Grab These 5 Rookies in Your 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues

With the 2025 NFL Draft a distant memory and dynasty rookie drafts (mostly) coming to a close, the next couple months of fantasy football can sometimes suffer from a “post-hype” rookie lull. Last offseason, Brock Bowers was the 11th tight end drafted, Jayden Daniels was the 12th quarterback, and Brian Thomas Jr. went somewhere in the early double-digit rounds as the WR46. They finished as the TE1, QB5 and WR4, respectively. And while it was a stellar rookie class, 2025 has its fair share of potential stars as well.

Here are five rookies going at a value in redraft and best ball who could end up in the league-winner conversation by January.

Note: ADP data is taken from the FTN ADP tools.

5 Rookie Values in 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

FTN ADP: 6.11 (71st overall), RB24

I’m writing these words barely an hour after the news broke that Denver is signing J.K. Dobbins to a one-year contract worth up to $5.25 million, but with nearly half of that tied to incentives. Rookie running back RJ Harvey‘s ADP hasn’t had time to shift with this news, but it will be dropping in the coming weeks. Harvey was already a value at his current redraft ADP (RB24), so I consider this a blessing in disguise. At 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, Harvey was never going to shoulder 250 carries in this offense, and with just Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin holding down the depth chart behind him, it was only a matter of time until the team added a proper complement in this backfield. Instead, I’d expect Harvey to see just south of 200 totes, plus around 50-60 catches, while Dobbins eats up 150 carries as a change-of-pace “bruiser.”

While Alvin Kamara was more of a pass-catching savant, this duo should call back memories of the 2018 Saints duo of Kamara and Mark Ingram II … under current Broncos head coach Sean Payton. That year, Kamara took 275 touches for 1,592 yards and 18 touchdowns to finish as the RB4 overall, even while Ingram saw 13 touches per game. Dobbins could easily average double-digit touches and still allow the room for Harvey to finish as a high-end RB2 or borderline RB1 in an ascending offense on a dangerous team. If (and when) his ADP slips into RB3 territory, the second-round UCF rookie should become one of the steals of draft season.