Stock Up, Stock Down: Post 2025 NFL Draft veteran winners and losers

Though there are still a half million offseason Rotoworld blurbs to grind as we determine player prospects headed into the 2025 NFL season, now is the time to evaluate all things draft related, to get a feel of the new fantasy football landscape, and to make declarative statements we may or may not regret in ninety days.

Below are players whose prospects might have improved after the 2025 NFL Draft, and those whose prospects took a hit.

Things will change, as they always do, when we get coach comments and beat writer analysis of where these guys fit on their teams' respective depth charts. But for now, with what we know in the aftermath of three days of selections, here are the veteran winners and losers in the post-draft landscape.

2025 NFL Draft Grades for all NFC Teams: Giants draw praise, Falcons get flunkedTetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden headline the list of 2025 draftees looking to make an impact this year.

• Kyle Dvorchak,

• Kyle Dvorchak,

STOCK UP

By Lawrence Jackson, Jr.

D'Andre Swift, RB, Bears

Well, would you look at that? Swift's fantasy relevancy lives! After finishing as a respectable RB19 in fantasy points per game last season, many felt like it could be the end for the 26-year-old back. The Bears elected not to add a running back in free agency and didn't draft one until the seventh round in this year's draft (Kyle Monangai, Rutgers). The addition of three interior offensive lineman (Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson) will also help his cause. With Roschon Johnson still behind him on the depth chart, Swift should be considered one of the better values in fantasy as we sit here today. Of the free agent running backs that are still available, the only ones I could see putting a small dent in Swift's value are J.K. Dobbins and possibly Nick Chubb. Fantasy managers seem to have given up on Swift, but he's still a solid running back.

Calvin Ridley, WR, Titans

Ridley is 30 years old, but has put together two straight seasons of at least 1,000 yards. He did so last season despite playing in only 14 games while catching passes from Mason Rudolph and Will Levis. Enter Cam Ward. The Titans new edition at quarterback will give Ridley plenty of opportunities to improve on his WR41 ranking from last season. With an upgrade at quarterback and his main competition for targets being newly-acquired Tyler Lockett, Ridley should be plenty busy in his role this season. Keep in mind that it'll be an offense that's still figuring some things out, but there's reason to believe he could be a top-24 receiver in fantasy this upcoming season.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Browns

Jeudy had a breakout season in 2024 going 90-1229-4, his receiving yards were sixth-best in the NFL. That's tough to repeat, so why is he here? Especially with a head-scratching quarterback room that includes 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, then two rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Rewind, because of Shedeur Sanders. Jeudy could hold value as well with a gunslinger like Flacco, but Sanders would keep the chains moving if he wins the job like I expect him to when the dust settles. Quiet as kept, three receivers from Colorado were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft (Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Webster and Jimmy Horn). Sanders gets his guys the ball and will be the best fit to feed Jeudy his targets.

08:43Browns were story' of NFL draft with Sanders pickPro Football Focus discusses how the AFC North performed in the 2025 NFL Draft, spotlighted by the Cleveland Browns becoming the story" with their selection of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.

Justin Fields, QB, Jets

There was some small speculation that the Jets might take a quarterback in this year's draft, but they did not as Aaron Glenn said they wanted to build around Fields. They kept their word by selecting tackle Armand Membou (Missouri) with the seventh overall pick and following it up in the second round with versatile tight end Mason Taylor (LSU). While the offense still lacks a top-tier WR2, the Jets have plenty for Fields to get back to top-five fantasy quarterback form. In fact, with his current setup on offense and a new coaching staff, Fields is in play to have his best season to date. Due to other dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts who will be drafted ahead of him, Fields could turn into a potential fantasy value come August.

Caleb Williams, QB, Bears

The Bears entire offseason was all about Williams and I believe he will deliver. As I mentioned above, the Bears started out in free agency adding to their offensive line, but they were not done. The Bears used their 10th overall selection on pass-catching tight end Colston Loveland out of Michigan. In the second round, they got good value on receiver Luther Burden out of Missouri (and added tackle Ozzy Trapilo as well). With Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore back, Williams will be looking to make the jump. The biggest piece in all of this is that new head coach Ben Johnson will be calling the shots on offense. After finishing as QB19 in his rookie season, Williams should develop into a weekly fantasy starter on your rosters.

2025 NFL Draft Grades for all AFC Teams: Patriots, Titans, Ravens earn high marksCam Ward, Travis Hunter, Tyler Warren, and draft faller Shedeur Sanders look to make an impact on their new teams.

• Eric Froton,

• Eric Froton,

STOCK DOWN

By Denny Carter

Christian Kirk, WR, Texans

Kirk went from the Texans' unquestioned No. 2 wideout to maybe -- at best -- the team's WR3 in the course of three days.

After joining the Houston offense during free agency, Kirk watched the Texans take not one but two sneaky-good Iowa State wideouts, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Both Noel and Higgins are spreadsheet dominators who piqued my interest early in the draft process: Both receivers were among the top-20 in yards per route run among wideouts in the 2025 draft class, and Higgins was graded by Pro Football Focus as last season's best college receiver.

Losing Stefon Diggs to free agency and Tank Dell to a potentially serious, long-term leg injury meant the Texans had to invest heavily at wideout if the coaching staff is going to help CJ Stroud turn things around following a dismal 2024 campaign in which he ranked 25th ouf of 32 qualifying QBs in drop back EPA.

