5 Fantasy Football Rookies To Buy Low On: NFL Draft Losers to Trade for or Draft in Dynasty Leagues (2025)

Justin's fantasy football rookies to draft or trade for. His top NFL Draft losers to buy low on and target in dynasty leagues, including Shedeur Sanders, Kyle Monangai, and more.

Not every player ends up in the perfect spot in the NFL Draft. Sure, you can look at someone like Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan or Titans quarterback Cam Ward and think, "dang, they landed somewhere with a clear path to playing time," but there are plenty of players who don't get that lucky.

Landing in a bad spot in Year 1 doesn't always doom your entire NFL career, though. Situations change. What looks like a bad one in 2025 could be a great one in 2026 or 2027. Don't give up on talented young players.

Here are five players who didn't land in great spots for the short term, but who fantasy managers should be buying low on in dynasty leagues.

Harold Fannin Jr. - TE - Cleveland Browns

Harold Fannin Jr. doesn't have to go far to begin his NFL career. The former Bowling Green tight end just has to take I-75 20 minutes north, hop on I-90, and then head over to Cleveland.

Fannin, who led college football in receptions and receiving yards last season with the Falcons, will begin his career in an uncomfortable spot as he's behind David Njoku, but you have to figure Njoku's time in Cleveland will end fairly soon.

Njoku has spent eight seasons with the Browns, making one Pro Bowl appearance. He's never been an elite tight end, but he's been solid when he's been on the field. The past three seasons have been especially solid for Njoku.

Still, he's entering his ninth season in the NFL and is in the last year of his contract. As long as Cleveland feels relatively good about Fannin next offseason, there's no real reason to send money on Njoku. Let him hit free agency and at least see what market there is for the veteran player.

Of course, Cleveland will need to feel comfortable with Fannin for that to happen. His adjustment as a receiver won't be tough. He's a versatile weapon on offense who can make big things happen with the ball in his hands.

Harold Fannin Jr. with the best single-season performance of any FBS TE in at least a decade? Okay, okay, okay. pic.twitter.com/asS4hMUJYG

— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) February 12, 2025

But before he can take over as the starter, he'll have to show he can hold up as an in-line blocker. There's more to being a tight end than just catching passes, and doubts about Fannin's ability to do those things are part of what drove his draft stock down.

Give him a year in an NFL system to beef up and work on the blocking aspects of his game, though, and he can be a second-year breakout player in 2026.

Tory Horton - WR - Seattle Seahawks

There's a ton to like about Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton, a fast wideout who can make an impact at every level. He has the speed to break off big plays once the ball is in his hands, plus he's shown himself to be one of the better route runners in this class.

However, Horton's not without his flaws. The biggest of these is his play strength. Unless Horton puts on some weight, he's susceptible to being bullied out of plays by physical defensive backs, something that will make it tough for him to see the field in his first season.

There's definitely upside beyond 2025, though. The Seahawks have a locked-in No. 1 receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but both of their offseason additions are short-term fixes. Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling can be big parts of this offense in 2025, but neither is in the long-term plans in Seattle.

Tory Horton will prove to be a steal in the 5th round for the Seahawks.

Excellent ball skills, alignment versatility, RAC ability, and reliable hands to go with borderline elite athletic testing. pic.twitter.com/Rp6jWeR3nl

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) June 18, 2025

Horton actually feels like a perfect replacement for Valdes-Scantling. Both players can stretch the field, serving as a deep threat for Sam Darnold, and since MVS is on a one-year deal, there's a clear path to snaps in 2026.

While Horton landed in a spot where he's unlikely to make much impact as a rookie, he has a chance to be a key player in Seattle in the future as long as he can make some big strides in the weight room.

Shedeur Sanders - QB - Cleveland Browns

I maintain the stance I've had since before the NFL Draft, which is that Shedeur Sanders is the second-best quarterback from the 2025 class.

The reasons Sanders dropped to the fifth round make some sense. His pre-draft interviews sounded like they didn't go too well, and he's not the most athletic player.

Still, the arm talent is clear when you watch him play. Sanders might not put elite-level velocity on his passes, but he's an incredibly accurate passer with above-average vision who can get the ball where it needs to go.

He showed some issues taking sacks last season, but if he can work on getting the ball out sooner, he can be a starter in the NFL. Maybe he won't be a true star in the NFL, but his chances of being a top 15 NFL quarterback at some point in his career are far higher than the chances of Dillon Gabriel doing that.

Cleveland's decision to draft Gabriel two rounds ahead of Sanders is still a headscratcher, though. Getting Gabriel in the third isn't a bad process at all...assuming you don't go on to draft another quarterback two rounds later. Likewise, getting Sanders in the fifth was a great value...if you hadn't already taken a quarterback.

This is a short-term concern, though. Given enough time, Sanders has the talent to emerge as the best quarterback in Cleveland. Maybe he won't start in 2025, but assuming he doesn't cause locker room issues, he'll get a shot at some point.

Savion Williams - WR - Green Bay Packers

I hate, hate, hate this landing spot if we're talking about 2025 or even 2026. Savion Williams is a project receiver for the Packers who joins a team that has four guys who are clearly better than him right now, including fellow rookie Matthew Golden.

But the Packers won't have this glut of wide receivers forever. Looking at Spotrac, we can see a pretty clear moment in the future where Green Bay will need to make decisions about the receiver position.

Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are free agents in 2026, but the real point to watch is the 2027 offseason, when Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks hit free agency. By the 2027 season, we should expect at least two of these four players to be done in Green Bay. Potentially, we could see the team move on from three of them, if they like what they're seeing out of their 2025 receiver class of Golden and Williams.

While Williams still has a lot to work on as far as catching passes and running routes go, his athleticism and build both give him tremendous upside. Green Bay just has to find a way to harness that upside into actual production over the next two or three years.

Kyle Monangai - RB - Chicago Bears

If you wanted Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai to land somewhere he could make a rookie impact, you weren't thrilled that he went to the Bears.

D'Andre Swift is coming off a strong season, finishing with a career-high 1,345 scrimmage yards. Roschon Johnson looks set to get a bigger chance in 2025 after scoring six rushing touchdowns last year on just 55 carries.

But Johnson really has to show he's made strides this offseason if he wants to be locked into the No. 2 job in Chicago, and Chicago can pretty easily get out of Swift's contract next offseason, as they can cut him after this season and would lower the cap hit for 2026 from $8.8 million down to $1.3 million.

Kyle Monangai isn’t your typical 7th round pick. pic.twitter.com/qK9x2zP7b2

— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) June 9, 2025

It's a good situation for Monangai long-term if he can impress in the limited opportunities he'll have. In college, Monangai showed he's a hard-nosed runner who understands how to maneuver through a defense. He also showcased his ball security, as he did not fumble during his Rutgers career.

There's a place for Monangai in the NFL. In a weaker running back class, he would have gone before the seventh round, and there'd be a lot more hype surrounding him. Grab him while his value is low.

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