Dynasty Start-Up Draft Targets: 5 Rookies and Sophomores to Chase in Fantasy Football

John Johnson's top dynasty fantasy football draft targets and sleepers for 2025. His top-5 dynasty startup must-haves, including Brian Thomas Jr. and more.

It's crucial to draft the right players in your dynasty fantasy football startup leagues, and certain players can be had for massively cheap.

Those are generally the players you should target, though it's important to try to chase value in every round. Taking a holistic view of the player and their situation can help you achieve this.

So let's look at five players you shouldn't leave without in any of your dynasty startups. We'll check out two quarterbacks, one running back, and two wide receivers. Let's dive in!

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J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings

QBs available in the lower tiers who have great rushing upside and are in elite offensive environments should be targeted heavily in drafts, whether they're rookies or not. McCarthy is essentially entering his redshirt rookie season, but he's bursting with potential.

Sam Darnold finished as the QB9 in 2024 (19.1 FP/G). However, the market seems to think he was a Kevin O'Connell scheme merchant, considering he's all the way down at QB28 in Underdog ADP.

Enter new Vikings QB1 JJ McCarthy, who is the QB20 in ADP (?).

McCarthy has the same…

— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) May 15, 2025

QBs simply do a great job in Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's system. Add in wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson, and a very solid offensive line, and you have an elite situation for a QB to produce in.

Both Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins were great for fantasy football with the Vikings. Each of those quarterbacks has played horribly with the other teams they have been on. The fact that McCarthy is flying under the radar is wild. O'Connell's offensive scheme can make even bad quarterbacks produce very well.

Blake Corum: really fast

JJ McCarthy: also really fast pic.twitter.com/MktKyfGilF

— Sidelines - Michigan 〽️ (@SSN_Michigan) January 19, 2022

McCarthy also has some sneaky rushing upside. If he finishes 2025 as a top-5 QB in fantasy football, I wouldn't be surprised, and he's quite young at just 22 years old. We could see a decade of elite production from him, so you should draft him as much as possible.

Of course, people are reluctant to believe that rookies can be good, and he was in a stacked quarterback class. But there's too much good here to pass up on him.

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Maye didn't have a stellar rookie season, but there are plenty of positives for him entering 2025. He has fantastic rushing upside and got upgrades at offensive coordinator, offensive line, and wide receiver this offseason.

He had, easily, the worst situation of any quarterback in 2024. He was thrust into the starting role on a team that had the league's worst offensive line, its worst wide receiver group, and one of its worst tight end rooms as well. Yet he still flashed great upside, especially as a rusher, and showed proficiency as a deep passer.

Some big-boy quarterbacking from Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/KqeRBFdO1Z

— Bradley Locker (@Bradley_Locker) June 26, 2025

Maye now will benefit from having rookie wideout Kyle Williams, who was fantastic after the catch and on deep passes downfield, and WR Stefon Diggs (knee), who, if he recovers well from his torn ACL, should provide a nice option from the slot in the short passing game to help keep the chains moving.

The rushing potential is more important to talk about here, especially in fantasy leagues where passing touchdowns count for four points.

Drake Maye's rushing ability remains under-appreciated

+ 2nd in scramble rate (10.79%)
+ 6th in YPG (32.4)
+ 1st in YPC (7.80)
+ 1st in explosive rush (16.7%)
(@FantasyPtsData)

With vast roster improvements in NE, Maye's fantasy ceiling is a top 5-7 QB imo. He's currently QB15.

— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) June 24, 2025

It seems that the fantasy community has forgotten just how efficient Maye was on rushes last season. On film, he looked to have a faster top speed than both Jayden Daniels and Josh Allen. Daniels never cracked 21 miles per hour, so despite his rushing production and solid acceleration, he's not that fast.

Of course, many are still unknowingly biased against certain athletes, and Maye might be being seen as the scrappy, gym rat, first in, first out, lunch pail guy, but he is legitimately very fast. We can use this bias to our advantage and recognize that Maye is a fantastic athlete for a quarterback.

QB Leaders in Scramble Yards per Game (2024)

1. Jayden Daniels - 36.1
2. Drake Maye - 31.3 🙊
3. Jalen Hurts - 28.1
4. Lamar Jackson - 27.4

Those Same QBs by Designed Rushing FPG

Jayden Daniels - 3.6
Drake Maye - 0.1 🤫
Jalen Hurts - 7.4
Lamar Jackson - 4.4@FantasyPtsData pic.twitter.com/giagyKwE9l

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) June 23, 2025

Maye was rarely used on designed runs, though, and that's something that could change quickly. We could see an uptick in rushing production, starting this season, and remain high for years to come. This raises both his floor and ceiling impressively, and opens up more holes in the passing game.

Linebackers have to cheat up when the QB is a good rusher. That helps.

Jarquez Hunter, RB, Los Angeles Rams

It's more than a bit odd that the Zero RB strategy is so popular in PPR fantasy football leagues, yet fantasy managers continue to line up to draft players like running back Ashton Jeanty very high in startup drafts. Jeanty was not heavily involved in the passing game in his last season in college.

To add to this, the RB position is routinely passed on by many in PPR leagues into the later rounds. It makes sense because running backs seem to often come out of nowhere, have meteoric careers, and then fade into obscurity quickly. That seems like the kind of position it makes sense to wait on in dynasty leagues.

