Mon Apr 29 11:53am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
White should be lead back
The draft is always so exciting, seeing where all the players get picked. But after the draft, the big issue is figuring out what it all means for their fantasy value. We thought it would be a good idea to look at some of the biggest fantasy winners and losers from draft day. These are some of the players that were picked but also some of the guys that were already on rosters, seeing their fantasy value get impacted from the draft. Adjust your rankings accordingly!
WINNERS
Bryce Young, QB, Panthers. The Panthers did a great job of getting Young some much needed offensive help. The team took a receiver, running back and tight end in three of the first four rounds of the draft. Carolina already added Diontae Johnson this offseason, so the receiver corps should be much better after getting Xavier Legette in the first round. The receivers got very little separation last year, so it was hard to gauge Young. He needed help and got some this offseason. Carolina also took a possible franchise running back in Jonathon Brooks and hopefully a solid starting tight end in Ja’Tavion Sanders. Things are looking up for Young and this offense.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Chiefs. Worthy could not have landed in a much better spot. He heads to one of the best offenses in football that has some openings at receiver, especially with the status of Rashee Rice a bit up in the air. Worthy has electric speed and the Chiefs should find plenty of ways to utilize that. He could be the new Tyreek Hill for this offense. Look for Worthy to make an impact right away.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys. Maybe one of the biggest surprises of the draft was the Cowboys not addressing their running back spot. Instead, the team signed Elliott after the draft. He is likely to be the starter in this top offense. He might not rack up the yards of past seasons, but has big touchdown potential in this offense. Elliott seems a pretty sure bet to get double-digit touchdowns. He could be a solid No. 2 for fantasy teams.
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Panthers. Brooks is returning from a major knee injury and could be slowed a little early in the season, but once he is back healthy look for him to the three-down back for the Panthers. He lands in a great spot for playing time, having little top talent to compete with for playing time. Brooks could really get the volume in this offense. He is our top rookie fantasy back.
Zamir White, RB, Raiders. Many thought the Raiders were another team that could address their running back spot during the draft, but that didn’t happen. They used a sixth-round pick on Dylan Laube, but he is not expected to challenge White for that starter’s job. It sure seems the Raiders are comfortable with White as their lead back. He has a chance to get a lot of touches in year two. His stock is going up.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers. The Chargers need help at receiver and McConkey helps fill that need. It would not surprise if he quickly became Justin Herbert’s favorite target in the passing game. We really like his chances to rack up the weekly looks in this offense. Someone has to fill the Keenan Allen void and McConkey seems the best bet out of the options at receiver for the Chargers.
Keon Coleman, WR, Bills. Coleman is another rookie receiver that lands in a great spot for playing time. The departure of Stefon Diggs leaves a big opening for the Bills. Coleman could help fill that void. He has great size for the position and could be a top red-zone threat from day one for Buffalo. Coleman should get his chances from the get go, giving him a high ceiling for the coming year.
LOSERS
Raheem Mostert, RB, Dolphins. Mostert had a monster season last year and helped many fantasy teams to championships. He is going to have a very hard time repeating, especially after the Dolphins picked Jaylen Wright in the fourth round. Wright is a speed back similar to Mostert but a lot younger with less wear on his tires. Remember, Mostert is 32 years old. He might end up falling to third on the depth chart after the addition of Wright.
Rome Odunze, WR, Bears. Odunze is a super talented player that could be a star in the NFL. But for his year, you have to worry about him being up and down. He has two really good receivers ahead of him on the depth chart in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. This is going to limit the ceiling of Odunze. He will be a much better fantasy player in a few more seasons. For now, expect erratic production from the talented rookie.
Kyren Williams, RB, Rams. Williams remains the lead back for the Rams and is coming off a breakout season. But the Rams picked Blake Corum in the third round. He is going to be a factor in the offense. He might get put a huge dent in Williams’ workload but the big concern is the goal-line work. Corum is more of a between the tackles runner that does well on short-yardage work. He could end up stealing some touchdowns from Williams, hurting his fantasy value.
Michael Mayer, TE, Raiders. Mayer was a second-round pick for the Raiders last year and showed well at times his rookie season. The Raiders couldn’t pass on the talented Brock Browers in this year’s draft, though. This move absolutely kills the fantasy value of Mayer. He is going to play second fiddle to Browers, getting few weekly looks. Browers is the clear tight end to own in this offense.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers. Pearsall is a talented pass catcher that can get in and out of his breaks in a hurry. He is a really good fit for the slot and could fill that role for the 49ers his rookie season. The problem is he has some of the top talent in all of football to compete with for targets. He could really be up and down his rookie season. He will look better in a year or two when he has a more defined role and less to compete with at receiver. His rookie season could be a tough one to gauge for fantasy owners.
