Is there really such a thing as a must-draft fantasy player? I mean, I get it: The concept is provocative. It gets the people going. Draft these guys no matter what. Even if there's a fire.

That said, things happen in drafts. Drunken leaguemates snipe their favorite team's RB (and your must-draft target) a round-and-a-half ahead of ADP. Auto-picks f*ck over your best-laid plans. Hell, even the best of us can simply get caught up in live-draft hoopla and deviate from the plan when faced with on-the-clock adrenaline.

This brings us to today's goal: Breaking down five of my "must draft" players this season, you know, if it works out nicely with your league format's ADP and roster construction.

Must-Have Players to Target in Fantasy Football

QB Justin Fields | Jets

• My rank: QB11 (87th player overall)
• Good ADP: ESPN (QB14, 126.3), Sleeper (QB15, 125.2), RT Sports (QB12, 133.2)
• Meh ADP: Yahoo (QB9, 84.2), CBS (QB11, 89.3), FFPC (QB11, 85.6)

But here's the thing: It probably shouldn't even matter so long as Fields keeps the starting job, and the Jets have 40 million reasons to keep the leash long here. There's not a 0% chance he's benched for the artist known as TyGod; just realize QBs with Fields' high-end rushing volume simply don't make a habit of busting in fantasy land.

Consider: 31 QBs had 100+ carries in a season from 2014-24, and … 

• 13 (42%) finished as top-3 fantasy QBs on a per-game basis
• 20 (65%) finished as top-6 fantasy QBs
• Only 3 (10%) finished outside fantasy's top-12 QBs (2014 Kaep, 2018 Lamar, 2020 Cam). This number might as well be two considering Lamar's rookie numbers are skewed by him playing, not starting, nine games as a Wildcat option behind Joe Flacco

*Drumroll please* Fantasy Life's rushing projection (code "Ian" for 20% off!) for Fields this year ... 140!.

Bottom line: My most-drafted QB of the offseason, I'm not a fan of chasing Fields too high up inside the top-100 picks, but man, 11th-round-plus treatment at ESPN, Sleeper, and RT Sports is certainly something I can get behind.

RB Jordan Mason | Vikings

• My rank: RB27 (78th player overall)
• Good ADP: ESPN (RB40, 142.7), CBS (RB45, 118), Sleeper (RB39, 110.7)
• Meh ADP: Yahoo (RB33, 102.5), Underdog (RB30, 88), FFPC (RB29, 94.9) 

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has informed us Mason is fully expected to be featured alongside incumbent starter A-aron Jones in a 1.B/goal-line role. This seems good considering:

• Mason regularly made the most out of his opportunities with the 49ers last season, racking up more rush yards over expected per carry than anyone not named Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley.
• The Vikings' revamped offensive line comes in as ETR's Brandon Thorn's fifth-best unit entering 2025.
• KOC's offenses have ranked seventh, 10th, and 12th in total yards over the past three seasons, scoring the 11th-most points in the league along the way.

Basically, Mason profiles as a cheaper version of David Montgomery or Kaleb Johnson: A "FLEX with benefits" capable of providing weekly top-30 value and sky-high handcuff upside should the starter ever miss any time.

Bottom line: I get not going out of your way to take Mason around the RB30 mark when there are still clear-cut starters on the board, but man, some of these near-RB40 ADPs are pretty wild—Mason is going in the same range as guys like Rachaad White, Zach Charbonnet, and Trey Benson, who simply don't have the same likelihood of carving out anything close to solid standalone value.

RB Jaylen Wright | Dolphins

• My rank: RB42 (131st player overall)
• Good ADP: Literally everywhere
• Meh ADP: Literally nowhere

While Wright didn't exactly boom in his rookie year, he deserves credit for finishing first among Dolphins RBs in yards after contact per carry (3.3), tackles avoided per carry (23.5%), and explosive-run rate (10.3%) alike. Yes, this still didn't result in much work or fantasy fireworks in 2024. Also yes, the Dolphins largely refrained from adding any sort of meaningful competition this entire offseason.

Consider: 

• Miami released Raheem Mostert back in February and did not re-sign current free agent Jeff Wilson.
• The only free agent addition was career backup Alexander Mattison on a tiny one-year, $2 million deal.
• General Manager Chris Grier waited until pick 179 to select Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon in Round 6.
• Wright changed his number from 25 to 5. That's what I'm talking about, man.

If fading the Dolphins' clear-cut RB2 because of Mattison and a sixth-round rookie is wrong, I don't want to be Wright (see what I did there).

Bottom line: Could Mattison or Gordon carve out a short-yardage role and make it tough for Wright to sustain much standalone value alongside De'Von Achane? Sure, but it's not exactly inevitable, and Wright's' sub-RB50 (!) price-tag is still a fine investment purely as handcuff play anyway. He's my most-drafted player of this offseason thanks to the potential for a Tyjae Spears/Jaylen Warren sort of FLEX-with-benefits role at a fraction of the cost.

