Some things in life are certain. Death. Taxes. Fantasy managers getting hyped about rookies.

Each draft season, pundits and analysts enjoy comparing existing talent within the league to the incoming class of rookies to provide perspective-either by physical metrics, speed comparisons, or perhaps field vision. Sure, all these parallels are helpful to provide perspective (and clickbait), but I think we can all be honest when we say that dubbing someone the next Julio Jones or Tony Gonzalez is often a stretch.

In general, rookies take time to grow acclimated to the speed of the game, and the pace of play is much faster. Subtle rule changes (two feet in bounds for a completion vs. one necessary in college), processing and anticipating complex formations and schemes, and no longer being able to out-muscle, out-jump, and run faster than the competition continually. Each season is an exercise in patience, waiting for rookies to develop and impact our game.

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Fantasy Football Rookies that We’re Excited about in 2025

Luckily for fantasy managers, rookies are entering the league more prepared than ever due to college coaches adapting NFL playbooks and highly competitive competition in major conferences, thanks to the new transfer portal rules. This results in a bevy of prospects who can significantly impact the fantasy landscape during their first season, and the trajectory is pointing upward.

Take 2024 as an example.

Jayden Daniels received a fair amount of hype entering this past draft season for his ability to be a dual-threat weapon with great accuracy downfield. His diminutive frame prevented some from drafting him at a rather lofty ADP, but he has proven to be more durable than expected and a very cerebral player capable of adjusting to the speed of the NFL faster than many anticipated. His expected “ceiling” during his rookie season was low-end QB1/streaming territory if things fell into place correctly. Yet, as we enter Week 17, Daniels currently sits as the overall QB5. I’d consider that pretty impactful.

Analysts largely viewed Bo Nix as a bye-week replacement for fantasy purposes this year, at best. Denver’s offense was void of established difference-makers outside of Courtland Sutton and was coming off a season in which it finished third in the AFC West. After a slow start, Nix proved his doubters wrong, and despite a modest 6.4 YPA on the season, he holds a QB rating near 90, with a 2:1 TD: INT ratio and over 3,200 passing yards. Nix ranks as the QB10.

Want to know this year’s TE1 overall in fantasy? Surely, it must be Trey McBride, Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, or some veteran option, right? Wrong. It is Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders. Bowers currently boasts an incredible 101/1,067/4 split and is the focal point of the passing game. And we are just one year removed from Sam LaPorta finishing as the TE1 as a rookie, with an 86/889/10 line. The notion that rookie tight ends can’t be trusted for fantasy purposes has disappeared-and good riddance.

The wide receiver leaderboard in PPR formats is littered with rookie players – Brian Thomas Jr. of Jacksonville is the WR6 overall, with Malik Nabers (WR10), Ladd McConkey (WR18), and Xavier Worthy (WR25) not far behind.

You get the picture.

So, which rookies are we excited about at FantasyPros entering the 2025 season? Here are five options that I believe will make a significant impact.

2025 Fantasy Football Rookies to Know

Ashton Jeanty (RB – Boise State) – I do not think it is a stretch to state that Jeanty is one of the most impressive collegiate running backs I’ve ever scouted over the last decade. Period. His detractors will point to the level of competition that he faced at Boise State as inferior to that of the SEC or BIG10 conferences – while that might be true at face value, I would not be so dismissive of his overall skillset. Jeanty has the prototypical running back build at 5’9, 215 lbs, with an extremely low center of gravity capable of absorbing and deflecting impact. He has soft hands for a running back, with nearly 80 receptions over his three years as a Bronco (including a time split his freshman year). The runner-up for the 2024 Heisman Trophy behind WR/CB Travis Hunter (I would have voted for Jeanty), he has amassed a staggering 2,497 rushing yards on 344 carries with 29 rushing touchdowns this season (to provide context, Omarion Hampton from UNC is currently second in FBS with 1,660 rushing yards). Jeanty has a few flaws in his game and brings a well-rounded complement of power, speed, and agility when he touches the ball. If an NFL team with a halfway decent offensive line drafts him, the sky is the limit. The running back class coming out in this year’s draft is better than any in recent memory, and Jeanty is the crown jewel of the bunch.

