After a long NFL offseason, everyone starts to get the fantasy jitters heading into the summer months. With the NFL Draft, free agency, and training camp/OTAs starting up, as a fantasy community, we all get excited and start our research on how to get the upper hand on our league mates (friends, family, co-workers, or even randoms).
Taking rookies in fantasy drafts can sometimes be a scary thought, especially when taking them in some of the earlier rounds. I’m going to show you why it can be a great idea, especially if you target these five rookies down below.
Drafting rookies can help bolster your rosters going into the season. When drafting the right rookies on your team, they can easily help you build that championship roster when they quickly succeed in the league. Down below will be five rookies I see that can be main contributors to your fantasy championship run for your 2025 fantasy football leagues.
1. Ashton Jeanty - RB (LV)
FantasyPros ADP (PPR) - RB5, 11th overall
In the 2025 NFL draft, the Las Vegas Raiders selected former Boise State Bronco Ashton Jeanty 6th overall. Jeanty landing with the Raiders is one of the more ideal landing spots for him to end up in. He now gets to work with former Seattle Seahawks and USC Trojans head coach Pete Carroll.
We all know what Carroll loves to do in football games: play old-school, physical football by running the ball. Jeanty landing with the Raiders is also great because he will have no competition in the backfield, which will lead to him getting insane volume.
Jeanty has a very high chance of finishing as a top-three fantasy running back. If you look at past NFL rookie running backs, the two I compare Jeanty to are 2016 Ezekiel Elliot (DAL), and 2018 Saquon Barkley (NYG).
Looking back at Elliott's rookie season for fantasy, he finished as RB2, averaging 21.7 Points (PPR), and totaling 325.4 points according to FantasyPros. Saquon's rookie season saw him finishing as the RB1, averaging 24.1 points (PPR), totaling 385.8 points also according to FantasyPros.
I see Jeanty easily outperforming both Elliot and Barkley's rookie seasons, because when you watch Jeanty, he has all the tools we saw in both Elliot and Barkley going into their rookie years for fantasy. Jeanty has shown us that he can handle the full bulk of a workload for a full season and is a three-down back. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jeanty finish his rookie year as the overall RB1 excluding any injuries. If you end up with picks 8-12, Jeanty is a legit player to consider with your first-round pick.
2. Omarion Hampton - RB (LAC)
FantasyPros ADP (PPR) - RB15, 48th overall
After having a great junior season at the University of North Carolina, former Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton was selected in the first round, 22nd overall by the Los Angeles Chargers. Similar to fellow rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton landed in one of the more perfect spots for a running back to end up.
Looking at current head coach Jim Harbaugh's previous teams, he has always been known for running the football first to open up his passing game. Yes, Hampton did land in a backfield with former Steelers running back Najee Harris, but I don’t see that being concerning at all for Hampton. He will still get his touches and it will be more of a 1A-1B situation for the Chargers backfield.
Hampton has such an easy path to finishing as a top-12 fantasy running back. When comparing Hampton to some former rookies, I see 2015 Todd Gurley (STL) and 2017 Leonard Fournette (JAX). Looking back on Gurley's successful rookie season, he finished as the RB9, averaging 16 points (PPR), and totaling 208.4 points according to FantasyPros. In Fournette's rookie year, he also finished as the RB9, averaging 17.7 points (PPR), totaling 230.2 points according to FantasyPros.
Looking back at Gurley and Fournette's rookie numbers for fantasy, it feels like a given for Hampton to easily surpass those numbers, especially when he is valued as the RB15, and the 48th overall player. Hampton is a physical animal when getting the ball in his hands and refuses to go down when being tackled, he should easily beat out Harris for touches with his explosiveness and aggressive running style.
I believe Hampton is a steal in the fourth or fifth round of fantasy drafts, being able to draft a top-12 fantasy running back in that range of your draft should be criminal, but go ahead and take him because all of your league mates will be hating you when they see the production he puts up.
3. Tetairoa McMillan - WR (CAR)
FantasyPros ADP (PPR) - WR21, 38th overall
Wide receiver out of the University of Arizona, Tet McMillian was selected 8th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. This makes him the legitimate first option for former top overall pick Bryce Young.
