Dream Draft 4.0: Flag Plants and Draft Strategy for 2025 Fantasy Football

Each August, I publish this guide to highlight “my guys” for the upcoming season. I highlight players I’m targeting across all my drafts and to walk through the exact strategy I’m using to construct my season-long fantasy football rosters in a round-by-round format. Over the last three seasons, I’ve used this article to win around 60% of the leagues I’ve entered.

I typically play in 8-10 competitive money leagues each season, in addition to two long-running “home leagues.” The strategies I’ll outline here are designed specifically for re-draft and home-style leagues, not best ball formats.

That distinction matters. Best ball has taken over much of the fantasy football landscape in recent years, but re-draft and best ball are two very different games. Roster construction, player prioritization, and in-season management all vary – so it’s crucial to tailor your draft approach accordingly.

One of the most important edges you can give yourself in re-draft is understanding your league’s scoring and roster settings. Everything from PPR vs half-PPR to superflex, TE premium, or unique starting lineups can dramatically shift player value and draft strategy. While this article assumes standard roster construction (1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1FLEX), I’ll also note where certain picks or approaches are flexible based on league scoring.

With that said, let’s dive into how I’m building my 2025 fantasy teams – who I’m targeting, where I’m drafting them, and why they’ve earned a spot on my guys list this season.

2025 General Strategy and Approach 

Before I dive fully into my 2025 draft strategy, if you’re interested in who I wrote up last season you can view version 3.0 here. 

Like every season, 2025 presents a brand-new puzzle to solve when it comes to fantasy football leagues. As always, the managers who can adapt to their specific league settings and properly analyze this year’s ADP trends will separate themselves from the more casual competition. Last year, I leaned heavily into a “Hero RB” approach in my home leagues, and while the landscape has shifted slightly, I’m once again leaning toward investing in one or two running backs early in my drafts this season. 

Every year brings its own nuances, and while I’m as high on the wide receiver position as anyone, I’m approaching the position with a targeted strategy – particularly when it comes to the WR20–WR45 range. I love the WR value in the middle rounds this year. In fact, I have several players ranked ahead of consensus in the WR20–33 range. That depth and value make me want to load up on as many of those mid-range wideouts as possible, which is much easier to do when I’m not spending picks on RBs in those same rounds.

Additionally, I like some of the wide receivers going after Round 5 more than the WRs or RBs being drafted in Rounds 3 and 4. Not being forced to take a player in that range opens up a ton of flexibility for the kind of roster construction I’m targeting in 2025.

So, for the second year in a row, I’ll be prioritizing RBs early and late, while using the middle rounds to hammer my perceived value at wide receiver.

Round 1

I won’t say too much about Ja’Marr Chase – if you land the first overall pick, I think you should take him. If you're picking second or third and he slips, don’t overthink it. Take him.

• Early RB
• Ashton Jeanty
• Nico Collins 

As I mentioned in the intro, I’ll be using either a Hero RB strategy or starting RB/RB in most of my leagues this season. I currently have the top of the position ranked like this:

1. Bijan Robinson
2. Jahmyr Gibbs
3. Saquon Barkley
4. Ashton Jeanty
5. Christian McCaffrey
6. Chase Brown
7. Derrick Henry
8. De’Von Achane
9. Jonathan Taylor

There’s a tier drop after Taylor — meaning I’m aiming to leave my drafts with one or two backs from that group, depending on how the early WRs fall in the first and second rounds. If you have an early pick, you’ll have a shot at Robinson or Gibbs. If you’re picking in the mid-to-late first, you’ll face more of a decision.

I’m notably higher on Chase Brown than the consensus. He’s currently going around the start of Round 3, so I can almost guarantee I’ll land him by drafting him ahead of ADP – closer to where I have him ranked. Since I’m locking him in on most of my teams, the decision becomes whether to pair him with a Round 1 WR or go RB/RB as mentioned above. That really depends on league size, your draft slot, and your league competition. 

I really like Christian McCaffrey in this consolidated 49ers offense, but part of me wants to take a stand on Ashton Jeanty. He’s the best RB prospect we’ve seen since Saquon Barkley. As the NFL continues to modernize, it’s rare to find a running back with his level of draft capital as well.

