With fantasy football drafts right around the corner, it’s good to be prepared ahead of time. Having a set draft strategy and list of rankings is important, but you need to be flexible in case things don’t work out.
Being able to pivot to a secondary option when the player you were targeting gets drafted ahead of your pick is a vital skill for fantasy managers to master. A tiered ranking can help hone this skill; it allows you to group players by value, giving you a number of players to choose from.
The idea is that all of the players in a single tier are of relatively similar value. Go check out Calvin Price’s Top 60 RB Rankings & Tiers for a better understanding of this concept on a positional level!
Tier 1 - The Best of The Best
This tier of players represents the top six assets in fantasy football for the 2025 season. If you are able to snag one of these guys, chances are you’ll have a superstar on your squad for the duration of the season, giving your team a stronger floor in terms of weekly finish.
These players have almost zero risk outside of an unfortunate and unforeseen injury. I’m drafting them with the confidence that they will be the best player on my team without a doubt, and will help lead my roster to a fantasy championship.
It’s hard to name my favorite option in this tier. The earlier players (Chase, Jefferson, and Robinson) offer the best chance for league-breaking production, while the other three (Gibbs, Barkley, and Lamb) pair a strong possibility of returning elite value with the fact that your second-round pick will be earlier if you select them at their ADP when compared to any of the top-three selections.
Overall, you can’t go wrong in this tier. I’m aiming to get a top-six draft pick whenever I can.
1. Ja’Marr Chase (WR, CIN)
2. Justin Jefferson (WR, MIN)
3. Bijan Robinson (RB, ATL)
4. Jahmyr Gibbs (RB, DET)
5. Saquon Barkley (RB, PHI)
6. CeeDee Lamb (WR, DAL)
Tier 2 - Certified First-Rounders
This tier includes the final six players, I believe, are worthy of first-round selections in 12-team leagues. It’s headlined by a strong group of wide receivers, each of whom have a clear path to becoming the overall WR1.
Puka Nacua has been unfathomably efficient when on the field, Malik Nabers is one of the most talented young players in the NFL and is getting a quarterback upgrade this season, and Amon-Ra St. Brown has been remarkably consistent over his career with a nice floor rooted in elite red zone usage.
The final three players in this tier are running backs who could end up being elite assets for fantasy managers. Derrick Henry has elite volume, talent, and usage, Ashton Jeanty is on the precipice of one of the most anticipated rookie seasons in NFL history, and De’Von Achane will see plenty of snaps in the slot, allowing him to maintain his position as one of the best receiving backs (and overall athletes) in the NFL.
7. Puka Nacua (WR, LAR)
8. Malik Nabers (WR, NYG)
9. Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, DET)
10. Derrick Henry (RB, BAL)
11. Ashton Jeanty (RB, LV)
12. De’Von Achane (RB, MIA)
Tier 3 - Top-Tier Assets
The following 12 players are all worthy of being selected in the second round of 12-team fantasy drafts. It’s a strong blend of all positions, including our first quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
To be honest, the order in which these players are selected is a lot looser than in the first round. The balance between strong upside and a history of production varies within each player here.
Some players, like Bucky Irving and Brock Bowers, are coming off of elite rookie seasons and are being rewarded with strong ADPs.
Others, such as A.J. Brown and Josh Jacobs, have earned their spot here by providing consistent production for fantasy managers over the years.
In the end, many of these players could have an argument to be selected in the first round, and while they aren’t as elite as the top 12, they still present fantastic value and could win you a championship.
13. Brian Thomas Jr. (WR, JAX)
14. Christian McCaffrey (RB, SF)
15. Nico Collins (WR, HOU)
16. Jonathan Taylor (RB, IND)
17. Josh Jacobs (RB, GB)
18. Brock Bowers (TE, LV)
19. Drake London (WR, ATL)
20. Bucky Irving (RB, TB)
21. A.J. Brown (WR, PHI)
22. Ladd McConkey (WR, LAC)
23. Lamar Jackson (QB, BAL)
24. Josh Allen (QB, BUF)
Tier 4 - Potential ADP Outperformers
There are six players in this tier, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of them massively outperform their draft positions. Not that any players ranked ahead or behind them can’t do the same, this tier just made the most sense to be grouped together because of how closely they were ranked originally and their impressively high ceilings.
