
Liz LozaJul 29, 2025, 07:07 AM ET
- Liz Loza is simply a writer for phantasy football, women's hoops and betting astatine ESPN. Liz besides appears connected "Fantasy Football Now" and contributes to the Fantasy Focus Football podcast.
Dart throws. Super sleepers. Final-round fliers. Digging for upside successful fantasy football aft Pick 100 tin beryllium branded successful a assortment of ways. One happening is certain, however: landing a high-value lotto summons is 1 of fantasy's astir satisfying experiences. It tin besides prevention your play and assistance you triumph your league. Here are the players I'm expecting to outkick their superior travel draught day.
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
The Dak Prescott Experience™ has been an up-and-down affair, peculiarly since Prescott suffered a compound ankle fracture and dislocation successful 2020. He bounced backmost beardown and finished seventh oregon amended successful 2021 and 2023, averaging implicit 20 phantasy points per crippled successful each campaign. However, helium besides finished extracurricular of the apical 18 phantasy QBs successful 2022 and 2024. Adding to the disappointment of past year, a torn hamstring ended Prescott's play successful Week 9.
Reportedly afloat healthy, Prescott enters 2025 with monolithic bounce-back appeal. He did, aft all, propulsion for an awesome 4,516 yards (QB3) with Brian Schottenheimer calling the plays conscionable 2 years ago. Given the authorities of the Cowboys' secondary, Prescott could be, erstwhile again, utilizing his limb rather a spot successful high-scoring affairs. His likelihood of connecting are high, too, particularly with George Pickens added to the receiving corps. Throw successful a decent pass-catching backmost similar Javonte Williams, a susceptible concatenation mover successful Jake Ferguson and the electrical talents of CeeDee Lamb, and Prescott has each of the elements needed to present QB1 phantasy stats. Recency bias has torpedoed his ADP, making him disposable successful the 13th circular (120.8), which works good for investors funny successful waiting connected the position.
Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Mason has been overshadowed for astir of his career. He shared the tract with Jahmyr Gibbs astatine Georgia Tech, yet going undrafted successful 2022. In his archetypal 2 seasons arsenic a pro, helium registered a full of conscionable 83 totes with the 49ers arsenic a backup to Christian McCaffrey. Now, he's slated to enactment down Aaron Jones Sr. successful Minnesota.
Still, erstwhile fixed an opportunity, Mason has risen to the occasion. He averaged 5.2 yards per transportation past season, ranking sixth among moving backs with astatine slightest 100 carries. Additionally, helium was a top-five phantasy shaper astatine the presumption successful 3 of his archetypal 4 games arsenic the 49ers' starter. Admittedly, injuries slowed his roll, but reports bespeak he's backmost to afloat wellness and each systems spell heading into 2025.
Jones stayed steadfast successful 2024 aft missing six games the erstwhile play with the Packers. However, helium besides touched the shot implicit 300 times. That's not thing for a backmost entering his age-30 season. Moreover, Jones logged a meager 5 rushing scores contempt registering 12 attempts wrong the 5-yard line. Meanwhile, Mason was 22nd among RBs successful reddish portion touches, scoring successful 3 of 4 games successful which helium carried the stone 15 oregon much times. Given his size and powerfulness moving style, Mason figures to look arsenic the favourite successful short-yardage and goal-line situations.
The 26-year-old's banal would evidently soar ifJones were to spell down. But noting his complementary accomplishment set, the top-ranked violative enactment he's moving down and the ascendant discourtesy he's a portion of, Mason additionally offers managers play upside. That's not atrocious for a backmost being selected extracurricular of the apical 40 astatine the position.
Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner did thing successful 2024 helium had not been capable to bash successful the erstwhile 7 seasons of his pro career: He suited up for 16 games. While the 30-year-old moving backmost did endure a close genu wounded successful Week 16 (which helium attempted to play done the pursuing week), helium proved to beryllium a accordant shaper for phantasy managers. However, that doesn't mean Benson, Conner's backup, won't person inferior successful 2025.
A powerfulness runner with 4.39 speed, a compact framework (6-foot, 216 pounds) and reliable hands, Benson was the 2nd backmost selected successful past year's NFL draft. Cardinals caput manager Jonathan Gannon has already intimated that Benson would apt person a larger relation successful his 2nd campaign, which makes consciousness fixed Conner's wounded past and Benson's versatile accomplishment set. With the fourth-easiest spot of docket among RBs yet presently being selected 50th RB disconnected the committee successful ESPN phantasy drafts (161.8 ADP), Benson is 1 of the highest upside backups astatine the position.
Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos
Mims' illustration size is likewise diminutive to his framework (5-foot-11, 183 pounds), but what helium flashed down the agelong of 2024 shouldn't beryllium overlooked. Averaging 5.2 looks per contention from Weeks 12-18 (up from 1.9 targets per crippled implicit the archetypal 11 weeks of 2024), Mims posted 2 100-yard receiving efforts and tallied 5 TDs during the Broncos' last six regular-season outings. A top-12 phantasy wideout successful 3 of those games, Mims regularly crushed aft the catch. Utilizing the 4.38 velocity that helped marque him a second-round enactment successful 2023, the Oklahoma standout managed a wide receiver-best 12.1 YAC per reception for the season.
Those quicks complement the remainder of the Broncos' receiving corps. With Courtland Sutton filling the possession relation and TE Evan Engram apt to look arsenic Bo Nix's most-looked-to short-yardage option, Mims figures to excel arsenic the squad's champion burner. Given the rapport helium and Nix discovered successful the double-digit weeks of past play (fun fact: Nix averaged 62 much passing yards per crippled erstwhile Mims was much thoughtfully incorporated into the discourtesy from Weeks 11-18), it's tenable to judge the 23-year-old WR volition prime up successful 2025 wherever helium near disconnected successful 2024. Available arsenic precocious arsenic the 16th circular of 10-team exercises, rostering Mims is simply a risk-free mode to put successful a presumptive No. 2 WR connected an ascending offense.
Kyle Williams, WR, New England Patriots
It whitethorn person taken Mims a infinitesimal to prime up the phantasy pace, but that doesn't mean a chap ace accelerator can't nutrient arsenic a rookie. A converted precocious schoolhouse quarterback, Williams'' draught banal roseate aft turning heads astatine the Senior Bowl and posting a 4.4 40-yard dash clip astatine the combine. The Washington State merchandise (by mode of UNLV) is simply a earthy deep-ball tracker with unsafe after-the-catch ability. He averaged 17.1 yards per reception and was credited with 14 scores arsenic a Cougar successful 2024.
New England's archetypal (and only) enactment astatine the presumption (69th overall), Williams joins a shallow corps acceptable to beryllium coordinated by Josh McDaniels. Despite joining the squad for a 3rd stint, McDaniels enters arsenic portion of the Pats' "new" regime, which figures to level the interior playing tract and affords Williams a legit changeable of competing for a starting gig retired of the gate. Given the 23-year-old's positional versatility, he's a beardown campaigner for No. 2 WR duties. Likely to flirt with 70 looks, Williams' ceiling screams steal, peculiarly arsenic the 64th receiver (167.6) coming disconnected draught boards.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Selected successful the 2nd circular of the 2023 NFL draft, Strange was forced into aboriginal enactment successful 2024 arsenic Evan Engram dealt with a big of maladies. Strange proved to beryllium a serviceable replacement, posting a 40-411-2 stat line. More importantly, helium flashed capable during his sophomore run to gain the starting gig. While not precisely a fluid runner, Strange does person the explosiveness and velocity to thrive arsenic a complementary pass-catcher. His feisty blocking skills and tenacity aft the drawback fig to support him connected the tract and marque him a cardinal fig successful the Jags' discourtesy this fall.
Strange averaged astir 5 looks per crippled erstwhile Engram was sidelined past season. That fig should ascent with the exits of Engram and Christian Kirk opening up 111 targets. Admittedly, rookie Travis Hunter figures to gully a steadfast dose of those opportunities, but arsenic a two-way subordinate his workload is pugnacious to project. Regardless, adjacent arsenic Trevor Lawrence's 3rd option, Strange offers plentifulness of appeal. It's worthy thing that Cade Otton logged 59 grabs successful Liam Coen's discourtesy past play with the Buccaneers.
In an discourtesy built to (once again) unlock Lawrence's potential, and fixed GM James Gladstone's enthusiastic comments astir Strange's upcoming campaign, the Penn State merchandise is giving breakout vibes. The aforesaid can't beryllium said of astir players being drafted astir 200th overall. Strange is an perfect dart propulsion for managers uninterested successful sweating the presumption connected draught day.
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