Fantasy Football Roundtable: Players we want to leave every draft with

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-roundtable-players-we-want-to-leave-every-draft-with-175647570.html

It’s simple: In every fantasy football draft, at a certain point, you gotta just go and get your guys. Here’s who Chris Allen, Justin Boone, Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski want to draft in every league.

Star rookie RB delivering huge bouts of FOMO

I’d be happy if I could add TreVeyon Henderson to all of my rosters. Unfortunately, his preseason hype has caused the draft price to skyrocket for the former Buckeye. But I’m still buying. We should be looking for RBs with complete skill sets. Henderson not only has one, but is in an offensive situation that’ll emphasize his talents. In ’23, Henderson handled 53.1% of OSU’s. Until Quinshon Judkins came in 2024, the coaching staff considered the Virginia native as a lead back.

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But we also need our rushers to have some involvement in their team’s passing game. Coincidentally, Henderson earned a 7.5% target share (on a team featuring Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. in previous years) while running routes on over 40% of Ohio State’s dropbacks. Simply put, his collegiate profile makes his case for him. Even better, he joined a team that started a lead rusher with the most fumbles and, at best, average peripheral stats as a runner. His ADP might be on the rise, but Henderson has all the tools to be an early-round option in 2025. — Chris Allen

Chasing upside is key with this RB

Jordan Mason is a risk-free selection with a massive ceiling who’s available in the eighth round or later. The Vikings went out of their way to add the former 49ers’ backup following his impressive performance filling in for Christian McCaffrey at the start of last season. Mason averaged 108 yards from scrimmage per game over the first seven weeks. In Minnesota, he’ll also be backing up an older runner with an extensive injury history in Aaron Jones Sr. All offseason, the team has made it clear this will be a 50-50 committee and Mason might have the goal-line job in what should be a very productive offense. The front office has also upgraded the interior of the line with center Ryan Kelly, guard Will Fries and first-rounder Donovan Jackson, creating a formidable unit. In this environment, Mason can be a weekly fantasy RB3 with RB2 upside when he finds the end zone, while also offering RB1 potential if Jones misses any time. — Justin Boone

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Situation just keeps improving for 2nd-year wideout

Ricky Pearsall came back from offseason injuries and being shot in the chest to just get on the field as a rookie. You could see when watching him that he was ticketed for a singular role in the 49ers offense. In the final four games of last season, Pearsall was smoking man coverage from various alignments. He was a prospect I loved, put up good film late in his rookie year and plays for one of the best offensive minds in the sport. That’s a fantastic breakout bet at wide receiver on paper, much less that the talent exists with Pearsall, despite what context-free per-route stats may tell you. With Jauan Jennings still dealing with a calf injury and upset about his contract and Brandon Aiyuk a lock to miss multiple weeks to start 2025, Pearsall should be the odds-on favorite to lead the wide receiver room in targets. He’s someone I’m comfortable taking in the WR30-34 range. — Matt Harmon

Big-play tight end set to deliver

The Packers generally have a passing game that spreads things around; nobody has moved past 100 targets since Davante Adams left town. But I’ll break some rules for Tucker Kraft. He’s the rare tight end who not only scores touchdowns but also makes splash plays downfield; note the 14.1 YPC last year. Kraft is also tied to a plus-quarterback (Jordan Love) and an excellent play-caller (Matt LaFleur). Kraft can be an ADP beater if he merely works at last year’s level, but if he gets the deserved target increase, now we’re talking about a smash. — Scott Pianowski

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-roundtable-players-we-want-to-leave-every-draft-with-175647570.html