Las Vegas has almost no competition behind him – just Raheem Mostert (LOL) and Sincere McCormick. Jeanty should step into a near full-time role as soon as Week 1. The most underrated part of his game? His receiving ability. He played WR in high school and while he wasn’t heavily used as a pass catcher last year, he does have a 43-catch season on his college résumé.

That type of pass-catching upside could elevate him to the overall RB1 in fantasy this year. Chip Kelly’s offense will play fast, and if they make an effort to get Jeanty into space, especially as a receiver, the ceiling is enormous.

I was out on Bijan Robinson as a rookie, then fully bought in last year. I’m in on Jeanty immediately. He just barely missed the cut for my official “My Guys” tier.

If you decide to pivot from the RB/RB start and want to go wide receiver early, Nico Collins is the guy I want to take a stand on most.

Collins missed some time last season, but when he was on the field, he was elite. He ranked 8th in fantasy points per game, posted a dominant 2.9 yards per route run, and earned nearly 25% of CJ Stroud’s targets -- all while competing with both Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs.

Now we’re removing Dell and Diggs from the equation which creates a clear path for Collins to maintain or even grow that target share. He’s already shown us he can operate as a true alpha.

I also expect the Texans’ run game to regress, which could push even more pass attempts onto Stroud's shoulders. That’s great news for Collins, who already proved he can thrive with efficiency and volume.

At the end of Round 1, I think Collins offers both a safe floor and league-winning upside. If you’re looking to plant your WR1 flag early -- this is the player to do it with.

Round 2

• Chase Brown

As I mentioned above, Round 2 is an easy decision for me. Similar to how I felt about Malik Nabers last year, I have Chase Brown ranked well ahead of his current ADP, and I have no problem clicking him where I value him. If you're playing in a smaller league, or you're confident you can land Brown in the early third round near his ADP, I’m all for that. But personally, I’m fine being aggressive.

I have no issue taking stands on players – if you’ve followed my content before, you know that. Just like in DFS, I’ll go all-in on some players in season long leagues. If Matthew Berry gets one “fantasy ride or die” each year, Chase Brown is mine.

I genuinely don’t understand why Brown isn’t being ranked in the next tier up across the board. He has little to no competition for touches, and he’s playing in what I expect to be the highest-scoring offense in the NFL this season. Cincinnati’s defense is still going to struggle, which should create weekly shootout scripts. In fact, four of the Bengals' first five games opened with Vegas totals over 47.5. That trend should continue most of the season.

On the surface, Brown’s 2024 numbers already look strong – he finished as a top-15 RB in both total PPR points and points per game. But if you isolate his performance from Week 9 onward, once he fully took over the backfield, he was the RB4 overall in fantasy and averaged nearly 24 touches per game. Truly elite usage. He showed he can handle the full workload – and while Semaje Perine might steal some third-down snaps, Brown is going to be one of the engines of this offense on early downs, in the red zone, and in space.

Given the situation, the role, and the scoring environment, he checks every box. I’m planting my flag.

Round 3

• Quarterback?
• Tee Higgins

In more casual home leagues, I think spending up for an elite QB is not only viable in 2025 – it’s one of the smartest things you can do.

I hate the value in the Round 3–4 range when it comes to RBs and WRs. Most of the players here either carry too much risk or lack the kind of ceiling that moves the needle. On the flip side, I feel confident in my ability to win the later rounds of drafts and on the waiver wire during the season.

That gives me the flexibility to lock in a truly elite fantasy QB, and this season, I see four in a tier of their own in this order:

1. Lamar Jackson
   
   
2. Josh Allen
   
   
3. Jalen Hurts
   
   
4. Jayden Daniels
   
   

If you can grab one of these guys in this range, I think it sets your roster up with a week-to-week positional advantage while still sticking to the core of what I think is the optimal roster construction this season. 

If you’re not going QB in this range and want to get a head start on wide receiver, my favorite Round 3 target is Tee Higgins.

