The calendar has turned to July. Summer is in full swing. In just a few days, Independence Day will be upon us. Barbecues. Fireworks. Alien invasions.
Yes, it's early in this hit for media clips. But when the table is set, it's time to eat.
July also means that fantasy draft season is about to ramp up. Some live events for the Scott Fish Bowl have already taken place. The online drafts will get underway in the next week or so. That will be followed by any number of leagues filled with impatient managers who can't wait until August to assemble their rosters.
It's OK. I don't judge.
Even if your fantasy draft won't be taking place for some time, it's still time to begin preparing for the big day. Fantasy managers who are best prepared for their drafts are the ones who (generally) have the most successful ones. It's time to start sifting through rankings. Checking out position previews. Searching for potential sleepers and busts.
However, what if there was just one list of league-winning players? One column that contained 10 draft-day targets guaranteed to lead your fantasy squad to glory? The ultimate fantasy football article--a treasure map that will lead managers to a title?
Yeah, this article ain't that. If you have followed my work for any amount of time, you spent that last paragraph laughing hysterically.
However, what this piece is is a list of fantasy assets this analyst believes are either grossly undervalued or at least available in a spot where they have an excellent opportunity to exceed expectations.
Assemble a roster comprised of players like that, and odds are the 2025 campaign is going to go pretty well.
League-Winning Fantasy Picks
QB Caleb Williams, Chicago (ADP: QB12)
The first NFL season for the No. 1 pick in last year's draft was admittedly, um, yeah--just over 3,500 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, an NFL-high 68 sacks, and a QB16 finish in fantasy points. But everything the Bears have done this offseason has been laser-focused on putting Williams in a position to succeed in 2025.
The Bears hired one of the most well-respected offensive minds in the NFL as head coach in Ben Johnson. The team overhauled the offensive line. Added tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III to a passing game that already included DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. If you believed in Williams as a talent in 2024, it's time to believe in him as a viable fantasy starter with top-5 upside.
QB Drake Maye, New England (ADP: QB16)
Maye is something of a darling of the fantasy community this summer, with more than one pundit calling for big things from him in his second season. It's possible that all the hype could cause his ADP to creep and suck some of the fantasy value out of the youngster.
Buncha loudmouthed jerks--especially this guy.
But there's a reason the drumbeat for Maye has been equal parts loud and steady. Maye showed legit flashes last year despite playing with essentially zero help--he ranked among the top-10 quarterbacks in rushing yards in 2024 and gets a better offensive line this season, more stable coaching, and better passing-game weapons. If you're the type who loves a good game of "QB Chicken," then drafting Maye at the end of Round 10 isn't a bad plan at all.
RB Chase Brown, Cincinnati (ADP: RB11)
The 2025 season was a downer for the Bengals as a team, but there were a number of breakout offensive performances, including Brown--in his second professional season, Brown gained 1,350 total yards, caught over 50 passes, and scored 11 total touchdowns.
Once Brown took over as Cincinnati's featured back, he was consistent and productive. From Week 8 on, Brown posted double-digit PPR points in every game he played. From Week 9 on, he tallied at least 90 total yards in every game he played. From Week 8 on, Brown was sixth in PPR points among running backs. And there's no reason to think he won't sail past 300 touches in 2025--on an offense where opponents don't dare stack the box.
Brown won't stay a third-round pick all summer--for good reason.
RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina (ADP: RB18)
There hasn't been much that has gone right in Charlotte in recent years. But Hubbard's 2024 campaign was a bright spot--in his fourth season, Hubbard averaged 4.8 yards per carry and ranked eighth in the league with 1,195 rushing yards. Hubbard also caught 43 passes, found the end zone 11 times, and finished the year just outside the top 12 among running backs in PPR points per game.
The 26-year-old got himself a nice little contract extension and everything.
Yes, the Panthers signed Rico Dowdle (who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in Dallas in 2024), but Carolina gave Hubbard $16.5 million in guarantees. That's featured back money. The Panthers should be an improved club in 2025, and a key component of that improvement is an even bigger season from Hubbard. Finishing among the top 12 backs is in no way out of the question.
