The 2025 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, which means dynasty fantasy football leagues will begin gearing up for the upcoming season. While a rookie mock draft is most popular this time of year in dynasty formats, several new leagues will start in the coming weeks. Finding the right balance between proven veterans and promising youth is crucial to building a sustained winner that can power you to multiple deep playoff runs.
Note: This Superflex PPR mock draft was performed in Sleeper with analysts from across the fantasy football landscape. In the interest of brevity, only my picks are listed, but the entire draft can be viewed on the Fantasy Football RPG podcast’s YouTube channel.
Fantasy Football Dynasty Startup Mock Draft 1.0
First Round (1.06) – Ja’Marr Chase, WR
Ja’Marr Chase was the first non-quarterback off the board in this dynasty startup mock draft, and it’s easy to see why he was worthy of the honor. Fresh off a triple crown season, the former first-round pick is the game’s best receiver, is paired with a great quarterback in Joe Burrow, and plays for a team that plans on winning every game by a final score of 41-38. Chase is a true ‘set and forget’ in the WR1 spot for the next 5-10 years and an easy choice with the sixth-overall selection.
Second Round (2.07) – Drake Maye, QB
Drake Maye spent his rookie season surrounded by the league’s worst offensive line, wide receivers, and coaching staff but still looked like a franchise quarterback. Now entering his age-23 season, Maye should be even better in 2025 with a competent head coach in Mike Vrabel, an improved offensive line, and a tested veteran wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. Maye’s passing talent and rushing ability give him a good shot of being a top-10 quarterback in 2024, and he could be a perennial top-five guy if the Patriots ever hit on a wide receiver in the draft.
Third Round (3.06) – Trey McBride, TE
Tight end is perhaps the hardest position to fill in fantasy football, and Trey McBride is one of two players who can give you a significant positional advantage for the next 5-10 years. With Brock Bowers already off the board, McBride was an easy choice in the third round of this dynasty startup mock draft. He had a staggering 147 targets last year and turned that production into 111 receptions for 1,146 yards and two touchdowns. He should see a similar workload in 2025 and will likely find the endzone more often as he regresses to the mean.
Fourth Round (4.07) – Baker Mayfield, QB
Baker Mayfield isn’t the type of quarterback who can succeed in any environment, but he’s found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he will have a new offensive coordinator in 2025, he’ll still have wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin catching his passes. The former Cleveland Brown finished 2024 as the QB4 and should put up another strong finish in 2025.
Fifth Round (5.06) – Christian McCaffrey, RB
Far and away the riskiest pick of the dynasty startup mock draft, there is a chance Christian McCaffrey never recaptures his old form following an injury-plagued 2024. However, if he can recapture his old magic, this is the type of pick that can win a league. At his best, McCaffrey is the most unstoppable player in fantasy football, and the San Francisco 49ers used him as a workhorse in his three healthy games last year.
Sixth Round (6.07) – Derrick Henry, RB
Mathematically speaking, Derrick Henry should have stopped being a productive fantasy asset years ago. Running backs are supposed to slow down after their age-27 season, and they’re supposed to struggle following a 300-touch season. Henry is entering his age-31 season and recorded at least 200 touches in five of the past six seasons, yet he refuses to slow down. Betting against him has been a terrible decision over the past few years, and until he starts slowing down, I have to assume he never will.
Seventh Round (7.06) – Jameson Williams, WR
After a disastrous start to his career, former first-round pick Jameson Williams proved he can put it all together and recorded his first 1,000-yard season last year. Williams is an elite talent with the speed to burn defenses deep and be one of the most effective per-touch players in the league. This offense will run through Amon-Ra St. Brown, but Williams is the type of guy who can put up 120 yards and two touchdowns on three targets.
Eighth Round (8.07) – Jayden Reed, WR
The dynasty startup mock draft takes a turn with the Jayden Reed selection. After a series of high-risk, high-reward picks, Reed provides some stability for this team. While he lacks league-winning upside, he should see a consistent flow of targets in Green Bay’s offense, especially with Christian Watson sidelined due to injury.
Ninth Round (9.06) – David Njoku, TE
The best values in the mid to late rounds of the dynasty startup mock draft are the boring veterans. David Njoku isn’t an exciting player by any stretch of the imagination, but the veteran is one of the few tight ends out there with a reliable weekly target share. We don’t know who Cleveland’s quarterback will be in 2025, but whoever it is will be better than Deshaun Watson by default.
Tenth Round (10.07) – Brian Robinson, RB
Brian Robinson is a starting running back with no real competition on one of the league’s best offenses, and he’s still available in the 10th round of this dynasty startup mock draft. Like Njoku, he’s not the most exciting player, but he’s a solid starter who should receive plenty of touches and scoring opportunities. Austin Ekeler is over the hill and Washington only has three picks in the first five rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Chances are, Robinson will see a high snap count in an elite offense, and that is a recipe for fantasy success.
11th Round (11.06) – Jaxson Dart, QB
Jaxson Dart is my QB2 in this class, which says more about the rest of the quarterbacks than it does about Dart. However, the NFL hopeful proved during his time at Ole Miss that he could be a very productive quarterback if placed in the right scenario. He will probably be a first-round pick in the real NFL Draft, which makes him a solid value in the 11th round of this dynasty startup mock draft.
12th Round (12.07) – Tank Bigsby, RB
Consensus believes that Travis Etienne will be Jacksonville’s starting running back even though Tank Bigsby was a considerably better player last year. While Etienne has the better draft capital, he looked horrible last year, is entering the final year of his contract, and has reportedly been on the trade block since Liam Coen took over as head coach. Bigsby should be the starter, and even if they draft a running back, he should see plenty of work in an offense that has a decent amount of talent.
13th Round (13.06) – Jonathon Brooks, RB
Another low-floor, high-ceiling pick, Jonathon Brooks probably won’t suit up in 2025 as he recovers from yet another knee injury. Perhaps the Texas product won’t be able to stay on the field, but he could be a great starter in 2026 if he can return to health and play like he did in college. If this pick works, it’ll be one of the best values in this dynasty startup mock draft. If it doesn’t, it’s only a 13th-round pick and you can afford to miss and still have a strong team.
14th Round (14.07) – Rashod Bateman, WR
Rashod Bateman is better in real life than he is in fantasy football, but he still commands a decent target share from one of the game’s elite quarterbacks.
15th Round (15.06) – Tyler Allgeier, RB
If Bijan Robinson stays healthy, Tyler Allgeier will stay on the bench for the entire season. If he gets hurt, Allgeier is a week-in, week-out start with top-10 potential. That’s well worth a selection in the 15th round of this dynasty startup mock draft.
16th Round (16.07) – Audric Estime, RB
The Broncos will almost certainly select a running back in the first- or second-round of the 2025 NFL Draft. With that player presumably becoming the starter, Audric Estime will be a high-value handcuff.
17th Round (17.06) – Demario Douglas, WR
Demario Douglas is more Danny Amendola than Julian Edelman for the New England Patriots, but he’s still a decent weapon who can start in deeper leagues, and it doesn’t hurt to get a stack with Drake Maye.
18th Round (18.07) Justice Hill, RB
If this is the year age or injury finally catches up with Derrick Henry, Justice Hill could see a decent workload in a high-powered offense.
Main Photo: Sam Greene – Imagn Images
