Underdog’s NFL best ball drafts for the 2025 season have been in full swing since just before the Super Bowl. Thus, I’ve already drafted 23 teams in The Little Board ($3 entry fee). It’s a unique time in the NFL calendar. Free agency hasn’t begun, and the NFL Draft is approximately two months away. Furthermore, the NFL Draft Combine hasn’t started. There will be a ton of player movement.

Yet, my experience drafting at all points of the NFL offseason is helpful when navigating Underdog drafts. For instance, as a general rule of thumb, rookies will move up in average draft position (ADP). They won’t all rise, but many will, namely the top performers at the NFL Draft Combine who generate buzz. Many free agents will also climb when it’s clear where they’ll play in 2025. Obviously, some free agents will land in unfavorable spots and fall, but the nature of uncertainty suppresses most free agents. Connecting dots on where free agents will land can be a sneaky way to build stacks at ADPs gamers will be unable to after ADPs adjust to free-agent activity.

Let’s look at the players I’ve drafted at the highest percentage of my rosters. I’ve drafted all the following players at least four times (17% of rosters).

• 2025 NFL Draft Guide
• 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
• 2025 NFL Mock Drafts
• Dynasty Mock Draft Simulator

Most-Rostered Underdog Best Ball Players (February 2025)

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen is the only top-six quarterback in ADP on at least four of my Underdog rosters. Still, that's essentially a product of liking the price of his stacking options, what draft spot I've drawn and some uncertainty about stacking options with the other elite quarterbacks. For instance, Jayden Daniels (38.8 ADP) has Terry McLaurin (25.2 ADP) as a straightforward stacking partner, but Noah Brown, Dyami Brown and Zach Ertz are free agents. So, it's unclear who to stack with Daniels beyond McLaurin, and Washington's No. 1 wideout is going before their stud quarterback. Their ADPs also don't align well, meaning gamers need one to fall beyond ADP or to reach for one of them. Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow also have their best weapons going before them. Therefore, I typically pick them when I've taken one or more of their stud wide receivers. Regardless, I love the top quarterbacks, and Lamar Jackson, Daniels, Hurts, Burrow and Patrick Mahomes are on seven of my rosters (22%).

Bo Nix had a stellar rookie season, adding value with his legs. Development isn't always linear, but he should benefit from the organization, presumably adding weapons to the underwhelming offense.

Bryce Young is underrated. He responded well to being benched and did his best work after Carolina's bye in Week 11. From Week 12 through the end of the regular season, Young scored 21.2 fantasy points per game. The diminutive signal-caller is ascending, and he's easy to stack with cheap pass-catchers, either his second-year teammates or his savvy veteran safety valve.

According to RotoViz's pace app, the Packers were tied for last in situation-neutral pass rate (47%). Jordan Love was tied for the QB16 in points per game (16.3) among quarterbacks who played more than one game despite the run-heavy play-calling tendencies. If Matt LaFleur allows him to sling it even slightly more, Love should finish as a fringe QB1. J.J. McCarthy has an embarrassment of riches in his pass-catching corps, and Kevin O'Connell has squeezed every ounce out of Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens and Sam Darnold. I believe in KOC's and Minnesota's pass-catchers' ability to get the most out of McCarthy. I prefer him in two-QB builds with a stud quarterback or three-QB lineups.

Running Backs

Readers shouldn't be surprised to see Alvin Kamara, James Conner, Jaylen Warren and J.K. Dobbins on the table if they've followed my offseason content. In early February, I highlighted Kamara and Conner as must-have running backs and discussed Warren and Dobbins as RB3s with RB1 potential in the middle of the month.

Blake Corum also shouldn't come as a surprise. I analyzed Kyren Williams as one of three running backs to avoid this year, making Corum a player I'm leveraging against my disinterest in Williams.

LeQuint Allen is tied for my highest-rostered player at all positions. Draft pundits have raved about the depth and quality of running backs in this class, and Allen has fans in the space, such as Todd McShay. Two weeks ago, McShay gushed about Allen's receiving chops and featured him fifth in his running back rankings and 70th on his overall big board. Understandably, McShay is still working through his rankings, and he's since moved Omarion Hampton to second. Nevertheless, Allen's ADP (229.6) is too low. Field Yates has also spoken glowingly about Allen on ESPN's First Draft podcast and shared a highlight of Allen on an option route.

Syracuse RB LeQuint Allen led all FBS backs with 64 catches this season.

He's a menace on options routes. Also thrived in a variety of different screens at Syracuse.

On the short list for best pass-catching backs in the draft. pic.twitter.com/gFEdoxQxBF

- Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 18, 2025

Furthermore, Allen is young.

Nine prospects will be just 20-years-old on draft night:

20.61 RB Dylan Sampson
20.66 Edge Nic Scourton
20.72 RB LeQuint Allen
20.76 TE Harold Fannin Jr.
20.79 RB Trevor Etienne
20.80 CB Azareye'h Thomas
20.82 DL Mykel Williams
20.82 DT Jordan Phillips
20.96 TE Mason Taylor

- Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 24, 2025

Buffalo's mauling offensive line opened holes and helped fuel rushing production for James Cook, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson. Cook is posturing for a contract extension in the final year of his rookie contract. The Bills could buck their trend of churning and burning running backs during Brandon Beane's tenure as General Manager, let Cook play out his deal or trade him. Thus, Davis is a handcuff with some helium potential if the Bills trade Cook or Buffalo's incumbent starting running back holds out into the season. Johnson's best skill is his receiving, but he also has some explosiveness as a change-of-pace runner. He's a free agent, but Allen referred to him as the best third-down back in the NFL, making Johnson a viable 20th-round speculative stacking option with Allen, assuming he'll return as Buffalo's third-down and two-minute-drill running back.

Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey are picked at the top of the second round. King Henry nearly ran for 2,000 yards for the second time in his career in his first season with the Ravens and tied for the NFL's most rushing touchdowns (16). CMC's 2024 season was lost to injuries. I don't have medical expertise and defer to more knowledgeable people about injuries, and Stephania Bell is optimistic about CMC's outlook for 2025.

As I said Sunday on FFNow, I expect CMC to be back with a vengeance next season. https://t.co/MRl6ZVRY8Y

- Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN) January 6, 2025

Bell's rosy outlook is grounds for me to take the plunge on McCaffery at the top or middle of the second round after he was often the first pick in Underdog's 2024 best ball drafts.

Bucky Irving was explosive and efficient last year, shredding teams on the ground and chipping in through the air. I'm not concerned about Liam Coen leaving to take Jacksonville's head-coaching gig. Finally, Will Shipley is Saquon Barkley's direct backup. Barkley handled a massive workload in 2024, and Kenneth Gainwell is a free agent. Therefore, Shipley is a cheap piece of Philadelphia's offense who would have value if Barkley missed any games in 2025.

Wide Receivers

I recently wrote about Courtland Sutton, Khalil Shakir and Jalen Coker as must-have wide receivers. Sutton barely missed the cut for this piece, but Shakir and Coker are among my highest-rostered wideouts. Shakir also got a boost from pairing him with Allen on most or all of my squads with the reigning NFL MVP.

Keon Coleman also got a bump in roster percentage from pairing him with Allen. Yet, I've also frequently picked him unstacked. The big-bodied wideout is firmly in Buffalo's plans, and he flashed his potential before he hurt his wrist in Week 9 and missed four consecutive contests. According to the data suite at Fantasy Points, Coleman had the following stats from Week 1 through Week 9.

• 68.9% route participation
• 12.8-yard average depth of target (aDOT)
• 23.7% air yards share
• 13.6% target share
• 0.17 targets per route run
• 19.4% first-read percentage
• five end zone targets
• 22 receptions (2.4 per game)
• 417 receiving yards (46.3 per game)
• 2.02 yards per route run (Y/RR)
• 11.58 yards per target
• 18.95 yards per reception
• three receiving touchdowns
• 8.1 half-point per reception (half PPR) points per game
• 9.3 expected half PPR points per game

Coleman must take a step forward to provide value commensurate with his ADP. Still, his vertical and end-zone usage provides him with spike-week potential.

Jalen Royals, Matthew Golden, Tre Harris, Jack Bech and Jayden Higgins are appealing rookies at their respective ADPs. As I stated in the intro, rookies tend to rise in ADP closer to the draft and after the NFL Draft Combine, so I'm boosting my roster percentages on a handful I believe will climb. I don't need to elaborate on Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, Ladd McConkey and Mike Evans. They're top-shelf wideouts.

Darius Slayton might be a shocking inclusion among my most-rostered wide receivers. He's precisely the type of player who skyrockets in ADP if he lands in a favorable situation, and Slayton has played well at times with suboptimal quarterback play. The field-stretching veteran has had at least 8.0 expected half PPR points per game in three of the previous four years, and his vertical usage is tailor-made for rounding out best ball wide receiver corps.

Marvin Mims might never emerge as a full-time player. Still, he's dynamic, and Sean Payton schemes the ball for him at a high rate with his snaps. Mims also efficiently makes the most of his opportunities. In his sophomore campaign, he had a blistering 0.27 targets per route run and 2.58 yards per route run, and Payton even creatively used Mims in the backfield. Mims could sacrifice efficiency if he ran more routes in 2025. Nonetheless, he's a big-play weapon whose volatility fits best ball better than managed leagues.

Jordan Whittington was also a target earner and efficient in his limited opportunities in 2024, tallying 0.25 targets per route run and 2.58 yards per route run on a 19.8% route participation rate. The Rams are moving on from Cooper Kupp, and Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell are also free agents. The runway is clear for Whittington to start in 2025.

Jordan Addison was the WR20 in half PPR points per game (12.1) among wide receivers who played at least five games in 2024. He's also recorded precisely 12.8 expected half PPR points per game in each of his first two professional campaigns, but he's only the WR29 in ADP. I disagree with the disconnect between his professional production and his 2025 ADP and will continue scooping him up at what I view as a discounted ADP.

Adam Thielen would be on even more of my rosters if there weren't questions about him playing in 2025 when the best ball contests first opened. He's since declared his intention to play in 2025. According to Pro Football Reference, in 27 games for the Panthers, Thielen has had 5.6 receptions per game, 60.3 receiving yards per game and nine touchdowns.

Tight Ends

I have a wide spread of tight ends, with many on only one, two or three teams. I typically attempt to pick a tight end as a stacking option with a quarterback I've already selected. Trey McBride is an excellent unstacked pick while also providing a path to a stack with Kyler Murray if I play the waiting game at quarterback.

Harold Fannin and Colston Loveland are pass-catching-first rookie tight ends. Ben Sinnott was on a milk carton in his rookie campaign. However, he was a second-round pick last year and tested well.

Ben Sinnott was drafted in round 2 pick 53 in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.73 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 33 out of 1199 TE from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/pHPbq2TlBW pic.twitter.com/jYvgn2QFCj

- Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 27, 2024

Sinnott is a viable gamble on athletic traits in three-TE lineup constructions, two-TE builds with an elite TE1 or as a stacking dart throw with Daniels. Finally, sadly, my gamble on Travis Kelce retiring and Noah Gray's ADP surging didn't pan out. Kelce will return next year, so Gray will only be a consideration for me as a TE3 if I've picked Mahomes.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.