5 League-Winning Fantasy Football Rookies: First-Year Players to Target and Draft (2025)

May 31, 2025

Brant's 5 league-winning rookie fantasy football draft picks. His first-year impact players and sleepers to draft, including RJ Harvey, Cam Skattebo, Tre Harris and more.

It’s no secret that rookies win fantasy football leagues. Every year, a slew of first-year players find their groove down the stretch of the season, propelling fantasy teams to a title. Last season, rookies like Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Bucky Irving, Ladd McConkey, Brock Bowers, and more led fantasy teams to the promised land.

This season’s crop of rookies boasts several potential stud playmakers, primarily at the running back position. Five of my favorite rookie prospects have the upside in 2025 to carry fantasy teams during the season’s most pivotal stretch.

Read on to learn more about these five league-winning rookies for the 2025 fantasy football season.

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos made headlines when they selected UCF running back RJ Harvey in the second round of the NFL Draft. While Harvey was an extremely productive college-level running back with skills that should seamlessly translate to the next level, he was projected as a third- or fourth-round selection due to his older age (24).

Before the draft, Denver was considered a premier landing spot for one of the many talented running back prospects due to Sean Payton’s tendency to commit to the ground game and the lack of a true RB1 in the backfield. Harvey is the perfect fit. His blend of speed, pass-catching skills, and the ability to make defenders miss should make him a weapon from Day 1.

Sean Payton saw this and said get RJ Harvey on our team rn😤😂 pic.twitter.com/yTdQREhoxO

— Trev🗣️ (@Boisabronco) May 22, 2025

Despite entering the season as the clear-cut RB1 for the Broncos, coupled with his De'Von Achane-like big-play ability, Harvey currently grades as the RB20 in redraft formats. Sure, all of the players ahead of him are more proven at the NFL level. But Harvey’s immense upside cannot be ignored. He can and he will win you leagues in 2025.

Tre Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

The lone wide receiver on this list, Tre Harris, is currently graded as the WR58 in redraft formats. That’s right, 58. That’s not only behind a slew of unproven players, but also clocking in behind guys with known low ceilings and/or high injury risks in Christian Kirk, Marquise Brown, and Darnell Mooney.

Throw in the guys without clear-cut volume-laden roles this year, like Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Emeka Egbuka, Keon Coleman, Matthew Golden, Marvin Mims Jr. -- the list goes on and on.

"Tre Harris is a talented player and he's a physical playmaker..

We were very excited that he fell to us and we were fired up to turn his name in" ~ Joe Hortiz #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/wNCLMlC8Az

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 1, 2025

Tre Harris is practically free in fantasy drafts, yet he offers league-winning upside that any other player in that same range does not offer. To open the season, the second-rounder out of Ole Miss will be competing with the ghost of Mike Williams and known ball-dropper Quentin Johnston for the WR2 role in the Chargers offense.

This is a highly improved offense with a stud quarterback in Justin Herbert. Harris fills the much-needed void alongside Ladd McConkey, finally giving Herbert another reliable weapon to throw to.

Harris only played receiver for the first time in 2020 at Louisiana Tech, but quickly caught on and recorded upward of 935 yards and seven touchdowns in each of his final three seasons in college.

He averaged 128 receiving yards per game last season as a clear dominant WR1. Harris possesses the size and the skills needed to be a successful NFL receiver, and I believe he has Tee Higgins-level upside as a 1B to McConkey’s 1A in Greg Roman’s offense.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Another Charger makes the list. Jim Harbaugh’s shiny new first-round running back is currently going off boards as RB16. Omarion Hampton will split the backfield early with Najee Harris (RB31), but it would be shocking if he were not getting upward of 20 touches per game down the stretch of the season. Keep in mind that this is a Greg Roman and Harbaugh-led offense. They will run the ball early and often, so even with Harris mixed in, Hampton will receive enough touches early to be fantasy-relevant.

With the split in mind, his RB16 draft value may not pay off early, but fantasy managers will just need to be patient with the rookie out of North Carolina. It is tough to imagine a world where the Chargers aren’t relying on the legs of their first-round rookie in December, even if they take some time to let the training wheels come off with an even split early with Harris.

It would not be shocking to see the 6-foot, 220-pound running back make his RB16 ADP look silly come late in the season.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

The Patriots still lack star power at receiver, but the addition of TreVeyon Henderson to their backfield should help Drake Maye develop significantly heading into Year 2.

Henderson has very few holes in his game. He is the best pass-blocking running back in the entire 2025 class, which will get him on the field early and often. He offers explosiveness and pass-catching that incumbent starter Rhamondre Stevenson does not have.

While head coach Mike Vrabel recently stated that Stevenson will be a huge part of what the team does offensively in 2025, it is hard to see a world where Henderson does not outsnap Stevenson by midseason.

Treveyon Henderson has zero⭕️ holes in his game.

If your lead & scan blocks go this hard -- you get to break💥 75 yd screens for the CFP lead.

The #nepats got the best possible back. pic.twitter.com/HCfrEmgBJb

— ZeeBee (@BellinoZee) April 30, 2025

Henderson is currently drafted as RB22, yet has a similar skill set to Jahmyr Gibbs (RB3). New England is going to try to win games on the ground all season, but especially in December. Henderson is the most explosive weapon on the team. Draft him, watch him outproduce his ADP, and smile when he leads your fantasy team to a title.

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

Yes, the Giants offense is not a great landing spot for any offensive player at this moment. Malik Nabers didn’t care last season, and Cam Skattebo won’t care this season. Last year’s rookie sensation, Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB29), enters the season as the incumbent starter, but Tracy did fumble the ball five times in 2024. He also became a lot less efficient on the ground over the back half of the season, leading the Giants to select Skattebo early on Day 3 of the draft.

Skattebo, in comparison, only fumbled three times in his entire college career. He is more than just an early down grinder, as some analysts believe. Skattebo caught 45 balls for 605 yards and three touchdowns last season.

His ability as a pass-catcher and pass-blocker will get him on the field for passing downs, which is where Tracy thrives. He has a great chance to emerge as a three-down lead back for the Giants, yet is drafted four slots behind Tracy as RB33 right now.

It would be shocking if he hadn’t established himself as the top running back in New York by the end of the season, making Skattebo a prime candidate to be deemed a league winner.

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