FantasyPros Staff | Fri, Aug 1st 2025, 7:16am EDT

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy & Advice (2025)

Pat Fitzmaurice has gone position-by-position to provide you with fantasy football draft strategy and advice. Here’s how Fitz is preparing for his fantasy football drafts. His primers include fantasy football draft strategy, targets, rankings, tiers, and more.

Here are each of Fitz’s complete Fantasy Football Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE

Below we dive into some of his fantasy football draft strategy and advice for each position.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy & Advice

Let’s explore some fantasy football draft strategy and advice from Pat Fitzmaruice for each position.

Quarterbacks

The big question is how much to invest in the quarterback position. Is it best to draft one of the top quarterbacks in an early round, or to focus on other positions in early rounds and draft a quarterback later?

There is obvious appeal to investing in a top quarterback. The quarterbacks who provide needle-moving rushing stats on top of their passing stats are highly valuable.

Josh Allen has averaged 24.2 fantasy points per game over the last three years, never averaging fewer than 22.6 fantasy points per game in any of those seasons.

Allen’s average draft position (ADP) is 28 overall, so he’s typically drafted early in the third round in 12-team leagues. Players with similar ADPs include receivers Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Terry McLaurin, and backs Chase Brown and Kyren Williams.

If you wait to draft your top quarterback, Kyler Murray and Jared Goff are among the other options. Murray has averaged 18.5 fantasy points per game over the last three years (but has missed 15 games over that stretch). Goff has averaged 18.2 fantasy points per game over the last three years.

While Allen is either the first or second quarterback selected in most fantasy drafts, Murray has an ADP of QB0 (78 overall) and Goff is at QB10 (85 overall).

Murray is typically drafted in the mid-seventh round of a 12-team draft; Goff in the early eighth round. Wide receivers with ADPs between Murray and Goff are Deebo Samuel, Calvin Ridley and Rome Odunze. The one running back with an ADP in that range is Tyrone Tracy.

You could draft Allen in the early-to-mid third round and one of Samuel, Ridley, Odunze or Tracy in the early-to-mid seventh round.

You could also draft one of Wilson, Smith-Njigba, McLaurin, Brown or Williams in the early-to-mid third round, and either Murray or Goff in the early-to-mid seventh round.

Is the 2025 fantasy scoring gap between Allen and Murray/Goff going to be bigger than the gap between the third- and seventh-round wide receivers/running backs?

The key factor to this is opportunity cost. At what point do we get an affordable opportunity cost for drafting a quarterback rather than a player at another position?

In a 1-QB league, you only have to start one quarterback, but you have to start somewhere around 5-6 running backs and wide receivers, depending on lineup configurations. And it’s good to have depth at those positions to guard against injuries and underachievement.

You can probably guess which way I lean in the early versus late quarterback debate. I tend to load my shopping cart with receivers and backs early on and find my quarterback somewhere from the sixth to eighth round range.

I don’t want to be underpowered at wide receiver in any PPR league or in any league that requires you to start at least three wideouts. While I’m willing to be a bit more patient at running back, I generally like to get one in the first three rounds and another by the end of the seventh round.

Fantasy Football Quarterback Draft Tiers & Notes

Here’s a look at a few tiers from Fitz’s QB rankings. Check out his quarterback draft primer for his full take on the position.

Tier 4

Michael Penix heads into the 2025 season as the Falcons’ unquestioned starting quarterback after sitting behind Kirk Cousins for most of the 2024 season. In three late-season starts, Penix completed 58% of his throws and averaged 245.7 passing yards per game and 7.4 yards per attempt, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Penix is a pocket passer who doesn’t offer much rushing upside. But with his rocket arm, Penix led FBS. quarterbacks in passing yardage in each of his final two college seasons at Washington.

J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus in his knee but enters 2025 as the Vikings’ undisputed starting quarterback. He steps into a very healthy offensive ecosystem. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is one of the NFL’s best play-callers. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison form a terrific receiver duo, and T.J. Hockenson is a top tight end. The Vikings have a good pair of offensive tackles and upgraded the middle of their offensive line in the offseason. McCarthy has a live arm and offers intriguing rushing upside. He had eight touchdown runs in his final two college seasons at Michigan.

