5 Fantasy Football Players to Draft: Andrew's Must-Have League-Winners (2025)

Andrew's must-have players, breakout candidates, and league-winners for the 2025 fantasy football season. Read his top draft sleepers and targets, including Jakobi Meyers.

Summer is chock-full of timeless experiences: Extended vacations, relaxing by the pool, and deep-diving into player profiles to prepare for your fantasy football draft.

If you're reading this, you can spend more time with fewer worries. I've already analyzed the data and handpicked must-have players for drafts this season.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Here are my five must-draft players for 2025 fantasy football leagues, with a few honorable mentions.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Last summer, Ken Walker was one of my priority targets because of a projected increase in receiving work. That came true -- Walker averaged 4.2 catches per game after finishing below two in his first two seasons.

What Walker added in the passing game, he gave away on the ground. The Seattle offensive line graded as one of, if not the, worst units in football. His yards per carry slipped below four for the first time. And the red-zone numbers were dreadful: 21 carries for 23 yards inside the 20 and 11 attempts for nine yards inside the five. His touchdown total should have been much higher.

In overtime, the Seahawks faced third-and-1 from the Rams 16. Ken Walker got stuffed. Here is that play. pic.twitter.com/znK0VDeZJ5

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) November 4, 2024

The Seahawks hired a new offensive coordinator, run game coordinator, and offensive line coach, while drafting offensive guard Grey Zabel in the first round. A big reason for the change is that head coach Mike Macdonald yearned to run the football more.

Former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb called a pass play at the fifth-highest rate and often called a run out of shotgun. Klint Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme will help highlight Walker's dominant rushing abilities. He did, after all, lead the league in forced missed tackle rate per attempt.

Kubiak's offense is very friendly to running backs. Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook averaged over 21 touches per game in Kubiak's two seasons as an OC.

Injuries are a worry with Walker. He's missed time in all three of his professional seasons, including six in 2024. That's pushing Walker down, currently, into the fourth rounds of fantasy drafts. Buy that dip. When he was healthy, Walker averaged 16.5 PPR points per game. That's an RB1.

Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants

I know what you're thinking: A unanimous first-round fantasy football selection is a must-have? That's obvious.

Let me explain: Malik Nabers may be my favorite wide receiver of the "second tier." That group includes Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brian Thomas Jr., and Nico Collins, just a step below Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.

Nearly every metric from Nabers' rookie season suggests he is a generational talent. Nabers secured 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games as a 21-year-old. He easily shook defenders in man coverage, leading all receivers in expected fantasy points per game.

And the reason his actual fantasy points didn't meet expectations was because of quarterback play. Nabers led the league in first read and designed targets, but was fourth in unrealized air yards. His catchable target rate paled in comparison to his elite-tier counterparts.

Are we surprised? The Giants trotted out Daniel Jones (released midseason), Tommy DeVito (formerly undrafted and averages 113 passing yards per game in his career), Drew Lock (a career backup with a 10-18 record), and Tim Boyle (a 5:13 career touchdown-to-interception ratio).

Malik Nabers finished with the fourth-most "unrealized" air yards in 2024 (876).
New Giants QB Russell Wilson was the most efficient deep ball passer in 2024, completing 27-of-50 (54%) of 20+ air yard throws for 851 yards, 8 TDs, 2 INTs
Here are some of Nabers' unrealized yards: pic.twitter.com/2NTt3oY7Ba

— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) June 18, 2025

Any of the three quarterbacks leading New York's depth chart (Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, or Jameis Winston) will do a better job of getting the football into Nabers' hands so he can do what he does best. His targets may remain consistent (a gaudy, league-leading 11.3 per game), and more should be catchable. WR6 may be his floor.

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Josh Downs is one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL, and he could be looking at a third-year breakout.

Indianapolis' slot receiver finished as a WR3 in 2024, despite shaky quarterback play. He caught one more reception per game and bumped up his average yards by 12 from his rookie season. He found the end zone five times compared to two in 2023, and he did all that in three fewer games.

The basic stats show a good progression. The advanced metrics paint a fantasy football superstar. Downs was fourth in targets per route run, trailing only Puka Nacua, Malik Nabers, and Drake London. He was seventh in team target share (23.9%).

