Fantasy Football ‘25: Dynasty rookie rankings

Welcome back readers! We’ve had a week to digest the NFL Draft, and to start analyzing its impact. I’m not a believer in handing out instant draft grades, but if you want to see how the “experts” graded your favorite team’s draft haul, you won’t have any problem finding it.

I do believe in trying to figure out the fantasy football impact of the NFL draft. In case you missed it, here are my 2025 NFL draft takeaways for fantasy football. That column focused mostly on a traditional “Redraft” fantasy format, where you draft a brand new team each season, typically around late August.

Today I’m giving you something different: My Top-20 players for Dynasty rookie drafts. For those who aren’t familiar, Dynasty is a version of fantasy football where you hold an initial draft of players in Year 1, and you keep your entire roster from season to season. You can acquire new players via the waiver wire and trades, but the principal avenue for restocking your shelves is an annual rookie draft, typically held in May. And right now, it’s May, so Dynasty leagues are into that annual exercise. If you’re looking for an even bigger time-suck than the season-long game, Dynasty is a fun format to try.

For today’s exercise, I’m assuming a “Superflex” format, which is a little more common in Dynasty than Redraft. In a Superflex, there are two flex spots, and you can start a quarterback in one of them, in addition to your QB1. This pushes up the value of QBs considerably. I’m also assuming Half-point PPR scoring.

Here are my Top-20 2025 rookies, for Dynasty fantasy football:

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1. Ashton Jeanty (RB, LV). There are some years where there is debate about the top pick in Dynasty. This isn’t one of those years. Jeanty is the consensus #1 rookie for Dynasty, and with good reason. Stud running backs are the most valuable commodity in fantasy football, and he’s the best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley in 2018. He was selected in the Top-10 by a team with weak RB competition, so there will be plenty of opportunity right away. I’ll be stunned if he isn’t getting at least 15 touches per game right out of the gate. The Raiders also offer improvements at quarterback (Geno Smith), offensive coordinator (Chip Kelly), and on the O-line. This is a team with its arrow up, and Jeanty should grow into a three-down role over time. His immense talent and tackle-breaking ability is undeniable. Barring an insane haul, don’t trade out of the 1.01 if you’ve got this pick.

2. Cam Ward (QB, TEN). Has there ever been less fanfare around a No. 1 overall pick? Not that I can recall. Between the big trade up for Travis Hunter that happened right after he was taken and the breathtaking three-day slide of Shedeur Sanders, Ward going to the Titans in the top spot flew WAY under the radar. But he was the clear QB1 in this class, and is the only rookie QB with a viable path to starting right away. Ward isn’t as good of a prospect as any of the Top-3 QBs from last season, but he’s talented and brings a very fantasy-friendly skillset to the NFL. In a Superflex format, he could be in your lineup as a lower-end QB2 with upside, as a rookie. To me he’s the clear second pick in Dynasty Superflex.

3. Omarion Hampton (RB, LAC). Here is where it gets a little tricky. For me, pairing a talented rookie back with a Jim Harbaugh offense is too good to pass up over the remaining options. Najee Harris will compete for snaps this year (and it’s possible that J.K. Dobbins could be back as well), but within a year or two Hampton should be a workhorse in this offense, which features stability at quarterback, four first round picks on the offensive line, and a Head Coach with job security who wants to pound the ball. Like Jeanty, Hampton is also good in the passing game and profiles as a three-down back. Don’t overthink this one.

4. Travis Hunter (WR, JAC). You may be surprised to find Hunter this low, as he was the top player in this draft (and the top wide receiver) on many Big Boards. But this is fantasy, and as a pure wide receiver I can’t put him ahead of any of the three players above him. If you play in an Individual Defensive Player (IDP) format where his defensive stats will count, then I’d bump him up slightly depending on the specific scoring system. As it stands, he’s going to a team where he likely won’t be the WR1. And if he’s really going to play meaningful snaps at corner then I don’t think he’ll play every snap on offense, and the risk of injury is something I can’t shake and especially given his small frame. I can’t wait to see how Hunter is used, but I think he will end up being better for real football than fantasy football.

