Keep a close eye on these 2025 fantasy football ADPs throughout the summer
The NFL Draft is in the books and rosters are largely set. We now turn the page to fantasy football season as we analyze rosters with fresh faces in new places. Here, we’ll take a look at some early rankings according to FantasyPros consensus and identify 10 ADPs worth tracking over the next few months.
None of these takes, if they even count as takes, are written in pen just yet. Rather, these are storylines and possible market movements to watch from OTAs up to Week 1.
I’m extremely fascinated to see where Justin Fields lands in fantasy drafts this summer. No, not when the best-ball sickos are drafting instead of spending time outside in July, but where he lands when regular human beings are ready to draft him come end of August. I wonder if those folks will be itching to take him at the QB12 spot he currently carries in consensus rankings.
There are a couple of reasons this one fascinates me. For starters, it’s been some years since we got a true non-rookie, late-round-quarterback, rushing-threat steal at the position. Anthony Richardson went in the fifth to sixth round of drafts last year. Lamar Jackson’s second season may have been the last occurrence that drafters let a unique rushing threat who wasn’t a rookie slip to the double-digit rounds. Say what you want about Fields but he is second among all quarterbacks in scramble yards since he entered the league.
The second and more selfish reason is that I’ve been on the wrong side of every single quarterback reclamation project — Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, etc. — the last few seasons. While I have always been a Fields skeptic, and while I’m optimistic about the team's direction under Aaron Glenn, I am not convinced that the Jets match the Vikings or Buccaneers as an offensive ecosystem. However, I want to not completely shut the door on the idea that Fields goes down a Mayfield or Darnold path. I didn’t draft Mike Evans in 2023 nearly enough, despite knowing how talented he is, and I would like to avoid that mistake with Garrett Wilson.
The Patriots' second-year quarterback might be the other late-round, mobile QB to bet on in 2025. Drake Maye was almost never used as a designed rushing threat as a rookie but I’ll bet that changes in Year 2 with Josh McDaniels in town. Maye has already mentioned watching some of the Cam Newton 2020 offense and the designed runs McDaniels cooked up that season.
Last year, despite not starting a full season, Maye ranked second behind only Jayden Daniels in scramble yardage among quarterbacks. Those 407 yards made up almost all of his 421 rushing yards. He averaged 3.81 yards after contact per rush attempt, second-most in the NFL behind only Baker Mayfield. There’s no question the community is sleeping on Maye’s ability to be among the best rushing quarterbacks in the league.
Right now, Maye is the consensus-ranked QB18. A summer’s worth of steam over new additions to what was one of the worst ecosystems in 2024 could push that up. If it sticks, Maye will be on a ton of my Superflex teams as I’d prefer him straight-up to some of the pocket sloths in his own tier.
The Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak in large part to revive a run game that had fallen apart under the watch of previous offensive coordinators. Seattle ranks 26th in rushing success rate over the last three seasons combined. If you can’t tell by the last name, Kubiak comes from a coaching tree with a long line of proficient rushing concepts and his Saints ranked 13th in that same stat despite being a banged-up operation.
The fantasy community has decided that Kenneth Walker III is the big winner of the Kubiak addition. He currently sits at RB16 in consensus rankings, sandwiched between proven bellcows Joe Mixon and Alvin Kamara. Walker's teammate, Zach Charbonnet, is buried at RB36.
Yes, previous staffs have deferred to Walker as the starter over Charbonnet when he’s healthy. However, this is an entirely new group and Charbonnet finished the season strong. Per Fantasy Points Data, both backs had a much higher success rate on gap runs than zone concepts in 2024, which Kubiak leans into, nor was there a discernible difference in 2023 results. So, I’m not sure there is a clear scheme winner here.
I don’t have a strong take on this backfield but I’m skeptical the two backs should have such a massive gap in the rankings when new eyes may prefer Charbonnet to Walker or, at the very least, think these two should be in a committee. At the very least, it’s a situation to monitor in camp.
I’ve written about RJ Harvey extensively in other areas coming out of the NFL Draft. So I won’t go overboard here, but he is the rookie running back I’m most convinced will get steamed by fantasy analysts this summer. As of now, Harvey is the RB23 in consensus rankings. I’ll be flat out stunned if he doesn’t pass guys like Aaron Jones and Tony Pollard, among others, by the time Week 1 rolls around.
I’d love to be in on RJ Harvey this year. The Broncos were 11th in yards before contact per rush attempt on running back runs last season but 28th in yards after contact. Harvey was a broken-tackle machine in college. That’s precisely why so many analysts love his game and were quick to assign the fabled “this year’s Bucky Irving” comparison.
That last line is reason enough for me to wonder where he ends up going in fantasy drafts. Unlike Irving, Harvey won’t be a secret. He was a Round 2 pick to a team desperate for running back help with a head coach known for productive backfields. I’ll be shocked if his ADP isn’t one of the fastest rising rocket ships this summer.
The Giants took Cam Skattebo in Round 4 with their running back depth chart a bit light coming into the NFL Draft. Their 2024 rookie, Tyrone Tracy Jr., was a fifth-rounder with a solid first season but who didn’t turn in any results that would make him untouchable.