RB Tony Pollard, Tennessee (ADP: RB29)
There probably isn't a team in the NFL generating less offensive enthusiasm in 2025 than the Tennessee Titans. No matter the position, fantasy managers appear about as excited about the Titans offense as they are a trip to the DMV. On the last day of the month.
Always a fun time.
But that distaste has created an opportunity for value with some Titans players, including Pollard. Last year, the 28-year-old set a career-high in rushing yards and caught 41 passes on the way to over 1,300 total yards. It marked the third straight season Pollard topped 1,000 yards on the ground, and with all due respect to Titans running back Tyjae Spears, he probably got hurt as I was writing this.
Where some see the RB Dead Zone, there could well be solid RB2 numbers.
WR Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams (ADP: WR17)
Adams has had quite a past year or so--after a few games with the Las Vegas Raiders, Adams was traded to the Jets to reunite with Aaron Rodgers. After a less-than-ideal reunion, Adams was released after the 2024 campaign before eventually signing with the Rams. Given his ADP, fantasy managers apparently feel that between age and the presence of Puka Nacua, Adams' best days are behind him.
The Rams believed enough in Adams to give him $22 million a season. The 32-year-old has eclipsed 1,000 yards in five straight years and hasn't missed more than three games in a season since 2019. That 2019 season was also the last time Adams wasn't a top-12 fantasy receiver. Adams just keeps producing--regardless of team or situation.
WR Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland (ADP: WR34)
The 2024 season was like so many in Cleveland--a Factory of Sadness. An assembly line of misery. But amid all the darkness and despair, Jeudy quietly had the best season of his professional career. Jeudy's 1,229 receiving yards ranked sixth in the NFL. Jeudy caught 90 passes. And the 26-year-old finished the year just outside the top 15 in PPR points per game among wide receivers.
Here's the thing--how is Jeudy's situation any worse in 2025? He remains the Browns' unquestioned No. 1 receiver. The Browns' quarterback situation is poo, but, um, 2024? What if Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders can actually play? What if Kenny Pickett is a serviceable starter? Jeudy's numbers could slide a fair amount relative to a year ago, and he'd still be a bargain at this ADP.
WR Deebo Samuel Sr., Washington (ADP: WR39)
There are certain truisms in fantasy football that remain constant even as the NFL evolves. And one is that drafters cannot wait to find reasons not to draft a player who only recently was well-regarded. Last year, Samuel's ADP was 15th among wide receivers. Now, he's an injury-prone, over-the-hill afterthought being taken in WR4 territory.
Yes, Samuel has missed time in all six NFL seasons. And Samuel has struggled to match the huge numbers he posted in his WR3 overall campaign in 2021. But just two years ago, Samuel was a top-15 fantasy receiver, and the Commanders saw something they wanted in the 29-year-old. A healthy Samuel in Kliff Kingsbury's offense? At this asking price, that's a gamble worth taking.
TE Evan Engram, Denver (ADP: TE9)
Confession time. Given how many times I have already talked up Engram (and will continue to at this price point), he is most assuredly doomed. A recommendation from this analyst is worse than a combination of the Madden Curse, the Curse of 370, the Curse of the Hope Diamond, and King Tut's Curse rolled into one big ball of catastrophe.
But it simply cannot be helped. Yes, Engram's 2024 was regrettable--eight missed games and less than 400 receiving yards. But two years ago, he sailed past 100 catches and had more PPR points than Travis Kelce of the Chiefs--and outside of wide receiver Courtland Sutton, the Broncos' passing attack isn't exactly loaded with reliable and proven targets.
If you don't want to pay retail for an elite TE, Engram's the guy to target. Period.
TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta (ADP: TE18)
Stop it. Stop looking at me like I gave you one of those jelly beans that was supposed to be Cappuccino-flavored but instead was liver and onions. I get the reluctance here--trusting Pitts in fantasy is barreling toward Lucy's football--you know good and well she's going to pull it away at the last second and leave you flat on your back--again.
But the 13th round of a fantasy draft isn't about "trust". No one's season was ever ruined by whiffing on a pick this late. Pitts has shown elite fantasy upside, even if it has been a minute. Pitts is in the final year of his rookie deal. And while all the trade rumors swirling around Pitts are probably just that, if the 24-year-old gets dealt, it would more likely help his fantasy value than hurt it.
Once you're at the bottom, ain't but one way to go.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.
