5 Fantasy Football Rookie Targets You Must Have: First-Year Breakout Candidates

June 23, 2025

Quincy Milton III's five fantasy football rookies to target in 2025. His top first-year draft targets and sleepers to pick, including Jayden Higgins and more.

Rookies are one of the most exciting parts of fantasy football every season. Each player comes with their amount of excitement for their unknown ability. Unlike veterans, rookies do not have the baggage of the past working against them in fantasy drafts. However, since they have not yet proven themselves on an NFL field, they also come with a lot more risk.

Every rookie class is different. Some years, the NFL Draft produces better defenders, while other years produce better offensive players. Even within each side of the ball, there are specific position groups that may be better or worse depending on the draft class. Still, that does not stop us as fantasy managers from generating excitement about the top rookie skill-position players.

With fantasy drafts happening and the season less than three months away, it is time to start looking at which rookies you should be targeting in fantasy drafts based on their value. Rookies can create a lot of value for your team because their ADP is depressed. If they hit, it is unlikely you will ever draft that player in subsequent years as low as you did during his rookie year. This year's rookie class presents a lot of value in fantasy. Let's dive in.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans

There may be no one who is a bigger Jayden Higgins stan than myself, and I will die on this hill all offseason. Higgins is simply too great a value in fantasy drafts to ignore this season. As a player being drafted outside the top 50 at his position on most platforms, there is almost no world short of injury that this guy finishes that low.

Higgins is a 6-foot-4 athletic monster who is stepping into a golden opportunity as the likely No. 2 wide receiver opposite Nico Collins in Houston. The Texans have a good quarterback in place with C.J. Stroud, and Higgins will benefit from having a stud like Collins on the other side of the field. Most importantly, the Texans need Higgins to succeed if they are to reach their full potential.

Texans rookie WR Jayden Higgins is emerging as WR2📈

“Jayden Higgins, a 2nd-round pick in April’s draft, looked as good as advertised. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver caught just about every pass that came his way in team drills and made several plays,” Jonathan Martin wrote. pic.twitter.com/KyHFXfFzRa

— Football Forever (@fballforeverhq) June 18, 2025

The Texans' lackluster offense in 2024 can be chalked up to injuries and poor offensive line play. It is unclear how improved the offensive line is at this point, but the Texans seem content with the group they have in place. The coaching staff may believe in the development of some of its players.

Higgins has WR2 upside with a quarterback who has supported two top-24 wide receivers in this offense in the past. Higgins' draft price will almost certainly rise as we approach draft season, but it is unlikely to reach his ceiling. This is a player you should have plenty of shares of in 2025.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan may seem like a no-brainer of a selection this year, but his draft price outside of the top-30 wide receivers makes him even more enticing. Some fantasy managers may be afraid of the Panthers offense as well, but we saw quarterback Bryce Young take a large leap in 2024. Additionally, Young has supported Adam Thielen as a WR1 in the past despite playing poorly overall.

McMillan continues to impress in camp. He is a smooth route runner with a body akin to Mike Evans in Tampa Bay. McMillan is displaying talent in camp that suggests the Panthers did not make a mistake by selecting him as the first wide receiver in the NFL Draft.

Missed seeing Tetairoa McMillan at the Combine but here’s a route from him.

His movement at nearly 6’5” is a treat to watch. Bryce Young and the Panthers will benefit from his talents: pic.twitter.com/Q7nc8tTD9v

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) May 11, 2025

McMillan is likely to enter the fold as the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver in Carolina. Thielen is aging, and Xavier Legette has not displayed enough on the field to warrant that title just yet. McMillan should see serious volume in a season in which the Panthers will not play the most intimidating opponents.

McMillan seems like a good bet to exceed 1,000 yards and score six to eight touchdowns in 2025. Those numbers will put him squarely in the mid to high-end WR2 range.

Kaleb Johnson, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Outside of Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton, no rookie running backs seem to have as clear a path to huge volume as Kaleb Johnson. Johnson is entering a situation with 299 vacated touches from Najee Harris. While fellow running back Jaylen Warren will likely soak up some of that workload, Johnson could easily exceed 250 touches as a rookie.

KALEB JOHNSON SHEDDING TACKLERS FOR 72 YARD TD pic.twitter.com/1ZWpzsgaFd

— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) November 30, 2024

The Steelers running back room has been valuable in recent seasons. Harris was always a solid RB2 who was going to catch a few passes and score around the goal line. Warren has been an RB2 to flex player on the back of excellent pass-catching ability. That breakdown of responsibility seems unlikely to change between Johnson and Warren. Additionally, Johnson has a lot more juice than Harris.

Running backs in Arthur Smith-led offenses tend to produce solid fantasy numbers. A certain Derrick Henry turned elite under Arthur Smith in Tennessee. Say what you will about Smith's lack of head-coaching skills in Atlanta, but the guy knows how to design a run scheme.

Johnson is being drafted as a high-end RB3 or flex play. That feels like it is right around his floor. If he can acclimate to the NFL quickly, Johnson should easily finish as an RB2 just as Harris did as a Steeler.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

TreVeyon Henderson is a sneaky good bet to have a monster season in 2025. Henderson was drafted by the new Patriots regime in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Incumbent starter Rhamondre Stevenson has not exactly been a fantasy darling over the last two seasons. In fact, since his RB7 finish in 2022, Stevenson has missed a total of seven games and failed to finish higher than RB28.

Henderson brings serious juice to this offense. He is a skilled runner, but he may be an even better receiver. He is going to be the best friend of quarterback Drake Maye as a player with the ability to take a screen pass to the house.

I’m all in on TreVeyon Henderson 😱
pic.twitter.com/zMbpnCXnet

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) June 3, 2025

Henderson is built and plays similarly to Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs is supremely talented, but it would not be unheard of for Henderson to have a rookie season with similar success as Gibbs' rookie year in 2023.

As a hand-picked player of the new regime, Henderson will have a chance to supplant Stevenson as the starting running back in this offense. Stevenson's rushing and receiving efficiency metrics have steadily dropped in each of the last three seasons.

He will certainly not be the workhorse back that he has been in the past, and another fumble or two could relegate him straight to the bench. Henderson will be an excellent value in fantasy drafts with huge upside.

Tre Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Fantasy managers seem to be forgetting what Quentin Johnston was able to do in this offense opposite Ladd McConkey last season. Johnston delivered 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He was wildly touchdown-dependent, but he displayed the potential for the No. 2 wide receiver in this offense.

Insert Tre Harris, who was unbelievably productive during his final season at Ole Miss. In just eight games last year, Harris caught 60 passes for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns. He was drafted with the No. 55 pick in April's draft. As a selection of the current regime, Harris has a chance to step into a huge role.

Johnston is not going away, and the Chargers signed veteran Mike Williams. However, Harris' talent will be difficult to keep off the field as the season progresses. Expect the Chargers to phase him in relatively slowly. As a player being drafted outside of the top-60 wide receivers, your fantasy team can surely incur that type of risk.

Harris has a chance to be a fantasy stud over the latter half of the season. His talent could make him the type of player who will win you your championship down the stretch. He comes with very little risk and very high reward in 2025.

WR Tre Harris on working with Justin Herbert: "When I first got out there for OTAs with the vets, I immediately knew he was different."

"His ball placement, his attention to detail is different-I'm just super excited to play with a QB like that"

"Every throw to me has been on… pic.twitter.com/zXF3pGKF2W

— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) June 16, 2025

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