6 2025 NFL Draft Value Picks Projected to be Fantasy Stars

The official 2025 NFL draft may have come and gone, but there are still plenty of others to go; thousands, in fact.

Fantasy football drafts.

There will be dynasty drafts galore, both startups and rookie-only. Those will be followed by drafts in redraft and keeper formats.

As exciting as the leadup to the NFL draft was, the next several months will be even more enthralling for fantasy managers. Whether you won a championship or had a dismal campaign, hope springs anew. For many, it's a clean slate.

Most of the conversation surrounding the rookie class will center on first-round names. Is Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders already a top-10 running back? What can we expect from Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan? What impact will Travis Hunter of the Jacksonville Jaguars have playing both ways in fantasy leagues that employ individual defensive players?

However, there was no shortage of players selected outside the top 50 who could go on to have a massive fantasy impact, both in 2025 and in the years to come.

Players just like these.

Kaleb Johnson, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Najee Harris peeled off four straight 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh, but after averaging less than four yards a carry over that span, the Steelers let him walk in free agency.

That departure left the Steelers with a hole at running back, which the team filled in Round 3 of the draft with a similarly bruising back.

Kaleb Johnson was much more effective on a per-touch basis at Iowa. The 6'1", 224-pounder topped 1,500 rushing yards and averaged a robust 6.4 yards per carry in 2024 with the Hawkeyes.

As Mike DeFabo of The Athletic noted, the 21-year-old is an outstanding schematic fit in the Steel City:

"Johnson is a fantastic scheme fit for the Steelers. He played in a run-heavy, zone-centric offense that deployed multiple tight ends at the second-highest rate in FBS. If that sounds a lot like the Steelers' offense, it should. Pittsburgh is trying to build a bully that wins games at the line of scrimmage. By drafting a running back who had a second-round grade on (Dane) Brugler's board, the Steelers stuck to their identity and found good value in the third round."

Johnson is an upright runner though admittedly somewhat limited as a pass-catcher, so he'll likely cede passing-down work to Jaylen Warren. But that didn't stop Harris from posting four straight top-25 fantasy finishes in PPR points, including two in the top 15 and one inside the top five.

There may not have been a better fit of player and team in the whole draft.

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

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Arizona State's Cam Skattebo was one of college football's most productive backs a year ago.

The 5'10", 219-pounder amassed over 1,700 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground a year ago, chipping in 45 catches for 605 yards and three scores through the air.

The New York Giants made Skattebo one of the first picks of Day 3, and while much has been made of his perceived lack of straight-line speed, Gene Clemons of Sports Illustrated believes the 23-year-old brings a lot to the table:

"In addition to his physicality and balance, Skattebo has tremendous vision. He always seems to be moving one step ahead and sets up his blocks very well. He knows when to lower the boom on a would-be tackler and understands when he has to set up to miss because they are so worried about being run over. He sometimes sets these moves up in chains and connects them like skate park tricks."

Tyrone Tracy Jr. emerged down the stretch last season as the Giants' lead back, but the team struggled as a whole running the ball, averaging less than 105 yards per game.

Frankly, the hand-wringing over Skattebo's 40 time (4.65) is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. One run doesn't erase endless hours of tape of him looking plenty fast enough in pads running from actual tacklers.

The Giants thought enough of Skattebo to draft him over a full round earlier than they took Tracy the year before. This will likely start off as a committee backfield, but it won't be surprising if he emerges as their lead back sooner rather than later.

Tre Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

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In 2023, the Los Angeles Chargers used a first-round pick on Quentin Johnston, a selection they likely have come to regret. Last year, it was a second-round pick on Ladd McConkey, who lived up to his draft slot and then some.

Who's up for the best two out of three?

In the back half of Round 2, the Chargers selected Tre Harris, a 6'2", 205-pound boundary wideout who averaged over 17 yards a reception for the Ole Miss Rebels a year ago.

Colton Dodgson of Footballguys lauded Harris as an ideal complement to McConkey on the outside:

"Justin Herbert now has a legitimate threat on the outside. At Ole Miss last season, Harris lined up at the X or Z receiver position almost exclusively. All he did with the opportunity was lead the country with 5.12 yards per route run among receivers with 60 or more targets. For reference, the next closest yards per route run figure was Eric Rivers' 3.57. Harris is a legitimate deep threat who caught 61.5 percent of his contested targets. Currently, former first-round pick Quentin Johnston projects as his stiffest competition for a meaningful role. Given the TCU product's struggles and the Chargers' draft investment, the X or Z will likely be occupied by Harris sooner rather than later. I'm not sure there could've been a better landing spot for Tre Harris from a fantasy perspective. He projects to contribute almost immediately on the boundary, in an offense with an established quarterback and other weapons."

