There are two key offseason events that shake up the fantasy football world. The first is free agency. The second is the NFL Draft. Which players saw their dynasty value increase based on the draft? Who might be in trouble? Let’s look at the fantasy football winners and losers from the 2025 NFL Draft from a dynasty perspective.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Winners
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
It was a rocky rookie season for Caleb Williams. Walking into the best situation ever for a No. 1 overall QB, Williams couldn’t capitalize. He threw for just 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging 15.3 fantasy points per game.
Williams was already set up for success with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. Plus, the hiring of offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson bodes well for the Bears. After the draft, it’s clear the Bears want to overpower teams offensively.
The Bears used their first- and second-round picks on offensive skill players, drafting Colston Loveland in the first round and Luther Burden III in the second.
There’s no way Williams can sustain the fantasy values of all these offensive weapons, but that’s not his problem. He has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. If he can’t prove worthy of the Bears using the No. 1 overall pick on him, that’s on him. But there’s no denying his dynasty value is up.
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Perhaps the biggest winner from the draft is Chase Brown. In 2024, the Bengals never planned to give Brown all the work he could handle. A midseason injury to Zack Moss, combined with the lack of viable alternatives, forced their hand.
Prevailing wisdom suggests that won’t be the plan this season, either. But the Bengals did not draft a running back until taking Tahj Brooks in the sixth round.
Brown only has fifth-round draft capital, but he more than proved himself last season. He also still has higher draft capital than the newest member of the backfield.
From Week 9 through the end of the season, Brown saw at least an 80% snap share in every game. The Bengals’ lack of investment at running back suggests they view Brown as their long-term answer.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
At multiple points in the pre-draft process, the Bears were betting favorites to land Ashton Jeanty. That would have destroyed any semblance of dynasty value for D’Andre Swift.
Even if Jeanty didn’t make it to Chicago, the Bears were rumored to be targeting TreVeyon Henderson. The point is, they were expected to draft a running back.
They did draft one, but not until the seventh round, selecting Kyle Monangai. Swift’s dynasty managers couldn’t ask for a better outcome.
Although the Bears added two more offensive weapons, crowding things even more, Swift stands tall in the backfield as the main guy. If this offense improves under Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams’ second year, Swift could be a big beneficiary.
Still just 26 years old, Swift will have a chance to reestablish himself as one of the better running backs in the league.
Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are still committed to James Conner as their lead back, signing him to a two-year extension late last year. But Conner is 30 years old and has a long history of injuries. His backup matters.
Trey Benson was the presumptive backup, but the Cardinals were very much in play to draft a new one this year. They didn’t. That’s a vote of confidence in Benson as the guy who could step in if Conner misses time.
It also shows belief in Benson as the running back of the future. He’s only 23 years old. If Conner declines after this season, Benson could take over as the starter in 2026 at age 24, giving him plenty of time to be a productive fantasy back.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Losers
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Last year, Rhamondre Stevenson signed a four-year, $36 million contract. The Patriots seemed committed to him as their RB1 of the future. One year later, they spent a second-round pick on TreVeyon Henderson.
There’s no way to spin this as anything but a big negative.
The last time Josh McDaniels coached Rhamondre Stevenson, he played just a 34% overall snap share
Ran fewer routes than both Damien Harris and Brandon Bolden
And received just six carries inside the 5-yard line all season.@FantasyPtsData pic.twitter.com/twCIS70LeD
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) April 26, 2025
While I don’t expect Stevenson to lose goal-line work to the 202-pound rookie, he can kiss his receiving volume goodbye. As a reminder, Stevenson’s career-best 14.7 fantasy points per game in 2022 came largely from outlier receiving volume. He saw a 17.3% target share and caught 69 passes. Last year, his target share was under 10%, and he’s caught just two more passes combined in the two seasons since.
Stevenson isn’t suddenly irrelevant. He will have a role and be worth drafting in fantasy this year. But I fully expect this to be Henderson’s backfield by 2026. At that point, Stevenson will be 28 years old and likely looking for a new team. We’ve already seen the peak of Stevenson’s dynasty value after the 2022 season, and after this year, there’s a chance he’s not even a top-36 option.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What an unfortunate result for Jalen McMillan. With Chris Godwin done for the season, the rookie really stepped up in a big way over the final few weeks. From Weeks 14-18, McMillan scored at least 16.7 fantasy points in every game. He was a legitimate weekly WR1.
Godwin is coming off a serious knee injury, and Mike Evans is 32 years old. There was a chance McMillan could step up this year as the Bucs’ WR2. Unfortunately, it won’t happen.
The Bucs bringing both Evans and Godwin back was bad enough. Then, they used their first-round pick on Emeka Egbuka, one of the safest prospects in this draft.
As impressive as McMillan was, I fully expect Egbuka to step in right away as the WR3, preventing a breakout from happening.
Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Honestly, I’m not sure Najee Harris even qualifies as a “loser.” He signed a one-year deal with the Chargers after the Steelers let him walk. That didn’t exactly scream, “This is our guy.”
Still, there was a chance the Chargers wouldn’t draft a running back until the third or fourth round. They also could’ve drafted a satellite back. Instead, they took Omarion Hampton, the consensus RB2 in this class, and a guy built to handle all three downs.
Hampton is the perfect size at 6’0″, 221 pounds. He ran an impressive 4.46 40-yard dash, giving him a 94th percentile speed score. Harris may open the season as the starter, but it’s only a matter of time before he’s backing up the talented rookie.
It’s extremely unlikely Harris will be on the Chargers in 2026. By then, he’ll be 28 years old and looking for his third team in as many seasons. The chances Harris ever has a role like he did in Pittsburgh are slim.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
For the better part of the past decade, the Browns have had Nick Chubb as their RB1. They like a downhill power runner. With injuries catching up to him, combined with his age, Chubb’s time in Cleveland is over. It always would have been a surprise if they rolled with Jerome Ford as their RB of the future.
Ford falling behind a rookie was expected. It wasn’t like he was a highly valued asset. At 6’0″, 220 pounds, Quinshon Judkins has the size to be a feature back. His 4.48 40-time puts his speed score in the 92nd percentile. Judkins is clearly the guy.
What makes Ford a big loser from this draft is that the Browns weren’t done. In addition to spending a second-round pick on Judkins, they used a fourth-rounder on Dylan Sampson.
While Sampson isn’t necessarily an exciting player, neither is Ford. Sampson could easily overtake Ford as the RB2, taking away Ford’s handcuff value and rendering him useless for fantasy purposes. Unfortunately, Ford doesn’t have enough name value or pedigree to go anywhere else and be more than a backup.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears
It’s not the most devastating news for dynasty managers to see Cole Kmet take a big value hit, but he’s definitely a huge loser. Even though Kmet is in the middle of an extension that runs through 2027, it doesn’t matter.
The Bears using their first-round pick on Colston Loveland is a death sentence for Kmet’s fantasy value if he stays in Chicago. At this point, you have to think he’s a trade candidate. Chicago just doesn’t need all these players on offense.
If Kmet is traded, maybe his value can be restored. Right now, though, we’re talking about a tight end who is well outside the top 24.