Fantasy Football: Final full-season grades for the 2025 rookie class

Another fantasy football rookie ride in the books. It was fun, frustrating and encouraging all at once, and now, it’s time to grade what actually happened. I’m weighing the full body of work with emphasis on how the back-half closed and what they did for you in December when lineup decisions mattered most. This isn’t a dynasty sermon, it’s a look at 2025 production and how it felt to hit submit with these rookies week in and out.

Ten rookies, 10 honest blurbs, tough but fair grades, plus a quick 2026 outlook for each. Thanks for rocking with me all year. Final grades, rookie report, end of season. Let’s get it.

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson — Grade: B+

You drafted TreVeyon Henderson early with sky-high expectations out of Ohio State. The path to this grade wasn’t easy. He had to earn it on the field, earn the coaches' trust, then cash it in. Early on, the volume wasn’t there and backs like Rhamondre Stevenson and Terrell Jennings were getting work in spots we expected for Henderson. Through Weeks 1-8, he averaged about 5.5 half-PPR points per game and felt more like a stash than a start. For a player with this pedigree, that type of production tested lineups, patience and discipline.

Then the payoff.

From weeks 9 through 17, Henderson was the RB10 in half-PPR at 15.8 points per game. You look at the season stat line and it reads like a productive rookie year, but what matters is how he arrived there. He went from rotational piece to a trusted part of the plan, working with Stevenson while the offense found its identity behind second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who played like an MVP. Even without a blowup in Week 17, handling 19 carries for 82 yards told you everything about the staff’s confidence in the rookie back.

For the season, Henderson settled at RB25 in PPR at 10.7 per game, which reflects the early drag and the late surge. Henderson’s evaluation accounts for both halves. The early stretch probably cost you starts and challenged your discipline, but the back half gave you a real edge when it mattered most, thanks to a clear usage spike and growing trust.

2026 outlook: TreVeyon Henderson will be a weekly high-end RB2.

Quinshon Judkins — Grade: C+

Judkins came out hot and it looked like Cleveland had a rookie it could lean on beyond just volume. The line was supposed to open lanes, the offense looked ready to ride him when quarterback play was shaky, and for a while, it worked. Across the full season, Judkins landed in the RB2 range in half PPR at 11.2 points per game, handled 68% of the RB rushing share and played about 50% of the snaps — a heavier slice than several rookie peers. He logged 230 rush attempts, second among rookies behind Ashton Jeanty, which speaks to the trust he earned right away.

Then the grind hit.

The run blocking cratered, quarterback play never steadied and defenses started squeezing the box. From Weeks 9 through 17 Judkins was the only back in this rookie review who sat below 10 half-PPR points per game. That dip wasn’t about the late-season injury — the offense just wasn’t good enough for sustained drives or high-value touches. The game log tells the story. His final three outings before going out around Christmas brought roughly 20 rushing yards each. His last touchdowns came in November versus the Raiders, where he punched in two; before that, you have to go back to mid-October against Miami.

So why C+? Because the workload and early flash were real, but the back half asked fantasy managers to eat low ceilings every week. That’s not a failing grade — it’s a realistic one. Judkins did his job; he played through tough sledding and there’s plenty to like once (if?) Cleveland fixes some pieces.

2026 outlook: Quinshon Judkins will be a weekly RB2.

RJ Harvey — Grade: B

RJ Harvey closed his rookie year on a heater, punching in touchdowns in five straight games — that’s how you finish a fantasy season. Expectations were real the moment Denver spent second-round capital and paired him with Sean Payton. We talked all summer about the role he could command, but the opening act was rough because he split with J.K. Dobbins, who was playing out of his mind. Dobbins was so good that even after going down in early October, he still sits top 25 in rushing, which tells you what Harvey was competing with.

Once the backfield cleared, Harvey answered the call. From the moment Dobbins went out, over the next 10 games, he scored in 8 of 10. On the season, he piled up 12 touchdowns — 5 as a receiver, 7 on the ground — and finished in the RB2 range in half PPR at 11.2 points per game. The split view tells the truth about his arc. Through Weeks 1-8, he was RB34 at 8.8 half-PPR points per game and felt like a matchup flex while the staff sorted roles. From Weeks 9-17 he leveled up to RB12 at 13.6 per, delivering startable floors with legit week-winning upside.

Why a B grade? Because the early split held him back long enough to cost lineups, but when the runway opened, he seized it and didn’t let go. That’s a rookie who met the moment.

