We've covered breakouts, busts, and sleepers, so now it's time to focus on five players we'd absolutely love to take at their draft positions. We will be over the moon if we leave a draft with all of them on our roster.
More from this series:
- 10 breakout players to target (Updated)
- 7 potential busts to avoid (Updated)
- 10 sleepers to steal (Updated)
Love rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Brock Purdy is being selected as the 12th quarterback off the board and 103rd overall, according to FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP). Purdy is going 35 picks after Caleb Williams, who I believe has similar fantasy upside.
The 49ers signal-caller only played nine games last year but finished the season with a flurry of top-tier performances. In his final six outings of the fantasy football season, Purdy had four weeks at QB6 or better, including two as the position's top scorer. He finished the year with the fifth-most fantasy points per game among quarterbacks.
There's reason to believe Purdy can keep up that level of production. The 49ers added Mike Evans, still have Christian McCaffrey and head coach Kyle Shanahan, and drafted De'Zhaun Stribling. George Kittle may miss the start of the season as he works his way back from a torn Achilles, but his recovery seems to be going well, and he could even play in Week 1.
Purdy was third last year in expected points added per play (EPA/play), according to SumerSports, ahead of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Matthew Stafford. He rarely gets sacked, consistently records a high completion percentage, and can be effective with his legs to help add a few fantasy points per week.
The safeguards are in place for Purdy to outperform his draft position: He plays for a Super Bowl contender with a fantastic head coach and a great supporting cast. If he appears in all 17 games, he'll lead thousands of fantasy teams to the playoffs.
Love rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jalen Hurts is coming off his worst season for fantasy scoring, and he still finished as the QB8. A drop in his rushing stats contributed to the decline, as he set career lows in attempts, yards, and touchdowns since becoming the Eagles' full-time starter.
However, under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, I'd expect Philly to return to what worked during their Super Bowl-winning season - more designed runs for Hurts. Even if the signal-caller still believes he can stand in the pocket and be a traditional thrower, that's not what makes this Eagles' offense go. The entire organization is counting on Hurts to return to his running ways.
If Hurts' floor in fantasy is QB8, he's a bargain at his ADP of QB5. Hurts can give Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson a run for their money as the top-scoring quarterback, and you only have to spend a sixth-round pick to get him.
Love rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
After he dominated in the playoffs and was named Super Bowl MVP, the Chiefs made Kenneth Walker III one of the highest-paid running backs in the league with a $43.5-million contract. You don't pay a running back that much money unless you're planning for him to be a huge part of your offense, especially after Patrick Mahomes set a career high in rushing yards last year before tearing his ACL in Week 15.
Kansas City hasn't had a running back with as much juice as Walker since Kareem Hunt's first stint with the team in 2017. Hunt ran for 1,327 yards that season on 272 carries. Walker was fifth in explosive rate (percent of rushing plays that were in the top 10 percentile of yards gained) last year. He should add a new dimension to a Chiefs offense that typically relies on Mahomes' arm.
That offense isn't perfect - it lacks pass-catching options to help Mahomes - but it has a safe floor as long as Andy Reid is in charge. Last season was the first time that Kansas City finished outside the top 15 in points per game since Reid took over in 2013. Walker enters an environment with very little competition and a chance to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns.
Walker isn't cheap in drafts - at his current ADP, he's the eighth running back off the board and 13th overall. However, he's got a path to finish the year as a top-five back and the potential to be fantasy's top scorer. I'll happily take him at the end of Round 1 - ahead of Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry - and feel great about my RB1.
Love rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Javonte Williams finished as RB10 in points per game last season, tied with Jonathan Taylor for the highest EPA/play among backs with at least 250 carries. Despite the Cowboys doing nothing in the offseason to change his role this year, he's still being picked as RB15 in drafts, behind players with question marks in worse offensive environments - looking at you, Jeremiyah Love and Ashton Jeanty.
You could have the opportunity to take Williams as your second back, even though he performed as an RB1 last season. Pairing him with Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, or Taylor before shifting your attention to wide receivers would potentially give you the best running back tandem in your league.
Love rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Commanders were a disaster last season, a stark contrast to their NFC Championship Game appearance in 2024. But people are quick to forget how good Terry McLaurin was two years ago when he scored 13 touchdowns and finished as WR6. Now, you're getting a nice discount on Jayden Daniels' top target.
McLaurin sat out training camp last year amid a contract negotiation. After he got paid, he hurt his hamstring and missed seven games. McLaurin and Daniels only played three contests together last season.
New offensive coordinator David Blough said he plans to get McLaurin 10 targets per game in a more traditional offense that will put Daniels under center with greater regularity. Yes, Stefon Diggs signed with the Commanders and will earn targets, but the veteran duo should complement each other perfectly, with Diggs playing mostly out of the slot. With Daniels completely healthy heading into the year, McLaurin set to log a full training camp, and a new game plan that'll feature McLaurin in the passing game, it makes no sense that he's the 23rd receiver off the board.
Every player carries injury risk, but managers are weighting last season's stats far too heavily in their valuation of McLaurin. He should easily outperform his draft slot if he and Daniels play a full season together.
Love rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Ladd McConkey took a step back last year after a sensational rookie campaign. He caught 16 fewer passes (66), posted 360 fewer yards (789), and his catch rate fell by nearly 11% despite running 81 more routes. He was WR12 as a rookie and WR29 last season.
But I'm buying the hype about new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. The former Dolphins head coach is bringing his dynamic system to the West Coast with Justin Herbert as his quarterback. Los Angeles will also have Pro Bowl tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater back in the lineup. It's reasonable to expect the Chargers to make a huge offensive turnaround in McConkey's third season.
He also has little competition on his own team. Quentin Johnston operates exclusively on the outside, and the remaining wideouts on the roster leave much to be desired. Tre' Harris and rookies Brenen Thompson and KeAndre Lambert-Smith shouldn't take targets away from McConkey. He had a 24.24% target share as a rookie - a number that should rise under McDaniel.
The Chargers' offense may go through some growing pains early in the season, so perhaps you can trade for McConkey if you miss out in the draft. However, I feel very comfortable taking him over Rashee Rice, Tee Higgins, and Zay Flowers, ahead of his current ADP as WR18.
Love rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Kyle Pitts finished as the TE2 last year. Injuries to Brock Bowers and Tucker Kraft likely affected that result, but that doesn't change the fact that Pitts finished second to Trey McBride in targets and receiving yards and set a career high of 88 receptions.
Kevin Stefanski is now the Falcons' head coach, bringing his tight-end-focused offensive scheme to Atlanta. Stefanski, who added former Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to his staff, has propped up tight ends throughout his time on an NFL sideline: Harold Fannin Jr. had a great rookie campaign last year; David Njoku has been a fantasy asset on bad Browns teams in the past; and even Kyle Rudolph found success dating back to Stefanski's time with the Vikings.
None of those players have the skill set of Pitts, a former fourth overall pick who's still only 25. Seemingly fully recovered from an MCL injury that limited him last year, Pitts will be heavily featured in the Falcons' offense alongside Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
More from this series:
- 10 breakout players to target (Updated)
- 7 potential busts to avoid (Updated)
- 10 sleepers to steal (Updated)
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