Is it too early to discuss what a 2025 fantasy football first-round might look like? Yes.

Will that stop us from doing exactly that? No!

Presenting: A way-too-early 2025 fantasy football mock draft … specifically the first round. We'll assume full-PPR scoring and one-QB leagues. Cool? Cool.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - Predicting the Top-12 Picks

1.01: Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

• 2024 PPR Finish: WR1

The triple-crown winner is as talented as any WR in the world, led the NFL in targets despite sharing the field with Tee Higgins (free agent), and gets to run routes for arguably the best pure passer in the game in Joe Burrow. Only Lamar Jackson (25.3) averaged more PPR points per game than Ja'Marr Chase (23.7) last season; the 24-year-old WR combines a sky-high weekly floor with bigger boom potential than just about anyone in the league.

Hopefully, the Bengals do their No. 1 WR right and sign him to the sort of big-money deal he deserves. (Another) holdout of sorts looks like the only thing capable of dropping Chase down the 2025 ranks.

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1.02: Eagles RB Saquon Barkley

• 2024 PPR Finish: RB2

Mr. 2K would have likely finished as fantasy's overall RB1 had the Eagles let their stud chase Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. And here's the wild part: Saquon Barkley arguably left some meat on the bone due to Philly's continued willingness to feature Jalen Hurts on tush pushes from the one-yard line. Nobody was tackled at the one-yard line and did NOT score a TD on the same drive more than Barkley (11 times!) in 2024.

Now, that latter game-planning decision probably won't change in 2025, but the same can be said for the Eagles' status as the league's most run-heavy offense. 28 in February, we aren't looking at age cliff concerns just yet, and Barkley will once again profile as one of the league's most-fed RBs behind arguably the game's single-best offensive line.

Consider: Barkley would have been the PPR RB9 last season without scoring a single TD—anyone actively fading the man in 2025 is simply betting on injuries that don't even exist.

1.03: Falcons RB Bijan Robinson

• 2024 PPR Finish: RB3

Any sort of fantasy football player evaluation essentially boils down to four factors:

• Individual talent: Bijan Robinson is fresh off totaling 1,887 total yards and 15 scores in his age-22 season. Second in missed tackles forced on the ground and fourth in explosive runs: Anyone who has spent five seconds watching Bijan highlights knows we're dealing with one of the game's very best rushers of the football.
   
• Workload: His 365 touches trailed only Barkley on the season. Tyler Allgeier is a quality backup, but clearly OC Zac Robinson has no qualms with force-feeding Robinson the football.
   
• Offensive environment: Atlanta has the sixth-most expensive offensive line in the league and fielded one of the game's best supporting casts for any QB in 2024. It's not a guarantee Michael Penix fosters a top-five scoring offense, but either way: This is clearly a great combination of scoring upside and o-line dominance.
   
• Age: 23 on January 30, Robinson is firmly in his prime.

So yeah: No real holes here! If you wanted to rank Bijan as Mr. 1.01, I wouldn't be upset about it.

1.04: Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

• 2024 PPR Finish: WR2

The NFL's all-time leader in receiving yards per game (96.5), Justin Jefferson is putting together one of the best starts to a career … ever.

• 2020: 88 receptions-1,400 yards-7 TD, WR9 in PPR points per game
• 2021: 108-1,616-10, WR4
• 2022: 128-1,809-8, WR2
• 2023: 68-1,074-5, WR5
• 2024: 103-1,533-10, WR4

Whether it's Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy under center: Jefferson's own individual talent and head coach Kevin O'Connell's proven wizardry as a playcaller make this a situation that we shouldn't overthink.

1.05: Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb

• 2024 PPR Finish: WR8

CeeDee Lamb finished 2023 as THE WR1 in fantasy land before 2024's relative dropoff. Of course, the fall was caused by 1.) Only playing with Dak Prescott for eight games, and 2.) A late-season shoulder injury that clearly hindered the 25-year-old's ability to rack up yards after the catch.

Ultimately, Lamb was the PPR WR4 in fantasy during the first nine weeks of the season with Dak under center, and his ability to persist as the WR11 with Cooper Rush was honestly pretty impressive considering the dropoff that someone like Tyreek Hill experienced while working with a backup QB.

Lamb's combination of youthfulness, talent, high-end QB play, and volume is arguably only topped by Ja'Marr Chase; another overall WR1 finish is firmly in his range of outcomes ahead of 2025–especially if the Cowboys (again) refrain from adding any sort of real high-end target competition.

1.06: Rams WR Puka Nacua

• 2024 PPR Finish: WR26 (WR3 per game)

There was a lot of debate going into 2024 regarding who the real No. 1 WR in Los Angeles was. Fast forward to the present day, and it's clear the Rams' WR1 has a name, and his name is Puka Nacua.

Perhaps Cooper Kupp's early-season high ankle sprain lingered more than anyone is aware of, but the second-half numbers speak for themselves: Puka out-targeted Kupp 102 to 73 in Weeks 8 to 17, working as the overall PPR WR2 behind only Ja'Marr Chase along the way.