Noel is more of a project and perhaps a gadget sort of player than Higgins, who is just plain good. Kirk should still occupy the slot in three wideout sets, a formation Houston used on 61 percent of its offensive plays last season. Higgins, however, will have every chance to play the WR2 role behind dominant alpha WR Nico Colllins.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers

Warren was never going to get out of the 2025 draft with his lead back status fully intact because -- as Pat Daugherty has said on the Rotoworld Football Show -- sometimes running backs are typecast, and can never shake the type. Such is the case with Warren, who Steelers coaches clearly see as a timeshare guy rather than a clear RB1.

Pittsburgh used a third round pick on Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson, a highly productive consensus All American back who last year had the fourth most rushing yards of any back in the country, along with 21 touchdowns. Only three running backs logged more rushes of over ten yards than Johnson.

Johnson is the new Najee Harris if Najee Harris had ever been good. That Johnson is far superior rusher to the departed Harris is a major problem for Warren, who could never leave Najee in the dust as the team's locked-in RB1. Johnson profiles as a boom-bust kind of runner, a backfield option the Steelers sorely needed after being held back by Harris' total lack of explosiveness. Warren is more than a little likely to retain the team's primary pass-catching duties.

The one bit of upside for Warren in fantasy circles: Johnson's presence in the team's backfield should suppress Warren's redraft ADP this summer. I could envision a scenario in which Johnson eventually goes before Warren. In that case, I'm in on the veteran.

Green Bay Packers receivers

Second-round pick Matthew Golden joining the frustrating ranks of the Packers receiver room is going to make things even worse for fantasy purposes if you are inclined to parse Green Bay wideouts for value in 2025.

Golden, who checks quite a few draft bust boxes, could establish himself as a top option for Jordan Love but might not be better than two or three wideouts already on the team. Golden drew a target on a meager 15 percent of his routes during his final collegiate season. That, as I said during our post-Round 1 Rotoworld Football Show, is an alarming stat. It means Golden, like every other Packers receiver, can't consistently command targets.

There's also the issue of the Packers being one of the most run-committed offenses in the NFL. Only the Eagles and Colts had a lower pass rate over expected than the Packers in 2024. No team had a lower neutral early down pass rate. That's the sort of offensive formula that doesn't exactly henerate targets for pass catchers, especially when there's a four or five-wideout rotation. Unless Matt LaFleur tries to stop hiding Love in 2025, there simply won't be enough looks to go around in this offense.

Probably this will cause a medical emergency or three: There's no way to know if Golden is even better than Dontayvian Wicks, the only viable and consistent target gobbler in the Green Bay offense. I have no interest in Golden or any other Packers wideout unless injuries create a tigher receiver rotation.

01:19Expect inconsistent' fantasy numbers from GoldenThe Green Bay Packers finally broke their Round 1 wide receiver drought with Matthew Golden, but Matthew Berry says the former Texas Longhorn will have inconsistent" fantasy production during his rookie season.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots

Patriots coaches and front office officials and beat writers talked nonstop about the team's need for a better pass-catching running back. So it came as a surprise to approximately no one when New England used their second round pick on Ohio State RB TreyVeon Henderson.

It is, in short, over for Rhamondre Stevenson.

Henderson is the kind of do-it-all back who should easily usurp Stevenson as the team's lead back. As NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry said of Henderson: His 4.43-second 40, 38.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad all suggest he's more than athletic enough for what the Patriots might like. ... What makes him an especially intriguing option as a passing-down back is the fact that he has no fear in pass protection."

That is going to be a problem -- a big one -- for Stevenson, who in 2024 ranked 55th out of 58 qualifying running backs in yards per route run, a key measure of efficiency.

It could be that Henderson's pass-catching bonafides are a bit overblown. In 2024, he ranked 91st out of 140 qualifying backs in yards per route run, managing 22 grabs on 23 targets in the run-heavy Buckeyes offense. Evaluators for whatever reason seem smitten with Henderson's pass-catching ability. I suppose that means something.

Draft capital and a new regime run by football dinosaur Mike Vrabel likely means Henderson will have every opportunity to establish himself as New England's main runner, with Steveson profiling as a contingency back who might be enticing for Zero RB fantasy drafters.

Javonte Williams, RB, Cowboys

It's nearly impossible to exaggerate how bad Javonte Williams was during his final year with the Broncos. Without dumping out his analytics basket of horrors, suffice it to say Williams was among the worst backs in the league in 2024. He was shockingly inefficient and unexplosive.

I would bet on anyone in the Dallas backfield to overtake Williams in 2025. That includes Jaydon Blue, the Texas RB drafted with the 149th pick, and Phil Mafa, the plodding Clemson back taken with the 239th pick of the draft. Blue was, to put it kindly, underwhelming as the Texas starter in 2024. While he was largely forgettable as a rusher, Blue was an excellent pass catcher, totaling 42 catches for 368 yards and six scores in 2024. He averaged a solid 11 yards after the catch per reception.

Hardly an analytics darling, Mafah was a reliable, between the tackles runner at Clemson who was used in high leverage situations, including at the goal line (he scored 21 rushing toucdowns over his final two collegiate seasons with a yards per carry of 5.2). The issue for Mafah is that he has no path to pass-catching duties after never being used out of the backfield at Clemson.

The addition of Mafah and Blue represent a nightmare scenario for Williams. Blue is a superior pass catcher and Mafah is a better early-down banger. I don't think Williams has much chance of being anything but a fantasy-irrelevant rotational guy in the Cowboys offense.