Tetairoa McMillan (WR – Arizona): The wide receiver group of the last several draft classes has been remarkably deep, offering a ton of talented choices that can stretch defenses downfield with blazing speed. However, size is the one trait that the past several classes have missed. Slot receivers and outside threats galore, to be sure, but no sure-fire first-rounders that could out-jump and out-muscle cornerbacks and safeties with contested catches. Enter McMillan. A 6’5, 212 lb. behemoth with outstanding speed, McMillan is a big-play monster who averages 15.7 YPC and is third in the FBS with 1,319 receiving yards on 84 receptions. A traditional “X” receiver with alpha characteristics, McMillan is expected to go very early in the 2025 draft, and several teams are drafting within the top 10 that desperately need a playmaker on the outside. McMillan offers a nice combination of excellent body control and a huge catch radius for quarterbacks to work with.

Luther Burden III (WR – Missouri) – Pegged as one of the top wideout prospects at the position entering the 2024 year, it is fair to state that Burden’s numbers fell short of expectations and projections, coming off of a strong 86/1,212/9 split as a sophomore with Missouri the year prior. A shoulder injury against UMASS in early October during Week 7 and a foot issue he picked up later hampered his explosiveness and led to diminished totals (61/676/6) to end the year. Call me unphased. It only takes a glance at his highlight reel from college to notice that Burden continuously torched cornerbacks who tried to jam him at the line of scrimmage, and he plays much larger than his 5’11, 208 lb. frame would suggest. Missouri’s quarterback play in 2024, to put it kindly, was subpar at best, and the Tigers relied upon a run-heavy approach to move the ball offensively. His ability to make defenders miss in open space and willingness to play through contact reminds me of a Malik Nabers-lite.

Shedeur Sanders (QB – Colorado) – This year’s quarterback class coming out of college pales compared to the past several years, and most pundits have just two signal-callers ranked with first-round grades – Sanders and Cam Ward from Miami. The current Vegas betting favorite to be selected first between the two is Sanders, and it isn’t simply due to name recognition and genetics – he has earned praise by showing a rare combination of presence in the pocket and ability to work through reads, combined with his athleticism. Statistically, Sanders put up a monster 2024 campaign for the Buffalos and currently ranks second in the FBS with 337 completions, third in passing yards (3,926) and touchdown passes (35), and is the only quarterback in the top 20 in pass attempts with a completion percentage higher than 74. Sanders’s ball placement is elite, and his knack for throwing the ball into tight windows makes offensive coordinators drool. Sanders is sure to go within the first two selections of this year’s NFL draft, and his upside makes him QB1 viable.

Travis Hunter (WR/CB – Colorado) – Hunter is the lone non-QB who could make a solid case for being the top overall selection in the draft, and he is one of the most athletically gifted players I’ve seen in quite some time. From nearly any metric that one considers, Hunter is elite. Capable of Shohei Ohtani-esque contributions to both sides of the ball, Hunter is a top-flight wide receiver and an outstanding cornerback continually capable of changing the game’s dynamic. The biggest question one needs to consider is how NFL teams will utilize his unique skill set and what sort of snaps he will receive on both sides of the ball. As a wideout, Hunter finished within the top-5 in receptions (92) and touchdowns (14) as the key cog in the passing game for Colorado. Defensively, he could shut down top-flight opposing receivers and had a knack for being in the right place to deflect or intercept passes thrown in his direction. At 6’1 and 185 lbs., my biggest concern with Hunter would be his durability to play both offense and defense every week – I view him as a better receiver than cornerback if I were forced to choose between the two.

Cam Ward (QB – Miami) – Many beat reporters and insiders over the last two months have made it clear that NFL teams don’t view Ward as the “1B” option to Sanders, and several have him atop their board at the position. Ward has a slightly more prominent body profile (6’2, 233 lbs.) and a stronger arm than Sanders, with enough athleticism to pick up rushing yards when necessary. A five-year starter in college, Ward’s experience and ability to succeed at all levels of competition (starting at Incarnate Word before moving up to Washington State and then Miami this past season) is intriguing. Watching Ward’s highlight reel this past year, he reminds me an awful lot of Deshaun Watson during his tenure with Houston. A quick release coupled with an aggressive mentality to push the ball downfield and take shots is a combination that has caught my eye. Assuming that Ward ends up with one of the QB-needy teams in the top three, he has the potential to make a significant impact early on. Neither Ward nor Sanders has Jayden Daniels-esque scrambling ability, but both players are plus options as pocket passers.