No one needs more stress in their lives.
Strange as it may sound, some of the more anxiety-inducing parts of the fantasy football experience center on 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 goes 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 eight-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 were 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 overall is a no-brainer.
Players unlocked: Chase, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley.
Round 2 (Pick 16): I'm fading Derrick Henry more than most -- more on why under Draft Slot 7 -- but this is about as far as I'd allow him to slip in any draft. Running backs should be plentiful from this spot in drafts, including such likely available names as Henry, Bucky Irving, Jonathan Taylor and Josh Jacobs, giving teams that choose Chase first a great start. There's also an excellent likelihood that one-slot teams in this format will also have one from the Brian Thomas Jr./Nico Collins/A.J. Brown/Drake London wide receiver tier available in Round 3.
Players unlocked: Chase Brown, Kyren Williams.
Tristan's picks: Chase and Henry.
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 player a viable choice for managers who prefer to prioritize the position.
I'm not going running back at No. 1 overall, and especially not in a shallower-than-standard league, where productive running backs such as Bucky Irving, Jonathan Taylor, Josh Jacobs and Chase Brown routinely make it back to the Round 2/3 turn. I would, however, take one from this spot, with Robinson preferred between the two.
Players unlocked: Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs, CeeDee Lamb.
Round 2 (Pick 15): As there's not much valuation differential among Brian Thomas Jr., Nico Collins, A.J. Brown and Drake London, any of the four should be readily -- and the most likely to be -- available from this slot. That's where landing a premium running back in Bijan Robinson in Round 1 helps, because there's then no need to reach to fill the position on the backswing.
Players unlocked: Ladd McConkey.
Tristan's picks: Robinson and Brown.
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, when 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 14): If you're more pro-Derrick Henry than me, 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 so long as you're not selecting a running back ranked beneath De'Von Achane or Henry, you're starting off fine. If you go WR-WR as I'm recommending, the running backs frequently found from this slot in Round 3 include Bucky Irving, Jonathan Taylor and Josh Jacobs.
Players unlocked: None.
Tristan's picks: Jefferson and Collins.
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 13): I'm a De'Von Achane fan, and point out that, since his 2023 Week 3 breakthrough game (but not including that one), he has averaged an eighth-best-among-running-backs 16.8 PPR fantasy points. That's production I can't pass up in the hopes of piecing a zero-RB strategy together in the later rounds.
Players unlocked: None.
Tristan's picks: Gibbs and Achane.
Draft Slot 5
Round 1 (Pick 5): Again preferring to wait on running backs in the shallower format, CeeDee Lamb comes into play here as a viable choice for me ahead of Saquon Barkley, which is not the case in 10- or 12-team formats. As with Jahmyr Gibbs/Barkley from the 4-slot, go with your personal preference between Lamb/Barkley.
Players unlocked: None.
Round 2 (Pick 12): Ashton Jeanty, in terms of both potential workload and production, compares well to the Saquon Barkley/Jonathan Taylor/Najee Harris/Bijan Robinson-caliber rookie performances of the past decade, and is a legitimate top-12 overall talent. This is the absolute latest he should last, even in an eight-team league.
Players unlocked: Josh Jacobs, Brock Bowers.
Tristan's picks: Lamb and Jeanty.
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 comprise 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.
Round 2 (Pick 11): In an eight-team league, there's less urgency to fill your running back slots than in a deeper format, making diversification of positions a good strategy from these later draft slots. Ashton Jeanty is as excellent a selection here as the player I'd actually take, Brian Thomas Jr. The upshot from the 6-slot is that those two round out what is a tier of 12 elite selections in this format (those two and the 10 I've recommended selecting ahead of them).
Players unlocked: A.J. Brown, Drake London.
Tristan's picks: Barkley and Thomas.
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), a two-time No. 1 scoring running back (Christian McCaffrey) and the top-regarded rookie (Ashton Jeanty). Yes, for those feeling super bold, this is the earliest slot from which you can consider drafting Jeanty. From this slot, I've vacillated among the three receivers in my own early drafts, though St. Brown, the only wide receiver to score 300-plus PPR fantasy points in each of the past two seasons, has most often risen to the top of my board.
Players unlocked: Jeanty.
Round 2 (Pick 10): This slot should result in Malik Nabers being the most obvious choice, assuming none of my earlier recommendations remains on the board. 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.
Tristan's picks: St. Brown and Nabers.
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 does, 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 9): Here's where fantasy managers face their toughest draft decision -- whether to go WR-WR, knowing that the turn from Round 3 to 4 can bring one or more of Josh Jacobs, Chase Brown and/or Kyren Williams, or to take the chance on a high-ceiling running back in Christian McCaffrey. 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 going WR-WR, or taking Ashton Jeanty over McCaffrey, but this is the furthest I would allow him to slip in any draft.
Players unlocked: Nico Collins, Derrick Henry.
Tristan's picks: Nacua and McCaffrey.