After two disappointing and injury-marred seasons, Anthony Richardson will have to earn the Colts’ starting quarterback job in a training camp battle with ex-Giant Daniel Jones. The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Richardson played only four games as a rookie due to a shoulder injury but flashed immense fantasy potential, with 136 rushing yards and four touchdown runs, along with three touchdown passes. But Richardson was awful as a passer last season, completing only 47.7% of his passes, with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 244-pound Richardson is a remarkable physical specimen who still offers considerable fantasy upside because of his rushing ability, but his struggles as a passer threaten to derail his career.

Tier 5

The Raiders traded a third-round draft pick for Geno Smith in March and gave him a two-year contract extension worth $85.5 million. Smith will helm an intriguing Raiders offense that will be guided by new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who likes to run his offense at a brisk pace. Tight end Brock Bowers was a revelation as a rookie, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is a dependable veteran and the Raiders added running back Ashton Jeanty and wide receiver Jack Bech in the draft. Smith finished as the QB13 in fantasy scoring last season, averaging 16.5 fantasy points per game. He’ll be drafted as a low-end QB or high-end QB3. He could return a nice profit on his rummage-sale cost.

The top pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Cam Ward is expected to open the season as the Titans’ starter. He threw for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns at the University of Miami last season. Ward is an aggressive passer who’ll challenge defenses downfield. He’ll also add some value as a runner. Ward will undoubtedly hit some rookie-year bumps as he adjusts to the NFL, but he has the potential to be a fantasy QB2 right away.

Check out Fitz’s full Quarterback Fantasy Football Draft Primer

Running Backs

Running back is usually a volatile, unpredictable position. Weirdness at the RB position is the norm in fantasy football.

It’s unusual to get a season in which there’s relative stability and predictability at running back. The lack of RB weirdness made 2024 a weird year.

The Christian McCaffrey affair was an exception, of course. McCaffrey was the consensus 1.01 in fantasy drafts, and it wound up being a Hindenburg-level disaster for the people who drafted him.

McCaffrey had calf and Achilles issues in training camp that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and McCaffrey himself downplayed. McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season and wound up playing only four games.

There were some pleasant surprises, too, including Bucky Irving, Chase Brown, Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle.

But otherwise, the RB position was unusually stable. Of the top 12 running backs by half-point PPR average draft position, eight actually finished as RB1s, and two of the misses (McCaffrey and Isiah Pacheco were injury-related).

Of the 12 running backs with ADPs in the RB13-RB24 range, nine finished as RB2s or better in half-point PPR scoring, and two more (Rhamondre Stevenson, Kenneth Walker) were near-misses.

One reason for the unusual predictability at the RB position was an atypical dispersion of injuries. Normally, running backs have higher injury rates than wide receivers, Last season was an exception. McCaffrey and Pacheco were the only running backs to miss significant chunks of the season due to injury.

Meanwhile, the upper reaches of the WR position were shredded, with Brandon Aiyuk, A.J. Brown, Nico Collins Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Tee Higgins, Puka Nacua and Rashee Rice all missing at least three games.

What does this mean for 2025?

After a year in which we had less RB volatility than usual and more injury-related WR volatility than usual, we might see more of a lean toward running backs in the early rounds of 2025 fantasy drafts.

The question is whether it’s wise to load up on running backs in the early rounds.

The key consideration is the number of wide receivers you’re required to start every week.

If you only have to start two wide receivers, you aren’t obligated to aggressively attack the WR position. It’s acceptable to merely keep up with your competitors at wide receiver as long as you’re building positional advantages elsewhere.

But if you have to start three receivers, investing heavily in the WR position is imperative.

Wide receiver is a crucial position in 3WR leagues simply because receivers make up such a large percentage of your starting lineup. If your league requires you to start 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE and 1 FLEX, at least 37.5% of your non-defense, non-kicker starters will be WRs. That percentage jumps to 50% if you put a WR in the flex spot.

In a league where you only have to start two wide receivers every week, drafting a pair of running backs in the first two or three rounds is a viable strategy.

