2025 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: My Favorite Bench Picks

A lot of fantasy drafters focus on Rounds 1-5, and that makes sense: That's where most of the high-impact players are.

But when I construct my draft plans, I tend to use a bottom-up approach. 

Here's what I mean.

• I look at my 2025 season-long player projections.
• I consult our Fantasy Life ADP Tool.
• I try to find guys with similar projections (whether they be median, ceiling, or floor) and dissimilar average draft positions.
• I then say to myself, "I can pass on the guy with the higher ADP and target the guy with the lower ADP."
• I repeat the process and thereby eventually have a list of late-round targets.

In the Fantasy Life Newsletter a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about this arbitrage-focused approach.

In this piece here, I want to highlight some of my favorite late-round "bench" picks for fantasy drafts.

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Freedman's Favorite 2025 Fantasy Draft Bench Picks

Many leagues have a starting lineup of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 FL, 1 K, and 1 DST. (Those are the default settings in our Draft Champion mock draft simulator.)

So all the players I mention here will be guys who probably won't be in most Week 1 starting lineups (at least based on current consensus ADP).

Freedman's Favorite 2025 Bench QBs

QB Caleb Williams (Bears)

• ADP: 116.3 (QB14)
• Projection: 291.6 (QB12)

I have Williams projected as a low-end QB1—but his upside is significantly higher than that, given that he could naturally improve anyway in his second season, and the offense could be markedly better with the offseason additions of offensive HC Ben Johnson, LG Joe Thuney, C Drew Dalman, and RG Jonah Jackson.

In targeting bench/late-round players, I want guys with either high ceilings or high floors.

Williams has a ceiling worth stashing.

QB Drake Maye (Patriots)

• ADP: 131.9 (QB18)
• Projection: 281.1 (QB16)

Maye is similar to Williams as an ascending second-year QB with a new playcaller (OC Josh McDaniels) and new OLs (LT Will Campbell, RT Morgan Moses, C Garrett Bradbury)—but he might have a higher floor because he's even better as a runner. 

Last year, Maye averaged 36.3 yards rushing across his 10 full games.

QB J.J. McCarthy (Vikings)

• ADP: 133.8 (QB19)
• Projection: 274.2 (QB20) 

I recently jumped on the Action Network Podcast to highlight some breakout candidates, and McCarthy—one of the 32 guys I want to draft this year—is someone I discussed.

He has offensive HC Kevin O'Connell calling plays, and he gets to throw to WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, TE T.J. Hockenson, and RB Aaron Jones.

With his draft pedigree (No. 10 pick), athleticism (6.82-second three-cone drill), college production (72.3% completion rate, 9.8 AY/A in final season), and winning makeup (CFB and HS national champion), McCarthy has real upside.

QB Anthony Richardson (Colts)

• ADP: 179.1 (QB28)
• Projection: 137.4 (QB33)

My projection assumes that Richardson won't win the starting job … but he has gotten some positive training camp reports.

Freedman's Favorite 2025 Bench RBs

RB Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

• ADP: 114.7 (RB40)
• Projection: 140.6 (RB30)

On the first episode of the Talk Data to Me show with Dwain McFarland, I highlighted the factors I look for when targeting RBs with the potential to go off.

Stevenson has a lot of the attributes I like: 

• He's cheap.
• His offense should be better this year.
• For a big guy, he can catch (827 yards receiving, 180 targets over the past three years).
• He's likely to be the main goal-line back.
• He has the body (6-0, 227 lbs.) to handle a big workload
• At 27 years old, he's still within his window for prime production.

He will need to compete with rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson—but that's already baked into his ADP.

Stevenson is someone I really like as a Zero RB option.

RB Austin Ekeler (Commanders)

• ADP: 132.1 (RB43)
• Projection: 131.2 (RB35)

On a recent episode of the Fantasy Life Show, I talked about Ekeler as one of my favorite sleepers.

He returned to form last year in his first season with the Commanders as an efficient change-of-pace option (4.8 yards per carry, 8.9 yards per target).

He has an established pass-catching role in a good offense, and if he were to get goal-line work, I think he'd be able to convert (he led the NFL in back-to-back seasons with 20 and 18 TDs in 2021-22).

Especially during the bye weeks, Ekeler could be flexible—and if starter Brian Robinson were to suffer an injury, Ekeler would likely see a big boost in usage.

RB Jaydon Blue (Cowboys)

• ADP: 137.3 (RB47)
• Projection: 114.5 (RB39)

I also mentioned Blue on the recent Talk Data to Me show.

The Cowboys this offseason revamped their backfield with the additions of veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders and rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.

Of these guys, Blue is the one who has the potential to go boom.

