Last Updated: August 15th at 4:15 pm ET
Our fantasy draft is not going to go perfectly. We’re going to get sniped, we’re going to panic when on the clock, and our best-laid plans will go awry.
But we can still dream. These are my favorite players in each round, while taking roster construction into account, as of Aug. 15. Note that I am using the half-PPR ADP we have on our site in an effort to more closely replicate a “home league” setting. However, I’m also being realistic – Emeka Egbuka has an ADP of 112.1 on Yahoo, but I know he’ll go much higher in most of your leagues.
For more help with your draft:
* Levitan’s Favorite Fliers (beyond ADP of 120)
* Levitan’s 2025 Draft Strategy
* Our Rankings
* Exploiting the Default Ranks: Yahoo, ESPN, Sleeper (coming soon)
ROUND 1
Ideal: Get one of the Top-4 RBs — I love Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra, Nico Collins. But it’s very close between them and the top-4 RBs: Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey. Where it isn’t close between RB and other positions in through the middle rounds. And that’s the biggest reason I want a top-4 RB with my Round 1 pick.
On top of that, we’re not “forcing” these RBs. All four are outrageous/explosive talents, not just projectable volume hounds. And they are all in excellent setups from an offensive environment perspective.
Runner-up: Nico Collins, WR, Texans — If I can’t land one of the top-4 RBs, I still like going Derrick Henry with a late-Round 1 pick if it’s half-PPR. In full-PPR, Nico is my preferred late-Round 1 target. Since CJ Stroud was drafted, Nico has averaged 5.5 catches, 85.3 yards, and 0.55 TDs per game. His underlying metrics are off the charts. The Texans also get to play Cardinals, Raiders, Chargers in Weeks 15/16/17, half their road games are in a dome, and the AFC South defenses are weak. In outcomes where the Texans defense regresses and they can’t run the ball without Joe Mixon, we will see CJ Stroud volume spike.
ROUND 2
Ideal: Chase Brown, RB, Bengals — Brown was my “ideal pick” in Round 8 of this article last year. We now have to pay a premium,
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