of running backs can be fleeting, even for the ones who stay healthy.
Travis Etienne and Rachaad White were valuable fantasy assets in 2023, finishing as top-five PPR running backs. Both had disappointing 2024 seasons in which they were partly usurped by younger teammates. Now, you’d be lucky to get a second-round rookie draft pick in 2027 and a tuna sandwich for either Etienne or White.
The running back position is less predictable than the quarterback, wide receiver and tight end positions. We often see running backs come out of the ether and become major contributors even though they were afterthoughts in dynasty rookie drafts.
Take Bucky Irving, for instance. The Buccaneers drafted Irving in the fourth round last year. He eventually stole Rachaad White’s job and is now considered a top-10 dynasty running back.
Winning dynasty teams need productive running backs. The dream is to be able to land wildly talented young running backs such as Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Ashton Jeanty in rookie drafts. But if you aren’t able to do that, you might have to acquire quality running backs in stealthier ways. The goal of the shrewd dynasty manager is to build running back strength without making sacrifices at other positions.
In a dynasty startup draft, avoid the temptation to spend multiple early-round picks on running backs. It’s OK to draft an anchor running back while paying proper respect to other positions. And if you want to capitalize on a couple of bargains in the first 5-6 rounds, that’s cool. But don’t build your dynasty team around a collection of running backs taken in the early rounds of a startup. Your team will be a house of straw.
Draft running backs opportunistically in a dynasty startup. Take value where you can find it in the middle and later rounds. Seek discounts on young runners with good athletic profiles but uncertain roles. And don’t be afraid of older veterans who still have roles.
If you fall so far behind at the running back position in your startup draft that you can’t dig out of the hole, don’t panic. You’re playing in a dynasty league. People make a lot of trades. There are few things in this world more overrated than positional balance in dynasty leagues.
You can trade your way out of a hole. In neglecting running backs, you undoubtedly loaded up at other positions and will have areas of strength from which you can deal.
Check out my Dynasty Draft Strategy, Rankings & Tiers: Running Backs
Dynasty Draft Running Back Notes
The No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft could have an enormous fantasy impact right away. Ashton Jeanty is fast, has great vision, and his contact balance is otherworldly. Jeanty is used to handling big workloads after being a heavy-duty back at Boise State, and he adds value as a pass catcher. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly likes to run his offenses at a brisk pace, which should help Jeanty pile up touches. I have no issues with anyone who wants to take Ashton Jeanty in the top half of the first round in 2025 fantasy drafts.
Dynasty Draft Running Back Rankings
Dynasty Draft Advice: Wide Receivers
Wide receiver is a critical position in dynasty leagues — it’s probably the most important position, with the possible exception of the quarterback position in Superflex leagues.
Most dynasty leagues use full-point PPR scoring, and most require you to start at least three wide receivers. With those league settings, it will be hard for you to win games if you don’t have at least average production from the wide receiver position. If you’re able to amass an outstanding group of receivers, you’ll have a major competitive advantage.
Quarterback and tight end are easier positions to solve because you only need one or two good ones. And you can sometimes get away with taking shortcuts at running back due to the unpredictable nature of the position. Every year, we see running backs emerge from obscurity to become significant fantasy contributors. If you luck your way into a few such players, you’ll be OK.
There are no shortcuts at the wide receiver position.
Wide receivers are more predictable than running backs. Running back value can fluctuate wildly as roles change. A previously unheralded running back can quickly become a valuable asset due to injuries to the running backs in front of him. Those types of value spikes are rare at the wide receiver position since each team plays several receivers, making an ascent to the top of the depth chart more difficult.
Receivers also tend to age more gracefully than running backs. Productive 10-year careers at the wide receiver position are not uncommon, whereas few running backs maintain a high level of productivity into their 30s.
In short, you generally get what you pay for at wide receiver. Therefore, it’s wise to spend vigorously at the position.
In a dynasty startup draft, drink deeply from the wide receiver well because it will eventually run dry. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the WR position is deeper than it is. Yes, there are a lot of usable wide receivers, but there aren’t many young receivers who have either achieved stardom already or have a good chance to attain it.
You must get your fair share of good young wide receivers in the early rounds of a dynasty startup. If you short yourself at the wide receiver position, it could take years to catch up.
Remember: You start at least three wide receivers every week in most dynasty leagues, maybe more. You need depth — especially when you factor in inevitable injuries.
Get yourself plenty of wide receiver firepower in your dynasty startup. You won’t regret it.
Check out my Dynasty Draft Strategy, Rankings & Tiers: Wide Receivers
Dynasty Draft Wide Receiver Notes
Some fantasy managers will shy away from Tee Higgins because he’s missed five games in each of the last two years, and because he isn’t the top receiver on his own team. (That honor belongs to Ja’Marr Chase, of course.) But Higgins is an outstanding receiver in his own right. He scored 10 touchdowns in only 12 games last season and averaged 75.9 receiving yards per contest. The Bengals’ shaky defense could lead to a lot of high-scoring shootouts for Cincinnati this season — another reason to consider investing in Higgins.
Dynasty Draft Wide Receiver Rankings
Dynasty Draft Advice: Tight Ends
In the 2024 version of this article, we talked about the promise of a brighter future at the TE position. That was before the Raiders’ Brock Bowers shattered the yardage record for a rookie tight end, and before the Cardinals’ Trey McBride produced 1,146 yards on 111 receptions.
Two tight ends were taken in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. The Bears selected Colston Loveland of Michigan 10th overall, and the Colts took Tyler Warren of Penn State 14th overall.
The infusion of young talent has spruced up a position that has long vexed fantasy managers. You no longer have to go dumpster-diving when acquiring tight ends in a dynasty startup draft.
But that doesn’t mean you have to splurge.
Sure, you could draft Bowers or McBride and feel as if you’re set at tight end for the foreseeable future. But those guys are expensive. Bowers is a first-round pick in most 1QB dynasty startups, McBride a second-round pick. If you play in a TE-premium league, you’ll really have to pay through the nose for one of those aces.
But there might be a case for cutting corners at tight end — even in TE-premium leagues.
Some dynasty leagues use TE-premium scoring. If you’re in a TE-premium league, you might want to place greater emphasis on the position — but not necessarily.
In the TE-premium format, tight ends are awarded more points per reception than players at other positions. If RBs and WRs get 1.0 points per reception, tight ends might get 1.5. If running backs and wide receivers get 0.5 points per reception, tight ends might get 1.0.
Check out my Dynasty Draft Strategy, Rankings & Tiers: Tight Ends
Dynasty Draft Tight End Notes
Tucker Kraft turned in a solid season in 2024, finishing with 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished TE9 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring, TE12 in fantasy points per game. The 24-year-old Kraft seems to be on an upward trajectory, and it helps his cause that the Packers don’t have a proven target hog at wide receiver. Kraft averaged 10.1 yards per target — an impressive number, but one that suggests some regression is in order. But if the Packers are less run-heavy in 2025, Kraft might see more than the 4.1 targets per game he averaged last season.
Dynasty Draft Tight End Rankings
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