The great Field Yates of ESPN was kind enough to spare some of his time during his busiest month of the year to set the stage for fantasy football 2025.
What did he learn from last season? Who is he taking at the top of the draft? Where can you find value in uncertainty? Those answers and more from one of the very best in the business.
How Are You Treating 2025 Differently Than 2024 in Fantasy Football?
There, of course, is no wrong answer here. From new players in new places to the ranking of rookies, every year comes with its own set of challenges at the onset and its own set of lessons learned by the time all is said and done.
Field emphasized the importance of being fluid at the top of the board. Christian McCaffrey was the consensus 1.01 entering the 2024 season, and while that was a perfectly logical maneuver, the certainty for the pick was something he’s not repeating moving forward.
Field went on to name a handful of players that, if he were to draft from the top spot 100 times this summer, he’d want some exposure to.
Who Should You Draft First Overall?
No two leagues are created equal. The smallest of tweaks in a scoring structure can swing the value of certain players in both directions, but for the sake of this conversation, we were operating with 10- to 12-team, one-QB leagues in mind.
“Pick the position you want, but it’s Ja’Marr Chase or Bijan Robinson for me when picking first overall.”
From listening to the “Fantasy Focus” podcast, I’m aware that he likes what he can find in the next few rounds at the running back position and late at receiver, thus leaning him to go Chase if he were on the clock this second.
The reigning triple crown winner is the industry standard right now. He’s not only the top option at ESPN, but those making full use of our FREE Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator are making the same decision more often than not.
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Who am I to say the world is wrong?
I have Robinson ranked as my top player. I think his best statistical season is yet to come. While we likely just saw the best that Chase has to offer, my rankings reflect a top tier at the wide receiver position that is larger than the industry norm.
Why Do You Prefer Tiers Over Standard Ranks?
Let’s be clear: rankings are everything. They are an ordered list of players based on preference. It’s straightforward content that is easy to comprehend, and that is why they are pushed so hard by whatever website you run your league through.
But can they be misleading?
“I defy my ranks often.”
We agreed on this point while working together and are both still very much on the idea of consuming rankings in a tiered fashion as opposed to using the little number next to them as gospel.
For those not in the know, tiering is the art of creating buckets for similar players and ranking those buckets. Field mentioned three running backs that would most have his attention if picking first overall (Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Saquon Barkley), thus indicating that his top tier at the position is a three-man group.
He gets paid to organize them in order of preference, but at the end of the day, he’s splitting the thinnest of hairs to do so, and he wants you to know that. Following his ranks to a tee means selecting Robinson the highest of that trio, but by giving you the context that they all live in the same tier, he’s essentially giving you the green light to select them in any order that you like; he just wants you to do it before RB4 comes off the board.
During the interview, he used Chase Brown as an example. If you made Barkley the first running back selected, he wouldn’t blink, but if you took a stand on Brown, according to his ranks, you’re picking from the wrong tier and thus leaving value on the table.
I find that this system becomes more useful as the draft goes on. Everyone is reasonably aware of the big names, but when it comes to scooping up your RB3 in Round 7, it’s easy to get stuck as the clock ticks down.
Field and the crew went through their tiers at every position during the first week of August, and these episodes are must-listen episodes as you begin your prep for this season. The basic principle is simple (aim for the end of tiers and avoid the tops of them), but the execution can be difficult if you don’t have firm guidelines entering the draft room.
Who Is Your 2025 Breakout Player Of The Year?
It’s not rare for the answer to this question to be a rookie. We haven’t seen those players on the professional stage yet, and a person like Field, who operates full-time in the college space, certainly has an edge in identifying such players.
“Travis Hunter.”
Field is a professional who will give you thought-out answers to anything you ask him, but he had this answer spilling out of his mouth before I finished the question.
“I think he’s of the same pedigree as Brian Thomas Jr. If he plays 75% of the offensive snaps, he should be in the WR2 conversation, but he’s being drafted outside of the top-35 at the position more often than not.”
I’m sold.
Liam Coen sprinkled pixie dust on the Buccaneers last season, and he’s been tasked with doing the same for the Jags in 2025, this time with a generationally unique player.
The risk is obvious: Hunter is poised to play both sides of the ball, something that not only brings about role risk but also introduces a level of injury risk that no one else in the sport has.
Field is obviously aware of this and is more intrigued by the discount that the versatility has caused than scared off by it.
It’s hard to argue. Jacksonville has spoken glowingly about his offensive development, and at his current ADP, you’re not being asked to assume much risk given what the upside could look like.
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— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 6, 2025
Who Is the New England Patriot You’re Drafting Most Often?
Field grew up in the northeast and cut his teeth working for the Pats, so the question needed to be asked, given the steam that this team is generating in the fantasy space. No one expects them to dethrone the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, but the industry as a whole believes they can be a fun offense that offers reasonably priced upside.
I’m on TreVeyon Henderson as the answer to this question, and Field was equally optimistic, but he nailed Jayden Daniels last season as having top-5 potential, and he’s back for more at the quarterback position.
“There’s no reason that Drake Maye can’t be a top-8 fantasy quarterback.”
He stopped short of saying he WOULD be a top-8 quarterback, but given that he’s not going to cost you much in standard-sized leagues, that potential alone is worth the price of admission.
I pressed him if he wanted to hedge, and the answer was clear.
“Nope. The depth on the waiver wire is strong enough that if Maye is a miss, I’ll be able to piece together the position.”
The data backs up his approach. In the 32-team NFL league, 40 quarterbacks had a game last season with at least 20 fantasy points (14 had at least five such games).
A quarterback ‘hit’ can swing your league while a miss, given his cost (rarely coming off the board before the 10th round), only sets you back as far as you let it.
The best news? We may not have to wait long to get a feel if Maye is a league winner or someone who requires a contingency plan.
- Week 1 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
- Week 2 at Miami Dolphins
Those are two vulnerable defenses that a QB worth our time should be productive against. Maye’s versatility with a sneaky stable of pass catchers gives him every chance to make the kind of splash that Daniels did last season, and that’s a bet Field is willing to make.