McMillan ended up with the perfect draft capital he needed to become an elite NFL wide receiver by landing with the Panthers. Carolina is a team that will break out on the offensive side of the ball. McMillan is a big, strong, and elusive wideout who makes big plays, especially near the goal line. He lands in Dave Canales' system where they will force the ball his way, just like Canales did when he was in Tampa Bay with Mike Evans.
McMillan has a great path to finish as a top-20 fantasy wideout with the potential of finishing inside the top-15. When you look at former rookie wide receivers, two easily come to mind that resemble McMillian. 2014 Mike Evans (TB) and 2014 Kelvin Benjamin (CAR). Going back to Mike Evans’ 2014 rookie season, he finished as the WR13, averaging 16.3 points (PPR), and totaling 245.1 points according to FantasyPros. In Kelvin Benjamin's rookie season, he finished as the fantasy WR16, averaging 14.1 points (PPR), and totaling 225.8 points.
When you compare McMillian to Evans and Benjamin, you can easily see they all have two things in common: their size and when they were drafted. They were all drafted to be their team's top target in their offenses that year. With McMillan being the WR21 and the 38th overall player, he feels like a steal just like fellow rookie Omarion Hampton. McMillian is going to get a lot of targets and blow by his projected ADP, he is a steal in the fourth round of fantasy drafts.
4. Travis Hunter - WR (JAX)
FantasyPros ADP (PPR) - WR29, 54th overall
Former Heisman Trophy winner and former University of Colorado Buffalo two-way superstar Travis Hunter was selected second-overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hunter was selected by the Jaguars to be their second wide receiver behind Brian Thomas Jr. according to general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen.
I love this pick and the assurance we got about Hunter playing wide receiver. He is a much a better receiver than cornerback and I believe his potential is much higher on offense. Hunter will be a force to be reckoned with when teams start to double up on Brian Thomas Jr., leaving Hunter in one-on-one coverage often. I see him and Trevor Lawrence building extremely good chemistry in his rookie year.
Travis Hunter is a high-risk, high-reward player who could easily finish anywhere from WR12 to WR30. His potential is so high and I see his skill set from two former LSU wide receivers from their rookie seasons: 2020 Justin Jefferson (MIN) and 2021 Ja’Marr Chase (CIN).
Looking back on Jefferson's 2020 rookie season, he finished as the WR6, averaging 17.1 points (PPR), and totaling 274.2 points according to FantasyPros. Going back to Chase's 2021 rookie season, he finished as the WR5, averaging 17.9 points (PPR), and totaling 304.6 points according to FantasyPros.
Yes, I know Jefferson and Chase finished higher than my projected spot for Hunter, but that’s the high-risk, high-reward I see in Hunter because his game as a receiver replicates these two stars in the NFL at the moment. Hunter is a boom-or-bust player, but I love where he is projected to go in fantasy drafts in the mid-fifthth round. He’s a pick that can turn into what Brian Thomas Jr turned into last year when he was selected in fantasy drafts.
5. TreVeyon Henderson - RB (NE)
FantasyPros ADP (PPR) - RB22, 65th overall
Former National Champion and Ohio State Buckeye running back TreVeyon Henderson was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round, 38th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Henderson landing with the Patriots seems like a perfect relationship in head coach Mike Vrabel's offense.
Henderson is a back that can play all three downs, unlike his fellow teammate Rhamondre Stevenson, who isn’t a great receiver out of the backfield. Henderson brings an explosiveness to this backfield and has serious home-run threat speed every time he touches the ball. At Ohio State, he had limited touches but still put up big numbers. He can easily win over this backfield in an instant with his home-run capability.
TreVeyon Henderson's range of outcomes fits right in between RB12 and RB17. The two former rookie seasons I can see Henderson replicating are those of 2015 David Johnson (AZ) and 2021 Javonte Williams (DEN). In David Johnson's 2015 rookie year, he finished as the fantasy RB8, averaging 13.1 points (PPR), totaling 209.8 points according to FantasyPros. Javonte Williams' 2021 rookie year had him finish as fantasy the RB17, averaging 12.1 points (PPR), and totaling 204.9 points.
Henderson has flashes of David Johnson’s home-run speed referenced above. In Williams and Johnson's rookie seasons, they both had games where they put up crooked numbers through certain weeks. Henderson easily has the potential to put up a couple of massive games during certain weeks. I love Henderson being valued in the sixth round of fantasy drafts because his potential has me wanting him in every fantasy draft I participate in.