In a league where you have to start three wide receivers every week, pounding the RB opposition in the early rounds puts you at risk of shorting yourself at the WR position — a position that has amplified importance because you have to start so many.

Fantasy Football Running Back Draft Tiers & Notes

Here’s a look at a few tiers from Fitz’s RB rankings. Check out his running back draft primer for his full take on the position.

Tier 6

Tyrone Tracy showed some exciting flashes last year as a rookie, showing promise as a runner and receiver. But the Giants spent a fourth-round pick on RB Cam Skattebo, who’s coming off a monster season at Arizona State.

The Jacksonville RB situation is perhaps the hardest to parse in the entire league. Tank Bigsby was an effective and efficient runner last season, but he’s a zero in the passing game. Travis Etienne’s performance fell way off last season after a strong campaign in 2023. And the Jaguars drafted the speedy Bhayshul Tuten to further complicate matters. Things are messy, but the good news is that you don’t have to invest much to buy a raffle ticket for the Jaguars’ backfield.

Tier 7

Rachaad White lost the lead-back role to Bucky Irving last year in Tampa and isn’t getting it back, but White is an effective pass catcher who could still have some PPR value in addition to his handcuff value.

As a rookie, Ray Davis had 152 yards from scrimmage in a Week 6 game against the Jets when James Cook was out with turf toe. He’s an intriguing late-round flyer.

Isaac Guerendo looked good in limited action for the 49ers last year and could be an interesting lottery ticket who could be cashed in if Christian McCaffrey can’t stay healthy. But Guerendo will have to beat out rookie Jordan James for the backup job.

Check out Fitz’s full Running Back Fantasy Football Draft Primer

Wide Receivers

The most important setting is the number of wide receivers you have to start each week.

If you’re only required to start two wide receivers, it’s OK to be somewhat laissez-faire in your approach to drafting wide receivers. It’s acceptable to merely keep pace with your competitors at the WR position, provided you’re building positional advantages elsewhere.

But if you’re required to start three receivers, you should invest heavily in the WR position.

Your goal in 3WR leagues should be to overwhelm your competitors with superior WR firepower. Ideally, your WR4 will be better than everyone else’s WR3 and perhaps even better than some people’s WR2.

In my 3WR leagues, at least three of my first five draft picks are wide receivers, and in many drafts, four of my first six picks are receivers.

The scoring system is another important league setting.

Full-point PPR leagues tend to drive up the overall value of wide receivers — particularly the high-volume receivers. Standard (or, if you prefer, “non-PPR”) leagues reduce the overall value of receivers and close the gap between high-volume receivers such as Garret Wilson and lower-volume, big-play receivers such as Jameson Williams.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Draft Tiers & Notes

Here’s a look at a few tiers from Fitz’s WR rankings. Check out his wide receiver draft primer for his full take on the position.

Tier 5

Chris Olave had 87 catches for 1,123 yards in 2023 but played only eight games in 2024 due to a pair of concussions. Olave is a talented young receiver who’s averaged an impressive 2.21 yards per route run for his career, but the concussion issues are worrisome, as is the Saints’ transitional QB situation following the retirement of Derek Carr.

The 23-year-old Jordan Addison has scored 19 touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons and has been a top-25 fantasy receiver both years despite sharing targets with Justin Jefferson. The presence of Jefferson could cap Addison’s ceiling, but the former first-round draft pick is abundantly talented and shouldn’t be slept on.

A May trade sent George Pickens from Pittsburgh to Dallas. Playing with CeeDee Lamb could limit Pickens’ target ceiling, but he’s not really cut out to be a high-volume receiver anyway. Pickens is a big-play specialist with exceptional ball skills, and playing with QB Dak Prescott should be good for him.

Tier 6

Deebo Samuel moved from San Francisco to Washington in the offseason. Questions about his role and his conditioning could keep him affordable in 2025 fantasy drafts, but Deebo could be a good fit for Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s system, which has room for a short-area receiver with the ability to consistently make yardage after the catch.

It’s hard to tell what to make of Jayden Reed. He averaged 4.3 catches and 80.1 receiving yards in the first seven games he played with Packers QB Jordan Love last season. In the last eight regular-season games he played with Love, Reed averaged 2.4 catches and 29.6 receiving yards.