Malik Nabers, WR, Giants. Many considered Nabers the top receiver in this year’s draft. He is super talented with a high fantasy ceiling. The problem for Nabers is he got drafted by the Giants, a team that really struggled offensively last year. Plus, he has Daniel Jones throwing him passes. This is not a great landing spot for the talented Nabers. Jones needs to make some big strides this season if Nabers hopes to reach his potential. We aren’t sure that happens.
Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.
ESPN's Dan Graziano suggests that the Tennessee Titans, who hold the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft, could draft a quarterback and also sign a bridge QB in free agency, similar to what the Atlanta Falcons did in 2024 when they signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. The best bridge-QB options this offseason figure to be Sam Darnold, Cousins, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. The salary cap number for a rookie QB selected first overall won't be much more than $7 million in 2025, and none of the free-agent QB options are likely to command $100 million in guaranteed money that Cousins received from the Falcons last offseason. One thing is pretty much guaranteed: the Titans will add at least one QB after a very disappointing 2024 campaign from Will Levis in which he was benched in favor of Mason Rudolph.
From RotoBaller
The Pittsburgh Steelers made All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt the highest-paid defensive player in the league before the 2021 season at around $28 million per year, and ESPN's Dan Graziano suggests the best way for the Steelers to knock down Watt's team-high $30.4 million salary cap number in 2025 is to give him an extension as he heads into the final year of his previous extension. A new extension could be much trickier to navigate, though, and could drag well into the offseason. Watt is 30 years old now and will be in a market in which both Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons will be looking to set the edge-rusher market. Even though Watt had 11.5 sacks (down from 19 in 2023), he was still plenty disruptive with 61 tackles (40 solo), 19 tackles for loss, 27 QB hits, four pass breakups and a league-high six forced fumbles in 17 regular-season starts. He's injury-prone, but you know you're getting a beast in IDP leagues when he's healthy.
From RotoBaller
If the Cleveland Browns soften their stance and decide to trade All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett this offseason, they would have to wait until after June 1 to make it work from a salary cap perspective. Trading Garrett before June 1 would result in a dead-money hit of more than $36 million, which is way higher than the roughly $19.7 million that he'd count against the 2025 cap if he was on their roster. The problem with having to wait to trade Garrett until after June 1 is that the Browns couldn't get draft picks for this year in return for him. It's probably why the Browns held firm on their stance of not wanting to trade Garrett, even after he publicly requested a trade in the week before the Super Bowl in early February. If the Browns look to trade the disgruntled star pass-rusher after June 1, it's possible they could receive two first-round selections for the 2026 draft.
From RotoBaller
LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell has been the player most linked to the New England Patriots heading into this year's NFL draft, writes The Athletic's Chad Graff. If Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter is off the board by the time the Patriots pick at No. 4 overall, Graff says that it would come down to Campbell or Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham for him. Graham could be rated higher, but Campbell fills more of an immediate need to New England on their offensive line. The final decision could come down to how the Pats address their O-line in free agency. Another factor could come down to Campbell's less-than-ideal arm length, which could mean he's destined to play guard at the next level and mean he'd be more of a reach at fourth overall. The biggest knock against Graham is that this year's defensive tackle class is very deep.
From RotoBaller
The Athletic's Chad Graff is guessing that the New England Patriots will aggressively pursue a trade for a wide receiver this offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins, who would have been the top free-agent wideout available. Graff also guesses that New England would prefer to use the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft to select an offensive or defensive lineman. With the Bengals trying to keep Higgins, the top names at the WR position will be Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs (knee). In terms of a potential trade, the Patriots could target the New Orleans Saints' Chris Olave, the Seattle Seahawks' DK Metcalf or the Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp. Graff thinks the Patriots could trade for Kupp, sign Godwin and draft a rookie receiver in the third round to add to a WR room that includes DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk and Kayson Boutte.
