Dynasty Fantasy Football 2025 NFL Draft: Veteran Winners and Losers from Day One

Ken Kelly Posted On April 24, 2025

Dynasty managers have been looking forward to this weekend for weeks, maybe even months. This year, we were promised something different with two stud running backs, along with the possibility of just one quarterback taken in round one. In the end, the draft’s first day delivered some surprises that are going to make some dynasty managers really stop and re-evaluate some things. With all the talented players entering the league, NFL veterans will feel the impact, some fearing for their respective jobs while others will breathe a sigh of relief, at least for 24 hours. Let’s take a look at some of the players who could see their dynasty value affected by this first round rookie class. On to the initial veteran winners and losers from day one.

Winners

Titans Receivers

As expected, the Titans drafted Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the top overall pick. While early expectations should be kept in check, this has to be considered good news for players like Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, Tony Pollard, and the rest of the offense. After all, it couldn’t really get much worse than it was last year and this looks like a team with a plan now.

Trevor Lawrence QB JAC

It’s really starting to look like it’s now or never for the former Clemson star and “can’t miss” quarterback prospect. Lawrence has had his moments over the past few years, but hasn’t quite looked like the franchise changer many though he would be. The addition of Travis Hunter is clearly a massive one and having both Hunter and last year’s stud rookie Brian Thomas Jr. in the fold gives Lawrence one of the best young duos in the world. In short, he’s running out of excuses and now has the talent to really excel.

Browns Quarterbacks

This just feels so temporary with the Browns having the first pick of the second round, but Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco still sit atop the depth chart for Cleveland. Perhaps they’re willing to just roll with this duo and position themselves for Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, or Drew Allar now that they have two first round picks next season after trading back from the second spot with Jacksonville. It’s hard to say, but it’s also highly unlikely they still go into the weekend without bringing in legitimate competition, perhaps with the first pick on Friday night.

Mason Rudolph, QB PIT

The Steelers passed on both Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart, leaving Rudolph currently on top of the depth chart. With no second round pick this season, they’re now in a very curious position and Rudolph is in line to start unless….

Aaron Rodgers, QB FA

…that is, unless Aaron Rodgers decides he wants to come back and play. If A-Rod was holding out and unwilling to compete with a rookie, he may have just gotten his wish. He also may feel very wanted again and for someone like Rodgers, that seems to be important. The Steelers either have something up their sleeve, really believe Rodgers is coming back and wants to sign with them, or are actually confident in Rudolph as their starter. Time will tell on this one but this is a team to watch this weekend.

Bryce Young, QB CAR

The Panthers added Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and that seems pretty significant. Young showed some real improvement last season and Carolina seems content with adding to their offensive arsenal to see if that was real progress or just a mirage. We’ll see in the end, but getting what many believe was the best wide receiver in the draft is never a bad thing for a young quarterback.

Colts Quarterbacks

We’d love to just say “Anthony Richardson” here but this really includes both Richardson and Daniel Jones at this point. Regardless, they got a premier tight end in Tyler Warren and that bodes well for a team desperate for playmakers outside of Michael Pittman and Jonathan Taylor.

Veteran Running Backs

With Ashton Jeanty now in Las Vegas and Omarion Hampton landing with the Chargers, there are a ton of veteran running backs who still have starting jobs at the moment. The key here is at the moment but this list currently includes players like Travis Etienne (Jaguars), Alvin Kamara (Saints), Javonte Williams / Miles Sanders (Dallas), Breece Hall (Jets), D’Andre Swift (Bears), James Conner (Cardinals), Jaylen Warren (Pittsburgh), Chase Brown (Bengals), and Jaleel McLaughlin (Denver). Each of these teams had been rumored to be interested in one of the premier runners in the draft and none were able to secure one of the two. However, there will be losers from this group tomorrow, you can take that to the bank.

Losers

Will Levis, QB TEN

Again. the Titans drafted Ward and this is going to spell the end of the Levis era in Music City. There was a lot of hope for him once (remember that epic first game?), but alas, he just wasn’t able to get the job done when he had the chance. Levis will likely stay on with Tennessee and “compete” with Ward initially, but that competition is going to be like a bumblebee fighting a bear. It ain’t happening, Will.

Las Vegas Running Backs

Pete Carroll sure does love his running back competitions, but there surely won’t be one in Las Vegas any time soon. Ashton Jeanty is going to be the engine for the Raiders offense and it’s going to likely make Raheem Mostert and Zamir White nearly useless in fantasy football. Jeanty is the real deal and the likely both the RB1 and 1.01 in most rookie drafts this Spring.

Najee Harris, RB LAC

Oh boy. Just when you thought Harris could be in line for a solid bounce back season on a “one-year, prove it” contract, the Chargers go and draft Omarion Hampton out of North Carolina. This looks like a nasty committee shaping up for next year and a likely quick stint in Los Angeles for Harris. He’s going to be tough to trust as a fantasy option again next season.

Cole Kmet, TE CHI

The Bears were rumored to have interest in the tight end position and took Michigan’s Colston Loveland in the top ten. Kmet is signed on for a few more years, making this a bit of a curious pick. However, Loveland has the talent to overtake him as the TE1 early in his career and this was a tough break for Kmet. After a down year in 2024, it’s hard to see him getting back to real dynasty relevance any time soon unless he’s traded over the weekend.

Jalen McMillan, WR TB

It’s been a rough off-season for McMillan, who showed real flashes of talent last year. First, the Bucs re-signed Chris Godwin. They made it even worse for him in round one by taking Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka. With Mike Evans still the top dog at receiver, it’s really hard to see where the playing time and targets are going to come from for McMillan.

Existing Packers Receivers

The Packers hadn’t taken a wide receiver in the first round since 2002 but finally broke the streak with Matthew Golden from Texas. The fast riser immediately brings a lot of talent to a room that includes Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. All those receivers have had their moments, but Golden could realistically be better than all of them.

Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, QBs NYG

Well, that was fun. Wilson and Winston were both brought in as veteran options, but the Giants traded back into the first round to get Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. It’s likely Dart will start his career on the bench, but Brian Daboll is on a short leash and any slip-up from Wilson or Winston is going to send them right back to the bench in favor of the prized rookie.

Shedeur Sanders

There was a time not too long ago when many felt the first two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft would be Sanders and his teammate, Travis Hunter. Well, they were half right and half very wrong. The rumors of a slide for Sanders came to fruition and he wasn’t taken in round one. The good thing for him is he’ll be on a shorter initial contract if he can perform well for whichever team takes him. The bad news is nobody wanted him in round one.

Tomorrow promises to be even more significant for dynasty managers. Buckle up!

Author
Recent Posts

Ken Kelly

Co-Founder at DynastyLeagueFootball

Ken is a corporate trainer by day an a tireless editor of dynasty content by night. His passion for the World Champion Seattle Seahawks is second only to his love of fantasy football and the dynasty format.

Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK