Getting the advantage in your fantasy football league is all about churning through prospects and finding that lottery ticket in the late rounds of your rookie drafts like Puka Nacua, Sam LaPorta, Isiah Pacheco, Bo Nix, or Romeo Doubs of the last few years. Turning eventual early-season drops into fantasy starters is what we dream of when playing in our favorite leagues. Having the insight to land that late-round gem can elevate your team into a championship squad.

Ja'Corey Brooks was once a high-profile high school recruit, and big things were expected of him when he stepped onto the field for the Alabama Crimson Tide. What can we expect from this highly touted recruit who went from college football royalty in Alabama to a transfer portal reclamation in Louisville? He never quite became the next Julio Jones, but can he rise above a derailed collegiate career to NFL success?

The Stats

Brooks attended the prospect factory IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior year, where he was part of their National Championship squad. Before that, he attended Booker T. Washington High School in Miami where he had 1,281 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns before he went to IMG as a junior. Brooks was one of the gems of Alabama’s 2021 recruiting class as a five-star recruit and the nation’s second-ranked WR. He started to shine as a sophomore, leading the Crimson Tide with eight receiving touchdowns, but a shoulder injury would derail his junior season after the LSU game in 2023.

It's been a glorious five weeks of prospect-by-position overviews. From the iffy quarterback group, to the potentially magnificent running backs, to the deep but potentially studless wide receivers, we've covered player summaries, class comparisons, and rookie draft projections. Now we reach the end, and what could be the most intriguing position in the 2025 class.

At tight end, it's rare to get more than one dynasty stud in any single year, and usually the majority of a class falls into the tier of average placeholders worth starting until another elite option arrives. This year may be a bit different, and if you're one TE away from championship contention and haven't been able to snag a veteran star, you may want to consider positioning yourself for one of these rookies. But let's not spoil the ending.

Previous Class Grades

Before we dive into the names on 2025 draft boards, let's set the scene with a quick look at recent classes.

As you can see from a pretty quick, cursory glance, it's extremely rare to find multiple top-tier tight ends in a single rookie class... heck, it's rare to find multiple, consistent TE1s in a single rookie class. There's the 2010 duo (Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham), the 2013 duo (Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz), and (kind of) the 2017 class that gave us George Kittle, Evan Engram, David Njoku, and Jonnu Smith. Other than that, it's usually a game of "Find the One Stud." Also, it can be a bit difficult to grade more recent classes with finality, since tight ends are historically slower to develop than other positions (recent rookie phenoms notwithstanding).

In 2024, Gunnar Helm finally got a chance to be one of the main targets in the Texas offense. He was a consistent threat on offense who proved to be reliable when called upon. His draft profile rose throughout the season with the emergence of Texas in its first season in the SEC.

Let’s take a look at where Helm falls in this tight end group that proved to statistically be one of the best performing groups of tight ends in college football history.

The Stats

Courtesy of Sports Reference.

Helm finished the 2024 season with the most receptions and yards in a single season for a tight end in school history. He led a talented Longhorns receiving group with 60 receptions for 768 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games. He was a second-team All-SEC selection at tight end.

The running back position has had a weird perception issue over the last several years. They are an integral component of an NFL offense depending on the scheme demands. Several backs are ground and pound, fighting for those extra yards and during goal-line plunges. Others are heavily involved in the passing game, providing another versatile offensive weapon to spread the ball around.

Running backs remain a huge point producer in fantasy football but have short shelf lives when it comes to playing careers. The NFL has also resisted paying even the top-performing backs large contracts due to steep declines in production after several years. The cheat code has been to find a rookie running back and run them into the ground and let someone else pay them the money they think they deserve. Several backs like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, and James Conner have produced year over year despite advancing age and injuries. Those types of players are unicorns for dynasty but are more of the exception and not the rule.

Knowing who to target and who to avoid could mean finding that advantage over your league mates. Today, we look at some of the top 2025 running back prospects to give you the latest scoop on injury concerns for your favorite team and fantasy squads moving forward.

Ashton Jeanty, Boise State

2023 - Right knee sprain, vs Wyoming, missed two games.

2024 - Left hyperextended elbow, vs UNLV, missed zero games.

2024 - Knee sprain, vs Wyoming, missed zero games.

Jeanty is the crown jewel of this year’s running back class and it’s easy to see why. The Heisman Trophy runner-up paced the Boise State Broncos to the College Football Playoffs, rushing for 2,601 yards and leading FBS with 29 touchdowns.

For many dynasty players, the highlight of the off-season is the annual rookie draft, and we are now mere days away from many of those drafts kicking off. Once our respective dynasty teams are eliminated from contention (and sometimes even before), we tend to turn our attention to the incoming rookie class, and delusions of grandeur take over. In fact, dynasty players spend nearly the entire off-season preparing for how they will use their draft picks or if they will use them at all.

In this 12-part series, our team will use the latest data available here at Dynasty League Football, namely our April Superflex Rookie ADP and the Dynasty Trade Finder, to ensure you are as prepared as possible when your draft begins. Based on our most recent ADP data, we’ll suggest the player you could soon be adding to your team, and if you don’t like that, we’ll also include a potential pivot option. In addition, we’ll include options based on the updated 1QB rookie ADP for those who play in that format. Finally, using the Dynasty Trade Finder, we’ll examine some recent trades that have taken place with each specific draft pick.

We all know the first round of rookie drafts includes the players we’ve been hearing about for months, if not years, but difference-makers can be found in the second round and beyond, as well. Because of that, we’ll also address the other picks that accompany each respective first-round draft slot.