WR George Pickens | Steelers

• My rank: WR22 (48th player overall)
• Good ADP: Everywhere except Underdog
• Meh ADP: Underdog (WR24, 45.2)

• The 6-foot-3, 200-pound talent plays even bigger than that, combining tantalizing contested-catch ability with sneaky-solid speed after the catch. Pickens' highlight film speaks for itself: The man knows how to make big plays.
• Speaking of splash plays, the Georgia product has averaged a robust 16.3 yards per reception and 9.7 yards per target since entering the league—marks that rank seventh and 11th among 105 qualified WRs.
• The fit is also rather great inside this Cowboys offense considering Lamb is usually deployed from the friendly confines of the slot. Pickens should make himself right at home as the offense's X receiver instead of, you know, Jonathan f*cking Mingo.

Throw in an offense devoid of any sort of meaningful talent at RB, and it'd make a lot of sense if Dak is asked to throw the ball to his heart's desire—making it more than possible for this offense to enable multiple top-24 fantasy WRs, a feat that has been achieved by five teams per season on average over the past decade.

Bottom line: I'm drinking the Kool-Aid here on what sure looks like a cheaper version of Tee Higgins. I have Pickens ahead of guys like Terry McLaurin, DJ Moore, and DeVonta Smith thanks to his potential to see similar (if not more) targets inside a passing game led by a man who had a very real argument for 2023 NFL MVP.

WR Keon Coleman | Bills

• My rank: WR46 (112th player overall)
• Good ADP: Everywhere except Underdog
• Meh ADP: Underdog (WR52, 99.1)

Appeared to be coming on strong as a rookie with 4-125-0 and 5-70-1 performances in Weeks 7-8, but a midseason hand/wrist injury sidelined the second-round pick for four weeks, and he would catch only 10 total passes during his final seven games upon returning.

That said, Coleman sure seemed to earn Josh Allen's trust as a jump-ball specialist (look at this shit!) and he also displayed some surprisingly fun after-the-catch ability on his way to joining some pretty damn good company to lead the position in Next-Gen Stats' YAC above expected per reception.

The departures of Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper should solidify Coleman as a near every-down player in 2025. Throw in an existing hamstring injury to Khalil Shakir, and there's a non-zero chance that it's actually Coleman who winds up leading this offense in targets. Hell, even the return of a perfectly healthy Shakir would still likely leave the 22-year-old talent as the front-runner for team-high marks in red zone and deep-ball opportunities.

Bottom line: Coleman is available at sub "prime" Gabe Davis prices across the industry. This is about the last tier where I'm down to draft a WR with any level of high expectations, why not make it the second-year contested-catch artist expected to see the most fantasy-friendly end-zone and downfield opportunities from, you know, the reigning NFL MVP?  

TE Tyler Warren | Colts

• My rank: TE10 (107th player overall)
• Good ADP: ESPN (TE13, 133.8), Yahoo (TE15, 121.2), RT Sports (TE13, 128.2)
• Meh ADP: Sleeper (TE11, 100.6), FFPC (TE10, 91.4)

I'll admit I was a bit late to the party here, but my friend, colleague, and Fantasy Life Director of Analytics Dwain McFarland has helped me see the light.

From Dwain's excellent TE strategy article:

"Concerned about the Colts’ low passing volume and crowded depth chart? It’s fair, but talent can change everything. Just like many overlooked Brock Bowers due to his situation, don’t sleep on Warren. He may not be Bowers, but talent creates opportunity.

"The Colts have rotated tight ends, but none were the No. 14 overall pick. Warren should earn a full-time role quickly. He’s a yards-after-catch machine who fits perfectly in Shane Steichen’s RPO-heavy system. Over the past two years, the Colts rank No. 1 in RPO rate (22%) and No. 4 in play action (28%), an excellent match for Warren’s skill set. Expect Indy to scheme him into space often.

"Warren’s underlying upside and fit make him a prime breakout candidate, regardless of target competition. He’s my most-drafted tight end through 65 drafts (21.5%), per the Best Ball Player Exposure tool."

Week 1 preseason usage with the starters confirmed Dwain's suspicions that Warren would see a full-time role and be fed the rock early and often. Look, I don't love buying into the idea that Daniel f*cking Jones is good for Warren's fantasy prospects and this passing game overall—it's actually quite terrifying to say out loud—but hey, the man should be capable of existing for the 1-2 seconds between getting the snap and dumping off designed low-aDOT throws to Warren (I hope).

Bottom line: Unlike the last few players we touched on: Warren is one of the guys who I'm targeting a bit more based on the fantasy provider due to the volatile range of cost. He's a prime late-round candidate at his aforementioned ESPN, Yahoo and RT Sports and one of the reasons why I've enjoyed deploying a "first or last" barbell approach at the position this offseason. 

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