With half my rookie drafts underway or complete, I wanted to bring you some of my favorite rookie values thus far. To show you how I value these players versus the market, I’ll provide my current ranking of each prospect and the prospect’s market ADP, according to Dynasty Data Lab. You can customize league/scoring settings on their site, so I set the following parameters:
- Rookie Drafts from April 24 – present (no pre-NFL Draft ADP)
- Full PPR
- 0.5 – 1.5 Tight End Premium (TEP)
- 12 team leagues
After setting these parameters, over 2,500 rookie drafts still met these guidelines, so you know this ADP is highly accurate.
Side note: all the ADP from Dynasty Data Lab is based on Superflex formats. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s discuss the players I’m highest on relative to market value within 2025 Dynasty rookie drafts.
Kyle Williams (WR – NE)
My Ranking: 2.06
Dynasty Data Lab ADP: 3.02
The original Kyle Williams truther, put it on my tombstone. I’ve been frequently grabbing Williams in the late second of my Dynasty rookie drafts, and I don’t plan to stop. Williams is a twitchy athlete with route nuance and finished this past season 4th in the FBS in yards after the catch with 590. He’s a splash-play specialist who can win at all three levels. I’ll gladly take Drake Maye‘s future WR1 at this value.
Tyler Shough (QB – CLE)
My Ranking: 2.08
Dynasty Data Lab ADP: 2.12
I get it, trust me. Shough is a million years old, he’s injury-prone, and he doesn’t run. But with quarterbacks, I rely heavily on the draft capital to tell me how I should value each prospect. I’m no quarterback guru, but I can tell you if a team drafts you 40th overall at quarterback, you have a good shot to start early. With Carr’s shoulder situation, Shough could be in as soon as Week 1. In Superflex formats, I’ll gladly take Shough in the late second. I’ve seen him fall to the late third and even the early fourth in some drafts, so I was surprised with the 2.12 market ADP.
Pat Bryant (WR – DEN)
My Ranking: 3.04
Dynasty Data Lab ADP: 4.02
One of my favorite sleepers in this draft, Bryant is a player who shines at the catch point and has some of the strongest hands in this draft class. He’s fundamentally sound and has some excellent footwork within his routes. Bryant is the type of receiver who you can trust in jump-ball situations. I question his ability to separate, especially deep, but he should get his shot to play on a Denver team with little wide receiver talent.
Jarquez Hunter (RB – LAR)
My Ranking: 3.07
Dynasty Data Lab ADP: 4.03
This is just as much about Hunter’s ability as a rusher as it is about my lack of faith in Kyren Williams. I made a similar bet in 2024, grabbing Bucky Irving everywhere I could because I was very anti-Rachaad White. Sean McVay needs some explosion in this backfield, and Kyren simply cannot provide that. Hunter graded out as the rookie RB9 in @force_fantasy’s RB1 Analytical Model, which is significantly higher than he’s being drafted in rookie drafts today.
Oronde Gadsden (TE – LAC)
My ADP: 3.05
Dynasty Data Lab ADP: 5.02
Okay, c’mon guys. Ranking Gadsden as the 50th overall prospect is just crazy, especially in TEP formats. I understand he wasn’t taken until the fifth round but look at this depth chart. Gadsden only has to beat out Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin. Both these guys are well above-average blockers at the NFL level, but they can’t bring what Gadsden can to the receiving game. Being a former wide receiver who transitioned to tight end, Gadsden is a fluid, natural route runner with glue on his hands. I see him as a poor man’s Colston Loveland, minus the ability to separate (which is a legitimate concern of mine).
To clarify, I’m never grabbing Gadsden in the mid-third round, as he’s always available in the fourth. I highly recommend grabbing this young man as a last-round flyer with real fantasy upside.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