His 2024 stat line doesn’t tell the full story -- when on the field, he was a top-seven WR in fantasy points per game. We’ve seen his upside in this offense before, and with a healthy offseason and contract drama behind him, I’m back in on Tee.

It’s also very clear I want to be invested in the Bengals offense this season. If you don’t land a top-two pick to grab Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins + Chase Brown is a more affordable way to build exposure to this unit that could lead the league in scoring.

Round 4

• George Kittle

Just like in Round 2, I have a clear target in Round 4 – and that’s George Kittle. I have him ranked as my TE2 this season, behind only Brock Bowers, and the path to a monster year is wide open.

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the 49ers’ pass-catching group heading into the season. Brandon Aiyuk essentially had a lost year in 2024 and isn’t expected back from injury until at least Week 6. Jauan Jennings is dealing with a calf issue and is holding out for a new contract. Deebo Samuel is no longer with the team.

Kittle, on the other hand, is coming off a season where he led all tight ends in fantasy PPG and posted an elite 2.6 yards per route run. He clearly still has it – and with so much target ambiguity around him, Brock Purdy is going to lean heavily on him early in the season.

Even if the wide receiver room eventually gets healthy, Kittle still has top-end upside without Deebo in the mix. Since 2019, Kittle has played 13 games without Deebo Samuel – and in those games, he’s averaged 16.1 fantasy PPG.

He’ll likely go earlier in sharper leagues, but I’m planting my flag again here. Kittle in Round 4 is one of my favorite picks of 2025 drafts.

Round 5 

• The Blue Wall
• Jameson Williams
• George Pickens
• DeVonta Smith
• Xavier Worthy

If you end up with the RB/RB start I highlighted earlier, I’m dubbing the middle rounds of my drafts “The Blue Wall.” In the Sleeper draft room, wide receivers are highlighted in blue – and when you rip off 4–5 in a row, it forms a nice wall of blue on the draft board. 

This is the start of the wide receivers I have ranked well ahead of ADP, and I’ve listed them in my order of preference above.

Jameson Williams finally broke out for the Lions last season – and he did it on a sub-18% target share. With new OC John Morton expected to emphasize more vertical passing than the Ben Johnson offense, I think there’s legitimate reason to expect a shift in philosophy.

I’m willing to lean into the unknown here. The Lions could pass more in general, especially if they take a step back defensively or aren’t quite as dominant overall. That would lead to more neutral or pass-heavy scripts, and the run game could also regress with the loss of center Frank Ragnow.

All in all, Williams is primed for his best season as a pro, and if he pushes toward a 20% target share, the ceiling is massive.

I really like the Cowboys offense for fantasy purposes in 2025, and I think Pickens is a perfect fit alongside CeeDee Lamb. Their skill sets are extremely complementary – Pickens brings a big-time outside, downfield threat, while Lamb can fully lean into his elite YAC ability operating more from the slot.

Yes, Pickens' raw target volume may not spike, but he’s about to experience the best QB play and most pass-heavy scheme of his career. This is a bet-on-talent play – and at current ADP, I think he’s an extreme value.

Smith remains perennially undervalued. He hasn’t finished lower than WR20 in PPG in each of the last three seasons, but still routinely goes in the WR25+ range.

The Eagles have one of the toughest schedules in 2025, and I’m expecting them to be forced into more passing volume because of it. Smith is a high-floor player in an offense that should be throwing more this season. He’s one of the safest picks in drafts this season. 

Worthy is also being overlooked. With Rashee Rice likely to miss time to start the season (expected 4–6 games), Worthy should immediately step into that role – which we saw him do late last season.

But there’s more than just early-season volume here. There’s real upside that Worthy earns a bigger role as the season progresses, especially in Year 2 with Mahomes. The Chiefs also made key upgrades to the offensive line, which should improve both efficiency and downfield opportunities.

I’m expecting a more explosive Chiefs offense in 2025 – and Worthy is one of the best ways to invest in it at current cost.

Round 6 

• The Blue Wall Part 2
• Travis Hunter 
• Tetairoa McMillan

As we continue building out The Blue Wall, there are a couple more wide receivers I’m targeting consistently in this range.

