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Joey Pollizze's fantasy football rankings for the top 5 player in 2025. His outlooks and draft advice for elite first-round draft picks, including Ja'Marr Chase and more.
We are around two months away from most fantasy football drafts taking place in late August. With training camp starting next month and preseason games beginning a few weeks after that, the fantasy football season will be here before we know it. Therefore, now is a great time to start looking at where certain players are going in drafts.
In this article, we will determine what the top five picks should look like in fantasy drafts. All five of these players were fantasy superstars last season, and that should continue into the 2025-26 campaign.
So, who should the top five picks be in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 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
5. WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson kicks off this list at No. 5. Jefferson is coming off another dominant fantasy season in which he finished as the WR2 in PPR formats. He totaled 103 catches for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns and averaged 18.7 PPR fantasy points per game with Sam Darnold under center.
Jefferson was a spectacular fantasy wide receiver last year, scoring above 20 PPR fantasy points in eight of 17 games. He didn't have many poor performances and helped many fantasy managers reach the championship after he scored a season-high 36.4 PPR fantasy points in Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks. Therefore, the Vikings wideout is an easy top-5 pick in fantasy drafts.
Most receiving yards in a WR’s first:
5 seasons - Justin Jefferson
4 seasons - Justin Jefferson
3 seasons - Justin Jefferson
2 seasons - Justin JeffersonLeBron type numbers. pic.twitter.com/OrENJg7KdA
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) June 9, 2025
Even with J.J. McCarthy starting for the Vikings in what will be his first season, Jefferson is a safe pick in this spot. He is widely regarded as one of the best wide receivers in the game and will dominate no matter who his quarterback is. The 26-year-old has caught at least 100 passes and totaled over 1,500 receiving yards in three of his past four seasons.
It will be interesting to see how Jefferson fares with a "rookie" under center, which is why he is a bit lower than the consensus on this list. Jefferson has a 2.5 ADP on ESPN, a 3.0 ADP on Yahoo, and a 3.2 ADP on Sleeper. Still, he is a fantastic pick in the first round and will likely finish as a top-3 fantasy wideout for the third time in four years.
4. RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Jefferson should be in consideration for pick No. 4, but it's tough to pass on Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs following his incredible sophomore campaign. Gibbs ran the ball 250 times for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 517 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
Those numbers helped Gibbs finish as the overall RB1 in PPR formats. With Saquon Barkley sitting out the final game, the Lions running back overtook him for that top finish after scoring 46 PPR fantasy points in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings. That capped off an unbelievable fantasy season for the 23-year-old in which he averaged 21.4 PPR fantasy points across 17 contests.
There's no denying that Gibbs was one of the best fantasy running backs in 2024. Although he split almost evenly with David Montgomery, the superstar back scored above 19 PPR fantasy points in 10 of 17 games, including in seven of the final eight contests. As a result, the Pro Bowler is a great pick at 1.04 in all formats.
He should continue to have a large role in this Detroit offense, and his receiving upside makes him an even better target in PPR formats. Some might point to the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as a reason Gibbs should drop in drafts. However, his fantasy value really shouldn't be affected too much. The talent is still there, with the potential to see over 300 touches in 2025.
3. RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Barkley just had one of the best running back seasons we have seen in recent years. He rushed for 2,005 yards and had a chance to break Eric Dickerson's 2,105-yard rushing record set back in 1984. However, the Eagles decided to sit him in the final week to keep him fresh for the playoffs.
Barkley was truly unstoppable behind Philadelphia's offensive line in 2024. His overall numbers helped him finish as the RB2 in PPR formats and the RB1 in average fantasy points per game (22.2). He also had plenty of big fantasy performances, scoring over 32 PPR fantasy points on five different occasions. So, he should be a top-3 pick in fantasy drafts.
Saquon Barkley: “I feel like I’m entering my prime.” pic.twitter.com/VFuJihz4ju
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) June 10, 2025
Now, the biggest reason why Barkley is not No. 1 or No. 2 on this list is that there are some health concerns following a heavy workload. The Eagles running back handled 482 touches last season (including playoffs), which ranks tied for 10th all-time. We have also seen a ton of running backs not repeat these incredible seasons after handling such a large workload the previous year.
Christian McCaffrey totaled 417 touches in 2023 and played in just four games the next season. Josh Jacobs handled 393 touches in 2022 and missed four games the next year. Derrick Henry saw 418 touches in 2020 and played in only eight games the ensuing year. While there could be some injury risks with Barkley, he is still a top-3 selection.
2. RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
There's a strong argument that Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson deserves to go No. 1 overall in fantasy drafts. He just finished as the RB3 in PPR formats, averaged 20.1 PPR fantasy points per game, and saw a whopping 365 touches in 2024. That all makes him an easy selection early in drafts.
Robinson rushed for 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground last season and caught 61 passes for 431 yards and one touchdown through the air. The Falcons running back was also one of the best fantasy options from Week 6 onward, as he averaged 22.8 PPR fantasy points in the final 12 weeks. Only Ja'Marr Chase averaged more PPR fantasy points (24.6) during this span among all non-quarterbacks.
Therefore, fantasy managers can't go wrong with Robinson early in drafts. He'll continue to see a high volume of touches and will receive most of the carries out of this Atlanta backfield. The 2024 Pro Bowler had a 79% average snap share in the final nine weeks of the 2024 season. He is an ideal target at No. 2.
1. WR Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
It's not surprising that Chase will be the 1.01 in most drafts this season. He just finished as the overall WR1 and was one of just two players to score over 400 PPR fantasy points last year. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was the other. The Bengals wideout scored a whopping 403 PPR fantasy points while averaging 23.7 PPR fantasy points per game.
Chase was easily the best fantasy wide receiver last season. He scored over 40 PPR fantasy points in three separate games (Week 5, Week 10, and Week 14) and had many solid fantasy performances as well. The four-time Pro Bowler scored at least 19 PPR fantasy points in 10 of 17 games. Given that he is coming off a 127-catch, 1,708-yard, 17-touchdown campaign, he should be drafted No. 1 overall.
The #Bengals open camp in 36 days. I’m counting down with a daily observation.
After winning the Triple Crown and earning a $161 million extension, what’s Ja’Marr Chase aiming for next?
“Winning a championship. That’s all I can think about. I wanna win. That’s why I’m here.” pic.twitter.com/UfgGbwSXwo— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) June 18, 2025
The 25-year-old will remain the top option for quarterback Joe Burrow in Cincinnati's offense while likely seeing another 165-plus target season. That's because Burrow might have to continue airing it out with the team failing to upgrade its defense in the offseason. That unit ranked 24th overall last season, and star edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson could hold out if he doesn't get a new contract.
So, you should be in on Chase once again in 2025. Let's just hope the Bengals wideout doesn't fall into the No. 1 overall pick curse. Jonathan Taylor (2022), Jefferson (2023), and McCaffrey (2024) all busted after being the consensus 1.01 in fantasy drafts in those years.
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