John Johnson's Top Best Ball Draft Targets: 5 Must-Have Fantasy Football Players for 2025

July 5, 2025

John's top best ball targets for fantasy football drafts. His must-have undervalued players and league-winning draft picks, including Rashee Rice and more.

As most of you likely already know, best ball is a fantasy football format in which you draft a team and never have to worry about setting your starting lineup. Your end-of-week lineup will automatically become the optimized lineup -- the one that, together, scored the most points.

For these reasons, there are a few different considerations you have to make when playing best ball. First of all, you become a bit less worried about players who are inconsistent but have high ceilings. And additionally, best-case-scenario upside each week becomes paramount.

With these two factors in mind, the players you want to target, or even reach for, become slightly different. The best players are generally the best players, but some underrated guys have incredible ceilings that warrant you making sure you pick them up in your best ball drafts. So, let's dive in!

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings

I guess I won't ever stop writing about McCarthy at this point. But in best ball, investing in the best players -- or at least, the key players -- in the league's best offenses is usually a great idea. When that player happens to be a quarterback with underrated rushing upside, you're usually making a great choice.

Best ball is about drafting the highest-upside players possible. Quarterbacks in offenses run by Kevin O'Connell -- the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings -- tend to have a ton of upside. Having the best overall receiving corps in the league, headed by wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, doesn't hurt, either.

Vikings QBs Fantasy Scoring (In the KOC era)

2022 (Kirk Cousins): 18.2 FP/G (QB12)
2023 (Kirk Cousins): 19.8 FP/G (QB6)
2024 (Sam Darnold): 19.1 FP/G (QB9)

2025 (JJ McCarthy): TBD (QB20 ADP)

— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) May 28, 2025

McCarthy has more raw talent than both Cousins and Darnold. He has a rocket launcher of an arm, is highly mobile, and is ridiculously fast for a quarterback. These are perfect traits to have in Minnesota's offense. O'Connell hasn't had the chance to scheme with such a signal-caller yet.

Both Cousins and Darnold were essentially statues in the pocket, and neither had the athleticism to consistently roll out to extend plays or pick up extra yardage on the ground. McCarthy could open up a new dimension of KOC's play-calling that we haven't seen yet. And the guy can just fly.

Blake Corum: really fast

JJ McCarthy: also really fast pic.twitter.com/MktKyfGilF

— Sidelines - Michigan 〽️ (@SSN_Michigan) January 19, 2022

McCarthy, if he's unleashed as a rusher, should finish as a top-5 quarterback in fantasy football in 2025. At his very low price, that's a steal in drafts.

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

I've been predicting Tuten to take over the Jags' backfield pretty quickly. Within a few weeks, he should have an established and significant role, and by midseason, he'll likely be the clear RB1. New Jags head coach Liam Coen drafted Tuten early in the fourth round in a stacked running back class.

That's pretty solid draft capital. Coen has zero attachment to RBs Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby, neither of whom he was involved in selecting in drafts. And while many fantasy managers are expecting Etienne to reclaim his RB1 role and return to his 2022 level of efficiency and production, I sincerely doubt that will happen.

Travis Etienne actually averaged nearly the same yards per carry in 2024 (RB35 finish) that he did in 2023 (RB3 finish). This is why it's so dangerous to trust RBs who have terrible efficiency. You're reliant on huge volume and TDs to make up for it. pic.twitter.com/g8pCV6QV1h

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) May 25, 2025

In general, you really should spend time digging into the context of players who have big fall-off seasons. First, try to look at efficiency. If you see an RB who has under 4.0 yards per carry, or a massive drop-off in YPC from one season to the next, RUN.

Interestingly, many view 2024 as the year that Etienne truly fell off. I disagree. In 2023, he only averaged 0.06 more yards per carry. That's a negligible difference. The Jaguars coaching staff then saw how awful he was, and that's how Bigsby started getting more opportunities, in my mind.

Travis Etienne was horribly inefficient in both 2023 and 2024. But Tank Bisgby, after his "breakout", pretty much sucked, especially in the last 6 games of the year. He had just one game above 4.0 yards per carry and started losing work to Etienne again. pic.twitter.com/uD6t5tzhUO

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) June 26, 2025

Coen is likely not super interested in either of these guys. It doesn't help that Bigsby has virtually zero pass-catching upside. It's worth noting that Jacksonville also drafted RB LeQuint Allen in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. These might just be the team's two backs moving forward.

Now that we've established that, Tuten in a leading role could be absolute dynamite. He ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash, the fastest of any running back at the 2025 NFL Combine. And his mind-blowing acceleration and burst show up all over his film.

Nothing to see here, just Bhayshul Tuten and Jahmyr Gibbs having the vision and explosiveness to return kickoffs 98-99 yards for touchdowns in college. The list of running backs who are 200+ pounds and can do this is very small pic.twitter.com/75huBVrG6T

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) March 28, 2025

Bhayshul "Literally Faster Than Jahmyr Gibbs" Tuten is a special athlete, and in Coen's offensive system, the upside seems nearly limitless. Coen gets hilariously slept on by a large part of the fantasy football community, but his run-blocking schemes in 2024 were mind-blowingly good.

