2025 Fantasy Football Rankings: Dynasty rookie top 36

• Five running backs in the top seven: This is the deepest running back class in recent memory, led by Ashton Jeanty, who could be an immediate first-round pick in redraft leagues.

• Landing spots could play a major impact on the receivers: While wide receivers Luther Burden III and Emeka Egbuka in addition to tight end Colston Loveland are talented, there is a chance their roles could be restricted to clear passing downs only to begin their rookie seasons.

• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

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With the NFL combine here and the draft just two months away, it’s a good time to see where the current rookie class stands before finding their landing spot. These rookie rankings assume a single quarterback dynasty PPR league. Rankings for superflex formats can be found closer to the NFL draft.

Travis Hunter is currently not included in these rankings, as the assumption is that he will mostly play cornerback. Even if he plays full-time cornerback and 10-15 snaps at wide receiver a game, that is unlikely to be enough to warrant putting Hunter in your fantasy starting lineup unless you’re also getting points for his work on defense, or if you’re in a best ball league.

Last updated: 5:00 a.m. Monday, February 24th

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1. RB Ashton Jeanty, RB1, Boise State

Jeanty is this and the last several drafts’ top running back prospect. He ranks fifth on our big board, joining Bijan Robinson as the only running back we’ve ranked in the top 10 since 2018. He’s the first running back to rank in the top 10 on consensus big boards since Saquon Barkley in 2018. Jeanty has the highest overall career grade for any FBS running back in the 11 seasons we’ve graded. This includes a 99.9 rushing grade and an 81.4 receiving grade. While his 81.4 receiving grade isn’t historically excellent, it is better than any of the other top 10 running backs on our or consensus big boards.

He is the clear top option in dynasty leagues, including superflex. The difference between him being a first-round redraft pick and a second-round pick could depend on his landing spot. He’s most frequently mocked by the Dallas Cowboys, which would generally be a strong landing spot. The Cowboys‘ offensive line was average in the run-blocking department last season despite Zack Martin declining as a player and Tyler Guyton having an underwhelming rookie season. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer has consistently used zone run plays at a high rate, and the passing game is good enough to avoid consistent eight-man boxes. If he’s the Cowboys running back, he would be worth a first-round pick in redraft leagues.

If he is selected earlier in the first round to a team like the Cleveland Browns or Las Vegas Raiders, he might not have as much success if defenses are more focused on stopping him. Even then, a first-round pick might be warranted, but there is also a chance he slips to the second round of fantasy drafts.

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2. RB Omarion Hampton, RB2, North Carolina

Hampton has spent the last two seasons as the lead running back for North Carolina, finishing with at least a 90.0 grade and 110 rushing yards per game in each season. He ranks second among running backs on our and consensus big boards. His 25th overall rank on our big board is the fourth highest we’ve given a running back since 2018, behind Jeanty, Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson.

Our Trevor Sikkema calls Hampton “one of the class’ most physically gifted running backs.” He stacks up well in our stable metrics, performing particularly well as the top Power-Four running back in yards after contact per attempt since 2023. Trevor and our stable metrics note Hampton could perform exceptionally well in a zone scheme.

While several mock drafts exclude Hampton from the first round, some, including Jordan Plocher’s recent mock, have Hampton as a late first-round pick for the Los Angeles Chargers. The Minnesota Vikings are another typical landing spot late in the first round. Either way, he would join an impressive offense and could be their lead running back immediately. He has a strong chance to finish as a top-24 fantasy running back as a rookie, and he has a top-five back upside if the offense is right.

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3. WR Tetairoa McMillan, WR1, Arizona

McMillian is a prototypical X receiver who is expected to be selected among the top 10 overall picks. He is one of the most accomplished first-round rookies of the past seven draft classes, finishing with 3,414 career receiving yards at Arizona. DeVonta Smith is the only first-round receiver who had more receiving yards in college. He accomplished this despite 33% of his targets being uncatchable, one of the lowest rates among the first-round wide receivers.

At 6-foot-5, McMillan is the tallest of the recent first-round wide receivers, joining Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., Drake London and N’Keal Harry as other recent highly drafted tall receivers. Compared to those players, McMillan has more experience on deep passes and sees the second-highest target rate from the slot, behind London. His college route tree was very similar to Harrison’s. While Harrison graded better and was generally better on a per-play basis, McMillan was faster and much better at avoiding tackles.

Unfortunately, a wide receiver picked in the top 10 is typically paired with below-average quarterback play, which matters more for X receivers than receivers with a shorter average depth of target. Harrison, Thomas, Rome Odunze and Xavier Legette were all 6-foot-3 or taller and drafted in the first round last year. All were on below-average teams in terms of quarterback accuracy percentage on deep and intermediate passes. Thomas was the only one to outperform expectations despite the quarterback play, thanks to a high 24.9% targets per route and explosive plays. Given McMillan’s relatively impressive speed and elusiveness for his size, he might be more likely to thrive despite a subpar quarterback room than some of these other receivers.

