Fantasy football - Joe Burrow, Ladd McConkey among Matt Bowen's top 10 draft targets - ESPN

After doing weekly fantasy football mock drafts this summer at ESPN, now is the time when I focus on my top targets. The numbers and projections play a role. So does the tape. It matters in my evaluations. There are times I'm looking for players with a higher floor. I'll take consistency in my lineup, sure. But I also love those with upside, the playmakers who can win weeks with breakout performances.

Below, I've ranked my favorite fantasy targets for 2025, multiple players per position from my draft board, in varying tiers. There's higher-level talent from the quarterback and running back positions, but I also looked at value, identifying players who can help win your league. To wrap it up, there are five late-round fliers to keep on the radar.

Create a league and customize league size, scoring and rules to play in the league you want to play in.

Create a league today!

An electric mover with home run ability and pass-catching skills, Gibbs can rack up breakout games (24 or more points six times in 2024), plus he finds the end zone (20 total touchdowns last season). Gibbs will again share the backfield touches with David Montgomery, which limits his scoring upside a bit (18.2 points per game with Montgomery in the lineup last season). However, Gibbs is one of the best goal line runners in the league, and he will give you solid PPR production (52 receptions in each of his first two pro seasons). He's a top-five pick who can challenge for the overall RB1 crown.

I rarely target one of the «big four» quarterbacks — Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts, all going by the end of Round 3 — but after that, if Burrow is on the board? Yeah, that's my pick. In a pass-heavy Bengals system, Burrow led the league