The biggest concern for Puka ahead of 2025 is whether or not Matthew Stafford will still be under center. Still, Sean McVay's consistent ability to scheme up touches via both rush attempts and screens will help keep the floor high regardless.

1.07: Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs

• 2024 PPR Finish: RB1

Yes, Jahmyr Gibbs has benefited mightily from the absence of David Montgomery over the past two seasons, ripping off PPR RB24, RB2, RB1, RB7, RB2, and RB1 finishes in six full games as the Lions' undisputed lead back.

Also yes, it wasn't like Gibbs needed D-Mont out of the picture in order to supply high-end fantasy goodness. Consider: The second-year talent was the RB5 in PPR points per game in Weeks 1 to 15 even while splitting up the backfield. That's life when averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and back-to-back seasons with 52 receptions has also raised the floor in full-PPR land. Overall, only De'Von Achane and Alvin Kamara scored more PPR points from purely receiving production than Gibbs in 2024.

Montgomery isn't going anywhere after getting a two-year, $18 million extension in October; just realize Gibbs' blend of big-play ability and pass-catching prowess inside the game's reigning top-ranked scoring offense still keeps him in the position's top three–even if overall RB1 treatment would be on the table with something closer to a true workhorse role.

1.08: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

• 2024 PPR Finish: WR3

Death, taxes, our one true Sun God putting up all kinds of numbers inside the Lions' perennial top-five scoring offense.

• 2021: 90 receptions-912 yards-5 TD (119 targets), WR28 in PPR points per game
• 2022: 106-1,161-6 (146), WR11
• 2023: 119-1,515-10 (164), WR4
• 2024: 115-1,263-12 (141), WR5

Even the emergence of Jameson Williams wasn't enough to hinder Amon-Ra St. Brown's production in 2024. Maybe overall WR1 heights won't ever be reached inside an offense that will always love to establish the run; just realize it's tough to craft a non-injury-related scenario where the Lions' clear-cut No. 1 pass-game target falls out of the position's top-12 producers.

1.09: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

• 2024 PPR Finish: RB69 (RB27 per game)

CMC's 2024 season largely consisted of one sad injury update after another. And yet, his 88%, 94%, and 82% snap rates once healthy reflected the reality that 2023's overall RB1 maintains one of the most fantasy-friendly roles in the league.

McCaffrey himself said recently he's close to being fully recovered from his season-ending knee issue. Learned doctors believe there's no reason to expect the issues to persist into 2025, and the age cliff isn't necessarily something that is directly around the corner.

Anyone who drafted McCaffrey in 2020, 2021, or 2024 knows the pain of dealing with an injury-shortened campaign. That said: All CMC has done in his five fully healthy seasons is rip off overall PPR RB10, RB2, RB1, RB2, and RB1 finishes. Remember, there's a difference between someone actively being injured and believing they WILL get injured eventually—don't let scars completely derail your willingness to take on the sort of risk that offers (wait for it) potential league-winning rewards.

1.10: Ravens RB Derrick Henry

• 2024 PPR Finish: RB4

Derrick Henry turned 31 on January 4th. He's racked up 300-plus touches in five of the last six regular seasons. A dropoff HAS to be on the way soon, right? RIGHT?

Wrong! The King might as well be considered an alien at this point, and similar to Barkley, it's tough to poke a hole in his 2025 projection that doesn't revolve around simply predicting an injury that doesn't currently exist.

While it's possible Henry's 2024 average of 5.9 yards per carry drops off a bit—it's hard to be that efficient!—the Lamar Jackson effect should continue to yield all kinds of fantasy-friendly scoring opportunities (the Ravens have ripped off back-to-back top-four finishes in scoring) and gaping holes on the ground. Consider: Ravens RBs have ranked 3rd, 1st, 7th, 5th, 6th, and most recently 2nd in rush yards BEFORE contact per carry since 2019.

Arguably the defining RB of his generation *again* getting 300-plus touches inside an offense fully expected to rank inside the league's top-five scoring groups that loves to run the football, is that something you might be interested in?

1.11: Eagles WR A.J. Brown

• 2024 PPR Finish: WR20 (WR13 per game)

The only two WRs to average at least 80 receiving yards per game in each of the past three seasons are Justin Jefferson … and A.J. Brown. The Eagles' No. 1 WR didn't put up as gaudy of counting numbers as usual in 2024 due to an early-season hamstring injury, but his 11.1 yards per target (1st) and 2.99 yards per route run (2nd) reflect the reality that we're still talking about one of the game's very best pass-catchers here.

The Eagles are always going to be fond of running the football, but I just have a hard time ignoring a top-five real-life talent at the position inside a perennial top-eight scoring offense who only turns 28 in June.

The presence of DeVonta Smith and Nick Sirianni's desire to run the damn ball will probably limit AJB's chances of an overall WR1 finish; just realize the combination of scoring upside, talent, and volume continues to make it extremely difficult to keep Arthur Juan out of the first round in drafts of all shapes and sizes.

