In the words of the immortal Bruce Buffer, “IT’S TIIIIIIME!” We are in the middle of August, and fantasy football draft season is upon us. The final two weeks of this month will see millions of drafts take place.
We should always be entering our drafts with a plan, even though we know the best laid plans often get derailed quickly based on what the room gives us. Here is that plan. These are my top targets in fantasy drafts this season — the players I do not want to leave any draft without if I can pull it off. These are… MY GUYS.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
Drake Maye is poised to destroy the sophomore slump narrative. Once he’s settled in as the Patriots’ starter in Week 6 last season, he threw for 2,254 yards and 15 touchdowns over 11 games.
More importantly, he averaged 16.0 fantasy points per game in that span, just a razor shy of QB1 lineups. When he played a full snap share, he jumped to 18.7 points per game, good for a QB11 pace.
New England made sure he is set up to soar for 2025. The team added Stefon Diggs and overhauled the playbook with Josh McDaniels as coordinator. Maye’s mobility gives him a floor every week: he averaged nearly 37 yards rushing per game last year, ranking fifth among quarterbacks.
Projection models see him topping 3,500 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 450 yards on the ground.
Drake Maye is ABSOLUTELY LIGHTING Up The New England Patriots Training Camp 🔥
Get your popcorn ready. pic.twitter.com/MW207Qvwf2
— MattyDubs (@MattydubsX) June 14, 2025
In a year when dual-threat QBs can break weeks, Maye has both a safe floor and a clear path to top-10 upside. Smart drafters won’t let him go outside the top 14 at the position.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving is not just a “breakout,” he’s already a proven producer and a value at his 2025 price.
Last season, Irving racked up 1,122 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, and 392 receiving yards on 47 catches. That totals over 1,500 scrimmage yards as a rookie, and from Week 10 forward, he averaged 16.8 PPG.
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When given a true feature back workload, 19 or more touches in six of his last seven games, he responded every time. His advanced rush metrics back up the hype. Irving led all rookies and ranked among RBs league-wide in yards after contact per attempt, was in the top three in explosive play rate, and forced more missed tackles than all but two backs.
Bucky Irving’s first #NFLPlayoffs touchdown gives the Bucs the lead! 🔥
He’s made for the big stage. pic.twitter.com/QZyK0RJGBk
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 12, 2025
The Bucs gave him 46 percent of their goal-to-go snaps despite a midseason timeshare, yet now the gig is his.
From Week 16 onward, including the Bucs’ postseason game, Irving out-carried Rachaad White 72-7 and out-targeted him 14-10. This is not a timeshare — it’s Irving’s backfield now, and he is a dark horse to finish overall RB1.
Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
Nico Collins already paid off last year and is set to do it again with even less target competition. In 2024, he posted 1,006 yards and 7 touchdowns in only 12 games, missing five yet still finishing the year at WR8 pace (17.6 PPR points per game).
The efficiency is rarely seen outside the elite tier. With C.J. Stroud targeting him on 24 percent of his routes and Collins averaging 2.94 yards per route run, he became an alpha the moment the Texans needed one.
Nico Collins has recorded 15 receiving touchdowns at home, tied for third-most in franchise history!!️ #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/E9RKXl5JOR
— LBG (@lbg_nico7) December 6, 2024
Even when Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell were active, Collins processed a robust volume and consistently posted over 110 yards per game. With Houston’s depth chart thinner than ever, he projects for over 90 receptions, at least 1,250 yards, and close to 10 touchdowns.
Every major projection system pegs him as a WR1 and the clear focal point of one of the league’s most exciting passing offenses. The only risk is not drafting him aggressively enough.
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
Tetairoa McMillan steps into Carolina as the rare rookie ready to dominate from day one. With the Arizona Wildcats, he posted consecutive 1,300-yard seasons, routinely making plays both downfield and in contested coverage.
Last year, he ranked top six among college receivers in yards per route and drew a whopping 130 targets. At 6’4” with elite body control, he is already the most talented receiver on the roster and will command immediate trust from QB Bryce Young.
With the 8th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona! #NFLDraft2025 pic.twitter.com/odYv7IXkIx
— Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN) April 25, 2025
The Panthers used a top-10 pick on McMillan, not for depth, but to make him the new face of their passing offense. He profiles for 120 or more targets, 1,000 yards as a rookie, and 6 to 9 touchdowns, which puts him into WR2 territory before he even steps on the field.
Recent rookie WR1s have smashed ADP, and McMillan has both the situation and production profile to do the same.
George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys
George Pickens finally gets out from under bad quarterback play and into a hyper-efficient Dallas offense. Even in Pittsburgh, with bottom-tier QB production, Pickens averaged 70.8 yards per game and hogged 26 percent of the team’s targets in the first half of last year. He finished first in yards per reception among qualified receivers.
Another George Pickens highlight to end the drill. He twirls for a toe-drag touchdown from Dak Prescott. Cowboys fans, get ready! #CowboysCamp pic.twitter.com/G52OQm3tLI
— Kyle Youmans (@Kyle_Youmans) August 3, 2025
The Cowboys project him for at least 100 targets, 950 yards, and a high touchdown total alongside Ceedee Lamb.
With Dak Prescott’s precision and the lack of true WR2 competition, Pickens will benefit from coverage rolled away from him for the first time, and his ADP trails his likely production by several rounds.
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Emeka Egbuka is the best sneaky bet at WR in this class. Slotted as the third receiver for now, his Ohio State tape tells another story — strong route running, elite hands, and over 80 catches last year against top-tier corners. He was the “quiet killer” opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. and now joins a Tampa attack expected to pass more than almost any team.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are each another year older. Both receivers missed time last season, and Godwin is unlikely to be ready for Week 1. This gives Egbuka a chance to solidify his status as a go-to option for Baker Mayfield early in the season.
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The real reason for excitement around Egbuka is the potential for him to have a second-half surge that sees him post 14+ PPG during fantasy’s most important weeks. I cannot draft Egbuka enough.
Joshua Palmer, WR, Buffalo Bills
Do not sleep on Joshua Palmer as the kind of late-round target who can put up massive weeks in elite offenses. With Josh Allen distributing, the potential for a breakout is always there.
Palmer is in the top 16 in separation and the top 12 in route win rate, which signals he is consistently getting open and waiting for a larger target share. Recent years have shown Allen’s WR3 can pull off multiple 100-yard, 2-TD spike weeks, especially when injuries hit.
He is a box-score-ignoring, advanced-metrics darling who costs you almost nothing in drafts. Khalil Shakir is already dealing with a high ankle sprain. Keon Coleman was a weak prospect who was disappointing as a rookie. Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore are rotational depth pieces.
There’s a very real chance Palmer could lead this team in targets, and we’ve seen him have WR2 stretches before with the Chargers. Palmer is not going to necessarily be a league winner, but he is a near lock to outperform his ADP.