• He's fast (4.38-second 40-yard dash)
• He's young (21 years old)
• He's productive (1,098 yards, 14 TDs on 134 carries, 42 receptions in 2024) 

And now he's starting to get some first-team reps.

RB Tyler Allgeier (Falcons)

• ADP: 150.2 (RB51)
• Projection: 111.7 (RB40)

A few weeks ago on the Fantasy Life Show, Ian Hartitz and I discussed our favorite handcuff RBs, and (for me) Allgeier is near the top of the list.

Over the past two years, he has 1,608 yards and eight TDs as a change-of-pace option, and as a rookie in 2022 he had 1,174 yards and four TDs as a lead back.

If starter Bijan Robinson were to miss time, Allgeier would immediately produce.

Freedman's Favorite 2025 Bench WRs

WR Khalil Shakir (Bills)

• ADP: 101.7 (WR43)
• Projection: 170.7 (WR28)

Shakir was one of the 10-point players that Paul Charchian mentioned recently on the CHOP Guillotine Leagues podcast. (If you're not familiar with Guillotine Leagues, check them out. It's now my favorite form of redraft fantasy.) 

I love Shakir: He's gotten better each year of his career, in the NFL he has a strong mark of 9.7 yards per target, and he's the No. 1 WR in a strong offense.

He has a solid floor and an underappreciated ceiling.

WR Jayden Reed (Packers)

• ADP: 102.1 (WR44)
• Projection: 160.9 (WR34) 

Since entering the league two years ago, Reed has been one of the NFL's most efficient players (9.8 yards per target, 9.1 yards per carry). And his raw production hasn't been paltry (1,932 yards, 17 TDs from scrimmage). 

But his usage has been deficient: To this point, he has been restricted to the slot, and last year he had just 95 opportunities (75 targets, 20 carries). 

Here's the thing: He's now getting work in two-WR sets, and rookie WR Matthew Golden might need time to adapt to the NFL.

Reed has the upside to be a true No. 1 WR this year.

WR Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers)

• ADP: 117.4 (WR48)
• Projection: 113.7 (WR59) 

I highlighted Egbuka in last week's ADP report, and QB Baker Mayfield recently hyped him up on New Heights.

He has so much contingent value: No. 1 WR Mike Evans will be 32 years old this season, and No. 2 WR Chris Godwin (ankle) is highly uncertain for Week 1, especially since he had a second surgery this spring after suffering a season-ending dislocation last year and is currently on the active/PUP list.

For a rookie first-rounder with good college production (81-1,011-10 receiving last year) and athleticism (4.42-second 40-yard dash), Egbuka is cheap.

WR Marvin Mims (Broncos)

• ADP: 139.9 (WR57)
• Projection: 109.3 (WR63) 

My median projection for Mims isn't special—but his ceiling is high.

First of all, Mims is talented: He's a first-team All-Pro returner, like Tyreek Hill and Cordarrelle Patterson early in their careers.

Secondly, he has second-round draft capital, he's produced with his aerial opportunities (10.4 yards per target), and he gets the ball as a runner (22 carries across his two-year career).

Third, the Broncos' WR room is wide open after Courtland Sutton.

Fourth, Sutton is about to be 30 years old.

I can see the path to production for Mims—and the Broncos are trying "different stuff" with him in training camp to get him the ball more.

WR Adam Thielen (Panthers)

• ADP: 162.0 (WR65)
• Projection: 122.1 (WR56)

Over the past two years, Thielen has averaged 8.2 yards per target for the Panthers. 

In 2023, he had a bounceback campaign with 103-1,014-4 receiving on 137 targets—and then in 2024 he might've been even better with 40-506-4 receiving on 50 targets in seven games after returning from injury.

At some point his play will decline … but if rookie Tetairoa McMillan turns out to be this year's Xavier Legette, then Thielen could once again be the team's No. 1 WR.

Freedman's Favorite 2025 Bench TEs

 TE Kyle Pitts (Falcons)

• ADP: 139.1 (TE17)
• Projection: 110.2 (TE16)

The offense might be better with QB Michael Penix. No. 2 WR Darnell Mooney (shoulder) might not be ready for Week 1. And GM Terry Fontenot has said that Pitts is "as healthy as he's been." 

I feel dirty—but 2021 wasn't that long ago.

TE Zach Ertz (Commanders)

• ADP: 151.9 (TE19)
• Projection: 116.2 (TE11)

I feel dirty—but 2018 wasn't that long ago.

Plus, Ertz was lowkey good last year with 66-654-7 receiving on 91 targets—and he could get even more work this year if No. 1 WR Terry McLaurin holds out into the regular season.

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