Fantasy gamers should probably tap the brakes on Brandon Aiyuk, who tore his ACL and MCL last October after getting off to a sluggish start.

Check out Fitz’s full Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Draft Primer

Tight Ends

Rookies have led all tight ends in fantasy scoring the last two years. First, it was the Lions’ Sam LaPorta in 2023, then the Raiders’ Brock Bowers in 2024. Kelce hasn’t hung ’em up yet — he just had 97 catches last year in his age-35 season — but Bowers looks like the new standard bearer at the TE position.

Trey McBride is coming off an 111-catch season and is only 25. LaPorta’s second NFL season wasn’t quite as successful as his first, but he still finished TE7 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring.

Two tight ends were selected in the top half of the first round in this year’s NFL Draft. The Bears took Michigan’s Colston Loveland 10th overall, and the Colts took Penn State’s Tyler Warren 14th overall.

The Packers’ Tucker Kraft is another promising young tight end. And we’re still lighting prayer candles in hopes that Dalton Kincaid and Kyle Pitts will start living up to their early-career hype.

Mix the young tight ends with the quality veterans — Kelce, Pitts, Andrews and perhaps a handful of others — and suddenly the TE position looks pretty fertile relative to years past.

Tight end is now a buyer’s market, giving fantasy managers a number of different ways to attack the position. There’s solid value at a variety of price points.

Want to spend up for Bowers, McBride or Kittle? I think you can justify it.

Would you prefer to wait a bit and grab LaPorta, Kelce or T.J. Hockenson? OK, cool.

Wait even longer and try to get value on Andrews, Evan Engram or David Njoku? Sounds good.

Or punt the position until the double-digit rounds and gamble on Kincaid, Pitts or some other bargain-basement tight end? Hey, as long as you’re building advantages at other positions in the early rounds, go for it.

I’m not wedded to a single approach to the TE position in my 2025 drafts, but I’m more amenable to drafting a tight end in the early rounds than I used to be. That said, there will be at least a few drafts in which I punt the position and go dumpster-diving in the later rounds.

Fantasy Football Tight End Draft Tiers & Notes

Here’s a look at a few tiers from Fitz’s TE rankings. Check out his tight end draft primer for his full take on the position.

Tier 4

Tyler Warren posted absurd numbers for Penn State in 2024, with 104-1,233-8 receiving, along with 218 rushing yards and four TD runs. He has an angry playing style reminiscent of George Kittle. However, Indianapolis seems like a suboptimal landing spot given the Colts’ uncertainty at quarterback.

In his ninth NFL season, Hunter Henry established new career highs in targets (97), catches (66) and receiving yards (674). He scored only two touchdowns but still managed to finish TE12 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring. Henry quickly developed chemistry with rookie QB Drake Maye, who leaned heavily on the veteran tight end. If Henry has better luck with touchdowns in 2025, he has a chance to return low-end TE1 value.

Tier 5

Now that Evan Engram has gone from Jacksonville to Denver via free agency, former second-round draft pick Brenton Strange sits atop the Jaguars’ TE depth chart. The possibility of an enhanced role makes the 24-year-old Strange an intriguing TE sleeper.

When Buccaneers WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin sustained injuries in a Week 7 loss to the Ravens last year, Cade Otton stepped up in a big way, with 30-293-3 over a four-game stretch. But in Otton’s other 10 games, he had 29-307-1. With Evans and Godwin healthy and the Bucs spending a first-round draft pick on WR Emeka Egbuka, there may be little opportunity for Otton to make much of an impact in 2025.

Check out Fitz’s full Tight End Fantasy Football Draft Primer

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy & Advice (2025)

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy & Advice

Quarterbacks

Fantasy Football Quarterback Draft Tiers & Notes

Tier 5

Running Backs

Fantasy Football Running Back Draft Tiers & Notes

Tier 6

Tier 7

Wide Receivers

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Draft Tiers & Notes

Tier 5

Tier 6

Tight Ends

Fantasy Football Tight End Draft Tiers & Notes

Tier 4

Tier 5

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