One of the most underrated strategies in fantasy football is identifying players who face minimal competition on their team’s depth chart. These players often dominate touches and targets, making them fantasy football gold.
Whether it's due to a clear path to volume, coaching trust, or roster turnover, these five players are primed for high usage with little threat behind them. Let’s dive into the top players with the least positional competition heading into the 2025 NFL season.
Running Backs Set to Feast In 2025
Chase Brown
(RB, CIN)
Chase Brown is entering 2025 after having a breakout year last season, finishing as the RB10 in 16 games played due to an injury late in the season. Brown had a snap percentage of 65% with 990 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. He had a target share of 11.2% with 54 receptions and 360 receiving yards with 4 receiving touchdowns.
Last season, Brown stole the show from Zack Moss when Moss was injured, and nothing has changed with the depth chart. Chase Brown was an efficient back with no competition that had 4.3 yards per carry and was heavily involved in a productive offense led by dynamic quarterback Joe Burrow.
Brown is entering 2025 fully healthy and may still end up being overlooked. He is a three-down back and is looking to dominate volume and your 2025 fantasy football leagues.
Omarion Hampton
(RB, LAC)
Omarion Hampton, the rookie out of North Carolina, landed in a dream scenario with the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Jim Harbaugh loves to pound the rock, and Hampton fits that philosophy perfectly.
With only Najee Harris ahead of him, Hampton has a realistic shot to be the lead back from Day 1. Harris only signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract, so they didn’t spend a lot of capital on him, but they did on Hampton, selecting him with the 22nd pick.
Hampton combines power, vision, and surprising acceleration, making him an ideal goal-line and early-down back. In fantasy, opportunity is king, and Hampton’s competition is a royal afterthought.
Omarion Hampton had 1,660 rushing yards on 281 attempts with 15 rushing touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 138.3 rushing yards per game in 2024. He also had 373 receiving yards on 38 receptions with 2 touchdowns.
Wide Receivers in Line for Heavy Volume In 2025
DK Metcalf
(WR, PIT)
Last season, DK Metcalf had a snap percentage of 87% with 66 receptions and 992 yards, along with 5 touchdowns. His yards per route run were low at 1.82, and he posted a target share of only 21.3%.
Now, Metcalf is with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and yes, he’s the clear WR1 on this team. With wideout George Pickens traded to the Dallas Cowboys and the team shifting to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Metcalf is set up to dominate.
The other wide receivers behind Metcalf are Calvin Austin and Robert Woods. Expect Metcalf to command a target share north of 25%, especially in the red zone. He’s a fantasy WR1 who may be getting drafted like a WR2.
The Steelers did just trade for Jonnu Smith, so now they have both Smith and Pat Freiermuth at tight end. Freiermuth will be the more traditional blocking tight end, while still running routes, and Smith will be another pass-catcher with the weak wide receiver core. I don’t believe this will affect Metcalf and should only help spread out the field.
I am expecting Rodgers to fully lean on Metcalf and I believe he will outperform his ADP with his expected volume and his ability as a deep threat.
Jaylen Waddle
(WR, MIA)
While most of the spotlight in Miami shines on Tyreek Hill, don’t sleep on Jaylen Waddle. Entering the 2025 season, Waddle is in the prime of his career, and there’s very little behind him on the depth chart.
Last season, Waddle finished as the WR46 with a snap percentage of 81% and a target share of only 16.6%. Waddle raked in 58 receptions with 744 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in 2024. He had a down year, but that was mainly due to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's injury.
The Dolphins did not make any major additions at wide receiver this offseason as Nick Westbrook-Ikhine doesn’t pose a threat to many targets. They did just trade for tight end Darren Waller, but he is 32 years old, and, in my opinion, should open the field more and make the offense more productive, if anything.
Jonnu Smith was traded to the Steelers and is more productive than Waller, so this should open more targets for Waddle to feast this season, taking him back to his rookie year where he finished as the WR8.
Waddle should see even more work as Hill takes pressure away from the coverage. Jaylen Waddle's elite separation skills and established chemistry with Tagovailoa make him a strong candidate for 100+ receptions in 2025.
Tre Harris
(WR, LAC)
Rookie Tre Harris might not be a household name yet, but that will change fast. The Chargers wide receiver room has plenty of targets to go around. The only notable player that will get guaranteed targets is Ladd McConkey. Outside of McConkey, Quentin Johnston is the only pass-catcher listed above Harris.
Johnston isn’t reliable and consistently drops passes. Harris can do everything Johnston does and is more consistent. Harris, in my opinion, has a clear path to be the WR2 for the Chargers quickly.
That leaves Tre Harris, a big-bodied deep-threat out of Ole Miss, with a clear runway to targets. With Justin Herbert at quarterback and minimal competition aside from McConkey, Harris has top 30 upside as a rookie, and maybe even more if the Chargers allow Herbert to sling the ball around this season.
Harris had 100 receptions with 1,030 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns last season at Ole Miss. He averaged 17.2 yards per route run and 128.8 yards per game, making him a weapon that Herbert is going to target frequently.
Opportunity Is the Ultimate Cheat Code
In fantasy football, talent matters, but opportunity is what fuels breakout seasons. Each of the players above benefit from a unique lack of competition at their position, making them strong bets to outproduce their average draft position.
From Chase Brown’s bell-cow potential to Tre Harris’ meteoric rise, targeting players with open depth charts is a proven way to win leagues. Keep these names in mind as you prepare for your 2025 fantasy football drafts.