It’s still relatively early in the 2025 fantasy football offseason, but discerning which players aren't being seen at their true value heading into next year could pay dividends down the road. These players could be drafted lower than they should be, leading to potentially huge boosts for your fantasy team’s ceiling.
These players could end up winning your team a fantasy championship, so it’s never too early to do some research. While some of the information in this article could be thrown off by the 2025 NFL Draft, it’s undeniable that they represent impressive upside.
Let’s get into the list to find out which players you should draft ahead of their consensus ranking ahead of the 2025 fantasy football season.
(Note: We will be using the FantasyPros 2025 Fantasy Expert Draft Rankings as a baseline for this article!)
Malik Nabers
(WR, NYG)
FantasyPros Rank: WR7
I was already extremely excited about Malik Nabers’ upside heading into 2025 after a masterclass of a rookie campaign, but with New York’s signing of quarterback Jameis Winston, his ceiling has risen to new heights.
While there is no guarantee that Winston will start, in fact, it may not be very likely at all, if he does, Nabers would receive an unprecedented amount of volume at the wide receiver position. This past season, Winston helped propel Cleveland’s Jerry Jeudy to a breakout season; the wideout totaled 72 targets and over 806 receiving yards during the seven contests in which Winston started.
Winston loves to throw the ball deep, and Nabers can excel in every part of the field. This could be a perfect match for fantasy purposes, of course, if Winston is able to start. Nabers already converted 170 targets into 1,204 receiving yards during his rookie season, so there’s no question that he could be in line for elite volume once again, regardless of who starts under center.
Whether or not New York rolls with Winston, who averaged over 40 pass attempts per game in his seven starts in 2024, Nabers could be in for a massive sophomore season and has WR1 overall potential. He should be selected higher than consensus in the first round of fantasy drafts.
Evan Engram
(TE, DEN)
FantasyPros Rank: TE9
In my opinion, Evan Engram’s contract agreement to play for the Denver Broncos could end up being one of the best free agency acquisitions of the entire offseason. Denver was sorely lacking a receiving threat at the tight end position in 2024, with a tight end room that only totaled 51 receptions across the regular season.
Engram logged 143 targets and 114 receptions during his last healthy season in Jacksonville, so it’s not outrageous to suggest that he could end up being a top-five fantasy tight end in 2025. Quarterback Bo Nix is coming off of a fantastic rookie season, and Denver will be looking to surround him with more talent at the skill positions. Engram is exactly what Nix may need to take the next step.
Engram’s receiving talent, crossed with Denver’s need at the position, makes for one of the best free agency fits of the entire offseason. Engram’s ceiling is incredibly high in 2025. I firmly believe that a healthy season for Engram could mean a return to fantasy stardom for the veteran tight end.
Ricky Pearsall
(WR, SF)
FantasyPros Ranking: WR48
After being selected by San Francisco with the 31st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Ricky Pearsall’s rookie season was derailed after he was shot in a robbery attempt on August 31st, 2024. Impressively, Pearsall made his rookie debut during Week 7 of the 2024 season, logging three receptions in his first career game.
The rookie finally hit his stride against Detroit in Week 17, posting eight receptions, 141 receiving yards, and a touchdown in a breakout performance. This is exactly the type of performance that inspires hope for a player’s outlook in fantasy football, and several factors make Pearsall a prime candidate to improve in 2025.
First, he will likely be the top wide receiver to start the season. It’s definitely possible that star wideout Brandon Aiyuk begins the year on the injured reserve list due to a season-ending knee injury that he suffered in 2024. Secondly, former San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. was traded to the Washington Commanders this offseason, clearing the way for Pearsall to take a bigger role in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
There will be plenty of volume to be had for the young wide receiver in 2025, and if he can take advantage of the opportunity, fantasy managers will be happy to have selected him in the later rounds of their fantasy football drafts.
Check out this article in which I further outlined Pearsall’s outlook for the 2025 NFL season!
Chuba Hubbard
(RB, CAR)
FantasyPros Rank: RB17
Chuba Hubbard can absolutely be a bellcow running back in the NFL. That is an indisputable fact based on his 2024 season statistics. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy broke out in his fourth NFL season, compiling 250 rush attempts, 1,195 rushing yards, 4.78 yards per carry, and 10 rushing touchdowns in 15 games.
Hubbard signed a four-year, $33.2 million contract before the conclusion of the 2024 NFL season, making him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL. He is absolutely deserving of this contract and will be an offensive centerpiece in Carolina for years to come.
He is currently being undervalued because of Carolina’s agreement on a one-year, $2.75 million contract this offseason with former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle, who had a breakout season of his own in 2024. Dowdle was undoubtedly impressive, amassing 1,079 rushing yards on 235 carries last season. However, I don’t believe that he will take on more than a complementary role in 2025 for the Panthers.
The length of his contract makes me believe that, at the moment, Carolina does not believe that Dowdle is a long-term piece, giving them no reason to give him a large chunk of Hubbard’s carries. The team invested a significant amount of money in Hubbard to be their starting running back.
Dowdle will likely serve the role that 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks was supposed to fill before tearing his ACL late in the 2024 NFL season. Hubbard will not be significantly challenged for the starting role if Carolina wants to receive the full value of Hubbard’s extension. While I do believe Dowdle will take some carries, he is a good player, after all, Hubbard is a workhorse-type player. There’s no reason to mess with a good system.
Rico Dowdle is also a more notable contributor in the passing game than Hubbard, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take on a pass-catching role to take some pressure off of Carolina’s franchise quarterback, Bruce Young. In 2025 fantasy football drafts, select Hubbard.