2025 Rookie Draft Prep Guide

So your dynasty rookie draft is a little over a month away… are you ready? You can and should prepare for your rookie draft. There is a large difference between the dynasty owner who takes the best available player on the sleeper ADP and the one who has consumed dynasty content and read scouting reports on the top fantasy prospects this year. Maybe he’s even watched film or created his own rankings! I’ll break down the top 4 preparation steps I take each year to make sure I’m doing right by my dynasty squads.

Let’s assume you are playing in a Superflex League - if you play one QB then take my QB rants with a grain of salt.

Decide on your direction for the Year

It’s a good idea to decide how you want to construct your roster prior to the draft. Are you one piece away from making a run? Do you need to retool to make a run in a few years? Having that awareness can help you make proper decisions regarding your draft selections. Runningbacks generally have the shortest shelf life in dynasty, Starting QBs and productive WRs have the longest. If you’re a piece away from making a run this year then you should look to take a RB in the first two rounds and hope for a hit. If you’re a rebuilding team then it might be wise to gamble on Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart with the hope that one can have sustained success at the NFL level.

Asses your team’s weakness- shoot for upside as a rebuilding squad

If you have a gaping hole at runningback you are going to want to fill that hole with the draft or via trade especially if you are contending. If you are rebuilding it will often be wise to take the highest upside / value player on the board. Rebuilding teams should take shots on upside that can payoff and allow them to flip from rebuilder to contender in a few short years. Contending teams have the thrill of making win now moves and trying to identify instant impact rookies like Bucky Irving, Puka Nacua and Brock Bowers.

Assess your leaguemate’s team’s weaknesses

Offering trades to fill a hole for a leaguemate can help you acquire more valuable pieces. If a leaguemate is desperate for a QB and Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are off the board then he may pay a premium to move up for Jaxson Dart. If you can slide back a few slots and pick up an impact player or extra pick next year then that is a net win value wise. You should be the person initiating deals with your leaguemates. Take the bull by the horns and offer the solution to their QB/RB/TE problem.

Remain Flexible

Assessing your team’s weaknesses is also important because you can pre-plan tiers of target players for each of your draft selections. You can then run through mock drafts and scenarios of what to do when certain players are gone by your pick. If you have pick 9 this year and are hoping to land a top RB but the elite tier guys are gone by your pick then you can take Travis Hunter. By 2.09 you have a shot at a mid tier RB like Skattebo, Giddens or Bhayshul Tuten. Don’t force a pick or be pidgeon-holed into taking a lesser talent just because he plays the position you desperately need. Dynasty is ultimately a value game we are trying to win a championship and maximize are teams points over a long time horizon. Do a few mock drafts and see how you’d envision your ideal rookie selections shaking out even if the worst possible outcome rears its head. Don’t make rash decisions out of fear; remain flexible and be like water… as Bruce Lee would say.

Know your draft settings

Don’t be the leaguemate who realizes the draft snakes only after pick 1.12 is made. Also don’t be the leaguemate who panic picks a player he has never heard of because the speed of the clock catches him off guard. The simple remedy to these ills is to checkout the settings of your draft in advance. Try to anticipate some selections of those around you and walk through how you’ll react in the event of a surprise pick or two.

Rank players yourself

People are busy nowadays. I get that… we don’t want to break out the film on weekends and see if a 6th round runningback has good vision and burst through the hole. I don’t really want to do that either and I love fantasy football enough to write this post. But if you can listen to a dynasty podcast on your commute or watch a rookie ranking video on youtube that will likely pay dividends down the road. No one wants to be the guy who has no idea who any of the players are and just blindly goes for the top ADP player.

There is a rich world of player analysis to delve into but I’ll keep it to 4 main areas. Basic stats (college production), physical measurables (think combine), advanced analytics (pff, playerprofiler, etc.), and film. I rely heavily on the first 3 and watch film on the guys that i’m most intrigued by.

Here I’ll put my money where my mouth is and give you my pre NFL Draft 1st round rookie rankings using my new rookie tool.

Bear in mind this is assuming Travis Hunter is still not a committed WR. If Hunter goes to the Patriots or commits to WR then he’s my number 4 overall player and WR1.

If you want to create your own rookie rankings please check out what I’m creating over at fantasyamp.com 

Join the waitlist and watch a quick video of me walking through the tool that’s in development here .

Stay Amped,

The Fantasy Amp Team