ClutchPoints
Fantasy Football draft season is almost here, and the pre-season hype is easy to fall for. While they mostly won’t go in the first round, it’s the rookies that could win your league. From Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter to TreVeyon Henderson and Colston Loveland, there are a lot of rookies to parse through for managers. Which rookies will help you win your fantasy football league in 2025?
All of these rookies should be on fantasy football teams after the draft. Their average draft position, ADP, comes from ESPN’s live data. If you are drafting late, learn from others’ mistakes, grab these rookies early, and go grab a ring.
Ashton Jeanty is the top rookie in fantasy football this season because he should get a big workload for a run-heavy team. After a Heisman Trophy nomination at Boise State, Jeanty joins Geno Smith and Pete Carroll in Vegas. Running backs traditionally go early in fantasy drafts, and Jeanty is no different.
The Raiders are in a very tough division, and Jeanty may get beaten up as the season rolls along. But their opening game against the New England Patriots could be a showcase spot for the rookie. If the Raiders are going to be any good this year, Jeanty is a big reason why. He is worth taking a flyer on around his ADP in the second round.
The Green Bay Packers finally picked a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft. They took Matthew Golden out of Texas 22nd overall, giving Jordan Love another target. With Christian Watson and Jayden Reed injured, Golden should be the top target early in the season.
The issue here is that Love is also injured, but there is optimism that he will be ready for Week 1. If Malik Willis is the Packers’ quarterback in Week 1, fantasy football managers will not love having Golden as a starting wide receiver. But by the season’s end, Golden could be the top wideout in Green Bay.
Travis Hunter comes in third on the fantasy football rookie rankings because of the uncertainty. There is no question that Golden will be on the field as a wide receiver all season long, barring injury. Regardless of how great the preseason reports are from Jacksonville, the same cannot be said about Travis Hunter. This may come back to bite a lot of fantasy football managers this year, but Hunter is not the top rookie right now.
That goes for anyone not playing with individual defensive players in their league. If managers can get a Shohei Ohtani-type of double production out of Hunter, then he should be the top rookie selected.
The Los Angeles Chargers remade their running back room this offseason by drafting Omarion Hampton and signing Najee...
