No one needs more stress in their lives.
Strange as it may sound, among the more anxiety-inducing parts of the fantasy football experience centers around one’s draft position. Whether it’s fretting that your most desired player won’t be there by the time you get to pick, the bother of not knowing your slot until an hour beforehand (as is the case in ESPN default leagues), or the fear that you’ll pick the inevitable “first-rounder who is a bust” and be openly ridiculed by your counterparts, we collectively exhaust far too much energy sweating this particular topic.
Thankfully, you’ve come to the right place. It’s here where I annually walk you through the twists and turns of your draft’s first two rounds, helping ease your mind and maximize your chances at starting your team off strong. After all, we all know that age-old fantasy mantra: “You can’t win your league in the first round, but you can certainly lose it.”
Below is an outline of the specific candidates for selection from each draft spot, the potential combinations for your first two picks, and I offer my ideal selections from each slot in your league.
This edition covers 10-team ESPN standard leagues with PPR scoring. Under each draft slot, you’ll find a “players unlocked” section, which highlights the earliest pick at which you should consider selecting that player (this does not mean that you should select him, but rather that you could if you wish to).
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Draft Slot 1
Round 1 (Pick 1 overall): Ja’Marr Chase is coming off one of the most prolific seasons by a wide receiver, he’s a prime-age 25, and his Cincinnati Bengals return a near-identical offense for 2025. Chase’s 403.0 fantasy points were fourth best in history by a wide receiver, his 23.7 points per game was 12th since the merger, and he joined Charley Hennigan (1961), Isaac Bruce (1995) and Davante Adams (2020) as the only wide receivers to score 40-plus points in a game three times in a season. Chase at No. 1 is a no-brainer.
Players unlocked: Chase, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley.
Round 2 (Pick 20): In a 10-team league, there’s a path to one-slot teams enjoying a dream start to the draft, should any of the running backs from the Derrick Henry/Bucky Irving/Josh Jacobs tier, or the wide receivers from the Nico Collins/A.J. Brown/Drake London tier, or even better, multiples, make it this far. If Jacobs is the only one there, he is a great selection this late. Additionally, a WR-RB start to the draft gives this team the luxury of considering Brock Bowers in Round 3. Bowers scored 12.9 more fantasy points than the second-best TE and 114.2 more than the 11th best last season, while projecting for 100-plus more points than the No. 11 tight end for 2025.
Players unlocked: Tee Higgins, Tyreek Hill, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jayden Daniels.
Tristan’s picks: Chase and Jacobs.
Draft Slot 2
Round 1 (Pick 2): You’ll notice both Bijan Robinson and Saquon Barkley alongside Chase among “unlocked” players at No. 1 overall, in large part due to the perennial debate about the impact and scarcity of three-down, 360-touch running backs (they’re the only ones with at least that many in 2024 and in our 2025 projections). Barkley averaged the position’s most fantasy points per game (22.2), while Robinson’s 341.7 total points were 11th best by any second-year running back in history, making either a viable choice for managers who prefer to prioritize the position. I’m not going running back at No. 1 overall, but I would from this spot, with Robinson preferred between the two.
Players unlocked: Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs, CeeDee Lamb.
Round 2 (Pick 19): Getting the No. 1 running back, and a prime-age one at that, provides this team lots of second-round flexibility, to the point that the two-slot manager might be thinking about breaking the seal on either the quarterback or tight end position. I wouldn’t, as there are enough of the former in the top tier, the latter has historically unearthed enough low-cost breakthroughs to warrant draft patience, and the third round should still provide a wealth of options at either spot. Lamar Jackson, for example, by all rights should be there at 22nd overall.
Running back remains the way to go from this slot, with Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor or Bucky Irving often the names available. Taylor, for all his injury risk, is one of the most reliable three-down backs, his 15 games exceeding 20 touches in a game the past two seasons trailing only Saquon Barkley and Kyren Williams (17 apiece).
Players unlocked: None.
Tristan’s picks: Robinson and Taylor.
