3 Rookies To Draft In Your Fantasy Football League

Forbes

11-07-2025

AMES, IOWA - NOVEMBER 30, 2024: Jayden Higgins #9 of the Iowa State Cyclones looks on during the ... More second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Jack Trice Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by Luke Lu/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
If you've read any articles from my author profile, you would know that rookies are one of my main focuses. As stated before, identifying the correct rookies to draft in fantasy football can make all the difference.
I've talked about a number of different players by now, so we'll be excluding running backs from this list. If you want to know which rookie running backs to draft, you can read my latest article, which is linked here.
That being said, we'll be using ADP from FantasyPros (PPR) to determine which players are great value this year. Let's dive right into it.
3 Rookies To Draft In Your Fantasy Football League
You may not find another analyst out there who's higher than I am on Tetairoa McMillan. While everyone was gushing over Ashton Jeanty in dynasty fantasy football, for me, the top player was McMillan.
At 6'5" and 212 lbs, McMillan pairs an incredible catch radius with great separation skills and elite YAC ability. Now, McMillan steps into a situation where his quarterback, Bryce Young, is entering year three of his NFL career.
Back in 2023, when Young was a rookie, he allowed Adam Thielen to record eight games of at least 15 PPG (PPR). McMillan is a much better talent than Thielen was; expect big things from the rookie in fantasy football.
It's not being talked about enough how high Jayden Higgins went in the NFL Draft. Higgins was the 34th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Houston Texans, putting him just two spots away from the first round.
Higgins is another big body wide receiver at 6'4" and 215 lbs. While McMillan is an elite prospect, Higgins projects as a WR2 who should fit well next to Nico Collins.
With the Texans losing Stefon Diggs to the New England Patriots and Tank Dell for most of the year, Higgins should step into the WR2 role from day one. Higgins is talented, and he has a great quarterback throwing him the ball in CJ Stroud.
After Stroud made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, he was viewed extremely highly by many. However, a sophomore slump in 2024 has caused many fans to forget just how good Stroud can be. If Stroud ends up having a bounce-back year, which I believe he can, Higgins is going to benefit in a big way.
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 28: Miami Hurricanes tight end Elijah Arroyo (8) reacts after a play during ... More the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Iowa State Cyclones on December 28, 2024 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While the first two players are a bit more expensive, Elijah Arroyo is a player that you should be able to draft in every fantasy football league. Arroyo was a very good prospect who wasn't widely talked about due to a rich injury history.
Even so, Arroyo got great draft capital as the Seattle Seahawks selected him 50th overall. Noah Fant has been disappointing in his time with the Seahawks, failing to cross over 550 yards in any of his three years with the team.
As for the wide receiver core, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp are Arroyo's only competition for targets. Arroyo should very easily be able to slide into the number three target role, and he could even record more targets than Kupp, who has struggled with injuries and is now 32 years old.
Arroyo is much more of a dart throw than the other two players, but his upside is through the roof. If you want to draft a few rookies in your fantasy football draft, these three options are great ideas.