With the 2024 fantasy football season not wrapped yet, it’s far too early to know what 2025 average draft position (ADP) might look like, but it’s not too soon to speculate. Fantasy football has become a year-round endeavor, and not just in dynasty leagues, with best ball contests a matter of weeks away from launching for the 2025 season.
With everything fresh in our minds, let’s guess how things might look in 2025 ADP lobbies.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Early 2025 ADP Predictions
Round 1
1.01: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) | WR1
The potential receiving triple-crown winner, Ja’Marr Chase leads receivers in touchdowns, yards and receptions. Chase has been excellent in all areas of the field, scoring over 20 PPR points on seven occasions and recording 70+ yards in nine games.
Joe Burrow can say he wants Tee Higgins to stay in Cincinnati all he likes, but we know Bengals ownership has a history of bad decisions. If Higgins moves on, it makes Chase’s path to paying off the 1.01 pick even clearer.
1.02: Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG) | RB1
There will be plenty of people who lean towards Saquon Barkley as the 1.01 in drafts. It’ll be hard to deny their arguments with Barkley totaling 2,114 yards through Week 16 along with 15 touchdowns.
Chase gets the nod ahead of Barkley simply because of age with Barkley turning 28 in February. While Barkley’s four runs of 60+ yards are great, that’s not always easily replicable. Barkley could see a little regression in that area, which tips the scales in Chase’s favor.
1.03: Nico Collins (WR – HOU) | WR2
This is where things get interesting with fantasy ADP, and stands will be made. There are plenty of good candidates for this spot, but Nico Collins gets the nod. He has been incredible over the 2024 and 2023 seasons with 13 games over 80 yards and 12 games over 15 PPR points (out of 23 games played).
Collins has displayed everything we want from a top-end wide receiver, commanding volume and turning it into points. He deserves his place at the top of the draft board in 2025.
1.04: Puka Nacua (WR – LAR) | WR3
The difference between Collins and Puka Nacua is minimal. Things could shake out that would flip this — if Cooper Kupp gets traded for instance — that would elevate Nacua to the WR2 spot. For now, he stays here.
Throughout the past two seasons, Nacua has averaged 88.1 yards per game. The only gap in his production is touchdowns — only 10 in 27 games. Finding the end zone double-digit times per season would elevate his value.
1.05: Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN) | WR4
The consensus 1.01 of 2023 drafts, Justin Jefferson has had a nice 2024 season despite having a touchdown drought of six games between Week 8 and Week 13. Jefferson has gone over 90 receiving yards or scored a touchdown in 12 of his 15 games this year.
The counterarguments against Jefferson are that Jordan Addison could continue to ascend, T.J. Hockenson could command more volume as he gets healthier or J.J. McCarthy‘s quarterback play could be a downgrade from Sam Darnold.
1.06: Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL) | RB2
Year two of Bijan Robinson was everything we could have hoped for. With competent coaching, Robinson saw his red-zone touches jump significantly as well as having eight games with 20+ touches, compared to only three in the entirety of 2023.
Tyler Allgeier is still a pain for Robinson’s ceiling, but there are few running backs seeing the kind of volume Robinson does, and even fewer still with the talent he possesses.
1.07: CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL) | WR5
It’s undeniable CeeDee Lamb is one of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL, but it seems likely the Cowboys could be set for a new head coach in 2025, which will bring with it another change at offensive coordinator, along with Dak Prescott recovering from another season-ending injury.
Public sentiment seems to be against Prescott, and that filters down enough for drafters to find Lamb later than some believe he should be. Even without Prescott, Lamb was excellent in 2024, earning the most targets heading into Week 16 (144).
1.08: De’Von Achane (RB – MIA) | RB3
The regression from De’Von Achane in the running game was always inevitable. There was no way he could continue to rush for 7.8 yards per carry as he did in his rookie season, but most people didn’t expect it to be quite so brutally bad as it was in 2024 with Achane a big part of the reason why the Dolphins rank 30th in rushing offense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).
Thankfully for Achane, he was able to make up for this through the receiving game, earning 5.6 targets per game, trailing only Alvin Kamara at the running back position. If Tua Tagovailoa stays healthy in 2025, Achane has the potential to be the RB1 overall.
1.09: Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET) | WR6
This might be an easier selection in full-PPR formats than in half-PPR. Either way, it seems impossible Amon-Ra St. Brown will be drafted outside the top six wide receivers in 2025.
St. Brown has 100 yards or a touchdown in 24 games over the last two seasons, making him an incredibly reliable option. With the Lions improving as a team, there will be weeks where the offense doesn’t need to feature him, but that’s no reason to fade St. Brown.
