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RotoBaller's updated fantasy football rookie rankings for 2025 preseason drafts. Our top NFL rookie rankings help you identify fantasy football rookie sleepers.
Welcome back RotoBallers, we are officially in the middle of 2025's draft season! Today we're back with our team's updated fantasy football rookie rankings as of August -- updated for your upcoming 2025 fantasy football drafts. Be sure to use these rookie rankings win your drafts for various formats -- such as 2025 redraft leagues, 2025 rookie drafts, and dynasty leagues.
Let's look at the rankings to find out where rookies such as Travis Hunter, Emeka Egbuka, Bhayshul Tuten, Tre Harris, Luther Burden and Omarion Hampton are listed in our updated rankings. Will Tuten make an immediate fantasy impact in a crowded Jaguars backfield? Will Egbuka be a viable WR option immediately given the injuries to the Bucs' receivers? Our rankings will help answer these questions and more to guide you in drafts.
Rookies have a ton of fantasy upside and can be potential league winners -- and this year's rookie class is loaded up with talent, many of them will be valuable assets in 2025 and beyond. Which NFL rookies will be fantasy-relevant for 2025, and who should be prioritized in fantasy football drafts? Let's take a look and crush those drafts. These rookie rankings will be updated all preseason.
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2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings Analysis
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Jacksonville Jaguars
New Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback hybrid Travis Hunter was selected No. 2 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He'll join forces with one of the brightest offensive minds in the league, newly-hired Jags head coach Liam Coen.
While Coen befuddlingly doesn't get much credit for his masterpiece of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense in 2024, he helped quarterback Baker Mayfield to his best career year by far, and produced four elite fantasy football players (Mayfield, WRs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and RB Bucky Irving). Thus, it's hard not to think that Coen can help quarterback Trevor Lawrence have a monster year, and thus both receivers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Hunter.
Hunter is an interesting case because he'll almost certainly play defense. Yet, Coen has already stated that he'll start out playing mostly at wideout. To think that Coen, an offensive-minded coach, wants to take an elite talent like Hunter as a WR and put him on defense most of the time seems preposterous. Expect a huge year out of Hunter. He should be a league winner in all formats.
Tre Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Tre Harris landed in one of the best possible situations for a first-year wideout, especially considering his skill set and limitations. He was drafted in the second round, so he has solid draft capital, and he'll join WR Ladd McConkey to serve as the team's clear top-2 receivers.
While there are valid questions about Harris' athleticism, as he ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash and doesn't have the explosiveness to sell his routes as ideally as he could, playing with quarterback Justin Herbert helps quite a bit. Herbert has a rocket launcher of an arm, and his completion percentage and passer rating are phenomenal when throwing to receivers running the routes that Harris performed best in -- namely, slant routes and comeback routes.
Harris will have McConkey to help draw coverage priority away from him as well. While he might not thrive on deep passes in the NFL owing to his lack of pure speed, he could be an excellent chain-mover, and still earn plenty of targets. Herbert should unlock his potential, and he should be a worthy flex player in most leagues in 2025.
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers drafted rookie running back Omarion Hampton with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Hampton was seen as one of the top rushers available in the NFL Draft, and there were murmurs that some teams had him neck and neck with Ashton Jeanty for RB1 of the class.
With head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman deploying a run-heavy offense, Los Angeles is a fantastic landing spot for the rookie. The Chargers did sign former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris to a one-year deal this offseason. He should open the season as the starter and may present a roadblock toward immediate production for Hampton. While Harris did not live up to the hype as a first-round pick, he is not as bad a player as some think.
However, Hampton is a much better player, and Harris will not stand in the way of him taking over this backfield. An RB1 finish might be a tough ask since Hampton will likely be stuck in a committee right out of the gates. But by season's end, Hampton should be fully in control of this backfield. He makes for a fine RB2 target in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.
RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos selected R.J. Harvey in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It was a bit of a surprise as he was seen as an underrated prospect entering the NFL Draft and was not expected to get second-round draft capital. However, Broncos head coach Sean Payton clearly saw something he liked.
Harvey now joins Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram II, and Alvin Kamara as the only backs Payton has selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. This list certainly puts Harvey in good company. Ultimately, it doesn't guarantee anything as Harvey will need to produce with the touches he's given. Still, Denver has one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the league and has been looking for a running back upgrade this offseason.
The team has seemingly pegged Harvey as their man. He has good burst, vision, and hardly goes down on first contact. Harvey has everything needed to be the next great fantasy running back in Payton's offense. Despite the team's addition of veteran J.K. Dobbins, gamers should feel comfortable using a mid-round pick to select Harvey in their drafts.
Luther Burden, WR, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears selected former Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III with the 39th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Once considered a first-round talent, Burden's junior season was disappointing as he only recorded 676 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
His sophomore season was much more promising, as he went for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns through the air. Burden is often compared to Washington Commanders receiver Deebo Samuel, and could take on an Amon-Ra St. Brown-esque role in first-year head coach Ben Johnson's offense. However, Burden has to compete for touches with Rome Odunze and DJ Moore.
He has also missed a significant amount of time in summer camps with a soft tissue injury, although he is expected to be ready for training camp. Burden is rightfully priced as the WR53, and could either boom or bust this season.
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings - 2025 Drafts
Fantasy football rookie rankings updated as of August 2025
More Fantasy Football Rookie Analysis
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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
