With the 2025 NFL Draft now in the books, we know what the fantasy football landscape will mostly look like. It’s obviously very early, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a jump start on our redraft preparation.
ADP shifts and continued research will invariably impact this list in the future. But right now, here are five players I am targeting in 2025 redraft leagues. Running backs took the league by storm last season, so keep an eye on that position once again.
Players To Target In 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
It’s always difficult to write these things in May because so much can and will change in the coming weeks and months. I would be stunned if Ashton Jeanty’s late-second-round value held through August.
That is the benefit of doing this now, though. It gives us a frame of reference and helps us gauge value. I would have no issue drafting Jeanty at the 1/2 turn. If he is lasting anywhere into the second round, I will have a whole lot of Jeanty this year.
Jeanty went No. 6 overall to the Raiders. He is one of the best running back prospects of all time and as close to “can’t miss” as they get.
Even if Jeanty ends up “missing” long-term, though, it seems impossible for him to completely bust this year. The track record of first-round running backs and, more specifically, early-first-round running backs, is stellar.
Jeanty steps into an immediate three-down role with his only “competition” for touches a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. We are looking at 400-touch upside here.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If I can’t get Jeanty, then Bucky Irving is the next best thing. I love me some Bucky.
As a rookie, Irving “only” averaged 14.4 fantasy points per game. That was due to playing behind Rachaad White for the first few weeks of the season and then mired in a timeshare. By the latter portion of the season, Todd Bowles had seen enough. The backfield flipped and Irving dominated touches.
Excluding Week 14 when he left the game early, Irving averaged 22.4 opportunities per game from Week 13 onward.
Week 6 is when Irving’s usage started to really increase. From that point forward, he averaged 16.93 ppg. If we take out Week 14, that bumps up to 18.21 ppg.
White is still on the team, but I believe the coaching staff is done with him. I expect White will average 3-5 opportunities per game, at most, and they will likely be in obvious passing situations. This is Irving’s backfield. I see 20 ppg upside in the second round.
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Before the NFL Draft, I was certain the Bengals would address running back. Chase Brown proved he could handle a massive workload, but that was never the plan. There’s a reason Zack Moss was plenty involved when healthy.
After Moss went down, the Bengals did not roster a running back they trusted other than Brown. Therefore, the sophomore had multiple games with a 100% opportunity share. From Week 9 onward, he never played fewer than 80% of the snaps.
Naturally, the Bengals were expected to draft someone to take some of the load off of Brown. They took Tahj Brooks in the sixth round. Forgive me for not expecting much from a sixth-round rookie.
The Bengals did bring back Samaje Perine, who will certainly see the field. However, I’ve grown increasingly confident in Brown being able to get reasonably close to the usage he had last season. He won’t see every touch in every game ever again. But even 80% of what he was last year is an RB1. If he remains priced in third round, I can’t imagine a scenario where I have a single team without him.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
For the better part of the past eight years, George Kittle has been the best tight end in football. The only reason you probably think it was Travis Kelce is because Kittle never posted the gaudy receiving numbers because he’s too good at blocking.
But when the 49ers need to call upon Kittle to step up as a receiver, he delivers — every time.
After his fantasy points per game dropped for five consecutive seasons, Kittle bounced back to almost match his career-best 2018 season, averaging 15.8 ppg, just 0.2 shy of his breakout sophomore year. Why? The 49ers needed him to.
For much of Kittle’s career, the 49ers have had an abundance of offensive weapons. When Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian McCaffrey are all on the field, Kittle is better used as a blocker.
Last year, Samuel, Aiyuk, and McCaffrey played a total of zero games together. Zero. There were many games where at least two, if not all three of them were out. What happened? Kittle smashed.
This year, Samuel is gone. Aiyuk is recovering from an ACL tear that will very likely keep him out to start the season. McCaffrey is healthy right now, but he’s also 29 years old. The stage is set for Kittle to once again be Brock Purdy’s rock.
You can spend a second or third round pick on Brock Bowers or Trey McBride. Or, you can draft Kittle a couple of rounds later and get similar production.
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
I have always been a bit of an ageist when it comes to fantasy football. A couple of years ago, I shifted my strategy and really committed to young players. Last season was one of the best of my career and I loaded up my rosters with rookies and sophomores (with some veterans, of course). This year will be no different.
At 6-foot-5, McMillan has all the makings of a classic X receiver. But he’s not just a go-up-and-get-it guy — he’s a polished route runner who should be able to win right away at the NFL level.
McMillan is a lock to start right away, and the target competition could not be weaker. The Panthers’ wide receivers behind McMillan are 35-year-old Adam Thielen, 2024 UDFA Jalen Coker, and 2024 first-round bust Xavier Legette.
McMillan should be an alpha target hog immediately. With what I believe to be an improving Bryce Young, a mid-round price on McMillan feels like stealing.