We need to talk more on the Tampa run game.

Lot of gap schemes. Can be creative with motion/movement/scheme to gain blocking angles.

Or just line up in 13 personnel — and run Counter OF with Bucky Irving (below). #Bucs pic.twitter.com/eeFfKDjQnE

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) December 16, 2024

All over the film of the 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense were incredible run-blocking reps. All the offensive personnel seemed to be in the right place at the right time on a lot of plays to perfectly block opposing defenders at all levels and give the team's running backs clear lanes to run through.

best blocking rep of all time? people are sayin pic.twitter.com/thcEV6eSGe

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) May 26, 2025

Coen will bring that to Jacksonville. The players who stand to benefit the most from great run-blocking are the best athletes. Tuten is at least two tiers above Etienne as a pure athlete, and the windows of open lanes created by blocking he needs to take plays for a TON of yardage are shorter.

Why is Bhayshul Tuten my RB1? In addition to being an elite athlete, he does some things that I really like running backs to do:
-Breaks tackles
-Eludes tackles
-Carries tacklers with him
-Slips tackles
-Powers through tackles pic.twitter.com/Tj9BjW6GHN

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) March 28, 2025

And even when the blocking isn't great, Tuten can make a LOT happen. He was a great tackle-breaker and was very elusive throughout his college career.

Bhayshul Tuten is elusive all around but was notably productive up the middle at VT pic.twitter.com/Urax9F1lfV

— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) May 14, 2025

I think he will win leagues in 2025.

Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City wide receiver room is a bit more crowded than it was last season. When Rice was healthy, his best competition for targets consisted of a washed tight end, Travis Kelce, and a raw rookie WR, Xavier Worthy. Still, Rice will be the primary pass-catching option for the Chiefs.

And that comes with a ton of upside. With Kelce having fallen off ridiculously over the past two seasons, Rice should occupy the same Kelce role he had last offseason, with a few twists. Rice has fantastic value given his designed targets and his abilities after the catch.

Rashee Rice pic.twitter.com/ECeRJsAI45 https://t.co/dx72JJovtv

— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) June 2, 2025

He's supposedly fully healthy from the knee injury that ended his 2024 season. It wasn't a torn ACL, mind you. Rice could easily finish as a WR1 this season, and his PPR upside is huge because he's a target monster. He's also in Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's offense, which is massive.

Update - Rice is expected to have his hearing with the NFL on September 30. As a result, Rice will now likely be able to play in the first four games of the season before any potential suspension is given.

Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, Washington Commanders

The viral training-camp video of him running a slow route aside, Samuel should have a nice year with the Commanders. Last season, he was playing well until he caught pneumonia. From there, his production fell off a cliff. Which isn't a huge surprise, considering how tough pneumonia is.

Deebo Samuel was clearly, clearly much worse after his bout with pneumonia. Ever had pneumonia before? It can take months to recover fully from. Now imagine playing football just one week after catching pneumonia. Brutal stuff. Samuel should bounce back this year pic.twitter.com/UfMpAMgoYJ

— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) June 2, 2025

Samuel landed with the Commanders, who were desperately lacking a legitimate WR2 last season. Sensational quarterback Jayden Daniels can support two fantasy-relevant wideouts. WR Terry McLaurin should still operate as the No. 1 receiver, but there's plenty of room for another to succeed.

Before his illness, Samuel looked pretty much like his old self. And he's 29 years old, so he likely isn't set to fall off yet. He'll have a better target share than he had in San Francisco, I imagine, where he was often competing with multiple other great pass-catchers for targets.

Deebo Samuel landed in the best spot for his skillset in Washington.

Kliff Kingsbury offenses:

WR Screen Targets
- 2024: 3rd-most
- 2022: 2nd
- 2021: 1st

WR RPO Targets
- 2024: 4th
- 2022: 10th
- 2021: 8th

WR Rush Atts
- 2024: 24th
- 2022: 8th
- 2021: 5th

— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) June 17, 2025

In addition, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has a scheme that's perfect for Samuel. He's by far the best yards-after-catch threat at the WR position in the NFL over the past few seasons, and he'll, of course, be in one of the league's better offenses.

The potential for explosive games from Samuel is clearly alive and well, so he's a great best ball pick to make.

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

With the aforementioned Samuel gone, Kittle could have a fantastic season. There isn't a whole lot to say here, really, except that a TE1 overall potential is very much in play. Kittle should benefit greatly from Samuel's absence, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

This is a valid concern, as RB-TE targets correlate and Kittle has historically seen his efficiency and volume drop with CMC active. Since 2022, Kittle has a 26% TPRR and 2.75 YPRR w/o CMC, but drops down to a 21% TPRR and 2.25 YPRR with him active.

However, I'm thinking (and… https://t.co/1mDsSHADSH

— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) May 19, 2025

As Dataroma says above, Kittle could be in for a massive season. There isn't much else for me to add that he doesn't state above. We just have to hope 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan uses him a bit less as a blocker.

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