7 Fantasy Football Must-Have Players: Dave's League-Winning Draft Picks (2025)

Dave's must-have players to draft for 2025 fantasy football leagues. His league-winning draft picks and players outlooks, including Jordan Love, De'Von Achane, and more.

Summer is in full swing, and we have almost reached July. While many are currently enjoying the warm weather and fun activities, fantasy football players know what the start of summer means. NFL training camps will soon begin, and the start of another fantasy football season is upon us. Many gamers have already begun meticulously planning for their 2025 fantasy football draft. One of the best ways managers can do so is to identify high-upside players who should be priority draft picks. This is a great way to gain an edge over your league mates and could help you finally win your league's coveted championship trophy.

To that end, there are quite a few players I have targeted across my dynasty portfolio, and I plan to invest heavily in these same players in my redraft leagues as well. Admittedly, this is an extensive list. So, for our purposes today, I’ve narrowed things down to the top seven names I am most bullish on this year. These are players you should aggressively target in your drafts, as they are capable of producing league-winning results.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Here are my seven must-draft players for 2025 fantasy football leagues.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Joe Burrow - QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Burrow is coming off his best season as a pro in 2024. He threw for a career-high 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns last year. As a result, Burrow finished 2024 as the overall QB3.

BURROW TO CHASE. 41-YARD TD.

📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/DJW1LY5mdS

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

With the team re-signing wide receiver Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki this offseason, Burrow will once again enter the 2025 season with a strong arsenal of weapons. Also working in his favor is the fact that Cincinnati has failed to adequately fix a defense that plagued the team in 2024.

The Bengals' approach to fixing their defense can be described as questionable at best, but it means the team’s defense likely isn’t much better than last year. That's good news for Burrow's fantasy outlook as Cincinnati's offense will be forced to score a ton of points again in 2025.

Burrow is a must-draft if he falls to the fifth round of fantasy drafts, and there’s nothing wrong with reaching for him a little early. I plan on doing so if necessary. He’ll be a player I heavily target in all my salary-cap drafts as well.

Burrow is primed for another huge year and is a real threat to post a 5,000-yard, 50-touchdown season in 2025.

De’Von Achane - RB, Miami Dolphins

After averaging an absurd 7.8 yards per carry as a rookie, Achane’s efficiency took a step back in 2024. He only averaged 4.5 yards per carry last year. However, Achane received considerably more work as a sophomore and totaled 1,499 scrimmage yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. A robust 78 receptions would help him finish the season as the PPR RB5.

"Achane with an A+ effort and a touchdown by Miami!" - Jim Nantz@MiamiDolphins are running away with this one pic.twitter.com/uCNa8kqkUk

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 23, 2024

Despite finishing as a top-5 back, Achane’s current FFPC (Fantasy Football Players Championship) ADP (Average Draft Position) has him going in the middle of the second round of early drafts. It’s unclear why Achane is falling to the second round of drafts, but this is a mistake.

DEVON ACHANE 67-YARD TD

THE DOLPHINS HAVE 70 POINTS.

📺: #DENvsMIA on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/UQdQ05hqXN pic.twitter.com/bZOSLxVaoa

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2023

Perhaps there is some concern about his decline in efficiency. Many of his advanced metrics also took a step back last year compared to 2023. However, Miami’s offensive line was not good last year, and offensive line play can skew running back metrics. The Dolphins also appear committed to repeating their offensive approach from a year ago, and that gives Achane a safe floor as a pass-catcher.

It's worth noting that Miami has taken steps to address its offensive line. But even if those changes don't help, we already know Achane can be a top-5 back behind a poor offensive line. What do people think will happen if the offensive line is better and Achane's efficiency bounces back?

Bottom line: Achane can easily finish as a top-3 back and is live for an overall RB1 finish. This is a great chance to get a high-end RB1 in your draft at a discounted rate. Opportunities like this don’t come around often.

I’ll wind up with a lot of Achane shares across all of my redraft leagues and have no problem reaching for him at the end of the first round. I’ll also happily take him as my RB1 in my salary-cap drafts as a cheaper alternative to Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. With tight end Jonnu Smith now in Pittsburgh, Achane could see even more targets in the passing game.

The fantasy football community is still not appropriately valuing Achane's upside. Don’t make this mistake in your draft.

