The Rookie RB Sleeper To Target in Fantasy Drafts

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by New Era:

I have a confession to make. Traditional fantasy football just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Don’t get me wrong; I still play in plenty of traditional leagues. Best ball, dynasty, redraft: I’ll have exposure everywhere.

But I just can’t get past how little quarterbacks matter in those formats.

Emphasizing The Importance Of The QB

It’s the most important position in all of sports, yet it’s of minimal importance in fantasy drafts. Five different quarterbacks were rostered in at least 16.55% of championship-winning Yahoo lineups last season, and they’re not exactly the players you would’ve expected: Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Jayden Daniels, Sam Darnold, and Bo Nix.

It’s why Superflex Fantasy Football has become my favorite format. It makes every starting quarterback important, and you can’t just wait all draft or ride free agency to find a viable option. You need to actually prioritize the position, which makes it feel more like actual football.

Recently, the Fantasy Life crew participated in a Superflex mock draft for the 2025 season, and I wanted to touch a bit on some of the selections I made from the No. 5 spot. Let’s dive in.

1.05—Ja’Marr Chase

The first four picks of the draft were quarterbacks, and there’s no real surprise there. Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Daniels, and Jalen Hurts are all dual-threat monsters with the potential to put up 30+ points every time they take the field.

After that, it felt like there was a dropoff to the next tier of signal-callers. Burrow is an elite passer, but he doesn’t bring much to the table as a rusher. Patrick Mahomes is still the best QB in the league, but his passing production has been lacking the past few seasons. C.J. Stroud is a promising prospect, but he regressed in his second season and just lost one of his top receivers.

With that in mind, I chose to zag and select Chase to headline my receiver corps. That feels justified. Chase is coming off an absolutely dominant season, winning the receiver triple crown and outscoring every other receiver in fantasy by at least 85 PPR points. He’s still in the prime of his career—he just turned 25 years old—so there’s no reason to expect much different next season.

2.08 & 4.08—Bo Nix and Drake Maye

Considering where I got both players, I couldn’t be happier with my QB tandem. Nix came off the board as QB9, while I selected Maye as QB15.

Nix was QB9 as a rookie in terms of PPR points per game, and he was QB6 from Week 5 on. He’s in a QB-friendly system with Sean Payton at the helm, and he provides just enough upside with his legs to matter.

Maye took over as the Patriots’ starter in Week 6, and he also showed plenty of promise as a rookie. He was in arguably the worst situation in the entire NFL, playing behind a terrible offensive line while throwing to a dreadful group of pass catchers. However, he still managed to rack up at least 17.7 fantasy points seven times between Weeks 6 and 16.

Both Nix and Maye should have better teams to work with in their second seasons. One of the luxuries of having a rookie quarterback is that you can pay them below market value. That allows you to spend big at other positions. The Patriots and Broncos have both shelled out plenty of money during free agency, with the Patriots ranking first and the Broncos eighth in offseason spending. Ultimately, there’s upside with both of these guys.

9.05—Quinshon Judkins

After Maye in Round 4, I spent the next five picks rounding out my receiver and running back rooms. That included selecting Quinshon Judkins with the fifth pick of the ninth round.

Judkins has been a bit overshadowed by some of the other rookies in what is an extremely deep class. That said, I think he’s a phenomenal prospect in his own right. He broke out as a true freshman at Ole Miss, rushing for 1,567 yards with 17 scores at just 19 years old. He followed that up with a strong sophomore campaign before transferring to Ohio State and winning a National Championship. Judkins ultimately finished his college career with 4,227 scrimmage yards and 50 touchdowns in just three seasons.

Judkins might be the best pure athlete at the position in this draft class. His 4.48 40-yard dash doesn’t jump off the page, but it’s a fantastic figure when combined with his size. Overall, his 9.89 Relative Athletic Score is the top mark among this year’s RB prospects:

While guys like Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton are flying up draft boards, Judkins is still relatively affordable. Once he gets selected in the second round of the NFL Draft—and solidifies a job as a starting NFL running back—he’s not going to be this cheap. Get your shares while they’re affordable.

WAITING ON QB IN SUPERFLEX DRAFTS IS RISKY

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Fantasy News: QB Situations And Puka Nacua End Game

The QB game of musical chairs is close to leaving the Steelers without a seat. What are they going to do? Will the Giants signing two QBs take them out of drafting one next month? Puka Nacua makes a pronouncement that has Ram fans and fantasy football aficionados scratching their heads.

Kendall Valenzuela delivers the latest NFL news impacting fantasy football right here.👇

PUKA LOOKS TO FOLLOW A LEGEND

Rankings Update: Ashton Jeanty Now Among Elite RBs

The NFL Draft may be less than a month away, but it’s time to take one of the top prospects very seriously when it comes to fantasy football rankings. Ashton Jeanty may not have a landing spot, but he’s firmly placed atop Dwain’s RB Super Model and Thor has given him high praise in this profile and his Rookie RB rankings. Now it may be time to take him seriously in rankings for upcoming fantasy football drafts.

Jeanty has moved into a rarefied air with players who have had incredible careers and still have plenty to contribute in the NFL and fantasy football. Check out where he’s residing in our most updated rankings, as well as other players moving up and down our boards. 👇

SEE WHERE STEFON DIGGS HAS MOVED TO

Here’s some news to sift through while you’re resting on the couch:

📈 The 2024 NFL Draft class had some big hits and busts. Ian Hartitz looks back at how the class fared from a fantasy standpoint.

✏️ One mock draft is never enough. How does Thor’s most recent mock compare to Freedman’s?

👀 Who doesn’t love a good tight end? The 2025 class has a few standouts.

🏈 Speaking of tight ends, how should you attack the position in best ball? Peter Overzet has you covered.

🏆 More best ball content. Pete and Ian tackle their first Underdog draft of the season.

💤 It’s always good to have dreams. Especially when it comes to ideal landing spots for the top rookies.

💪 Malik Nabers just might be QB proof.