Tracy is the RB31 in early consensus rankings right now but he’s in a large tier of backs who carry no certainty. That’s the right way to view Tracy, who not only has to contend with Skattebo but it appears most have forgotten coach favorite, Devin Singletary, is still on this roster.
Every fantasy player is looking for a cheap possible starting running back late in drafts. Tracy flashed upside as a rookie and could be a nice candidate. We have to monitor training camp to see if the gap between Tracy at RB31 and Skattebo at RB41 is wide enough or if it needs to become tighter.
The Vikings made a savvy trade prior to the NFL Draft and secured a strong running mate to Aaron Jones by acquiring Jordan Mason from San Francisco. Mason was one of the most productive runners in the NFL last season while stepping in for Christian McCaffrey. He was second in the NFL in rushing yards from Weeks 1 to 7 before injuries took a toll.
The Vikings invested in the interior offensive line this offseason with the addition of Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency and Donovan Jackson in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. Yes, they want to create a pocket for J.J. McCarthy but the combined size of those three players also signals a desire to add more man and gap concepts to what’s been a zone-heavy ground game. Mason averaged 5.95 yards per carry on gap runs last year, per Fantasy Points Data.
Aaron Jones still has a lot left to offer but is another year older and an injury risk. My early lean is that the rankings of Jones at RB22 and Mason at RB40 should be a bit closer than they are right now.
Liam Coen was the architect behind one of the league’s best rushing ecosystems last season. A big portion of that was the talent Tampa Bay had on its offensive line and in the wide receiver room, which helped create monstrous space. However, Coen drew up a diverse and weaponized run game that felt dynamic on film every week. He deserves a ton of credit.
If he’s able to do even a fraction of that in Jacksonville, we’re going to care about the running backs on this roster. Travis Etienne Jr. is a holdover from the previous regime and was starting to fall out of favor given his lack of explosiveness. If I had to guess who leads the team in carries, Tank Bigsby, as the best gap-based power runner, would have the best odds. Yet, it’s Bhayshul Tuten who was drafted by this new brain trust and brings plenty of speed and passing-game ability to the table.
Reports in the coming months will be key in deciphering if the Round 4 pick is going to play a role early on for the new-look Jaguars. Those very same reports could send his ADP well north of his early RB51 ranking.
One of the great mysteries of the 2025 season is how volume, playing time and role designations will be handed out to the Bears primary pass-catchers. This offense is getting a full fresh start and an incoming blank slate for the holdovers with Ben Johnson coming into town.
Right now, the fantasy community has decided that DJ Moore is the clear-cut lead man in the room. He’s ranked as the 39th overall player which is a massive gap over Rome Odunze (81st), Colston Loveland (131st), Luther Burden III (137th) and Cole Kmet (192nd). I think Moore could experience a big revival in Johnson’s offense and has the longest NFL resume but there is no way the veteran receiver’s 2024 film impressed these new coaches.
Be ready to ingest any clue about who will be the in-space pass-catcher, X-receiver or top slot over the next few months. We also need to find out whether this is going to be a 12- or 11-personnel-based team because that will speak to the limited ceiling of either Loveland or Burden. Finding the answers to those hints should cause ADP to be much more fluid than early rankings suggest.
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Chris Godwin was one of the correct answers in fantasy football last season. He ranked second in receiving yards behind only Ja’Marr Chase in Weeks 1 to 7 before his injury and paced wide receivers in catches. If he enters Week 1 with no health-based limitations, he is going to inevitably smash his current WR28 ranking and there is little doubt about it.
However, we don’t know that Godwin is healthy and the selection of Emeka Egbuka in Round 1 adds another talented body to the mix. Egbuka can also handle many of Godwin's power slot duties on offense. That doesn’t have to be a bad sign for Godwin’s progress but it’s a new variable to consider. Egbuka can also win outside and merely send Jalen McMillan to the bench. He and Godwin can exist together.
Godwin’s ADP could certainly get much higher over the course of the next few months based on his progress. Sometimes summer injury optimism can lead us astray, but there are still so many paths for a big hit with a proven player.
Early rankers and drafters don’t know what to do with the 49ers wide receivers. The new top trio in a post-Deebo Samuel world of Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are jumbled between WR39 and 45.
I’ll say this with complete confidence: someone from this offense is outkicking WR39. Identifying who is tricky.
Aiyuk was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in 2023 and deserved the contract that took too long to come his way. Ultimately, that drought negotiation on both sides derailed his 2024 campaign, which was cut short with a major injury in Week 7. The impact of that multi-ligament knee tear could last into this season and drafters should be wary of what the early season may look like, no matter what summer reports hold. However, when he’s back to full speed, I have the utmost confidence in the player.
We saw Jennings and Pearsall play for much of last season but I’d caution folks who assume the hierarchy will look identical to 2024. Jennings is a good and reliable player but Pearsall was a first-rounder who played excellently in isolation last season once he recovered from being shot.
Right now, Pearsall goes last, and since I love his ability, he’s the one I’ll happily take the plunge with in drafts. He could absolutely lead this room in targets this season. I wonder if the order of these three players remains as it is now once we get to August.