Most of his potential landing spots have uncertain quarterback situations, but the likely best-case scenario is landing with the New England Patriots at the fourth spot. Drake Maye’s 46.2% intermediate and deep target accuracy was 16th best among 37 qualifying quarterbacks. The Patriots also had the third-fewest targets to outside receivers and the lowest team receiving grade for their outside receivers, so McMillan could quickly earn a high share of targets.

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4. WR Luther Burden III, WR2, Missouri

Burden is the NFL’s next great slot receiver. After spending his 2022 season as an outside receiver, he moved inside in 2023. He lined up in the slot for 84% of his offensive snaps over the last two seasons. He’s been excellent at avoiding tackles and making yards after the catch, while his 9.1-yard average target depth is among the lowest 15% of wide receivers in the draft class. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Josh Downs, Drake London and Rashee Rice are other wide receivers with average depths in the 8.8-9.7 range who turned that style of play in college to success in the NFL.

The only concern is if he lands on a team that restricts him to only playing in the slot. Smith-Njigba wasn’t a primary receiver in two-receiver sets until his second season, while Downs has stayed as a slot-only receiver throughout his career. It is challenging for someone who only plays in the slot in three-receiver sets to be a consistent fantasy starter, according to the FSWA award-nominated article on wide receiver utilization. Luckily, he is the size of a Z receiver, making it more likely that Burden can be an every-down player than others who played predominantly in the slot in college.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are two teams he is mocked to the most, both of whom could use a second receiving option. It’s unlikely he will land on a team where he is the clear-cut top target earner, but there are several examples in the last decade of teams having two top-10 fantasy wide receivers.

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5. RB TreVeyon Henderson, RB3, Ohio State

There is no shortage of talented running backs in the 2025 draft, and there is no consensus on which order they should be picked beyond the top two. The draft capital spent on each back and the quality of the landing spot will go a long way in determining which order they should be picked in dynasty rookie drafts in May. Until then, Henderson is the next back due to his potential to play in any situation.

Henderson has played significantly on third downs throughout his career. He is among the best running backs in the class in terms of both receiving grade and yards per route run. Along with his receiving production, he was elite on a per-play basis last season, playing a limited role on early downs. He converted 40% of his runs to first downs and gained at least 15 yards on 14% of his runs.

Henderson’s big concern is if he can play over 65% of his team’s offensive snaps when he never did that in college. While he’s on the smaller side for a running back, Kyren Williams, Dalvin Cook and Devin Singletary are other running backs who have seen a feature role in their offense of similar size. 

Henderson will need an offensive play-caller willing to feature him in the passing game, but if he finds the right match, he could dominate PPR leagues immediately as a rookie.

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6. RB Kaleb Johnson, RB4, Iowa

Johnson is the traditional north-south runner with minimal experience in the passing game. When everything was going right on offense, few running backs were better. It wasn’t until 2024 that he became the clear lead back for Iowa, but that led to an average of 128 yards per game. While he converted first downs at a below-average rate, he was one of the best at creating big plays, leading to a 26.0 EPA. 

His lack of receiving production could limit his upside in the NFL. Eight running backs in the NFL are 6 feet or taller, weigh at least 220 pounds and have played at least 1,000 offensive snaps over the last three years. Those running backs include Saquon Barkley, Najee Harris, Derrick Henry, James Conner, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson, Ezekiel Elliott and A.J. Dillon. Robinson is the only back from that group with a receiving grade above 65.0, but he’s accomplished that with less than two receptions per game.

Three of those running backs finished among the top 12 last season, so it’s possible that Johnson can become more than just a borderline fantasy starter if he lives up to the hype. A lot will depend on his landing spot, how quickly he can reach at least 15 carries per game, and how much help he receives from his offensive line.

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7. RB Quinshon Judkins, RB5, Ohio State

Judkins is the second Ohio State running back on this list. After spending time at Ole Miss, he transferred to Ohio State, where he was no longer the clear lead running back but was just as effective running with the ball. He is one of the more well-rounded running backs of the group. He graded well, in part, thanks to his consistent play, but there are also few metrics outside of his first down rate that help him stand out compared to the rest of the running backs in the class.

While he was a classic early down back in his one season at Ohio State, he has experience playing in receiving situations at Ole Miss. His cumulative and rate stats in the passing game improved each season, leading to an improved PFF receiving grade.

While there aren’t many numbers pointing to Judkins being a genuinely elite NFL back, he’s shown enough that he’s worthy of being a starter, and any running back who can hold down a starting job has significant fantasy value, particularly when they are capable of playing all three downs.

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8. WR Emeka Egbuka, WR3, Ohio State

Egbuka is lower on this list than other dynasty rookie rankings because of positional scarcity. We have seven running backs in the top 70 of our big board when there was an average of 2.7 over the previous seven drafts. The quality of wide receivers from one draft to the next has been more consistent, so it was just as easy to find good wide receiver options in the last few drafts, and there should be plenty of good choices in future drafts.