5. Tetairoa (Tet) McMillan (WR, CAR). I debated putting McMillan ahead of Hunter, but I think Hunter is a more complete and polished receiver at this point, so I ranked them this way. This was a pretty weak draft at both quarterback and wide receiver and for me there is a notable drop-off at WR after Tet. His big frame (he stands 6’4”) will be a welcome addition for quarterback Bryce Young, who will hopefully look more like the QB who emerged at the end of last season as opposed to the one we saw before that. Carolina came into the draft with one of the league’s weakest wide receiver rooms. Xavier Legette struggled as a rookie and Adam Thielen will turn 35 before the season starts, so McMillan has a chance to emerge as this team’s clear No. 1 wide receiver for the next half decade or so.

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6. TreVeyon Henderson (RB, NE). He’ll share the workload with Rhamondre Stevenson in the short-term, and he may never establish himself as a true workhorse, three-down back, but he has home run speed, is very good on passing downs as both a receiver and protector, and is going to an offense that has its young quarterback in place and is desperate for playmakers. I’d feel good about getting Henderson somewhere in the middle of the first round.

7. Quinshon Judkins (RB, CLE). I’ve got the two Ohio State rookie backs ranked back-to- back. It was a bit of an odd draft for Cleveland, as they took two QBs two rounds apart, as well as two RBs two rounds apart. Judkins was taken with the fourth pick of Round 2, and has the inside track to establish himself (over Jerome Ford and fellow rookie Dylan Sampson) as the early-down hammer in the post-Nick Chubb era. He’s a solid runner who should get plenty of run as a rookie and beyond.

8. Tyler Warren (TE, IND). Two things give me pause on taking Warren any higher than this: The shaky QB situation in Indianapolis (Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones), and the fact that tight ends often take a few years to hit their stride as major contributors in the passing game. Still, Warren is an outstanding prospect and should immediately vault to the top of the tight end depth chart on the Colts. This is a longer-term pick, so be patient with both Warren and Bears’ rookie tight end Colston Loveland (No. 11 on my Board, below).

9. Emeka Egbuka (WR, TAM). I’d feel better about Egbuka if he went to a team with a clear need for a second or third receiver, but here we are. Egbuka left Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ all-time leading receiver and he’s probably the most pro-ready WR in this class. Long-term, I really like his prospects with Baker Mayfield and the Bucs. They’ve been one of the NFL’s top passing offenses each of the last two seasons. Shorter-term, they’ve got stars in veterans Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan showed plenty of promise as a rookie last season. So Egbuka might not see a ton of volume in his first year or two. But Evans and Godwin are older players, and won’t be dominating targets forever.

10. Jaxson Dart (QB, NYG). This is a tricky one. The Giants used a late first-round pick on Dart (and traded up to acquire that pick), but they also brought in two veteran quarterbacks this offseason and it’s unclear how much, or when, he’ll play as a rookie. On top of that, will the regime that drafted him still be there after 2025? That’s a good question, and one that could cloud Dart’s future depending on how things go this season. Still, starting QBs are a very valuable commodity in a Superflex format, and Dart does have some upside given his decent size and dual-threat skillset. But I wouldn’t take him before the back end of the first round, as he’s no safe bet to ever emerge as an NFL starter. And from this draft, that’s true of every quarterback not named Cam Ward.

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The next 10:

11. Colston Loveland (TE, CHI)

12. R.J. Harvey (RB, DEN)

13. Kaleb Johnson (RB, PIT)

14. Jalen Milroe (QB, SEA) (note, I have him several spots higher than most)

15. Matthew Golden (WR, GB)

16. Luther Burden III (WR, CHI)

17. Cam Skattebo (RB, NYG)

18. Jayden Higgins (WR, HOU)

19. Jack Bech (WR, LV)

20. Tre Harris (WR, LAC)

One final note: There are some intriguing TE sleepers in this class, at least a couple of whom should be available early in Round 3 of rookie drafts: J. Ferguson (LAR), M. Taylor (NYJ), H. Fannin, Jr. (CLE), and E. Arroyo (SEA).

I’ll have more offseason fantasy content throughout the coming months, so keep it here!