The biggest question mark for Downs is the quarterback depth chart. The inaccurate Anthony Richardson completed less than half of his pass attempts in 2024. He's a candidate to start again this year, which wouldn't be great for Downs' value. The former Tar Heel averaged 15.4 PPR points per game in seven games without Richardson (including Week 3 when Richardson attempted four passes before an injury) compared to 10.7 with him under center.

10.7 points would still put Downs on rosters and in the weekly flex conversation. But Daniel Jones has won the starting job in Indy. He, at least, peppered his best receivers with targets last year.

Give Josh Downs the 140 targets that Wan'Dale Robinson saw last season... and you get a top-15 WR season.

pic.twitter.com/lz8kzoacas

— Joe Beldner (@JoeBeldner) June 6, 2025

Downs is priced as a WR3/4. That's his floor, and his stock could shoot to the moon if his supporting cast raises their play.

Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Jakobi Meyers has increased his fantasy points per game every season of his professional career, finishing as the WR19 in PPR formats while sitting out two games. He's finished inside the top 30 the last four seasons, and yet, consistently ranks below that mark in the offseason.

It's the same story this year: Meyers is ranked as a WR4 one year removed from career-high marks in receptions (87) and receiving yards (1,027).

And that's with signs of life for the Las Vegas offense. For the first time in three years (since Derek Carr left), there's optimism about the unit. Geno Smith is an enormous upgrade over the Aidan O'Connell, Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew carousel.

Smith averaged a completion percentage over 67% in games under new Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll in Seattle, a notable increase over the 63.6% O'Connell, Minshew, and Desmond Ridder averaged in 2024. Even last year, Smith ranked in the top 10 in true, deep ball, pressured, play action, and clean pocket completion percentages.

That's big for Meyers, who saw just a 71% catchable pass rate (49th among receivers). The 28-year-old won't leave the field often. The other notable names in the wide receiver room include rookies Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Tre Tucker. Targets will be funneled toward Meyers and tight end Brock Bowers.

.@Raiders take the lead! AOC connects with Meyers for 6️⃣

📺: #LACvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/6YvFkxzfpt

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

There is concern that the Raiders are a predominantly run-first offense with the selection of Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft. The rookie's presence will only help Las Vegas move the chains and open more opportunities for Meyers.

Expect another underrated, yet spectacularly solid season for Number 16. He's also entering a contract year -- even more motivation to compile a strong campaign for a bigger number on his next contract.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

If I miss out on one of the top-tier tight ends (Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and George Kittle), then I'm prioritizing rounding out my roster and snagging Tucker Kraft in the late rounds.

The 2023 third-round pick has outplayed his draft class counterpart, Luke Musgrave, to cement his status as Green Bay's top tight end. Although the latter was active in the final games of the season, Kraft was seeing 85-95% of the snaps.

His 2024 raw numbers don't scream a must-have: 70 targets (18th among tight ends), 50 receptions (18th), and 9.6 PPR fantasy points per game (15th). But the advanced numbers project a third-year tight end on the verge of a breakout.

Kraft averaged more than nine yards after the catch per reception and finished second among all tight ends in yards per target (10.1) and yards per reception (14.1). He's a monster when he catches the ball in space, and is looking to develop his vertical route tree.

The next step in his progression is to command more than 4.1 targets per game. It helps that he's on a roster that lacks a go-to receiver. Christian Watson (injured), Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks are all good, not great. First-round rookie Matthew Golden joins the fold, but he doesn't project as a go-to option, either.

Kraft can be a featured option, something that quarterback Jordan Love and head coach Matt LaFleur voiced this offseason.

"I think that's on us to find him and feature him. When he gets the ball in his hands, you feel him. If there's an area we have to do a better job on, it's featuring the tight end." - Matt LaFleur

If the target numbers tick up, Kraft could navigate his way into top-5 tight-end territory. And if it doesn't, fantasy managers are still getting a low-end TE1 with weekly boom potential.

Andrew's Honorable Mentions: Brian Robinson Jr. (RB, WAS), Jameson Williams (WR, DET), Darnell Mooney (WR, ATL), and Drake Maye (QB, NE)

More Fantasy Football Analysis