Fantasy Football 2025: The Worst Pick of Each Round

We’ve all done it before when it comes to selecting the worst pick of the round during our fantasy drafts. Last year, Cooper Kupp was an example of one who was drafted in the second round despite being injured the previous season, or maybe it was Amari Cooper being selected in the third round. Sometimes these picks can be unlucky, but they can also be bad picks based on positions. I don’t think it is smart to go after a tight end like Trey McBride or Sam Laporta in the third or fourth round. When you could grab some like Mark Andrews in the sixth or seventh round.

I will go through rounds one through 10 and throw out my worst pick of each one. The reason why I’m choosing just 10 rounds is that once you get past round 10, most of these picks will be sleepers. These notes will be based on full PPR scoring and for a 12-man league.

Worst Pick of Each Round

Round 1: Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Round 1 is one of the hardest rounds to pick someone who is going to flop. It was close between Puka Nacua and Christian McCaffrey. But, given you can’t predict injuries, McCaffrey is a way better pick. Now, all these guys are top-tier players, but Puka Nacua isn’t worth a first-round pick for me. He is going around the 8th or 9th pick in most drafts. If you are going wide receiver with your first pick, I would much rather go after Malik Nabers or Nico Collins over Nacua.

Nacua has shown he can be the number one receiver, but he is dealing with an aging quarterback in Matthew Stafford. And, he still has an extremely talented wide receiver two in Davante Adams. As far as Stafford goes, he has regressed each season since joining the Rams. 2021 was his best season, but in 2023, he only threw for 3,965 yards and 11 touchdowns versus 4,886 and 17 touchdowns in 2021. Last season, he threw for 3,762 yards and eight touchdowns, so each season he has gone down in both yards and touchdowns, along with passing attempts, too. He only played nine games in 2022, so I’m leaving those stats out.

As for Adams, he has still been consistent in going over 1,000 receiving yards since 2020 and still came up with eight touchdowns last season, despite being traded and playing with an aged Aaron Rodgers. It was a bit of a weird year for Adams, but after Week 13, he turned it on, scoring six of his eight touchdowns from then till the end of the season. So, a few factors are working against Nacua to have him go in the first round. Also, I didn’t mention the rise in Kyren Williams in the Rams offense as well.

Round 2: A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Lots to choose from in this round. Players like Brock Bowers, Drake London, and I have seen the occasional Lamar Jackson at the end of the second round. Bowers was close, not based on his talent, but going for a TE that early is concerning to me. But, in Bowers’ case, he basically is a wide receiver.

How did I end up picking A.J. Brown as the worst pick in the second round? There are just more talented players going in round two. I would much rather have Collins and London over Brown. Also, round two is a goldmine for running backs if you went wide receiver in the first. Jonathan Taylor, Josh Jacobs, Kyren Williams and De’Von Achane are all going in the second and sometimes early third round.

Brown is flat out in a bad spot for fantasy. With the addition of Saquon Barkley, the Eagles dropped to the fourth-lowest passing offense, only averaging around 188 passing yards per game. Compared to 2023, they averaged 225 yards per game. Which still isn’t that high. This is a run-first offense, and Brown definitely can be effective. But, he is going to be a boom or bust fantasy player this season. On top of that, Brown is in the same boat as Nacua in having a great supporting cast. DeVonta Smith is one of the best wide receiver twos in the league.

This isn’t saying Brown is going to be terrible, but all signs point to him having another mid-year.

Round 3: Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

I just can’t hop on the Breece Hall train this year. The Jets, in general, don’t look like a high-powered fantasy offense this year. Hall has yet to break 1,000 rushing yards; however, he is above average in his receiving game. This carried him to a top 2 finish in 2023. But, he does have a bit of competition in Braelon Allen. Hall has yet to have any competition after beating out Michael Carter in 2023. But Allen looks like he should split some snaps with Hall. Aside from that, I’m not in love with Justin Fields being the starting quarterback.

You’re better off grabbing Chase Brown or taking a shot on Tyreek Hill in this round.