If you’ve followed my content in recent seasons, you’ll know I have a pretty strong track record of identifying these first- and second-year WRs before the breakout. Both of these guys are players I’m very interested in at cost.

I had Hunter ranked as the WR1 in this draft class, and I’m happy to take a stand on him in 2025. He’s an elite talent landing in an exciting spot with Liam Coen’s offense, and simply betting on that talent in the middle rounds is a viable strategy.

Hunter lining up alongside Brian Thomas Jr. is borderline unfair for defenses, and the team seems committed to letting him focus on offense first as opposed to playing DB. There were reports a few weeks ago that they want him to play around 80% of the teams offensive snaps.

In the first preseason game, Hunter played 11 of 12 snaps with Trevor Lawrence, and Jacksonville ran a ton of 3WR sets with Lawrence on the field, as expected.  If we can get around 50% of Hunter’s routes from the slot, his ability to deliver value at this draft position becomes even more likely. 

I loved watching McMillan at Arizona, and honestly – this has turned out to be one of the best possible landing spots for his fantasy value. The Panthers spent up to take him 8th overall, which signals clear intent to feature him early. And when you look at the depth chart, there just isn’t a ton of target competition. Assuming full health, 130–140 targets is a realistic expectation.

McMillan comps physically to Drake London (per PlayerProfiler), but the real comp I see is Mike Evans. Dave Canales  utilized Mike Evans a ton during his time in Tampa Bay and can use McMillan in that exact same role as a dominant, vertical X receiver. 

I’ve always been a believer in Bryce Young, and I thought he showed legitimate growth down the stretch last season. If he continues to progress, McMillan has the tools and opportunity to smash ADP and become one of the top mid-round WR picks of 2025.

Round 7 

• Calvin Ridley
• Chris Olave

Round 7 features even more wide receivers I view as fantastic values, and Calvin Ridley stands out most among them. I don’t think I’ve ever been in on Ridley in any previous version of this article -- in fact, I remember being pretty firmly out on him the last few seasons. But things change year over year in fantasy football and being able to adapt to things each season is a major strength. 

Ridley now plays in what I view as an ascending Titans offense with Cam Ward under center. The situation is dramatically different, and the price is far more reasonable. Metrically, Ridley wasn’t terrible last season -- the biggest issue was the massive gap between his expected fantasy points and actual fantasy output, and much of that can be blamed on near league-worst QB play. That shouldn’t be the case in 2025. Cam Ward brings legitimate arm talent, and a willingness to push the ball downfield. Combine that with an improving offensive line and Ridley should benefit from more consistent catchable targets and better-quality throws. He’ll have time to get open, and Ward should have the time to find him.

There is essentially zero target competition behind Ridley and he projects as the clear WR1 on a team that may be better than most expect. Ward could be the key to a Ridley renaissance. He’s a volume-based draft pick with a higher ceiling than most of the WRs in this range. 

Round 8 

• Matthew Golden
• Emeka Egbuka
• When to Target RB Again

We can keep building out The Blue Wall into Round 8, where multiple promising rookie wideouts present great value—especially if you went RB/RB to start and have been stacking WRs since.

Golden wasn’t one of “my guys” in the pre-draft process – but I’ve completely warmed up to him over the summer based on what we’ve seen and heard from Packers camp.

The camp reports have been glowing, and more importantly, the usage looks promising. Golden appears to be locked into 2WR sets to start the year. With Jayden Reed currently injured and the team hesitant to move him into a bigger role beyond a third WR, Golden looks primed to take advantage. He also carries solid draft capital, and the Packers clearly have a plan for him. I love betting on a rookie ascending into a consistent role by midseason – especially on a team with ascending QB play and solid offensive structure. Golden is the type of WR who could end up being the one you “had to have” by October.

Egbuka has more target competition than Golden – but I had him ranked as my WR2 in this draft class, and that conviction only grew after Tampa Bay spent the 19th overall pick to get him.

