The Best Target Each in Each Round of Your Fantasy Football Draft (ADP)

That’s it. You’re going to have the perfect draft. The problem though, is that everyone else sitting with you at the draft table said the same thing. There is good news though. Maybe not everyone has been digging through the Fantrax Draft Guide for the past two months. That gives you a clear advantage. Ultimately, it’s all relative though. Everyone thinks they have the best rankings, draft plan, and execution. With that in mind, I’m going to take you through what I consider to be the best target each round while utilizing Fantrax ADP.

The Best Target in Each Round of Your Fantasy Football Draft

Before we jump into the players, let’s get some assumptions out of the way. For obvious reasons, I’m using Fantrax ADP, as of August 20, for this exercise. I’m assuming a PPR format and that this is a standard league starting one quarterback. That will become very evident as we progress.

The thought process is that it’s a 16-round draft and you’ll be starting three wide receivers and one Flex with six bench spots (QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/WR/TE/Flex). Whether you start kickers or defense depends on your league, but what’s clear is that the defense is selected in round 15 and the kicker in round 16.

I assumed a 12-team league, and for each round, I only considered those with a Fantrax ADP within the 12 picks of said round.

Now, let’s jump to the fun part.

Round 1 – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals, ADP of 1

I did say the best target, right? This is the only time I do this throughout the article, but let’s swing for the fences here. Ja’Marr Chase is the best player in fantasy football for 2025, and we want to begin our team with the best.

Last season, he caught 127 of his 175 targets for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. It’s simply insane, and it’s hard to compete with Chase’s floor and ceiling.

Round 2 – Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons, ADP of 17

We still want the best player on the board, and at this point, that’s Drake London. It’s reasonable to assume he’ll be available to about half of the fantasy teams.

Despite an offense that left a lot to be desired last year, London still finished with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. With Michael Penix starting for the whole season, things should be better. Regardless, it’s not like he had a terrible 2024 season, but if this is the starting point, there’s a lot to like.

Round 3 – Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams, ADP of 27

It would be nice to get a running back at some point, right? Kyren Williams is proof that you don’t need to force it at the start of your draft. He’s the clear number one running back for the Rams, and there were no threats to his workload last year.

Williams averaged 81 rushing yards per game as he finished with 1,299 yards on 316 carries. Most importantly, he has a legitimate red zone role, as evidenced by his 14 touchdowns. His role in the passing game is limited, but Williams did finish with 182 receiving yards and two more touchdowns.

Round 4 – Joe Burrow, WR, Cincinnati Bengals, ADP of 40

Our roster build truly allows us to go with the best available player here. It might be a bold stance to stack Joe Burrow with our first-round pick, but if any duo can make it work, it’s him and Chase.

Burrow easily led the NFL last year with 652 passing attempts, and to say he was accurate would be an understatement. He was on target 77.8% of the time to go along with a 70.6% completion rate. Yes, only 7.8% of Burrow’s attempts were greater than 20 yards, but does it even matter? Given his accuracy and stats from last year, 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, I’d say it doesn’t matter.

Round 5 – Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers, ADP of 51

With limited challenges to his playing time and role, Chuba Hubbard is the perfect RB2. The Carolina offense should continue to improve this season, and Hubbard is a large part of it. Rico Dowdle is the perfect supplemental back, but the coaching staff trusts Hubbard, and he’s locked into his role. After averaging 4.8 yards per carry last season while scoring 10 touchdowns and gaining 1,195 yards, it certainly makes sense.

Round 6 – Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears, ADP of 65

There are a few options I like here, but I’m going to buy in on the good vibes. That can be said for Caleb Williams, the coaching staff, and Rome Odunze himself. All signs are that the second-year receiver is having a great Training Camp after averaging 13.6 yards per catch in his rookie year. He only caught 54 of his 101 targets, for 734 yards, but that improves this season. If anything, it speaks to Odunze’s upside as he also should finish with more than three touchdowns.

Round 7 – Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs, ADP of 78

As I look for my third running back and first bench player, I’m content with the starting running back for one of the better offenses in the league. There’s limited competition for Isiah Pacheco to deal with. Most importantly, he’s healthy after a rough 2024 season.

The hope and expectation here is that he returns to his 2023 levels. In 14 games, Pacheco gained 935 yards on 205 carries while scoring seven touchdowns. He also added another 244 yards and two touchdowns on 44 catches. I’ll take a repeat performance.

Round 8 – Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants, ADP of 89

I could have gone in a lot of different directions here, but I decided to go with a player I like. Mark Andrews is a legitimate target here, but based on the ADP, I’m comfortable waiting one more round to address tight end. Instead, I now have four running backs I’m comfortable with after going with Tyrone Tracy.

Fumbling problems aside, Tracy had a strong rookie season in which he progressively improved. Tracy finished with 839 rushing yards while adding 284 yards on 38 catches to go along with six touchdowns. Now imagine what he can do with competent quarterback play.

Round 9 – Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos, ADP of 101

Evan Engram is healthy and in a favorable situation. Bo Nix is an ascending quarterback, and the offense fits Engram and his skill set perfectly. His role is set up for a strong fantasy season after battling injuries last season. In 2023, Engram showed what he’s capable of, catching 114 passes for 963 yards and four touchdowns.

Round 10 – Christian Kirk, WR, Houston Texans, ADP of 120

It’s coincidental, but let’s go with another Jacksonville Jaguar who is healthy entering the 2025 season. Christian Kirk is locked in as the number two receiver opposite Nico Collins. With Collins drawing coverage and CJ Stroud throwing the ball, Kirk is positioned to have a strong season.

Round 11- Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints, ADP of 122

We’re after upside, and a healthy Rashid Shaheed can provide just that. Marvin Mims was the other option here, but the thought was to stay away from the Denver Broncos after targeting Engram two rounds prior.

Before tearing his meniscus in Week 6, Shaheed caught 20 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns. In his first preseason game, Shaheed took care of potential doubt by catching all three of his targets for 15 yards. When healthy in 2023, his big-play potential was on full display, catching 46 passes for 719 yards and five touchdowns.

The Saints will likely be trailing this season, which means garbage time production for Shaheed. Fantasy points count just the same, regardless of how they arrive.

Round 12- Tre Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers, ADP of 142

There’s going to be turnover on your roster, and it likely will come from this part of the draft. So with that being said, go after your guys. Target that upside and sleeper potential. All you need is one to hit. There’s no need to spend the end of your draft acquiring replacement-level players, who are, at best, veterans that easily can be found on the waiver wire.

In his preseason debut, Tre Harris caught six of eight targets for 85 yards. That included a 34-yard reception as he also benefited from a Quentin Johnston concussion. In eight college games last year, Harris caught 60 passes for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns. There’s upside, potential, and opportunity here.

Round 13- Jaydon Blue, RB, Dallas Cowboys, ADP of 147

Do we really want to put our faith in boring veterans without upside? No, we want to take our shot with a rookie, and that’s Jaydon Blue in this case. Quite simply, Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders are cutting it here.

Blue ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and had success in college last year despite being in a timeshare. He gained 730 yards on 134 carries while scoring eight touchdowns. There’s also skill in the passing game as Blue caught 42 passes for another 368 yards and six touchdowns. If Blue hits, we are looking at multiple-round upside. If not, there’s no harm in dropping him.

Round 14- Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers, ADP of 160

If you look at Xavier Legette, everything screams upside. He has the look and feel, from the perspective of size and speed, of being a big-time receiver. His rookie season was inconsistent, with eight drops, but he also showed flashes, catching 44 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns. The Carolina offense and Bryce Young should be a little better, so let’s take a shot here.

For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2025 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!