From RotoBaller
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter (shoulder), who could be the No. 1 overall pick in his year's draft, will not work out at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week because he isn't fully recovered from the shoulder injury that he suffered against Boise State, according to his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. The young pass-rusher played through his shoulder injury in the semifinal game against Notre Dame and was only recently cleared to resume training. Carter will do physical exams and interviews at the combine but won't do on-field workouts until his Pro Day at Penn State on March 28. While Carter could be in play for the No. 1 overall pick, it's still more likely that either Miami quarterback Cam Ward or Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders go No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans in April.
From RotoBaller
The Las Vegas Raiders re-signed safety Isaiah Pola-Mao to a two-year contract extension worth up to $8.45 million on Monday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Pola-Mao was a restricted free agent and the nephew of Hall of Fame defensive back Troy Polamalu. The 25-year-old former undrafted free agent out of USC eventually latched on with the Raiders and made his NFL debut back in 2022. He started the final 1 games for the Raiders in 2024 and was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 16. In 17 total games played (14 starts), Pola-Mao broke out to the tune of 89 tackles (57 solo), one sack, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Pola-Mao will now stick around in Vegas for another two seasons and should play a key role again in their secondary in 2025. He had only 40 combined tackles and two sacks in 27 games (no starts) in his first two seasons with the Raiders.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys impending free-agent quarterback Trey Lance is expected to move on in free agency this offseason, as chief executive officer Stephen Jones said that Lance is "probably going to be looking for something different." The Cowboys acquired Lance from the San Francisco 49ers before the start of the 2023 season, but he didn't play at all that year and appeared in just four games (one start) in 2024 as the third-stringer, throwing for 266 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Backup Cooper Rush is also headed toward free agency, but the Cowboys would probably prefer to draft a new QB to groom as Dak Prescott's (hamstring) backup than re-sign Lance. The 24-year-old former third overall pick by the Niners in 2021 was injured in his rookie season and hasn't really ever gotten the chance to live up to his high expectations. He'll be looking for backup work on the open market in March.
From RotoBaller
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that the Cleveland Browns are releasing veteran safety Juan Thornhill, according to sources. After meeting in recent days, both sides agreed that the best decision was to release Thornhill so that he'll have a few weeks of a head start on free agency this offseason. The 29-year-old had one year and $7 million left on his deal with Cleveland. He will be designated as a post-June 1 cut and will save the Browns $3.2 million on the 2025 salary cap. It's not a surprising move, as Thornhill only played in 11 games in each of his two seasons after signing a three-year, $21 million deal before the 2023 campaign. He had become a rotational player late last season and accumulated 103 tackles (72 solo), no interceptions and four pass breakups in 22 starts for the Browns in his two seasons. Thornhill spent his first four years with the Chiefs after they took him in the second round in 2019.
From RotoBaller
The Athletic's Mike DeFabo thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers might want to consider trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who hasn't played at a Pro Bowl level in two years. Even if the Steelers were to trade the big-money star, they'd still have the NFL's most expensive defense. Pittsburgh is set to have the most expensive defense in the league in 2025 for the fourth straight season with $163.8 million in salary cap hits, according to Over The Cap. That number is $27 million more than the second-highest spender on defense, the Tennessee Titans. If Fitzpatrick were traded, the Steelers would save $15.5 million of his $24.4 million salary cap hit this year, which would help them address an undermanned offense. The former 11th overall pick bounced back in 2024 and made the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career by recording 96 tackles (62 solo), one interception and a forced fumble in 17 regular-season starts.
From RotoBaller
The Athltic's Mike DeFabo writes that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, who is heading into the final deal of his rookie contract in 2025, could "hold in" at training camp this summer to force the Steelers to either trade him or give him guaranteed money early. DeFabo thinks that it's unlikely the Steelers will give Pickens a contract extension this summer after head coach Mike Tomlin said the 23-year-old wideout needed to "grow up" after a win over the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. Pickens showed up late on Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs and got into a shouting match with a fan in the regular-season finale. Pickens has shown plenty of talent as a pass-catcher, but his immaturity could get him run out of town. His 2025 fantasy value will depend largely on who the Steelers choose to be their starting quarterback.
From RotoBaller
The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander doesn't think the Houston Texans will make a big push to try and re-sign impending free-agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs (knee) this offseason. General manager Nick Caserio has made it sound like the door is open for Diggs to return in 2025, but Alexander thinks Diggs would have to give the Texans a hometown discount for a reunion to happen, even with fellow wideout Tank Dell (knee) potentially missing all of the 2025 season. Diggs is now 31 years old and is rehabbing a torn ACL that he suffered in late October, so it will be interesting to see what his free-agent market will look like. Because he might not be ready for Week 1, it could drive his price down, potentially creating an opportunity for the Texans to land him on the cheap. If Diggs were to return, he'd be the clear No. 2 to Nico Collins.
