- Tetairoa McMillan is set to smash his ADP: The eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is set to operate as the top target for a greatly improved Bryce Young, and he comes with only a WR3 price tag.
- T.J. Hockenson is the top target once the consensus top three tight ends are off the board: Hockenson has a much cheaper price than Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle and offers similarly elite upside.
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The fantasy season can be a grueling journey of avoiding inefficiencies and injuries en route to an eventual championship. Hence, it’s often difficult to enjoy our favorite players while they’re grinding away to secure fantasy points for us.
With that in mind, this may be our last chance before Week 1 to be entirely positive about our most rostered players for the year. Below are the players whom I have ranked higher than the consensus.
WR Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
- Sleeper ADP: WR27
- My Rank: WR16
There might not be a better current value than top-10 NFL draft pick Tetairoa McMillan, who is currently going as the WR27 on Sleeper and is set to operate as the Panthers' clear WR1 as a rookie. McMillan has the skill set and situation to thrive right out of the gate in the NFL and for fantasy. His availability for almost the entire fifth round of fantasy drafts consistently makes him an obvious target for me.
It starts with Bryce Young continuing the trajectory he was on in the latter half of last season, when he was one of the 10 highest-graded passers from Week 8 on and was flashing true breakout potential. If Young can operate at a similar level in 2025, McMillan will be the primary beneficiary and a consistent threat to put up WR1 numbers.
Carolina didn't field a top-10 scoring offense last year, but the group wasn't too far away, ranking tied for 13th in offensive points scored (240) and offensive touchdowns (40). Considering the team's above-average offensive line, Young’s performance in the second half of 2024 and the addition of a legitimate WR1 in McMillan, it’s not unrealistic to expect the Panthers to take another step forward this season.
McMillan will have to deliver on his potential early on to be a potential WR1 in fantasy, and the expectation should be exactly that for the Panthers. He will get every opportunity to prove he was worthy of the team's first-round investment and build on his promising rookie profile coming out of Arizona. He posted a career 89.5 PFF receiving grade (83rd percentile since 2019) and was one of college football's most impressive performers against single coverage, earning a 94.2 career PFF receiving grade (97th percentile) on such plays. Both areas will be key for him at the next level.
Considering that McMillan is being drafted as a WR3, his potential should easily allow him to clear that range and outperform expectations. Highly drafted rookies who find success in the NFL are typically drafted at their floor, which is the case for McMillan in 2025. He should hit the ground running and become a top fantasy performer in Year 1.
WR Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Sleeper ADP: WR31
- My Rank: WR21
The same rationale as with McMillan applies here. But while Hunter’s ADP is relatively close to McMillan's, his overall outlook varies wildly depending on his usage. Due to Hunter’s hybrid wide receiver and cornerback role and the potential for him to split his playing time in any given week, he is one of the ultimate high-risk, high-reward fantasy assets.
The preseason was a clue that Hunter will be much less of a risk than some would expect, especially compared to his ADP. He played all but one snap with the first-team offense and didn’t log any snaps with the first-team defense. Hunter worked exclusively with the second-team defense in preseason Week 1. For fantasy purposes, and in leagues where we don’t care about defensive points, this is the ideal outcome. It will allow him to operate as a top option in the passing game and be much more productive than his WR31 ADP evaluation.
If the preseason is any indication of what Hunter’s role will look like in the regular season, he should become a significant part of Liam Coen’s offense. He could work out of the slot, as well, where he should see plenty of designed targets and serve as the perfect complementary receiver to Brian Thomas Jr. in 2025. Hunter's upside is too good to pass up at his current ADP, which is why he’s become a consistent target for me in drafts this year.
RB Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
- Sleeper ADP: RB17
- My Rank: RB11
Walker’s RB1 potential has arguably never been greater, assuming he can stay healthy. His injury history has taken him from finishing as the PPR RB18 as a rookie to the RB20 in Year 2 and the RB25 in Year 3. However, Walker’s role and underlying metrics indicate that this season could be his best yet as a runner with a workload to be a fantasy RB1 across an entire season.
Klint Kubiak coming in as the Seahawks' offensive coordinator creates some optimism for his top running back, as he’s previously been a part of offenses that have supported an overall RB1 (2023) and an RB8 (2024). A large part of that running back success has come from involvement in the passing game, as both 2023 Christian McCaffrey and 2024 Alvin Kamara ranked in the top five at the position in total targets.