Draft Slot 3
Round 1 (Pick 3): If you’re a Saquon Barkley believer — and I’m not, concerned that players of his age (28) coming off his 2024 workload (482 total touches, including the postseason) have a poor track record of repeating (detailed in my video above) — you shouldn’t let him sneak past this draft slot. Ja’Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson and Barkley are projected for 100-plus more points than the No. 21 player at their positions, the only running backs and wide receivers who can claim that.
This is a year, however, where personal opinion can come into play between picks 3 and 6, meaning Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs and CeeDee Lamb, all “unlocked” at the previous slot, are fair game. I’m among the most pro-Jefferson fantasy managers around, pointing out his wide receiver-record 1,492.4 fantasy points through his first five NFL seasons.
Players unlocked: None.
Round 2 (Pick 18): Bucky Irving is the most intriguing second-round running back, at least relative to what are generally modest projections. I can formulate a case that he almost scratches the top-10 overall picks, though many people rank him outside the top 20. This seems like the sweet spot for him, but don’t be afraid to reach with one of the lower draft slots, if you share similar optimism.
Players unlocked: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Trey McBride.
Tristan’s picks: Jefferson and Irving.
Draft Slot 4
Round 1 (Pick 4): Jahmyr Gibbs ultimately outscored Saquon Barkley last season (362.9 to 355.2), and while Barkley sitting out the Week 18 finale contributed, Gibbs’ performances in Weeks 15-18 and the divisional round gave him the look of a player ready to take his game to another level. If Ja’Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson and Justin Jefferson are already off the board, this slot should come down to your Gibbs/Barkley personal preference.
Players unlocked: None.
Round 2 (Pick 17): I’m fading Derrick Henry more than most — more on why under Draft Slot 10 — but this is about as far as I’d allow him to slip in any draft, 10 teams or otherwise. Running backs will be plentiful from this spot in drafts where the Brian Thomas Jr./Nico Collins/A.J. Brown/Drake London wide receiver tier goes early in the second round, and Henry is a cut above Bucky Irving, Jonathan Taylor and Josh Jacobs.
Players unlocked: None.
Tristan’s picks: Gibbs and Henry.
Draft Slot 5
Round 1 (Pick 5): Don’t get me wrong, my fading of Saquon Barkley is no hater’s angle. The 5-slot is the furthest I’d let him slide in any 2025 draft of 10 teams or greater. Any more than that and you run the danger of gifting your competition a massive value pick … kind of like Barkley wound up being in 2024.
Players unlocked: None.
Round 2 (Pick 16): The danger for this team is being cornered into a Philadelphia Eagles strategy, should Brian Thomas Jr., Nico Collins and Drake London all already be off the board. If that’s the case, taking a second running back in De’Von Achane, Derrick Henry or Bucky Irving, then drafting wide receivers aggressively in the next three to five rounds, is reasonable. It’s also not outrageous to take No. 1 tight end Brock Bowers this early.
Players unlocked: Chase Brown, Kyren Williams.
Tristan’s picks: Barkley and London.
Draft Slot 6
Round 1 (Pick 6): If it’s not either of the top two draft slots, this is my preferred position for 2025, as the first point at which there’s a noticeable drop-off in terms of talent. Ja’Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkey and CeeDee Lamb make up the top tier of six, meaning you should select the one remaining from this slot. For those feeling super-bold, this is the earliest possible slot from which you should even consider drafting the top-ranked rookie, Ashton Jeanty.
Players unlocked: Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Christian McCaffrey, Malik Nabers, Jeanty.
Round 2 (Pick 15): This team also runs the risk of the dual-Eagles start, albeit with more control over it in the second round. A non-A.J. Brown member of the Brian Thomas Jr./Nico Collins/Brown/Drake London wide receiver tier, or a RB1 like De’Von Achane, should still be there. Incidentally, I wouldn’t pass up one of the wide receivers even if I took Lamb in the first round. Chase Brown, Kyren Williams and James Cook have been known to make it back to this pick in Round 3.
Players unlocked: Ladd McConkey.
Tristan’s picks: Lamb and Brown.
Draft Slot 7
Round 1 (Pick 7): Picks 7 through 11 overall come down largely to personal preference, from the trio of wide receivers (Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Malik Nabers) and the two high-ceiling running backs (Christian McCaffrey and Ashton Jeanty) unlocked in the 6-slot. I’ve vacillated between the three receivers in my own early drafts, though St. Brown, the only wide receiver to score 300-plus fantasy points in each of the past two seasons, has most often risen to the top of my board.