Yes, Mike Evans is still around, but he’s aging. Chris Godwin may not be ready for Week 1, and even when healthy, he hasn’t looked like the same player post-injury. Jalen McMillan is there, but Egbuka has the profile to be the most talented WR on the field for the Bucs right away. This offense should be pass-heavy once again, and there’s a clear runway for Egbuka to carve out a major role early. If he hits, you’re getting a top-two target on a high-volume offense in the 8th round -- and that’s exactly what we want when constructing teams like this. 

If you followed the RB/RB start and have been stacking WRs since, there’s no reason to panic on RB depth just yet. I’d still hold off on drafting another RB until later – there’s more value in the coming rounds.

Round 9 

• Ricky Pearsall
• Michael Pittman
• Jaylen Warren

Round 9 continues the trend -- more WR value, and a few options that I have ranked well ahead of ADP. This is exactly why I want to hit RBs early and late – the WR sweet spot just keeps going.

I’m genuinely confused why Ricky Pearsall isn’t going at least two rounds earlier. He’s become a near auto-click for me in this range. If I didn’t already have a 49ers player in the My Guys section, he’d be firmly in play there too.

He’s a virtual lock to be the WR1 for one of the best scoring offenses in football to begin the season. And we still don’t even know how the Brandon Aiyuk situation will play out. Even if Aiyuk returns, Pearsall is going to have a role.

He completely ascended late last season, drawing over 20% of the team’s targets in their final two games. Honestly, I think that 20% is a conservative projection to start the year. This is one of the highest-rated values on my board right now.

Pittman is behind Pearsall for me, but I still think he’s a solid value in Round 9.

He played through a nagging back injury most of last season and still managed to command 22% of the Colts’ targets. If he’s fully healthy  – which he’s expected to be – he should look sharper and more explosive, especially downfield.

The big question is QB play -- can the offense take a step forward? That remains to be seen, but Pittman should once again be a primary target in the offense. 

If you’re light on RBs through eight rounds, this is a good spot to consider Jaylen Warren.

I’m a huge Kaleb Johnson fan long-term, but Warren should offer better early-season usability, especially in full PPR leagues. His pass-catching role gives him a decent weekly floor, and if the Steelers offense shows signs of life, he could provide strong FLEX value.

He’s not a must-draft, but if you only grabbed one RB early and haven’t taken one since, Warren makes sense as a depth piece or early-season plug-and-play while you wait on upside stashes.

Round 10 

• Jordan Mason
• JK Dobbins
• Zach Charbonnet
• Other QB Targets

 

Assuming you've been stacking your Blue Wall alongside me, it’s time to pivot and target more RB depth to round out your roster. This is the range I’m most interested in for filling out RB3/RB4 slots -- and the names here all carry either standalone value or RB1-level upside in the right situation.

Mason was brought over to Minnesota to work alongside Aaron Jones, and I think he’s going to offer plenty of standalone value right away.

Jones struggled badly in the red zone last year, and I expect Mason to cannibalize goal-line touches from the jump in what should be a fantasy-friendly, high-scoring offense. The real ceiling would come if Jones misses any time -- but even in a complementary role, double-digit TD upside is firmly in play.

Let’s get this out of the way – I think RJ Harvey is the better real-life player right now. But that doesn’t mean Dobbins is fantasy irrelevant.

The Broncos’ first preseason game showed Harvey wasn’t asked to play on third downs, which tells me they want Dobbins handling that role early on. In a Sean Payton offense that historically targets RBs at a high rate, that role matters.

He’s not a smash pick, but Dobbins is one of the better values in this range, especially if you’re looking for a usable floor with some spike week upside.

Charbonnet won’t have the immediate standalone value that Mason or Dobbins might -- but his contingent upside is enormous.

Seattle brought in Klint Kubiak as OC, and Kubiak RBs have been gold for fantasy in the past. While I love Kenneth Walker, he’s never made it through a full season healthy. If Walker misses time, Charbonnet becomes an instant top-10 RB option.

If you missed out on the big four QB’s in Rounds 3–4, there are plenty of strong later-round options, and I’m comfortable leaving drafts with two from this group:

 

1. Brock Purdy
   
   
2. Drake Maye
   
   
3. Justin Fields
   
   
4. Dak Prescott
   
   
5. JJ McCarthy

If I go this route, I’m committing to two QBs and playing matchups weekly. 