Injuries have sapped most of the juice from Mike Williams, and Johnston may not have ever really had any.

Harris is going to be the Bolts' starting X receiver—and soon.

Jack Bech, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

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There was little question the Las Vegas Raiders were going to add a wide receiver or three in the 2025 draft—their receiver room featured veteran Jakobi Meyers and a Who's Who of "Who?"

However, it was a little surprising when they made Jack Bech their first pick at the position toward the back of Round 2.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll told reporters the TCU product has already made it clear he wants to do a bit of everything in the NFL.

"He's really versatile. He can do everything. He's played outside and played inside. He's been a possession guy at times. He's really a catch and run guy. He's really physical, he's tough as you get as a receiver. He'll block like crazy. He’s already brought it up on the phone in the first couple thoughts in a conversation with him. And so, we'll find his spot for him, but we see him as versatile and we're counting on him to do a number of things. He's already been asked to. So, we've seen it on film, and he's got really good understanding of the game. He's about as fired up as a receiver can get, as far as being physical and crazy and wild and wants to be on special teams and the whole thing. So, we'll find it out where the best fit is for him, but he's very, very much ready to do whatever we want."

There's some Cooper Kupp in Bech's game: He wins more with route-running and physicality than blazing speed.

The 6'1", 214-pounder topped 1,000 yards and averaged almost 17 yards per catch with the Horned Frogs last year, and given the clear path to targets that exists in Sin City, it won't take long for the 22-year-old to become fantasy-relevant.

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Tennessee Titans

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It's not unheard of for a Day 3 wide receiver prospect to make an immediate dent in fantasy leagues. But it's also not especially common, so a measure of patience is often required.

Elic Ayomanor of Stanford wasn't supposed to be a Day 3 pick. Many analysts had the 6'2", 206-pounder coming off the board in Day 2.

The Canada-born prospect is something of a work-in-progress as a receiver, but per Jeremy Popielarz of FTN believes the tools are all there for the 21-year-old to star at the NFL level.

"There is really no ceiling for Elic Ayomanor. He needs to refine his craft for sure, but the natural skills are all there to be a top target at the next level. This is music to a fantasy manager's ears, as consistent top-12 seasons could be in the range of outcomes. However, there is an equal chance he never produces a single top-24 season. So, when investing, go in with the correct expectations, but the natural talent is too hard to pass on in rookie drafts."

Ayomanor has landed in something of an unsettled situation. There's a new quarterback in Tennessee in rookie Cam Ward and a trio of new receivers in Ayomanor, fellow first-year wideout Chimere Dike and veteran Tyler Lockett.

But while Calvin Ridley is the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver for the Titans, the uncertainty behind him could create an opportunity.

Lockett is 32. Treylon Burks has never lived up to his draft slot. And Dike is a smaller player who needs refinement of his own.

If Ayomanor is a quick study, he could become a significant part of the Titans' passing attack in relatively short order.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns

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For many years, it was almost unheard of for a rookie tight end to make a major statistical dent in his first season. Travis Kelce had as many catches for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 as I did.

Now, though, the script has flipped. In each of the past two seasons, a rookie has led all tight ends in PPR points: Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions in 2023 and Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.

Expecting Harold Fannin Jr. of the Cleveland Browns to make that kind of splash in 2025 isn't especially realistic, especially considering the Bowling Green product didn't start playing the position until college and David Njoku is still in town.

However, as Anthony Poisal of the Browns website noted, Fannin showed the ability to rack up catches and yardage like few collegiate tight ends ever have:

"Fannin lit up the Mid-American Conference—and all of the FBS—in 2024 with a stunning year that included 117 receptions and 1,555 receiving yards, which are both single-season FBS records, and 10 touchdowns. That included a dominant showing against Penn State, where he hauled 137 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions, and Texas A&M, where he totaled eight catches for 145 yards and one touchdown. Those performances put Fannin on the map as one of the best tight end prospects of the draft class, and his record-setting season cemented him as one of the best pass catching prospects."

The Browns may have Njoku, but the team also has a collection of wide receivers that is, um, yeah.

There could easily be a lot of 12 personnel (two-TE sets) in Kevin Stefanski's offense this year. And if the Browns can get any real level of quarterback play, Fannin has a chance to challenge to be the No. 1 rookie tight end of 2025.

His future is brighter still.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter @IDPGodfather.