The Tennessee Titans spent the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on quarterback Cam Ward. In one of the weakest QB classes of all time, Ward stood out as the clearly top option with the best shot at being a franchise quarterback. Stepping into a less-than-ideal offensive situation, does Ward offer fantasy football upside as a rookie?
Should You Draft Cam Ward in Fantasy?
The expectation of No. 1 overall QBs is high. Yet, if you look back at the past quarterbacks to be the first player selected in the NFL Draft, you really have to go back to Andrew Luck and Cam Newton to find unequivocal hits (as rookies). The past few have been incredibly disappointing, at least as rookies.
In 2011, Newton was a league winner in fantasy. 2012-Luck was a mixed bag, but certainly worth starting. Baker Mayfield in 2018 and Kyler Murray in 2019 were both viable fantasy quarterbacks, but until recently, with Mayfield, neither had met expectations.
The obvious success story is Joe Burrow in 2020. He was on his way to being very startable as a rookie before he tore his ACL. Since then, though, the past three have been incredibly underwhelming.
Ward looks to turn things around for No. 1 overall QBs. The problem is that it’s hard to see him doing it in a way that makes him a viable fantasy quarterback as a rookie.
Ward is a talented player, but he might have been the QB7 in the 2024 class. The lack of a clear starter outside of Ward in 2025 played a significant role in his selection as the first pick. Talent-wise, he probably belonged in the middle of the first round.
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The good news is Ward is going to start right away. The Titans do not have another NFL-caliber quarterback on the roster. There’s really nothing Ward should be able to do to get benched as a rookie, certainly not for Will Levis.
the comments that have been made about Cam Ward’s information processing, mentality, and mindset during the pre and post-draft periods is very reminiscent of what we heard about Jayden Daniels’ intangibles before and after the 2024 Draft pic.twitter.com/7dYqCyF1lD
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) June 12, 2025
With that said, fantasy managers need to consider Ward’s upside. Can he get to 18 fantasy points per game? Can he get to 16? Both of these seem quite aspirational.
The Titans are not a roster bereft of talent, but they don’t exactly have incredible offensive weapons. Ward’s WR1 is a 30-year-old Calvin Ridley coming off the worst season of his career.
Behind Ridley are 32-year-old Tyler Lockett, who looks to be on his last legs as an NFL receiver, journeyman Van Jefferson, and a bunch of Day 3/UDFA rookies. With Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears at running back, this is not a team that projects to throw a ton.
As a reminder, the Titans were the worst team in football last season, earning the top selection in the NFL Draft. Despite the significant time they spent trailing in games, they ran the ball 49% of the time in neutral game script, the sixth-highest rate in the league. They did have a 66% negative game script pass rate. However, the irony is that Ward should make them more competitive, which will allow them to run the ball more.
Ward’s ADP is QB21. He is well off the fantasy radar outside of Superflex leagues, where every starting quarterback is drafted. I have Ward ranked as my QB28. He is last among quarterbacks who are not getting benched for poor play. Well off the fantasy radar, there’s no reason even to consider Ward in fantasy drafts. If he ends up surprising, you can pick him up early in the season.
Frank Ammirante’s Cam Ward Fantasy Projection
When was the last time that a first overall pick got this little attention in fantasy football? Cam Ward is a talented gunslinger who can be a valuable fantasy quarterback. This is a player who threw for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns while averaging 8.6 yards per attempt in his final year in college with the Miami Hurricanes.
Ward gets to throw to a viable veteran perimeter threat who can win downfield in Calvin Ridley, while forced to play from behind consistently with a rebuilding Titans roster. Not to mention that we’ve seen head coach Brian Callahan have success in the past with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.
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This is a late-round quarterback best suited for best ball formats, where you can build a cheap Titans stack and pair him with Ridley. But keep an eye on Ward as he sits on your waiver wire. Don’t be surprised if he emerges as a viable streamer in the fantasy football championship in a great spot at home against the Saints.