Late Round + Deeper League Targets 

Will Shipley – In my opinion the best late round pick you can make this season. Dynamic rushing offense and the 1:1 pure handcuff to Barkley. Even if he provides no value when Barkley is healthy he would be an immediate must start if Barkley misses any time. 

 

Ray Davis – Very similar to Shipley. I believe Davis is legitimately a good football player and we saw that in short bursts last season when he was awarded an opportunity. If James Cook misses any time due to injury, Davis becomes an immediate start in all leagues. 

 

Cam Ward – Full transparency I’m not sure how much Ward I will actually end up with to begin the season, but he is my OROY pick and I think the Titans are going to work their way into the playoff mix in the AFC. They play in the most favorable AFC division, and no team improved their offensive line more from last season to now. With Bill Callahan at the helm of that operation, they can take a massive leap forward and I firmly believe Ward is going to be a starter in the league for a long time. I was a huge fan of his at Washington State and Miami – while it feels like the Titans have a reincarnated version of Steve McNair now leading their team into the future (RIP). 

 

Keenan Allen – I’m not sure where his ADP will ultimately land, but he is a must-draft for me at this point. I’m expecting the Chargers defense to take a step back this season, and they could find themselves in more passing situations late in games. After Ladd McConkey this pass catcher room is wide open and I trust Allen more than anyone. One last ride with one of my favorite players ever. 

 

Dont’e Thornton Jr – Thornton Jr is one of the most intriguing 2025 prospects, and he will have a chance to contribute right away for the Raiders. Geno Smith has seen a nice statistical spike indoors vs outdoors in his career, and I’m expecting a solid season from him. We know he loved the deep ball to DK Metcalf during his time in Seattle – and he can replicate that with Thornton in Vegas. He’s very tall and has absolute burners – he showed them off in preseason Week 1 but was missed by Aidan O’Connell…I’m not expecting Smith to miss those long ones. He has a strong advanced stat profile as well coming out of school and I think he can be a good NFL receiver. 

 

Tory Horton – Horton is a deeper league option, but there’s a very real chance he carves out a role to begin the season after a monster camp month.  Horton was an absolute beast at Colorado State and slipped to the fifth round of the draft due to an injury plagued final season there. He fits the mold of the archetype of receiver I like to target nowadays and has already looked the part in practice / preseason action. He could excel as a rookie in the Klint Kubiak offense alongside Cooper Kupp and JSN. 

 

DeMario Douglas – Douglas is the only player on the late round list that finds himself in the “My Guys”” tier. In fact, I think he is the only player ever from the late round list to end up in that tier in the history of this article. Douglas reminds me a lot of earlier career Jakobi Meyers – not necessarily his playing style or body type but the lack of production while clearly showcasing ability on the field. He has just three career touchdowns in two seasons while Meyers had two in three seasons before breaking out with totals of 6 and 8 over the following two campaigns. The lack of touchdowns says more about the QB play he saw in his rookie season than it does about Douglas himself. The bull case for Douglas also requires a bit of wishcasting – both Julian Edelman and Wes Welker took off as smaller slot receivers in Josh McDaniel’s offenses and I do believe Douglas to be set up for that role this season. After Stefon Diggs, who is coming off a serious injury, there is a lot of unknown in this receiver room and I personally believe Douglas to be the most reliable of the bunch entirely. I think Douglas is clearly set up for a career year with Drake Maye entering his sophomore campaign, and you won’t even need to invest much draft capital to join me on the ride. 

 

Chig Okonkwo – As I noted above  – I’m very high on the Tennessee Titans. I’m a big Cam Ward fan, and with a much improved offensive line this team can surprise many in a lackluster division. There’s a very real chance Okonkwo is the number two option in this offense while we wait for one of the rookie WRs to ascend and he should have a big route participation. 

2025 “My Guys”

• Chase Brown
• George Kittle
• Jameson Williams
• Travis Hunter 
• Calvin Ridley 
• DeMario Douglas
• Jordan Mason
• Cam Ward

Update Log

Updates will be provided here daily as injury news rolls in throughout the month of August.