Here in July, with the season starting in just a couple of weeks, many of the rookies in the 2025 draft class are at the lowest value they'll ever be at.
Capitalizing on this low-end value is tricky, though, as many of these rookies are not primed for success and may be busts, which significantly lowers their values.
To help you decide what rookies to take a chance on before the season starts, I’ve compiled a list of five rookies that have low values now, but have huge opportunities to break out and be well-worth the price you bought them for.
I'll be utilizing KeepTradeCut, a crowdsourced ranking website, to have positional values for each of these players.
With that said, let's get ready to dive into my list of five rookies to buy now in 2025 dynasty fantasy football!
Harold Fannin Jr
(TE, Cleveland Browns)
KTC Rank: TE25
The first player I have marked as a buy is Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Fannin is coming off a nuclear season at Bowling Green, putting up 117 receptions, 1,555 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns.
Fannin led both the MAC and the entire NCAA in receptions and receiving yards in 2024, earning him the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, MAC Player of the Year, and a spot on the Consensus All-American team in 2024.
Fannin was drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Browns and immediately slots into their backup tight end role behind veteran David Njoku.
Fannin was also one of the youngest players in the Draft, just recently turning 21, giving him a larger window to develop and produce from such a young age.
Fannin falls directly into a promising situation as well, with Njoku only being under contract for the upcoming 2025 season, with no extension from the Browns in sight.
Pair all of what was just mentioned, and add in the lack of competition in the Browns' receiving room, and you see that the boom potential for Harold Fannin is elite and should be an immediate buy for all dynasty owners.
Jaylin Noel
(WR, Houston Texans)
KTC Rank: WR56
Next up on this list of buy-low candidates is Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel. Noel attended Iowa State in 2024, where he had 80 receptions, 1,194 receiving yards, and 8 touchdowns in his senior season.
Noel was drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Texans, who had spent their second-round selection on Noel’s college teammate, Jayden Higgins.
Noel is an explosive athlete, and that was on full display at the NFL Combine this year as Noel ran a 4.39 40-yard dash (10th among receivers), had a 41.5” vertical jump (1st among receivers), an 11’2 broad jump (1st among receivers), and 23 bench reps (1st among receivers).
Noel has also received praise from quarterback C.J. Stroud, as shown in this post by @TexansJacob on X.
With the Texans in search of an explosive playmaker from the slot, Jaylin Noel is in prime positioning to take over that role in the absence of an injured Tank Dell.
Look out for Noel’s value to skyrocket once the season starts, and make sure to go and trade for him while you still can.
Brashard Smith
(RB, Kansas City Chiefs)
KTC Rank: RB62
Another buy-low target on this list is the Kansas City Chiefs' late-round selection, Brashard Smith.
Smith played as a receiver for the first three years of his college career at the University of Miami, where he saw limited work, which led him to transfer to SMU for his senior season and play as a full-time running back.
This transfer and position switch revitalized Smith’s career, as he totaled 235 rushes, 1,332 rushing yards, and 14 rushing touchdowns while also adding 39 receptions for 327 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in 2024.
Smith is a dual-threat running back, being able to rush efficiently and catch passes as well due to his background as a wide receiver.
The Chiefs' offensive scheme is a pass-centered program, with players like Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce taking large shares of the targets, but the running backs always get their work as well.
Additionally, the current lead running back, Isiah Pacheco, is not under contract after the 2025 season, meaning that Smith has an opportunity to utilize his skillset to carve out a larger role in 2026 in the absence of Pacheco.
With Pacheco on the brink of leaving Kansas City and Smith on a more team-friendly contract, look for the Chiefs to give Smith a chance at a lead role in the offense this year, providing a major jump to his dynasty value and making him a great buy before the season.
Oronde Gadsden
(TE, Los Angeles Chargers)
KTC Rank: TE34
Oronde Gadsden was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Gadsden played his entire collegiate career with Syracuse, having two seasons of over 900 receiving yards, one of which was his stellar sophomore season, putting up 61 receptions, 975 receiving yards, and 6 touchdowns.
Following his breakout sophomore season, Gadsden unfortunately suffered a Lisfranc injury in the second game of his junior season, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
However, when Gadsden returned in 2024, he put up amazing numbers yet again, totaling 73 receptions, 934 receiving yards, and an additional 7 touchdowns.
Gadsden falls into a Chargers tight end room that has been filled with a multitude of players over the past couple of years, with the most recent and still tenured player being Will Dissly, who is Gadsden’s main competition for the starting role.
With Justin Herbert leading the Chargers, the passing game will always be lethal, and Gadsden adds elite athleticism for Herbert to target in short-field situations.
With Gadsden in a position to challenge Dissly and Tyler Conklin for the starting role, expect to see a huge jump in Gadsden’s value as he earns more playing time throughout the year, and potentially secures the starting role during the season.
Woody Marks
(RB, Houston Texans)
KTC Rank: RB71
The last player on my list of buy-now rookies is Houston Texans running back, Woody Marks.
In 2024, Marks played for USC and had 198 rushes for 1,133 yards and 9 touchdowns.
The Texans selected Marks in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, originally as a depth running back to offer positional safety for the team.
Marks offers a unique blend of power and finesse in his running style, allowing him to slot into the Texans' scheme with no trouble whatsoever.
With the addition of Nick Chubb in the offseason, Marks was expected to get little playing time in his rookie season, due to being buried on the depth chart.
However, starting running back Joe Mixon was placed on the non-football injury list, and fellow competition Dameon Pierce was placed on the PUP list to start the season.
With two of Mark’s largest competitors out to begin the season, and Chubb still recovering from the terrible knee injury he suffered two years ago, Marks has a realistic chance to take over the starting role in the absence of this competition.
If Marks takes over the starting position and performs to his strengths, his value will skyrocket much further beyond his current stock, making him an easy buy before the season starts.
Final Thoughts
The players I listed above are all in situations that can see their value explode over the next couple of months, making all of them buys that should happen before the season starts.
Make sure to pursue these players in your dynasty leagues, so you can chase a 2025 dynasty fantasy football championship.