Players unlocked: None.
Round 2 (Pick 14): If you’re more pro-Henry than I am, selecting him here makes a bit of sense, even if you took a running back in the first round. I prefer one of the Brian Thomas Jr./Nico Collins/Brown/London wide receiver quartet, but as long as you’re not selecting a running back ranked beneath De’Von Achane or Henry, you’re starting off fine. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyreek Hill, Tee Higgins and Garrett Wilson are typically among wide receivers available from this slot in the third round.
Players unlocked: None.
Tristan’s picks: St. Brown and Collins.
Draft Slot 8
Round 1 (Pick 8): Puka Nacua is the next wide receiver on my draft board. He has a more reliable quarterback throwing him the football than Malik Nabers, and he has scored 15-plus fantasy points in 17 of the first 28 games of his career. Nacua also finished last season on a high note, scoring 159.4 fantasy points over the final eight weeks (third best among wide receivers, despite sitting out the finale).
Players unlocked: De’Von Achane and Brian Thomas Jr.
Round 2 (Pick 13): I’m an Achane fan, so I must point out the following: Since his breakthrough game in Week 3 of 2023 (but not including that one), he has averaged 16.8 PPG, eighth best among running backs. That’s production I can’t pass up in the hopes of piecing a Zero-RB strategy together in the later rounds.
Players unlocked: Josh Jacobs, Brock Bowers.
Tristan’s picks: Nacua and Achane.
Draft Slot 9
Round 1 (Pick 9): Here is where fantasy managers face their toughest draft decision, as Christian McCaffrey, despite the glut of top-6 wide receivers, becomes too difficult to pass up. Over the past seven NFL seasons, covering the time he has been a full-time starter, he has averaged a league-leading (among all players) 23.7 fantasy points per game. Yes, McCaffrey is now 29 years old, with 1,871 career touches on his résumé, and he averaged barely half that per-game rate in his four games played last season, but the upside of a healthy McCaffrey is unquestionably first-round talent. I wouldn’t fault anyone for picking any of the earlier wide receivers (if still available) or Ashton Jeanty over McCaffrey, but this is the furthest I would allow him to slip in any draft.
Players unlocked: Nico Collins, Derrick Henry.
Round 2 (Pick 12): My valuations have there being a gap between the top 11 picks and the next tier that includes Brian Thomas Jr., Nico Collins and De’Von Achane, meaning that if any player targeted for earlier slots makes it this far, snatch him up quick. Failing that, those who select McCaffrey might be tempted to take Achane, or perhaps Derrick Henry, though that’s absorbing a good amount of risk at the position. I’d go wide receiver, and Thomas, from here.
Players unlocked: None.
Tristan’s picks: McCaffrey and Thomas.
Draft Slot 10
Round 1 (Pick 10): The reason to shy away from the 10-slot in a 10-team league, if you at all have the opportunity to choose, is what will likely be available come the Rounds 3-4 turn, not these two picks. If everything plays out as outlined above, Malik Nabers and Ashton Jeanty provide an excellent starting point. That said, once Christian McCaffrey is gone, it’s time to bring up the other highly debatable running back, Derrick Henry. Henry was fourth in scoring among RBs in 2024, and he’s a three-down back for one of the most run-friendly offenses in football. That said, among the previous 20 players with at least the same as Henry’s 2,529 career touches through his age-30 season, only Walter Payton (three), Ricky Watters and Curtis Martin enjoyed a season of 220-plus fantasy points at an older age. Henry is a risk/reward pick, and I’m not yet ready to take the chance.
Players unlocked: Bucky Irving, Jonathan Taylor, A.J. Brown, Drake London.
Round 2 (Pick 11): If you’re thinking about going WR-WR rather than selecting Jeanty, or if Jeanty goes earlier and you’d rather pass on De’Von Achane, bear in mind that every one of the top 12 running backs will likely be gone by the Rounds 3-4 turn. Be prepared to go heavily Zero-RB if selecting Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., for example.
Players unlocked: None.
Tristan’s picks: Nabers and Jeanty.
