🏈 WalterPicks' Ride or Dies

The term “Ride or Die” has been thrown around the fantasy football landscape in recent years. NBC Sports fantasy analyst Matthew Berry has been notorious for coming up with a Ride or Die player before each season.

This Ride or Die player is someone you are rocking with no matter what. You believe this player is going to be a fantasy football star and will do whatever it takes to select him in drafts. Berry’s Ride or Die this season is none other than Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton.

So, now is a great time to look at some of the Ride or Dies from the WalterPicks team.

WalterPicks has put together its first-ever draft guide that will help you dominate your fantasy football drafts. We have launched a massive draft guide, which includes draft strategies, sleepers to target, a do-not-draft list, and a whole bunch more.

Be sure to check out this one of its kind draft guide in the WalterPicks app for FREE. Just check for the latest app update to get access!

Seth Burton: George Pickens

Analysis: With CeeDee Lamb being a major force, defenses will now need to choose who is going to be open; there is no stopping both. With his big play ability, similar volume to Pittsburgh, and less defensive attention, he is a steal in every draft. 

Walter’s Take: The potential is there for Pickens to be a strong fantasy WR2 throughout the 2025 fantasy football season. Walter gives him a WR14 ceiling, largely due to this upside in this high-octane Cowboys offense. Dak Prescott has thrown for at least 4,400 yards and 35 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons he has played at least 16 games (2021 and 2023).

If Prescott manages to stay healthy, Pickens should exceed his WR30 ADP. He is the WR2 on a Cowboys offense that will likely rank top-5 in pass attempts per game. That’s why Walter has him ranked above his ADP (WR25).

Sam Factor: Brenton Strange

Analysis: My ride or die is Brenton Strange. There is not much pass-catching talent behind Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Strange went over 10 PPR points in five of his six games with at least three targets last season. He is free in Round 12+ of drafts if you punt on TE, which I am doing quite often. Is there THAT much of a difference between Strange and the tight ends getting picked in Rounds 4-10? I am riding/dying on the answer to that being NO.

Walter’s Take: Walter is definitely higher than consensus on Strange entering fantasy drafts. Although he has a 163.4 ADP on Sleeper (TE21), Walter has him ranked almost 45 picks higher than his ADP (117). That has to do with Evan Engram’s departure and the arrival of head coach Liam Coen.

As the Buccaneers offensive coordinator last season, Coen freed up some opportunities for tight end Cade Otton in the passing game. Otton saw at least six targets in eight of his 14 games. With Strange expected to step into that starting tight end role in Jacksonville, he has a TE10 ceiling in the WalterPicks app.

Trevor Martin: Marvin Mims Jr.

Analysis: My ride or die is Marvin Mims. He finished second in fantasy points per route run last season, and he's expected to run nearly 100% of routes this season for the Broncos, compared to only 28% last season. In three out of his four games last season with over a 40% route rate, he scored over 20 PPR points. He's way cheaper than fellow Denver WR Courtland Sutton, and I think he has a chance to outperform him this season. Being able to draft a WR with this much upside this late in drafts allows me to stack my teams at other positions in early rounds, and you can easily draft Mims as your WR5 or WR6, making this a low-risk, high-reward bet on a potentially league-winning player.

Walter’s Take: Since coming into the league in 2023, the Broncos have slowly brought the young WR along. Mims didn't play over 50% of the team’s offensive snaps in any game last season and was on the waiver wire in fantasy for most of the 2024 campaign.

When Mims has gotten the opportunities, though, he has shown out in fantasy. He saw at least four targets in each of the last six weeks this past season. In those six contests, he averaged 15.8 PPR fantasy points per game. Given that Denver failed to add a surefire WR2 to this offense in the offseason, it’s easy to see why Trevor is in on the third-year WR. He costs practically nothing in drafts (149.6 ADP) and has a WR28 ceiling in PPR formats in the WalterPicks app.

Andrew Sampogna: Matthew Golden

Analysis: My ride or die is, you guessed it, Matthew Golden. He is the most athletic player on the Packers' offense, and he has dominated throughout the entire offseason process. Jayden Reed is dealing with injuries, Head Coach Matt LaFleur despises Romeo Doubs, and the Packers used a FIRST-ROUND pick on Golden. The Green Bay schedule is a competitive one, and the Packers' NEW WR1 is going way too late in drafts. Be ready for Golden to take off. 

Walter’s Take: Walter is not totally in on Golden in fantasy this season, as his WR41 ADP is two spots lower than his consensus WR39 ADP. However, the projections team does identify a high ceiling if he does eventually emerge as the WR1 in this crowded Green Bay wide receiver room.

Golden has a WR19 ceiling, which is higher than Jakobi Meyers (WR21), Michael Pittman Jr. (WR24), and Khalil Shakir (WR35). If he does set himself apart in this wide receiver room, then it wouldn’t be shocking to see him finish as a solid WR2 in fantasy. The coaching staff has been raving about the rookie all offseason.

Patrick McDonnell: Drake Maye

Analysis: There are lots of precedents for second-year rushing QBs leaping into the top tier of fantasy QBs in Year 2. Drake Maye was the QB5 in rushing yards per game last season and the most efficient rushing QB in the league. And this isn't an Anthony Richardson situation where there are huge concerns about his health/passing ability. It’s hard to see the offensive line being worse than they were last year, and Josh McDaniels is a massive upgrade at offensive coordinator. The passing game should be more efficient, and even if he scrambles less, McDaniels has been good at utilizing designed runs with rushing QBs in the past. 

Maye's rushing floor makes him a safer bet than other QBs going in his range, and his talent gives him a much higher ceiling. The Patriots haven't scored 30 points in a game since Week 6 of 2022. I expect them the break the streak very early on. 

Here are a few rushing QBs who took that fantasy leap in Year 2 and their fantasy finish in parentheses that season:

2019: Lamar Jackson (QB1)
2020: Kyler Murray (QB3)
2021: Jalen Hurts (QB9)
2022: Justin Fields (QB7)

Walter’s Take: Rushing QBs are a cheat code for fantasy football, and we could really see Maye establish himself as a top fantasy option due to his rushing upside. He ranked as the QB5 in rush yards per game in his rookie campaign, while averaging 35.1 rush yards per game.

With the Patriots also adding Stefon Diggs to this offense, Maye has a much better WR core than a season ago. All this should help the Patriots QB be a consistent QB1 for fantasy managers in 2025. He is ranked as the QB12 in the WalterPicks app with a QB5 ceiling.

Joey Pollizze: Dak Prescott

Analysis: It’s hard not to love Prescott in fantasy this season. The Cowboys’ WR room is much better with the addition of Pickens, and the lack of RB talent could help the veteran’s overall fantasy numbers in 2025. With Micah Parsons’ holdout situation also still unresolved, Dallas might need to lean on the passing game even more this season.

That’s why I’m willing to wait on QB in fantasy drafts and take Prescott in the ninth or 10th round. He has finished as a top-8 fantasy QB in each of the last three seasons he has played at least 16 games (2019, 2021, 2023).

Walter’s Take: Injuries remain a huge concern for Prescott, who has played under 12 games in three of the past five seasons. But when healthy, he is an unquestioned QB1 in fantasy. As a result, Walter is in on the Pro Bowl QB this season.

Walter has him ranked as the QB8 heading into the year, which is ranked higher than Bo Nix, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields, and Caleb Williams. With a QB3 ceiling, fantasy managers are getting a certified QB1 in the double-digit rounds. That’s too easy to pass up in drafts.