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1. Find the Breakout Rookies

Since the dawn of fantasy football, rookies have been some of the best values on the board. Every single year there are several make their mark right away and end up on a majority of playoff rosters.

You want to look for rookies that answer "yes" to any of these questions, preferably multiple:

• Does the rookie have a locked-in role already?

• Does the rookie have minimal competition around them?

• Is the rookie more talented than the other players at their position on their team?

• If the rookie is a quarterback, do they have an impressive group of weapons around them or rushing potential?

• Is the rookie a reasonably priced in drafts?

Rookies that answered "yes" to any of these in 2024, and then produced for fantasy football: Jayden Daniels, Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas Jr., Bucky Irving, Malik Nabers

Rookies that answer "yes" to any of these in 2025: Ashton Jeanty (obvious), Omarion Hampton, Tet McMillan, TreVeyon Henderson, RJ Harvey, Kaleb Johnson, Cam Skattebo, Tyler Warren, and Cam Ward 

2. Draft a Rushing QB

Drafting a quarterback with effective mobility is a cheat code in fantasy football. Last season, eight of the top 11 fantasy quarterbacks finished with at least 300 rushing yards. Having one of the elite mobile quarterbacks is almost like having two players in one. Identifying which one you want to target is crucial for your fantasy draft strategy. Do you want to target an expensive one that is a guarantee, but will cost you at other positions? Or do you want to go for the mid-to-late round mobile quarterbacks that have more risk baked in?

Quarterbacks that have a good shot of hitting the 300 yard threshold in 2025: Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields, Anthony Richardson.

Honorable mentions: Jaxson Dart,Tyler Shough, J.J. McCarthy

Target one of these guys.

3. Avoid Players Being Drafted at Their Ceiling

It is also important to try and avoid players that are being drafted around where their ceiling is. The reasoning behind this is simple. Those players are not the type of players that will be consistent enough, while also having enough boom weeks, to win you a fantasy championship. Last season, drafting the players that met this criteria was like signing a death warrant to your hopes and dreams of winning your title.

Examples of players who were drafted at their ceilings in 2024: Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Rhamondre Stevenson, Christian Kirk

Examples of players being drafted at their ceilings in 2025: Chris Godwin, Marvin Harrison Jr., A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, DK Metcalf

To see every player's ceiling, download the WalterPicks app and toggle through our hundreds of in-depth player profiles.

4. Target Upside in the Later Rounds

Go for the gusto at the end of your drafts. There is no point in being safe in the final few rounds, unless you took insane risk at the beginning of your draft (which we would NOT recommend). Take shots on players that are a few lucky breaks away from superstardom. Take shots on players that have high draft capital invested in them, but have not showcased it yet in their short NFL career. Take shots on players that have shown us what they are capable of in the past, but are being disrespected by the fantasy community.

Examples from 2024: Bucky Irving, Brian Thomas Jr., Jayden Daniels, Jameson Williams, Adam Thielen

Examples in 2025: Stefon Diggs, Ricky Pearsall, Josh Downs, Tyler Warren, Emeka Egbuka, Rome Odunze, Cooper Kupp