Fantasy Football: Yes, you can still draft rookies with solid value picks

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-yes-you-can-still-draft-rookies-with-solid-value-picks-180419439.html

Fantasy football is a game of value. Anyone can draft the obvious stars, but the managers who consistently win are the ones who spot the hidden edges. Every season, rookies crash the party and flip leagues upside down, and 2025 shouldn’t be any different.

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Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton are going early. They’ll cost you premium draft capital. But this isn’t about the obvious. This is about the rookies you can find in the later rounds, the ones who don’t cost you much but have the profile to swing a matchup in October. The ones you draft, stash and then sit back while everyone else empties FAAB when it’s too late.

Rookies blow up depth charts every year. By midseason, they’re the difference between a playoff run and sitting at home watching your leaguemates talk trash in the group chat. The key is finding the ones who aren’t steamed up in drafts yet.

That’s where this All-Value Rookie Team comes in. These aren’t dart throws. These are rookies with real paths to playing time in offenses built for them. And if you’re chasing upside in drafts, these are the ones you need circled.

QB: Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (Yahoo ADP: Undrafted)

Most of us play in single QB leagues, and you’re probably not drafting a rookie quarterback who isn’t even the starter right now. But Jaxson Dart deserves a spot on THIS team.

Dart can run. He can extend plays. He can create mismatches with his legs. Brian Daboll finally got his guy and the setup is sneaky good: An All-Pro caliber WR in Malik Nabers, a versatile tight end in Theo Johnson, a reliable slot in Wan’Dale Robinson, plus Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo in the backfield. This offense has pieces.

Here’s the difference between Dart and Cam Ward. Ward is going to start right away, but he’s doing it in Tennessee with Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley and not much else. The environment is going to make it tough for him to be consistent for fantasy.

Dart? When he gets the call — and he will — he’s stepping into a system with actual weapons. Think Drake Maye last year. Not a season-long starter, but when he played, you wanted him in lineups.

In Superflex, Dart is a last-round stash. In 1QB, you don’t draft him, but you put a star by his name. Because when he gets the job, he’s going to matter.

RB: Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars (Yahoo ADP: 126.3)

Bhayshul Tuten is one of the few projected RB3s who could end up as an RB1 sooner rather than later. The drumbeat out of Jacksonville has been steady all offseason. He’s a 4.32 speedster out of Virginia Tech and while the hype hasn’t been out of control, it’s been consistent — especially with rumblings that one of Tank Bigsby or Travis Etienne Jr. could eventually be on the outs.

The Jaguars didn’t draft Tuten by accident. Liam Coen made a clear statement in the draft by adding two running backs and he knows exactly how to weaponize this type of player. Think of how he deployed Bucky Irving in Tampa Bay. Irving wasn’t a full-time bell cow, but he still produced big when used in the right situations. That’s the exact role Tuten can step into: A big-play threat who doesn’t need 20 touches to matter.

What makes this setup even more intriguing is the passing game around him. Jacksonville rolls out one of the best wide receivers in football in Brian Thomas Jr., the second-overall pick in Travis Hunter and an emerging tight end in Brenton Strange. Defenses can’t load the box against that group. And the recent trade for Tim Patrick from Detroit doesn’t just help the passing depth; he’s a strong blocker who should open lanes in the running game.

Even if Bigsby and Etienne stick, this backfield is likely headed toward a split. What you’re banking on with Tuten is efficiency and playmaking in a much-improved offense. At his current draft price, that’s the type of bet that can pay off big.

RB: Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (Yahoo ADP: 129.5)

This one almost feels too easy. Quinshon Judkins isn’t signed, Jerome Ford is fine (but nothing special) and Sampson has been running with the starters.

Back in June, RB coach Duce Staley said Sampson could line up in the slot and handle third-down work. If that’s true, he’s trending toward an every-down role because we already know he can cook as a runner.

Cleveland had the league’s lowest rush rate in 2024. More attempts are coming. Stefanski’s past offenses ranked top 10 in rush rate three straight years from 2020 through 2022. The Browns invested two picks into this backfield — Judkins in Round 2 and Sampson in Round 4 — Ford had to take a pay cut to stay. That doesn’t scream confidence in the veteran rusher to me.

Sampson actually started the Browns’ third preseason game, the one where every starter played, and rotated evenly with Ford. That tells you the job is wide open. If you’re drafting for upside, Sampson could lead this team in touches by November.

WR: Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers (Yahoo ADP: 112.4)

Finally, the Packers used a first-round pick on a wide receiver. Their first since Javon Walker in 2002.

Matthew Golden brings sub-4.3 speed to a wideout room that’s been begging for a true No. 1. Reports out of Packers camp this summer? He’s been locked into two-wide sets with Romeo Doubs and ahead of Jayden Reed. That’s not buzz. That’s signal.

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Jordan Love is one year removed from 4,000 yards and 30-plus touchdowns. The Packers went run-heavy last season with Josh Jacobs because Love was banged up from the start. Now healthy, this is a massive year for him. Spending a first-rounder on Golden tells us the team knows it, too.

Christian Watson hasn’t proven he can stay on the field. Reed is the slot. Golden was drafted to be the difference-maker. Don’t be shocked if he leads Green Bay in receiving yards as a rookie and defines what kind of quarterback Love really is.

WR: Dont’e Thornton, Las Vegas Raiders (Yahoo ADP: Undrafted)

The Las Vegas Raiders just recently added Amari Cooper after reports of Jakobi Meyers requesting a trade surfaced. Fine. But let’s be real, that move was more about Tre Tucker than blocking Dont’e Thornton. Meyers is the slot, Cooper is slowing down and Thornton is staring at a starting role on the outside. He’s also garnered consistent praise from the coaching staff since summer programs began.

Thornton fits exactly what Geno Smith does best. Smith has been one of the NFL’s best deep-ball passers the last few years. Thornton was a premier vertical threat in college, stacking corners with size and speed. You don’t draft that profile and then hide him behind aging vets. Thornton was brought in to play.

Chip Kelly’s offense makes this even better. It’s about pace, spacing and pushing the ball downfield. Thornton’s game is built for that. He’s not a gadget guy. He’s a 6’5” outside receiver who wins on go routes, posts and digs. Defenses will tilt coverage toward Brock Bowers or shade Meyers. That leaves Thornton in single coverage, and that’s where he can flip games.

The beauty here is the cost. Thornton is a cheap late-round pick. If he flames out, cut him. But if he locks in opposite Cooper in an offense that wants to play fast and attack vertically, you just stole one of the top big-play rookie receivers in the game.

TE: Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears (Yahoo ADP: 120.2)

The Bears drafted Colston Loveland to grow with Caleb Williams, and the fit is perfect.

Chicago is entering a critical Year 2 with its franchise QB. There’s no true pass-catching back in this offense, so some of that work could fall on Loveland. He’s athletic enough to stretch the field, but what makes him dangerous is how well he works the short and intermediate areas, where a young quarterback needs stability.

With limited depth in the backfield, Loveland’s versatility makes him even more valuable. He’s a red-zone option, a security blanket and a chain-mover in critical spots. That combination in an ascending offense makes him one of the best late-round tight end bets.

Final Word

You don’t win drafts by chasing every hyped-up rookie early. You win by grabbing the ones who slip.

Dart. Harvey. Sampson. Golden. Thornton. Loveland. All six are cheap. All six have real paths to playing time. Not all will hit, but one or two of them can change the direction of your season.

https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/fantasy-football-yes-you-can-still-draft-rookies-with-solid-value-picks-180419439.html