Egbuka might be a safer option than some previously listed running backs. He is similar to Burden in that he played primarily in the slot from college. That means they are at risk of only playing in the slot in the NFL, but he found success when allowed to play out wide and has the size to play the Z role in the NFL along with the slot.

While Egbuka might not be as fast as Burden or other similar high YAC slot receivers, Trevor references his control multiple times in addition to his balance and football intelligence, which helps him get open. The easiest way for Egbuka to shoot up these rankings is to land on a team where he can quickly gain a high target share.

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9. WR Matthew Golden, WR4, Texas

Golden is the second wide receiver on this list who predominantly played as an outside wide receiver in college. The Texas wide receiver is this high on the list due to his traits more than his college production. Golden has the second-lowest receiving grade for a wide receiver who was either picked in the first round or is projected to get picked in the first round over the past five seasons. This doesn’t necessarily need to be a bad thing, as Brian Thomas Jr. was the only wide receiver with a lower grade who was also picked for his traits.

No wide receiver has more listed strengths in our strengths and weaknesses for the top prospects series. The article includes multiple references to his footwork, as well as his work on the sideline and his excellent one-handed catches. While he predominately played on the outside, his yards per route run nearly doubled from 1.43 to 2.64 when moved to the slot. An offense willing to move Golden around the formation might lead to more success.

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10. TE Tyler Warren, TE1, Penn State

Warren posted the most impressive season by a Power-Five tight end in the PFF era last season. His receiving grade was second-best to Kyle Pitts in 2020, but Warren received twice as many targets. Warren’s 1,226 receiving yards were over 250 more than any other tight end season, as Mark Andrews and Brock Bowers also posted top-five seasons. His rate stats were just as impressive as his cumulative stats.

Warren has the traits of a good blocker, although he didn’t necessarily grade well last season because he was more focused on his receiving. He’s graded better as a blocker in past seasons, but he didn’t grade nearly as well as a receiver those years. There is little negative to say about him outside of his limited sample size of greatness.

He is this low mainly because of positional importance and inconsistency among the top tight end prospects in recent seasons. While Brock Bowers was elite as a rookie, Dalton Kincaid and Michael Mayer are two other tight ends who ranked highly on both our big board and consensus big boards, and neither has turned into consistent fantasy starters. While fantasy managers needing a tight end might drive Warren up rookie drafts, he should be picked after the other players in dynasty startup leagues.

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11. TE Colston Loveland, TE2, Michigan

While Loveland is ranked back-to-back with Warren, there is a pretty sizeable gap between the 10th and 11th pick. If you are in a dynasty league that doesn’t have their rookie draft in a few months, it could be good to try acquiring more picks in the top 10 or trading back if you have picks 11 or 12.

There is a lot to like about Loveland as a receiver, with high receiving grades in both 2023 and 2024. His run-blocking grade was below 55.0 in all three of his college seasons, and the lack of blocking is the big reason there is a gap between Warren and Loveland on both our big boards and consensus boards. His fantasy value could largely depend on the philosophy of his offensive play-caller. Jonnu Smith had a 40.5 run-block grade last season, started the year playing less than 50% of his team’s offensive snaps, gained playing time as the year progressed, and was one of the top fantasy tight ends to close the season. Sam LaPorta had a 55.1 run block grade last season, but that did not impact his playing time in Detroit. Players like Zach Ertz (41.3), Pat Freiermuth (44.7) and Noah Fant (42.3) also had notably low run block grades, which led them to play in rotations, which hurt their fantasy value.

The two teams he’s been mocked to most frequently are the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, who both have offensive play-callers who typically rotate their tight ends. The fact that those teams have quality quarterbacks and offenses could help him overcome playing in a rotation.

12. WR Elic Ayomanor, WR5, Stanford

Ayomanor is the third wide receiver who played predominately on the outside in college. He was a well-rounded player in two years at Stanford, putting up good but not great numbers in most cumulative and rate stats. He shined the most against man coverage on big plays. While some work can be done to improve his receiving, ideally, those big plays can help him find immediate fantasy value on his new team.

Ayomanor ranks just outside the top 32 players on our big board and is a mid-second-round pick on consensus big boards. He seems unlikely to be drafted in the first round, and his fantasy value could largely depend on his landing spot. He would be an immediate starter on some teams, but other landing spots could lead to him developing over time. Over the last five seasons, half of the second-round picks ran at least 350 routes as a rookie. Last season, Ladd McConkey was one of the better rookie second-round picks from recent memory, while players like Ja’Lynn Polk and Adonai Mitchell made minimal impacts as a rookie. Of the top 15 players on the big board, Ayomanor is most at risk of not having a prominent role as a rookie.

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