Kenneth Walker III - RB, Seattle Seahawks

While his raw stats disappointed last year, Walker still posted some strong advanced metrics. Among 46 backs with 100+ carries, Walker finished:

First in Missed Tackles Forced Per Attempt (MTF/ATT), per Fantasy Points Data Suite
Third in PFF Elusive Rating
Fifth in PFF Rushing Grade
Ninth in Missed Tackles Forced (MTF), per Fantasy Points Data Suite
10th in Yards After Contact Per Attempt (YACO/ATT), per Fantasy Points Data Suite

All aboard the K9 train 🚂 pic.twitter.com/dCv6sT9IWr

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 8, 2024

He remains a highly talented player. Some of Walker's efficiency metrics have not been great, but this can partially be attributed to Seattle’s poor offensive line play over the years. Like we mentioned above regarding De'Von Achane, a bad offensive line can skew running back efficiency metrics, and a good line can help. Look no further than Saquon Barkley this past season for proof of that statement.

Seattle has done its part to try and fix the offensive line by drafting guard Grey Zabel 18th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Hopefully, he can bring some stability to this unit.

Walker received plenty of volume in 2024, even with a new coaching staff in place. This indicates he is the team's preferred back over third-year pro Zach Charbonnet. The addition of new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak might be what unlocks the next level of Walker’s game in 2025. Kubiak has stated that he plans to put a lot on Walker's plate this upcoming season and that they are expecting big things from the fourth-year back.

Walker is a priority target for me in the third and fourth rounds of fantasy drafts. I'm happy taking him as an RB2 to pair him alongside an elite receiver and another high-end back (cough cough De'Von Achane). I'm also fine taking him as an RB3 in a robust RB build. Walker came out as a firm RB1 in my 2025 PPR projections, so if the right scenario presents itself, I would also be ok taking him as my RB1. I've also placed wagers on a bunch of his rushing props as part of my NFL futures betting portfolio.

What I am trying to say is that I am very bullish on Walker this year. He has all the talent needed to finish as a top-5 back, and it's only a matter of time before he puts it all together. I don't plan on missing out.

Omarion Hampton - RB, Los Angeles Chargers

While Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty got all the headlines as the clear-cut RB1 of the incoming rookie class, Hampton isn’t that far behind.

Omarion Hampton Ranked in the 97th Percentile in Yards After Contact Per Attempt (4.3)

➖Age: 21 (Early Declare)
➖Size: 6’0, 220 lbs

Hampton’s Averages over the last 2 Seasons:

➖24 Touches Per Game
➖150.4 Yards Per Game
➖1.32 TD’s Per Game

Future Workhorse RB1 in the NFL pic.twitter.com/Dfd8kA8zIi

— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) January 29, 2025

The Chargers are very optimistic about Hampton's future and felt comfortable spending the 22nd overall pick on him in the NFL Draft. It's easy to see why. His tape is great, and he scored well in several advanced metrics. Among 154 collegiate rushers with 100+ carries, Hampton ranked 16th in PFF's elusive rating, eighth in PFF's rushing grade, and fifth in missed tackles forced (MTF).

Hampton will have to beat out former Pittsburgh Steeler Najee Harris for the RB1 job in Los Angeles. While Harris was better in Pittsburgh than many would like to admit, he is not the same caliber of player that Hampton is.

I am ok targeting Hampton as an RB2. However, I would prefer him more as an RB3 or flex play. He would be an ideal RB3 in a robust RB build. This is because he'll likely be slow to produce right out of the gates and probably takes on a Jonathan Taylor-type trajectory where he splits touches for the majority of the year before taking over the backfield by season's end. But that won't stop me from drafting him. I'll still have plenty of shares.

Hampton is a super-talented player, and I am extremely bullish on his outlook for 2025 and beyond. This is another good, young running back to target in the fourth/fifth rounds of your fantasy draft. Los Angeles was arguably the best landing spot for a rookie running back, and it's only a matter of time before Hampton takes over this backfield. When he does, there will be some monster games in his future.

Jordan Love - QB, Green Bay Packers

There’s a narrative going around that Love regressed during his second season as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. While that might be technically true from a fantasy football standpoint (16.3 points per game in 2024 compared to 19.4 points per game in 2023), the data does not support this narrative.

after spending the entire weekend researching & writing about the Packers 2024 season I 100% disagree w this

on early downs among 46 QBs, Love ranked:

#4 in YPA
#5 in EPA/att
#8 in success

and that's despite being injured/playing thru injury half the year

then on 3rd down... https://t.co/iATM6chesB

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 2, 2025

Despite dealing with several injuries last year, Love still managed a well above-average touchdown rate of 5.9%. This was better than the 5.2% rate he posted in 2023 when he finished as the overall QB5. The main difference for Love was that Green Bay threw the ball significantly less last year compared to 2023.

Love injured his knee and groin in 2024, and while he missed a few games with the knee injury, he managed to play through the groin injury. It’s more likely than not that the Packers staff knew Love wasn’t 100% healthy and therefore chose to run the ball more often to help him out.