1.12: Texans WR Nico Collins

• 2024 PPR Finish: WR23 (WR9 per game)

All Collins has done with C.J. Stroud under center is work as one of the game's single-best receivers both in fantasy and real life.

Collins in 2023-24:

• PPR points per game: 17.4 (WR8)
• Yards per route run: 3.0 (WR1)
• Targets per route run: 27.1% (WR9)

Both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell are coming off brutal season-ending injuries; the former WR isn't even guaranteed to be on the roster in 2025. Collins should be in any top-10 real life WR argument and earns top-five consideration in fantasy land thanks to the potential to breeze past 150 targets in an offense led by a young QB who has at least flashed the ability to operate at an elite level.

Borderline Round 1 Fantasy Football Picks In 2025

Honorable mentions

I originally had Dolphins RB De'Von Achane inside the top 12, but ultimately, I just felt a little better about the floor/ceiling combinations of the last few WRs. The Dolphins explosive pass-catching phenom would be my first pick of Round 2.

Jaguars WR Brian Thomas' end to 2024 was nothing short of remarkable. The man finishes as THE WR1 in the fantasy playoffs after all! He's my early WR8 overall and someone who is very much in play at the Round 1 turn.

A similar sentiment is true for Giants WR Malik Nabers, who proved capable of producing WR1 numbers despite a constant turnstile of mediocre QBs in New York. Unfortunately, that variable is far from guaranteed to be fixed in 2024, narrowly keeping him out of my top-12 overall players, even if you barely need more than one hand to count the number of WRs you'd rather have in 2025.

It makes way too much sense for incoming rookie RB Ashon Jeanty to land inside a Cowboys offense that would seemingly be set up perfectly to hand him a true three-down workhorse role. The potential for 300-plus touches on a team that has done nothing other than score high point totals with Dak Prescott under center would make it tough to keep him out of the overall top-15 conversation from day one.

Falcons WR Drake London worked as the PPR WR9 with Kirk Cousins under center … and the WR3 with Michael Penix. Not too shabby for the 23-year-old talent. While the verdict remains out on just how high Penix's ceiling is as a pure passer, the rookie did demonstrate the willingness to test tight windows and force-feed his WR1—he's locked in as a top-10 option at the position for me ahead of 2025.

The consensus top-two TEs ahead of next season are Raiders TE Brock Bowers and Cardinals TE Trey McBride. For a good reason—both combine youth with proven upside inside of passing games that have been plenty willing to feature them as legit No. 1 pass-game options. I'm not quite ready to squeeze them into the top 12 overall picks, but I understand the desire to lock down these can't-miss archetypes sooner rather than later.

Bengals RB Chase Brown was the overall PPR RB5 in Weeks 9-17 when given the team's full three-down role. However, Brown was just the RB28 in Weeks 1-8 when splitting the backfield with Zack Moss. The Bengals' offseason actions should give us a good idea as to which split we should expect ahead of 2025–minimal added competition could warrant squeezing Brown into the end of Round 1.

It seemed like Colts RB Jonathan Taylor was relatively quiet in 2024, yet he wound up totaling 1,567 yards and 12 TDs in just 14 games. Still, Anthony Richardson nearly had as many rushing TDs inside the five-yard line (4 vs. 5), and the pass-game volume has simply never been here. Think of JT as a similar archetype to Barkley or Henry, but without the same likelihood of working inside an elite scoring offense.

Both Packers RB Josh Jacobs and Rams RB Kyren Williams were staples inside the weekly RB1 ranks and figure to again grace the position's top-12 preseason rankings. Of course, both teams did indeed use day-two picks on the position last spring, so it's possible their 2024 workhorse roles are hindered just a bit ahead of 2025. Still, it's tough to overly argue with the upside for 300-plus touches inside offenses (again) expected to flirt with elite status.

Bills RB James Cook scored a whopping 18 TDs in 2024. Josh Allen's dual-threat ways will likely continue to limit the overall volume at the goal line and in the passing game, but at the end of the day, we're looking at the clear-cut featured back inside the league's reigning second-ranked scoring offense.

Electric rookie RB Bucky Irving demonstrated some of the best tackle-breaking ability in the league inside Liam Coen's brilliantly schemed Bucs offense. The team's reluctance to fully turn over the backfield to Irving makes him a tough sell in Round 1, but good luck ranking more than ~10 RBs ahead of him in 2025.

Jets RB Breece Hall finished as the overall PPR RB2 in 2023 … and RB16 in 2024. There's a lot of unknown in New York when it comes to personnel improvements and the coaching staff. Still just 23 years old, don't sleep on Hall bouncing back in 2025–there are only so many players at the position with his combination of big-play ability and pass-catching prowess.

NFC South featured backs Alvin Kamara (RB5 in PPR points per game) and Chuba Hubbard (RB13) again profile as the clear-cut featured backs inside their respective offenses. While neither the Saints nor Panthers exactly profile as locked-in top-10 scoring groups ahead of 2025, that reality didn't exactly slow down either player in 2024. Both should (again) make themselves comfortable inside the position's weekly RB1 conversation.

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