From RotoBaller
FOX Sports' Peter Schrager reports that there is no bad blood between the Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford, but Stafford is merely looking to get paid what he thinks he's worth. It's purely a money issue, and Stafford wants to get paid more than $50 million per year. The Rams recently gave Stafford permission to talk with teams potentially interested in trading for him about how much they'd be willing to pay him, and Schrager says some teams would be willing to give Stafford more than what the Rams are currently willing to pay him. The question now becomes what those teams would be willing to give up to acquire Stafford from the Rams, and whether Stafford would actually want to play for those teams. Schrager mentions the Steelers, Giants and Raiders as potential trade suitors for Stafford. Stafford is 37, but he was one pass away from playing the NFC Championship this past season.
From RotoBaller
Dynasty | Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is not expected back with the Texans. Dynasty Analysis: Diggs was supposed to make a big impact with the Texans this season but tore his ACL instead, ending his season way too early. He ended the season with 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns, putting his long and short-term future in doubt as a player in doubt as he's now 31 years old. It seems he'll be looking for a new team as a first-time free agent but the market for players of his age coming off ACL injuries is typically pretty tepid. Diggs' dynasty value is starting to fall pretty dramatically.
Dynasty | Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is skipping the workout portion at the NFL Scouting Combine, Dynasty Analysis: No surprise here, really. Sanders is protecting his own interests and his Father is pulling some pretty tight strings as well. In some ways, Sanders controls his own destiny as he's one of very few players who doesn't necessarily need the NFL paycheck to lose leverage. In the end, he's likely going to be a top-five pick, but that team is also going to need some assurance that he's willing to play for them as well. Regardless, he looks like a solid first round rookie pick this Spring.
Dynasty | Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty won't do on-field workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine. Dynasty Analysis: A sure-fire first round draft pick, Jeanty really has little to gain and more to lose should he not perform as well as expected. Instead, he'll work out at his Pro Day and hope to solidify his draft stock. He's been a popular mock draft target of the Broncos and Cowboys, though anything can (and likely will) happen there. Jeanty projects as a solid rookie draft pick, perhaps even the 1.01 in traditional formats this Spring.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will only participate in medical evaluations and team interviews at the 2025 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week, according to his agent. Jeanty will do on-field drill during Boise State's Pro Day. Not unlike some of this year's top prospects, the 21-year-old will not work out in front of NFL scouts this week in Indy, but it shouldn't negatively affect his draft stock at all as the likely top RB off the board this year. In his final year with the Broncos in 2024, Jeanty was extremely productive, carrying the ball 374 times for 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, adding an FBS-best 5.25 yards after contact. He also had 23 receptions for 138 yards and another score through the air. Fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper leagues may want to be worried about the massive volume he had in college, but he should immediately be a starting back in the NFL in his rookie season.
From RotoBaller
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will not throw at this week's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis and will instead focus on his interviews with teams. Sanders will then throw at his Pro Day with four draftable Colorado wide receivers. Sanders and Miami QB Cam Ward are the favorites to go No. 1 overall in April's NFL draft to the Tennessee Titans, if they stay in the top spot. In his two seasons with the Buffaloes with his dad coaching him, Sanders threw for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Although his father was one of the most athletic cornerbacks in NFL history, the 23-year-old Sanders is seen as more of a pocket passer, which could limit his fantasy upside at the next level.
From RotoBaller
The Carolina Panthers informed veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson that they will not attempt to re-sign him in free agency this offseason. Thompson, 30, has been with the team since they drafted him 25th overall in 2015 out of the University of Washington, but he has been able to play in only six games the last two years because of injuries. His 752 tackles rank fourth in franchise history, behind only Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly and Mike Minter. Thompson had a career-high 135 tackles in 2022 but broke his ankle in Week 2 of the 2023 season and then tore his Achilles in Week 4 of 2024. He was named a captain for the Panthers in five of his seasons and recorded 470 solo tackles, 12 sacks, 54 tackles for loss, 32 QB hits, three interceptions, 26 pass breakups, four forced fumbles and four fumbles recoveries (one returned for a TD) in his 123 games (112 starts).
From RotoBaller
Atlanta Falcons DT David Onyemata is more likely to be a salary cap casualty this offseason than DT Grady Jarrett, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
From TheHuddle