The wideouts in this group, in particular, are dangerously effective when on the field. If you get a healthy season out of them, expect some wild stat lines.
25. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR, SEA)
26. Trey McBride (TE, ARI)
27. Tyreek Hill (WR, MIA)
28. Jayden Daniels (QB, WAS)
29. Davante Adams (WR, LAR)
30. Tee Higgins (WR, CIN)
Tier 5 - Stud RB Options… and Jalen Hurts
This is around the point in your fantasy draft where running backs should be flying off of the board. There are plenty of great options among the seven listed in this tier, and they all present similar value this year.
Several are veteran stalwarts of the position, primed for yet another year of steady production. A few, however, are younger, unproven up-and-comers hungry for an RB1 finish. If their season breaks the right way, any of these running backs could finish inside the top 10 at their position.
Jalen Hurts is the only non-running back in this group. He’s an elite quarterback for fantasy managers who has an elite supporting cast and a safe floor held up by a large number of rushing touchdowns.
All of these players have elite upside and could be superstars for your fantasy roster.
31. Kyren Williams (RB, LAR)
32. Jalen Hurts (QB, PHI)
33. Chase Brown (RB, CIN)
34. Kenneth Walker III (RB, SEA)
35. Omarion Hampton (RB, LAC)
36. James Cook (RB, BUF)
37. James Conner (RB, ARI)
38. Alvin Kamara (RB, NO)
Tier 6 - Upside With Risk
I would venture to say that every player in this tier, besides Joe Burrow and George Kittle, of course, has significant risk tied to their fantasy value.
These risks differ for each player and include things like potentially low volume, only having one year of fantasy-relevant production, low-quality touches in a bad offense, or even a potential suspension.
The ceiling is absolutely present for all of the following players, but the floor is also a little concerning, causing them to drop to our sixth tier. If they manage to overcome the risk tied to their fantasy outlooks, you could be looking at a fantasy superstar.
39. Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, ARI)
40. George Kittle (TE, SF)
41. Joe Burrow (QB, CIN)
42. Chuba Hubbard (RB, CAR)
43. Garrett Wilson (WR, NYJ)
44. Terry McLaurin (WR, WAS)
45. DK Metcalf (WR, PIT)
46. Breece Hall (RB, NYJ)
47. David Montgomery (RB, DET)
48. Calvin Ridley (WR, TEN)
49. Zay Flowers (WR, BAL)
50. D.J. Moore (R, CHI)
51. Rashee Rice (WR, KC)
Tier 7 - The Best of The Rest
The seventh tier is a mix of high-floor draft picks who could be safer flex options for your squad and boom-or-bust selections who offer higher ceilings and lower floors. This is where you decide if you’re building a more risky or safe team.
DeVonta Smith and Courtland Sutton are on high-powered offenses and have ensured roles as heavily-involved pass-catchers. Jameson Williams and Tetairoa McMillan, on the other hand, offer high-ceiling production with significant risk. McMillan is a polarizing rookie prospect, and Williams relies on big plays to generate fantasy points.
This is one of the more pivotal tiers in terms of draft strategy as the players you choose to fill your flex spots really decide a portion of your team’s direction. Be careful with who you draft around this point, but don’t be afraid to take a risk!
52. DeVonta Smith (WR, PHI)
53. Courtland Sutton (WR, DEN)
54. Jaylen Waddle (WR, MIA)
55. Joe Mixon (RB, HOU)
56. Sam LaPorta (TE, DET)
57. Travis Kelce (TE, KC)
58. George Pickens (WR, DAL)
59. Jameson Williams (WR, DET)
60. Tetairoa McMillan (WR, CAR)
Tier 8 - Honorable Mentions
HM. TreVeyon Henderson (RB, NE)
HM. Mike Evans (WR, TB)
HM. Kaleb Johnson (RB, PIT)
HM. R.J. Harvey (RB, DEN)
HM. Kyler Murray (QB, ARI)
HM. Chris Olave (WR, NO)
HM. Evan Engram (TE, DEN)
HM. Travis Hunter (WR/CB, JAX)
HM. Chris Godwin (WR, TB)