Fantasy Football Draft Strategy 2025 and Blueprint to Forming a Winning Squad

The 2025 NFL preseason has reached its conclusion which means real, meaningful football is just days away. It also means managers around the world will be gathering to partake in their annual fantasy drafts, with bragging rights and the occasional high-stakes bet on the line.

Ahead of their drafts, what should managers both old and young, veteran and inexperienced know when it comes to compiling the players they hope lead them to fantasy football victory?

Find out with this preview, including the strategy and blueprint for a win, as well as the top 25 players in this year's draft.

Top 25 Picks

AP Photo

The top 25 players in fantasy drafts for PPR (points per reception) leagues this season should be:

1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
2. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
3. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
4. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
5. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
7. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
8. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
9. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
10. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
11. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
12. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
13. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonvlle Jaguars
14. AJ Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
15. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
16. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
17. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
18. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
19. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
20. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
21. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
22. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
23. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
24. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
25. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Research Retains (or Regains) Championships

AP Photo

The importance of research in fantasy football is key to winning a league championship. Going in blindly and picking the best player available may allow some to luck into victory but rarely is that the case.

Managers should know about everything from recent trends to injury history, player stats with a certain quarterback under center and success or struggles against a given team.

Has Christian McCaffrey, once a consensus No. 1 overall pick in any draft, reached the end of his usefulness as a legitimate first round pick, thanks to an injury history that understandably causes hesitation on the part of managers to take him as highly as preseason mock drafts suggest?

Can Brock Bowers, who put up one of the greatest rookie seasons for any receiver, replicate that output in 2025 and justify such a high draft spot for a tight end?

What is the realistic ceiling of his fellow tight end, rookie Tyler Warren, given the questions at the quarterback position in Indianapolis?

Those are the types of questions that one must have a general knowledge of and answer for before they select their first player. Considering the early picks, of fantasy studs, are the foundation on which any team is built, it is of the utmost importance that managers know what they are getting into with any given player.

Furthermore, understanding which rookies and under-the-radar picks are potential sleepers and breakout options is equally as important. Read, watch film, find out who is flashing brilliance and if any intriguing potential picks have taken first-team reps, such as running back Jaydon Blue in Dallas.

Don't Reach for That Elite Quarterback

AP Photo

Elite quarterbacks may win the game on a Sunday afternoon but they do not necessarily equate to a fantasy victory.

Buffalo's Josh Allen and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson are different from the rest of the bunch in that they accumulate yardage threw the air and on the ground, with the potential to find pay dirt either way. They score lots of points and in 2024, the latter outscored the likes of Ja'Marr Chase and Bijan Robinson in standard league play.

Washington's Jayden Daniels may enter that conversation this season, if he can replicate the success of his rookie year.

With that said, none of the three are necessarily must-haves in at least the first two rounds. Reaching for one of them means robbing one's self of a running back or wide receiver who can contribute more consistently and provide the points needed to win any given week, particularly in PPR leagues.

Realistically, Allen and Jackson, even as elite options at their position, are fourth-round picks. Some will get adventurous and take them as early as the second round but they are doing themselves a disservice and costing themselves playmakers who will have a greater impact on their week-to-week scoring ability.