Updated Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings (August): Tetairoa McMillan, RJ Harvey, Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Ollie Gordon, Jayden Higgins, more

August 31, 2025

Updated 2025 fantasy football rookie RB, WR, QB, TE rankings with August updates. RotoBaller's top rookies and draft targets, including Emeka Egbuka, Ollie Gordon, and more.

The Thursday night game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles is right around the corner, which means fantasy football season is here! If you need help identifying the top impact rookies, check out our 2025 fantasy football rookie rankings for all positions. In our final preseason cut of overall rookie rankings below, you will see where key first-year players like Tetairoa McMillan, RJ Harvey, Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Ollie Gordon II, Jayden Higgins, and more stand, among all others.

These rookie rankings will be continually updated all offseason long as depth chart developments, injuries, and more take place, so be sure to check back regularly for updates through the start of the regular season. In addition to this article, you should also be sure to check out our other dynasty rookie rankings and analysis articles, including in-depth coverage of various NFL rookie profiles. Identifying sleepers and busts among first-year players is key for dynasty and redraft leagues, so we have you covered.

Four of our lead fantasy football analysts -- Phil Clark, Jackson Sparks, Andrew Lalama, and Matt Donnelly -- have put together these fantasy football rookie rankings. In addition to these rookie rankings, in our 2025 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find our team's Dynasty League rankings. Bookmark that page, and use it to prepare for all of your 2025 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.

NFL Rookie Rankings for Fantasy Football (August Updates)

Check out our PPR fantasy football rankings and standard (non-PPR) fantasy football rankings as well:

Recent Fantasy Football Rookie News

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter will play both ways in 2025, but the team is unwilling to tip its hand on how often he'll line up on either side of the ball. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, first-year general manager James Gladstone said, "There's a competitive advantage to not knowing what side of the ball he's going to be deployed on fully. If that's half, if that's a mixture ... all those sorts of things can vary from one week to the next."

That could be a bit frustrating for fantasy managers, who are holding out hope that Hunter will play a significant role on offense and produce big numbers as the team's WR2 opposite Brian Thomas Jr. Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick, dealt with an upper-body injury earlier this month and only played in one preseason game. He returned to practice on Wednesday and is "rolling full speed" heading into the Jags' regular-season opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 7, according to Gladstone.

Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are wasting no time elevating rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan, especially after trading veteran Adam Thielen back to Minnesota. McMillan, the No. 8 overall pick, offers size, athleticism, and big-play ability, and his role as Bryce Young's top target appears to be taking shape quickly. Young showed steady growth and confidence in the second half of 2024, and Carolina is betting that pairing him with a youthful duo of McMillan and Xavier Legette will accelerate the offense's development. With Thielen gone, McMillan is primed to shine as a focal point in 2025 and could be a breakout candidate in fantasy.

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Dylan Sampson was the first running back on the field in his team's final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. Sampson got the first handoff of the game from starting quarterback Joe Flacco and finished his day with two carries for three yards and one reception for 14 yards.

Veteran running back Jerome Ford split reps with Sampson during the team's second offensive series. With running back Quinshon Judkins still unsigned following his offseason arrest, Sampson and Ford should be expected to share the Browns' backfield workload early in the season. If Sampson can emerge as the clear RB1 in Cleveland with a strong start to his rookie campaign, he could be a steal in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos rookie second-round running back RJ Harvey got the start in the backfield for the team's preseason finale on Saturday against the New Orleans Saints and handled only four touches (three carries, one catch) in the 28-19 victory. Harvey ran the rock for only four yards on his three rushing attempts and hauled in his only target for a gain of one yard. The good news is that the 24-year-old was in on the team's first three possessions with the rest of the first-team offense, with J.K. Dobbins not playing.

In three preseason contests, Harvey had 13 carries for 47 yards and caught three passes for seven yards. The Broncos are expected to split lead-back duties among Harvey and Dobbins, although Harvey has more big-play upside and much less tread on his tires, making him the more attractive fantasy selection in upcoming drafts as an RB2/3 target.

Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks believes the Miami Dolphins might have grabbed a hidden gem in rookie running back Ollie Gordon II when they took him in the sixth round back in April's NFL draft. Gordon is an old-school RB1, Brooks writes, and ran for 43 yards on eight carries as the starter in the team's preseason finale. He has been praised by head coach Mike McDaniel for his rugged running style between the tackles, but the Oklahoma State product has also showcased soft hands on the perimeter this summer at training camp.

The 21-year-old finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy race back in 2023 and could easily become a dominant force in the NFL. He's still young, but with both De'Von Achane (calf) and Jaylen Wright (leg) banged up at the start of the 2025 season, Gordon is worth a peek as a late-round RB flier in most fantasy formats this weekend.

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