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Ryan Kirksey's second-year fantasy football draft targets and league-winners for 2025. His top sophomore risers and must-have players, including Ladd McConkey.
There is a popular theory in fantasy football circles that players in their second year make a huge leap up to the next level of production. Rookies take a while to get acclimated to the NFL, the pace of play, and the more physical game they were used to in college. With a year of the offensive playbook ingrained in them, second-year players can often be league-winners.
As the 2025 fantasy football season gets closer, there is no shortage of second-year players who should be elite assets for fantasy teams this year. Many of these players already offered league-winning upside as rookies, so if they take another leap, we could be looking at several first-round picks next year. Others showed flashes, but are poised to break through with more consistency this season.
These players can be found in various stages throughout fantasy football drafts. Each represents an opportunity for production that far outweighs the investment it will take to get them on your roster. Here are five potential league-winning sophomore players to target in your 2025 fantasy football draft.
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Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Imagine a world where Malik Nabers had a competent quarterback throwing him the ball. Instead of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito under center, what could Nabers accomplish with even a mediocre quarterback? The New York Giants will try to answer that question as they squeeze the last bit of performance out of Russell Wilson this season.
Malik Nabers put up 1,200 yards last season with only 7 deep receptions. He’s about to go nuclear now that he has a QB that can hit the deep ball. pic.twitter.com/HB8sBZZlsc
— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) July 25, 2025
If they can get even average quarterback play this year out of Wilson, Jaxson Dart, and Jameis Winston, Nabers could be the best wide receiver in the league. Despite missing two games in 2024, Nabers was fifth among wide receivers in air yards, second in targets, and third in receptions.
Can Nabers improve upon his 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns from 2024? Absolutely. If Nabers has more accuracy from his quarterback and plays every game, he is going to be a volume monster with league-winning upside. There is a chance we are talking about Nabers this time next year as a top-5 overall pick.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Some casual fantasy football fans might look at 734 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his rookie season and stay away from Rome Odunze in 2025. The Bears did, of course, draft a tight end with the 10th overall pick, and then drafted another wide receiver early in the second round this year. But using those as reasons to stay away overlooks Odunze's potential.
Rome Odunze should be on everyone’s radar.
Top-15 in both end zone targets and aDOT last year......and he’s just getting started. pic.twitter.com/XJe9pdSovA
— Moody (@EricNMoody) July 22, 2025
Odunze was 14th among all wide receivers in air yards in 2024. His 1,398 air yards were more than Garrett Wilson, Tyreek Hill, and plenty of others. He had over 100 targets and struggled in surface-level production due to the horrific offensive line and Caleb Williams' inability to make quick decisions and throws.
Now, under Ben Johnson and a revamped offensive line, the offense should be streamlined and molded into what the Lions have done over the past four years. Keenan Allen is gone. Rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III have not yet participated in minicamp or training camp. The 2025 season could end up being a massive coming-out party for Odunze in Year 2.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
Drake Maye was certainly a mystery in much of his rookie season. In his first season (after taking over the starting role), Maye had four games with more than 19 fantasy points and four games with fewer than 12. His wide receiver room was a mess all season, and his best games came when he was able to pepper Hunter Henry and Kayshon Boutte with targets. Can he improve in 2025?
The New England Patriots addressed the wide receiver issue in free agency and the draft to give Maye the weapons he needs to make the leap. The Patriots signed receiver Stefon Diggs, despite him tearing his ACL in October. Diggs is a full participant as training camp opens, so he walks into the season as the de facto WR1.
The Patriots also drafted Kyle Williams out of Washington State with an early third-round pick. Williams had 14 touchdowns and a 26% target share last season in 13 games.
Boutte is also still around and has chemistry with Maye from last season. Boutte had over 1,000 air yards last season and was a top-10 wide receiver with a 14.9-yard average depth of target (aDOT). With those three weapons, plus sure-handed Henry still around, Maye has the tools he needs to take the Patriots to the next level, which would bring our fantasy football teams along with them.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
It took a large part of the season for Ladd McConkey to begin his domination of fantasy football. But when he took off, he really took off. Through Week 10, McConkey was the WR32 in half-PPR points per game at 10.2. From Weeks 11-18, he was WR11 at 15.5 points per game.
If you watch Ladd McConkey’s film, you’ll certainly find that he’s NOT wide open all the time… he’s all about football IQ after the catch and little nuances to break himself free
pic.twitter.com/OlRMbnctYf— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) June 28, 2025
In the playoffs, he even went to another level. McConkey caught nine of 14 targets for 197 yards and a touchdown. He became Justin Herbert's favorite target in the most important games of the season. Even with Quentin Johnston beginning to emerge and rookie Tre Harris now on board, McConkey should still be the option number one in this passing game.
As a rookie, McConkey finished the season 15th in receptions, ninth in receiving yards, and seventh in yards per route run. Imagine, however, a scenario where the Chargers throw more in 2025. Najee Harris suffered an eye injury on the Fourth of July due to fireworks, leaving only rookie Omarion Hampton as a lead back.
This might force the Chargers to throw more. The AFC West is a gauntlet this year, and the Chargers are going to need explosive players to keep up. Welcome to superstardom, McConkey.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
If you relied on Brian Thomas Jr. to help reach and then win in the fantasy football playoffs, chances are you ended up happy. From Weeks 13-18 in 2024, Thomas was the WR3 in half-PPR formats with 19.1 fantasy points per game. In Thomas' last six games of the season, he averaged 11.7 targets, 7.5 receptions, and just a shade under 100 yards per game (98.8).
Brian Thomas Jr. joined a pass catching group of Kirk, Engram, and Gabe Davis.
Not only did he outscore all of them, he had more yardage and TDs than all 3 combined!
Kirk/Engram/GD: 983yds, 4TDs
BTJ: 1282yds, 10TDsAnd now they’re no longer on JAX. Wild.
— Jacob Rickrode (@ClutchFantasy) July 20, 2025
In addition, five of his 10 touchdowns in his rookie season came in the last six games of the season. Thomas flashed in a typical way many elite rookie receivers do: start slowly in the first half and then explode in the latter part of the season. If Thomas kept up those last six-game paces for the whole season, you would be looking at 128 receptions and just under 1,700 receiving yards.
The addition of Travis Hunter could eat a little bit into Thomas' workload. But we don't know how many snaps Hunter will play on offense. Evan Engram and Gabe Davis are no longer with the team. Passing game guru Liam Coen is in as head coach now. If you're looking for a second-year receiver to go from "great" to "elite" in 2025, Thomas has as good a chance as any.
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