Round 4: Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

This pains me because Kenneth Walker III is no joke when it comes to fantasy. But he has had a trend of missing some games every season. And last season, Zach Charbonnet showed that he could be the lead back. Charbonnet finished as the RB25 while Walker finished as the RB27. Walker missed six games, but he was going in the second and third rounds last year, while Charbonnet was going in the deep rounds.

The risk is a bit high for me on Walker in the fourth when you could grab James Conner, Chuba Hubbard, or Marvin Harrison Jr.

Round 5: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs, and Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions

These two were so close, so I decided to lump both of these players into the worst pick of the fifth round. I’ll start with Sam LaPorta. LaPorta is still too high to be going in the fifth round when you can grab Mark Andrews and Evan Engram in the later rounds, who have way more upside. I know it is a small sample size with LaPorta, but he is easily the third option in this offense after Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs. While Andres and Engram are the second options on their teams. Also, the fifth round has so many great upside players in Courtland Sutton, TreVeyon Henderson, DeVonta Smith, and D’Andre Swift.

The same goes for Patrick Mahomes. We all know what he can do, but as of late, he has not been the best “fantasy” quarterback. I’d much rather wait and grab Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, or Bo Nix in the next couple of rounds. Since 2022, Mahomes has yet to finish in the top 5 of fantasy quarterbacks. In the last two seasons, Mahomes has averaged just above 18 fantasy points per game. This season doesn’t look good either, as Rashee Rice is likely to be suspended this season, and Hollywood Brown is constantly questionable every game. And on top of that, Travis Kelce is regressing every season as he is 35 years old now.

Round 6: Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings

There are so many more players with higher upside than Aaron Jones Sr. in this round. Players like Travis Hunter, Calvin Ridley, Kaleb Johnson, Tetairoa McMillan, and T.J. Hockenson. Now, Jones did have a solid season last year as we went around the same round. But if you watched each game, he barely made it through the season. It was the most carries he’s had in his career, and I’m expecting him to miss some games this upcoming season. The Vikings also went ahead and picked up Jordan Mason as the backup running back. We all saw what Jordan Mason could do when he was the starting running back.

Round 7: Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I love Chris Godwin when he is healthy, but he has been going way too early in drafts for a player who could start the season on the PUP list. I would much rather grab his backup in Emeka Egbuka in the 10th round or later. Godwin could fall in drafts if they put him on the PUP list, as it looks like they might. So, instead of taking Godwin in the seventh, you could easily grab your quarterback in Bo Nix if you sat and waited on one, or grab your tight ends in this round in Evan Engram and Mark Andrews. You could grab much better wide receivers or running backs in the next few rounds, such as Jakobi Meyers, Stefon Diggs, or Quinshon Judkins.

Round 8: Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Of the group of players going in this round, Travis Etienne Jr. looks like the riskiest player. There is some upside as you are grabbing an RB1 in the eighth round, but he tends to split the backfield with Tank Bigsby. Bigsby looked like the RB1 last season, putting up 766 yards on 4.6 yards per carry and scoring seven touchdowns. Etienne, on the other hand, had 556 yards on 3.7 yards per carry with two touchdowns. Instead of Etienne, you should go with Ricky Pearsall, Judkins or Meyers.

Round 9: Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets

The other quarterbacks going in the ninth round are Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, and Justin Herbert. All of them are much better picks at the quarterback position. You can also snag Drake Maye or C.J. Stroud in the next round or even the 11th round. Both of which have more upside than Fields. The Jets have one of the worst O-Lines in the league, which means Fields is going to be under pressure all season. Now, it could work in his favor for scrambling, but that is a high-risk, high-reward. Fields’ only hope is that he could rush for 1,000 yards again. Other than that, he has yet to throw for over 3,000 yards.

Round 10: Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Najee Harris is bound to lose the starting running back position early on in the season. So why waste a pick on a player in the 10th that could easily be the backup after Week 3? This is the round you snag your quarterback if you don’t have one, or you take a shot on some upside rookies and sleepers like Josh Downs, Tyler Warren or Luther Burden III. If you went zero RB and need a running back, you could also go with Tank Bigby. But this is the round to grab your late-round quarterbacks or upside rookies. So, plan and get your running backs early on, because after round eight, they do fall off.

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