Rookie Selection 1.02

The Pick: Cam Ward, QB

Getting the likely 1.01 of the NFL Draft later than the 1.01 in a rookie draft feels like a steal, but is instead a testament to the generational talent of Ashton Jeanty. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if that value flips come draft day, if people talk themselves into the positional value of taking a quarterback over a running back, regardless of talent levels.

Kaleb Johnson had a dominant 2024 season in college, closing out his career with over 1,500 rushing yards and an insane 21 rushing touchdowns, one of the highest totals in the nation behind a little-known back whose name rhymes with Blashton Bleanty.

At the beginning of the pre-draft process, Johnson was in conversation for the RB2 spot, sitting clearly in the tier behind Ashton Jeanty (sorry, spoilers if you were still figuring out the riddle above). However, he’s started dropping down boards for both fantasy and draft analysts.

So what’s the real story here? Is Johnson headed towards stardom or are there too many potential flaws to his game to limit his upside?

The Stats

Johnson’s collegiate stats courtesy of Sports Reference.

Johnson arrived at Iowa as a three-star recruit, immediately bursting onto the scene as he set the college’s freshman rushing record in 2022 with 779 yards. The 2023 season was a little more disappointing, but Johnson truly broke out with a stellar 2024 campaign. Rushing for over 1,500 yards, he finished seventh in all of college football in rushing yards and fifth among backs eligible in the 2025 draft. His 21 rushing touchdowns were the joint-sixth-highest in the nation, and showed the true dominance of his 2024 season.

We dive into a recent rookie mock draft before the NFL Draft changes the landscape.

The NFL draft is rapidly approaching, and all anyone can talk about is this running back class. It has the rare combination of elite prospects, solid day-two options, and intriguing late-round fliers that allow it to be compared to the legendary 2017 class. These RBs also enter the league at an important time because many of the best backs are starting to get long in the tooth as NFL general managers and dynasty fantasy managers search for the next great crop of rushers.

With all the new talent set to enter the league soon, let’s look at the NFL’s current depth charts and assess the current backfields in danger of being usurped by younger talent in this year’s draft class, and assess some value for the future.

A team unlikely to draft a running back means their current starter would rank low on this “danger scale,” while a team almost certain to draft a running back means their current back is very dangerous to own right now. We’ll go in reverse order, meaning these are some of the “safer” backs to own in dynasty leagues. Remember, this is not a ranking of the value of these backs, only their danger level. In short, the earlier you see a player’s name on this list, the less likely they are to lose value at the end of this month.

16) James Cook, RB BUF

James Cook is in such a tricky spot this offseason and was the most difficult running back to place on this list. On one hand, he’s coming off a career year and has two mediocre backups on the roster behind him. This should mean his position is extremely secure heading into the NFL draft.

However, there’s been a ton of uncertainty clouding his future with the Bills. They haven’t opted to extend Cook past the last year of his rookie deal in 2025. There are a lot of potential paths for Cook's future; he could play out the remaining year of his contract and hit free agency next summer, he could be traded on draft night, or the Bills could have a change of heart and extend him following a league-leading 18 touchdowns.

Either way, Cook is in danger of his situation changing drastically this offseason, and the Bills could easily look towards the future and draft his replacement. I find it unlikely that they keep Cook and draft an RB with meaningful draft capital with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis on the roster, but something’s likely to put a dent in Cook’s dynasty value this offseason.

Editor's Note: This is shared premium content from Reception Perception, the best resource you can find for understanding WR data and performance. Visualizing performance in a way independent of the influence of outside factors, like quarterback play, just for starters. You can read all about Reception Perception here. This particular piece is a sample of the type of content charting subscribers to Reception Perception have access to. As a special offer exclusive to DLF subscribers, you can get any Reception Perception membership at an amazing 30% off of the normal membership price. 

Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State

Emeka Egbuka has played alongside some fantastic talents at Ohio State over the years and has acted out his part as the strong complementary receiver. Now that it’s his time to enter the league, his individual stock as a possible Round 1 selection will be put under the microscope. Using Reception Perception as a lens, we start to see a player belonging to a clear archetype, which just so happens to be gaining importance across the league.

For many dynasty players, the highlight of the off-season is the annual rookie draft, and we are now mere weeks away from many of those drafts kicking off. Once our respective dynasty teams are eliminated from contention (and sometimes even before), we tend to turn our attention to the incoming rookie class, and delusions of grandeur take over. In fact, dynasty players spend nearly the entire off-season preparing for how they will use their draft picks or if they will use them at all.

In this twelve-part series, members of DLF use the latest data available here at Dynasty League Football, namely our April Rookie ADP and the DLF Trade Analyzer, to ensure you are as prepared as possible when your draft begins. Based on our most recent ADP data, we’ll suggest the player you could be soon adding to your team, and if you don’t like that, we’ll also include a potential pivot option. In addition, we’ll include options based on the updated 1QB rookie ADP for those who play in that format.

We all know the first round of rookie drafts includes the players we’ve been hearing about for months if not years, but difference-makers can be found in the second round and beyond, as well. Because of that, we’ll also address the other picks that accompany each respective first-round draft slot.

Rookie Selection 1.03

The Pick: Omarion Hampton, RB North Carolina

If you are a person who likes to pick nits, Hampton is not the player you want to evaluate. Hampton was a workhorse in Chapel Hill, surpassing 250 carries in each of his final two seasons and consistently producing even as North Carolina’s offense had its ups and downs. He profiles as a smooth transition to the NFL with immense fantasy upside as the rare back who can handle the football on all three downs.