Love already has a top-5 fantasy finish to his name, and he’s finished with a high touchdown rate in each of his first two seasons. This is a clear trend and a sign that Love is capable of producing a huge outlier touchdown season if Green Bay airs it out more this year. The selection of receiver Matthew Golden in the NFL Draft, as well as the team's talk of further incorporating tight end Tucker Kraft (spoiler alert) into the passing game, suggests that Green Bay might throw the ball more in 2025.

Love will be my primary quarterback target in leagues where I wait on quarterback or miss out on Joe Burrow. There is 40+ touchdown upside to his game, but most fantasy managers don’t realize this. Take advantage, and get him on your team. His MVP odds of 31-1 at FanDuel Sportsbook also make for an intriguing wager.

Rashee Rice - WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Rice was a popular breakout pick last season. It looked like things were on the right track, but then disaster struck. Rice suffered a serious knee injury in a Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. It was later revealed he tore his LCL and was ruled out for the season.

Chiefs place WR Rashee Rice on injured reserve. pic.twitter.com/TuZ9sSaklw

— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2024

He only played in three games last year, but Rice’s advanced metrics will leave you salivating. Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, Rice posted an elite 35 percent targets per route run (TPRR) as well as a remarkable 3.47 yards per route run (YPRR). These are very high marks, and scores like these indicate a high likelihood for fantasy football success. A monster season could be coming for Rice.

Mahomes ➡️ Rice, what a connection!

📺: #CINvsKC on CBS/Paramount
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/5jkq5qhePc

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

Rice is expected to be fully healthy for training camp, and it appears he is shaping up to be a classic Year 3 wide receiver breakout candidate.

With Travis Kelce now another year older, Rice could potentially take over as Patrick Mahomes' top receiver. A 100+ reception campaign is a real possibility, and he can emerge as a PPR cheat code.

Rice being available in the fourth round of drafts is what makes a robust RB start so appealing to me. Finding a potential WR1 in this range of drafts is the perfect target if you load up on running backs early. It can also help offset the fragility of a heavy running back build if one of your backs falls due to injury.

Now, the obvious caveat is that you need to be correct about said wide receiver breaking out. To that end, Rice is a breakout pick I am highly confident in, as we saw it come to fruition over three games last year. The fantasy football community, however, is still skeptical.

As long as he isn't suspended or injured, I believe Rice will finish 2025 as a WR1. His draft cost (48.23 overall in NFFC leagues) offers gamers a lot of flexibility in their drafts. There are many reasons to be excited about Rice’s 2025 season, and he could be a league-winning pick. Sign me up.

Update - Rashee Rice has accepted a plea deal following his high-speed car accident in Dallas in March 2024. He was sentenced to 30 days of jail time and five years of probation. As a result, Rice will likely be forced to serve a suspension during the 2025 NFL regular season. At this time, the league has not made an official ruling, but the looming suspension could cause his ADP to drop, making him an even greater value.

Tucker Kraft - TE, Green Bay Packers

Kraft enjoyed a fine sophomore season in 2024 as he posted a 50-707-7 line. It culminated with a PPR TE10 finish.

What a catch by Tucker Kraft for the TD!

📺: #HOUvsGB on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/5cpzRJLlEj

— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024

With fellow tight end Luke Musgrave injured for the majority of the year, Kraft flourished as the team’s TE1. He even continued to function as the lead tight end once Musgrave returned healthy. Following Green Bay’s playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Matt LaFleur praised Kraft’s improvement and stated his desire to further incorporate him into Green Bay’s offense.

Tucker Kraft Could Have Bigger Role In 2025 https://t.co/gwfiVJgXzX

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) January 28, 2025

Green Bay did draft former Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden with the 23rd overall pick in this year's NFL Draft. This was a noteworthy selection because it marked the first time since 2002 that the team used a first-round pick on a receiver.

While some took this as bad news for Kraft's value, the reality is that Golden is a good, not great, wide receiver prospect and profiles more as a WR2. He is a very good receiver against zone coverage, but still needs refinement against man and press coverage. For 2025 at least, he does not pose as great a threat to Kraft as some want to believe.

I fully believe the discourse coming out of Green Bay regarding Kraft's role, and plan to aggressively target him in as many leagues as I possibly can this year. If you want to wait to address the tight-end position in your draft, then this is the tight end you want to select. Kraft's price is super affordable, and I plan to take advantage of his cost in my salary-cap drafts as well.

Kraft has a great rapport with Jordan Love. His head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback have all said he will have a bigger role this year. Sometimes, spotting a breakout candidate is really that simple.

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