That receiving-down role was not typically a big part of Walker’s game during his first two seasons, but he handled more work last year, setting a career high in total targets (52), which led the Seahawks' backfield despite Walker's six missed games and Zach Charbonnet‘s full season of work (47). It was a massive fantasy value boost for Walker, who went from just 13.3 routes and 2.2 targets per game in 2023 to 20.4 routes and 4.7 targets per game in 2024. He posted a top-10 PFF receiving grade (72.9) and yards per route run average (1.33) for the position, both of which outperformed Charbonnet, so there’s reason to believe that he can continue dominating that role for Kubiak’s Seahawks in 2025.
On early downs, Walker remains the clear favorite, also delivering a career season in PFF rushing grade (91.3) — a top-five mark for the position last season. Walker also greatly improved at creating missed tackles, leading the entire league (minimum 100 carries) in missed tackles forced per attempt (0.40). His elusiveness was and likely still is a necessity for him to find success as a runner behind a below-average offensive line, as he ranked 44th among 46 qualifying running backs in yards before contact per attempt.
Walker will have to remain healthy, which is always going to be the risk with him. But even with Charbonnet as a potential threat, Walker is in a great position within Kubiak’s offense to serve as the top target in the fourth round of drafts.
QB Justin Fields, New York Jets
- Sleeper ADP: QB16
- My Rank: QB8
Fields is a personal favorite to deliver a top-tier fantasy season, and considering his ADP puts him outside the top 12 at his position on some platforms, he’s become a consistent target for me in drafts this offseason.
Just last season, Fields ranked as the overall QB6 in fantasy over his six-game stretch, which was the case in his previous seasons with the Chicago Bears, where if he was healthy and starting, he often scored as at least a top-10 fantasy quarterback.
Fields' biggest advantage over the quarterbacks going outside the top five is his willingness to run the ball and deliver elite, often historic, fantasy totals with his rushing ability alone. Fields and Michael Vick are the only two quarterbacks to hold three of the 15 top all-time rushing performances in a game by a quarterback, putting him in very prestigious company.
Last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers felt like a more reserved offense for Fields, as he ran just 5.9 times per game, which was three carries per game fewer than his previous season in Chicago (8.9) and down again from his 2022 overall QB7 season, when he averaged 20.6 points per game and 9.4 runs per game (minus kneels). With no restraints expected in 2025, Fields should have much more control to run (pun intended) the offense that best suits him, which is almost certainly going to lead to high-end rushing production.
Of course, Fields’ weakness is his passing ability. He has often ranked 25th or lower in PFF passing grade. Like we saw with 2019 Lamar Jackson, high-end passing isn’t necessary for an elite fantasy season, but he will need to rely on outlier rushing totals, which Fields is capable of. We’ll still ideally see better passing ability from him this season.
Helping matters will be Garrett Wilson, who has been on the cusp of joining the elite receivers in the league. Fields doesn’t need to be an elite passer to exceed his current ADP, and if he’s anything close to average as a passer, his rushing ability alone should thrust him into QB1 range. Fields is a great bet at his current draft evaluation.
TE T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
- Sleeper ADP: TE5
- My Rank: TE4
While targeting one of the top-tier tight ends is the ideal strategy in drafts this year, it isn’t always possible if your league mates have the same idea. For that reason, Hockenson has become a common target for me outside of Trey McBride, Brock Bowers and George Kittle. Hockenson’s ADP is typically kind enough to allow for value in drafts. He’s going multiple rounds after the top three tight ends and arguably has that same TE1 overall upside.
Hockenson has consistently been a top target since joining the Vikings midway through the 2022 season, earning a 22.7% target rate over that span — second only to Justin Jefferson on the team. Ranking second on the Vikings in target rate has been the norm for Hockenson since joining the team, which includes his 2024 season coming off injury. Last year was an understandably down year overall for Hockenson, coming off a torn ACL from late in 2023, but now that he’s fully healthy, he should provide a significantly greater fantasy output.
It isn’t uncommon for drafters to take Sam LaPorta or Travis Kelce ahead of Hockenson in drafts this season, which creates even greater value for a player who finished 2022 and 2023 inside the top three for fantasy at his position and will look to bounce back to that form in 2025, even with a new quarterback. Expect Hockenson to also find the end zone much more than he did last season after not scoring once in the regular season — more positive regression. He is a prime candidate to serve as an elite fantasy tight end.
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