The best month of the year for fantasy football is finally upon us as we head into August, ready for fantasy football drafts, preseason games, training camp hype and so much more. If you’re picking at the 1.01 or perhaps want to do some research into what your opponent might do at that spot, this is the article for you.
This series will give you an overview of what you can expect to see no matter which first-round pick you draw. In what feels like a very strong first round, nailing your picks will be more important than ever.
- Fantasy Football Rankings
- 2025 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Pick 1.01
Let’s dive into our approach for the fantasy football 1.01 pick for upcoming drafts. We look into the players likely to be available, those to target/avoid and a mock draft from the pick to help you prepare for your fantasy football draft.
Players to Consider at 1.01 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
These players will likely be available when you make your selection:
- Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
- Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
- Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
- Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
Players to Target at 1.01 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
For the most part, the top targets in redraft average draft position (ADP) seem to be the same we’ve seen in best ball leagues for most of the offseason. Ja’Marr Chase is the consensus 1.01, with a barrage of top talent fighting it out behind him. Chase might have been the WR1 overall last year, but does he deserve to be the top pick this year? Let’s get into it.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
After a resurgence in the running back position, it’s perhaps a little bit surprising to see a wide receiver go as the consensus first overall choice, but Ja’Marr Chase was so dominant last year that people have the utmost confidence in him. Chase led all wide receivers in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,612) and touchdowns (16), along with scoring two more full PPR points per game than the next nearest contender, Justin Jefferson.
There used to be a thought process that Chase only blew up when Tee Higgins was injured, but last year, Chase scored more points when Higgins was healthy at a rate of 24.68 per game when healthy versus 21.36 when he wasn’t. It seems likely the Bengals will finally agree to a deal with Trey Hendrickson after he ended his holdout, if only because, as an organization, they don’t know how to trade.
The fact remains, though, that the Bengals’ defense looks to be set for another year of being bad, causing them to rely heavily on the passing game, and with very little added to solve that this offseason, it’s fair to expect more of the same in 2025. Chase has had over 100 receptions in back-to-back years and has gone over 1,200 receiving yards in three out of four seasons (the only season he didn’t, he still recorded nearly 1,110 yards in 12 games). Chase is as reliable as they come.
Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI)
It’s quite surprising to see Saquon Barkley falling in ADP and consensus rankings coming off a historical year where he rushed for 330 more yards than the next nearest running back. Barkley also notched 15 touchdowns and was a top-five back in seven weeks.
It seems that the worry for Barkley would be whether that efficiency can continue, coming off over 400 combined touches in the playoffs and regular season. The history of running backs seeing that much volume tends not to be kind to them in their next seasons. That is why it’s not as straightforward as some may like, but many people are starting their draft prep for 2025 now and are shocked to see Barkley isn’t the consensus 1.01. Don’t be surprised to see him taken this high in many drafts.
Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN)
Unlike Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson has had to deal with a healthy or perhaps unhealthy amount of quarterback turnover in his time with the Minnesota Vikings. That hasn’t stopped Jefferson from producing, though, averaging 96.5 receiving yards per game throughout his career with no year below 87.5. For reference, only five players averaged above that mark in 2024, one of whom was Jefferson.
The last time that Jefferson was the WR1 was 2022, and he’s been a mainstay in the top five receivers in PPR points per game since 2021. That kind of consistency can be worth paying up for. The case against Jefferson would be that he’s playing with an inexperienced quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. If both Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson are also on the field, there are a lot of mouths to be fed.
It is a little hard, however, to elevate Jefferson ahead of Chase when Jefferson is already missing time due to a ‘mild’ hamstring strain. While the use of the word mild is reassuring, soft tissue injuries can linger.
Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
Sometimes, rather than going off who finished highest last year, it can pay to take a more forward-thinking approach. Bijan Robinson ranked third among running backs in rushing yards (1,456) and scored only two fewer touchdowns than James Cook and Derrick Henry, who led all backs with 16 scores during the fantasy season.
Robinson also ranked first out of 46 running backs in the lowest proportion of his runs being stuffed at the line of scrimmage and ranked in the top two in success rate in both man and zone scheme runs, per Fantasy Points. In the receiving game, Robinson trailed only Jahmyr Gibbs with 58 receptions. He scores touchdowns, accumulates a lot of yards and earns targets – it’s the recipe we want to look for in the potential overall fantasy RB1.
Roster Constructions to Consider at 1.01 Fantasy Football Draft Pick
The 1.01 opens up many roster construction possibilities, but it will largely come down to how you start your draft for how you want to proceed. If you take Ja’Marr Chase, there will still be high-end running backs available when you are on the clock again in rounds two and three. You’ll have access to the top-end quarterbacks and tight ends with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Trey McBride available in this range.
If you go running back to start the draft, the receivers who make it back are a little less appealing, with Tyreek Hill and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both bringing question marks to their 2025 seasons. Because of this, my lean is to start with a wide receiver and go with Ja’Marr Chase.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft From the 1.01 Pick
We used our FREE fantasy football mock draft simulator to show you an example of a draft from the 1.01 position. You can sync your league for free and mock draft against your fantasy football league settings to prepare more specifically for your draft.
Here’s how our fantasy football mock draft from the 1.01 position turned out.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