So, when Hunter had four highly efficient seasons in the SEC, he had my curiosity. Then, when the Rams drafted RB Jarquez Hunter in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he had my attention, as he does now. The upside here is massive.

Rams RBs in their 2024 seasons...

Kyren Williams❌
+ 0.13 MTF/Att (49th/70 RBs)
+ 1.9% explosive % (57th)
+ 4.65 40

Blake Corum❌
+ 0.14 MTF/Att (40th/70 RBs)
+ 0% explosive % (70th)
+ 4.53 40
---
JARQUEZ HUNTER✅
+ 0.32 MTF/Att (5th/32 RBs)
+ 12.4% explosive % (3rd)
+ 4.40 40

— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) May 2, 2025

For starters, we should do our best to find out why the Rams drafted Hunter. To me, the answer is very simple, and is three-fold. Williams was horrible at creating explosive plays, horrible at forcing missed tackles, and couldn't hang on to the football. He lost the Rams' playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a fumble.

Among RBs with 75+ touches in 2024, the least elusive were:

-Kyren Williams (same as Javonte Williams)
-Travis Etienne Aaron Jones, Braelon Allen
-Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco

Target Jarquez Hunter, Bhayshul Tuten, Jordan Mason, and Brashard Smith. Braelon isn't good. pic.twitter.com/M68GYpCS6U

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) July 1, 2025

Williams is not a good running back. He's simply in a great offense with a great offensive play-caller and play designer, and was better than his backup (Blake Corum) last season. We won't see Williams as the RB1 for the Rams for long, though most other analysts seem reluctant to predict this.

Sure, 2025 might be a wash for Hunter. Perhaps Rams head coach Sean McVay hates rookie running backs. But Hunter is simply too good to keep off the field for long. His tape is elite, his production and efficiency were elite, and his advanced metrics were elite.

Can we stop making excuses for RBs as if 100% of the time they get hit in the backfield it should be a loss? Jarquez Hunter can actually make things happen in the worst of situations. Kaleb Johnson can't do this. He absolutely would crumble from this hit. pic.twitter.com/eN8nJzXXUl

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) June 14, 2025

Hunter was an elite tackle breaker in the SEC. He should be very good at that in the NFL, and when he gets the starting job, he'll be a league winner in a short time.

Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans

Noel didn't land in a great situation. I'm not a fan of his landing spot at all. But you should always bet on talent over everything else. With WR Tank Dell (knee) likely to have his career ended by his horrible knee injury, there's a pathway for Noel to become the long-term WR2 for Houston.

He doesn't have great size, standing at just 5-foot-11, but he could be a monster from the slot for Houston. He has fantastic strength and great speed. He led all wide receivers in bench press reps at the 2025 NFL Combine and ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash.

I can’t get over this route from Jaylin Noel.

Noel beat Sebastian Castro on a simple out route one play before this and then comes back at him with a chair to break free.

Noel’s become such a winning player. #Cyclones pic.twitter.com/TDcXpVgDSU

— Jake Brend (@JakeBrendTV) September 8, 2024

We could see Noel be instrumental in reviving the Texans' offense after a down year last year. It's always possible that WR Nico Collins could be traded, and WR Christian Kirk is in the final year of his deal. I'd advocate waiting on Noel for a while, but the athletic potential is just too crazy.

Only a few big games in 2025 could make his value skyrocket. On another team, with more target opportunities and less competition, I'd advocate for you reaching for him. But he's one of the best stashes in dynasty startups right now.

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

If you're looking to snag a wide receiver in the late first or early second round of drafts, it doesn't get much better than Thomas. He'll now be tied to his new head coach, Liam Coen, for quite some time, which could be a big boon for his fantasy production.

Thomas is one of the most absurdly talented athletes at the WR position in the league. He's 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, with freakishly long arms, and ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Combine. He put his ludicrous athleticism on display in his rookie season.

Brian Thomas Jr goes for 6-250-4 in an alternative universe this past week pic.twitter.com/yyCnkZjd0C

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) December 2, 2024

Thomas is the only receiver besides Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase that has the potential to put up absurd games of 40 or more PPR fantasy points multiple times per season. If it were not for horrible offensive playcalling, play design, and the inaccuracy of QB Mac Jones last season, it could have happened.

Thomas got open deep downfield multiple times on plays where he was missed. He has elite speed, can run over 22 miles per hour in pads, and can make crazy catches deep in enemy territory, thanks to his great length.

Brian Thomas Jr.

Averaged 28.2 Fantasy Points/Game During Playoffs Last Year…

The MOST Among ALL Non-QBs...

With MAC JONES Throwing Passes.

This Season
- Trevor Lawrence Healthy
- Liam Cohen New OC

High Target Floor.
Big Play Ceiling.
Monster WR1.pic.twitter.com/BG7bU71cqe https://t.co/Z0CBRyeW9l

— Joe Orrico (@JoeOrricoFF) June 24, 2025

Upside wins championships, and the upside for Thomas is driven by his now fundamentally sound route-running, separation abilities, utter dominance from the slot, ridiculous size, athletic profile, and blinding speed and acceleration.

You should also make an effort to follow around good offensive coordinators like Liam Coen. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, he engineered one of the best passing attacks in the league. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw 41 touchdowns, 13 more than he had ever thrown before, and his receivers were uber-productive.

So we should expect quarterback Trevor Lawrence to easily have the best season of his career. Thomas will have WR/CB Travis Hunter to draw coverages away from him, too, which is a good thing. He's set up for great success in the long term and is still very young!

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