1.10: Jahmyr Gibbs (DET – RB) | RB4
While Jahmyr Gibbs will still have to deal with David Montgomery in the Lions’ backfield, it’s fair to consider Montgomery will be coming off an MCL knee injury at the age of 28. Gibbs has improved over the last two years, with 5.6 yards per carry in 2024 compared to 5.2 in 2023 and 10.1 yards per reception versus 6.1 in his rookie season.
We want to draft good players on good teams and Gibbs checks both those boxes.
1.11: Brock Bowers (TE – LV) | TE1
There can be no argument Brock Bowers should be the consensus TE1 moving forward. Even if Bowers has to contend with a rookie quarterback in 2025, how much worse can that be than the combination of Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder who Bowers dealt with in his rookie season?
Bowers became the third rookie tight end ever to top 1,000 yards receiving. He’s also four receptions short of the record Puka Nacua set in 2023 for rookie receptions. It’s scary to think how good Bowers can be.
1.12: Malik Nabers (WR – NYG) | WR7
Another rookie who could see a significant upgrade at quarterback is Malik Nabers. He currently leads the league in targets (152) but ranks fourth in catches (97) because of the errant nature of the people throwing him the ball.
Nabers’ catch rate of 63% ranks 32nd among receivers with 50+ receptions. Nabers is currently the WR10 in total PPR points. Any kind of quarterback upgrade that could jump him to WR7 in ADP isn’t unimaginable.
Round 2
- 2.01: Chase Brown (RB – CIN) | RB5
- 2.02: Joe Mixon (RB – HOU) | RB6
- 2.03: A.J. Brown (WR – PHI) | WR8
- 2.04: Josh Jacobs (RB – GB) | RB7
2.05: Brian Thomas Jr. (WR – JAX) | WR9
There’s an argument Brian Thomas should be going higher given he is the WR6 in total points and has the fifth-most yards (1,118) and fifth-most touchdowns (nine).
Sentiment around the Jaguars seems to be quite low, though. If the Jaguars add any competition it might suppress the hype around Thomas, who has balled out when the only option in town.
- 2.06: Drake London (WR – ATL) | WR10
- 2.07: Derrick Henry (RB – BAL) | RB8
- 2.08: Breece Hall (RB – NYJ) | RB9
- 2.09: Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA) | WR11
2.10: Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF) | RB10
Perhaps this one is too pessimistic but Christian McCaffrey badly burned people in 2024 and will be 29 years old in 2025 playing on a 49ers team that could be set for a soft rebuild.
2.11: Trey McBride (TE – ARI) | TE2
Get ready for another year of hearing how Trey McBride is set for positive touchdown regression. Incredibly, McBride has been able to be as excellent as he has with zero receiving touchdowns. If the touchdowns do start to flow he’ll contend for TE1 overall status in future years.
2.12: Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL) | QB1
The MVP race should be closer than it is with Lamar Jackson having thrown for 37 touchdowns and only four interceptions this year while helping fantasy managers win their leagues.
Jackson had 12 games over 20 points this year and has truly taken the next step with Todd Monken as his offensive coordinator. He may not get as many rushing touchdowns as Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts, but he makes up for it in efficiency.
Round 3
- 3.01: Kyren Williams (RB – LAR) | RB11
- 3.02: Garrett Wilson (WR – NYJ) | WR12
- 3.03: James Cook (RB – BUF) | RB12
- 3.04: George Pickens (WR – PIT) | WR13
3.05: Tee Higgins (WR – CIN) | WR14
The potential for a wide receiver of Tee Higgins’ talent to hit the open market isn’t something we often see. However, if it does happen, Higgins will be paid a huge amount of money and have his pick of situations. You might not like it and have been burned by his injuries in the past, but he’s too talented to not take shots at his upside.
- 3.06: Josh Allen (QB – BUF) | QB2
- 3.07: Bucky Irving (RB – TB) | RB13
- 3.08: Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC) | RB14
3.09: Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR – ARI) | WR15
It was a disappointing rookie season for one of the most-hyped prospects in several years, but seven touchdowns added a positive aspect to Marvin Harrison’s rookie season. The potential of taking a second-year leap as his chemistry improves with Kyler Murray likely keeps people happy to take shots drafting him.
3.10: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – SEA) | WR16
Since Week 8, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been the WR6 in PPR total points and WR2 in points per game. People worried Smith-Njigba might struggle to separate from Tyler Lockett but he has done that and also separated from DK Metcalf, who is second in target share at 20%, behind Smith-Njigba’s 28%. Lockett languishes at 8%.
- 3.11: Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND) | RB15
- 3.12: Zay Flowers (WR – BAL) | WR17
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