2026 outlook: RJ Harvey will be a weekly high-end RB2 with RB1 upside.

Omarion Hampton — Grade: B

Hampton’s rookie year was abbreviated, but the impact wasn’t. He only logged nine games and still finished RB16 in half PPR at 13.3 per game. Early on, there was noise about a split with Najee Harris before Najee went down, yet every time Hampton was on the field, he looked like the plan. In Weeks 1-8 he played five games and sat RB14 at 13.4 half-PPR points per game. From Weeks 9-17 he checked in at RB13 at 13.1, a steady drumbeat that never really dipped when Los Angeles needed him most.

Context matters. This was a makeshift offensive line that shuffled pieces all fall, and Hampton still gave us bankable usage. In those nine games, he caught 32 of 35 targets with one receiving score and there was only one game where he dipped below 12 rush attempts. He closed with back-to-back touchdowns and stacked 8 receptions in the fantasy championship, exactly the kind of skill set you want from your running back when matchups get tight.

The size-speed receiving combo plays perfectly with Justin Herbert and the Chargers' pass game, creating easy outlet chances and red-zone looks. Credit to Kamani Vidal for holding serve, but when Hampton returned, he reclaimed the backfield and the staff leaned in.

Why a B grade? Availability counts, but I’m not docking him for the missed time because when he played, he delivered at an RB2 floor with RB1 flashes. That’s what we drafted — a potential bell cow who converts volume into points without empty touches.

2026 outlook: Omarion Hampton will be a weekly RB1.

Ashton Jeanty — Grade: B-

Jeanty was the first running back drafted in 2025 and a first-round fantasy pick in a lot of rooms, so the bar was sky high. Through the full ride, he settled as RB17 in half PPR at 12.9 per game across 16 outings. The role was everything we asked for. He handled 240 carries, owned an 85% RB rush share that trailed only Jonathan Taylor and cleared 80% of the team’s RB touches. That’s workhorse stuff.

The season splits tell you how the production landed. Through Weeks 1-8 he sat at RB17 with 12.6 half-PPR points per game. From Weeks 9-17 he nudged up to RB14 with 13.1 per. We got two 100-yard games, two multi-touchdown weeks and a semifinal nuke against Houston that had managers' chests out before a 60-yard follow-up on the ground versus the Giants in Week 17. He also brought real passing-game value with 52 receptions and five receiving scores to match 5 rushing touchdowns.

Context matters here. Las Vegas rolled out one of the league’s rougher lines, the quarterback room was chaos, it traded its best receiver and changed play callers mid-season. That’s a lot for any rookie back. Still, when you spend first-round capital, you hope for more than a middling RB2 finish. He didn’t sink lineups, but he rarely carried them outside those spike weeks.

So B- feels fair. Massive volume, solid weekly floor, flashes of the ceiling we chased but not the season-long hammer some expected when the Raiders took him at No. 6.

2026 outlook: Ashton Jeanty will be a weekly high-end RB2.

Wide Receivers

Tetairoa McMillan — Grade: C+

McMillan closed his season as one of the most utilized wide receivers in the league, exactly the kind of day-in, day-out role we projected when Carolina took him. Across 16 games, he finished as a weekly starter or flex in most builds. The usage lined up with our summer read and put him in the neighborhood of low-end alphas. He owned a 24% target share, sat top 15 in total targets and was one of 18 receivers to run over 500 routes. That’s bankable opportunity for a rookie who earned the trust of his offense fast.

The friction point was quarterback play. Bryce Young’s timing and accuracy was up and down all year, and McMillan left a few on the turf with some costly drops of his own. The game logs show it. We got two multi-score weeks, then long stretches where explosives just didn’t connect and the ceiling felt capped by the passing environment. Volume kept him in lineups, but week-to-week volatility made managers live with some thin outcomes while waiting for the next spike.

So C+ is the fair call. The volume said he could be a weekly WR2, but inconsistency from the passing game plus the occasional drop pulled him toward WR3 territory in stretches. Net-net, this was solid production for a rookie asked to be a centerpiece while the offense searched for answers. The base is strong, the role is sticky and if the Panthers raise the floor at quarterback, the ceiling will follow.

2026 outlook: Tetairoa McMillan will be a weekly WR2 with room to climb.

Emeka Egbuka — Grade: C+

This one stung. Egbuka opened like a cheat code — 2 touchdowns in Week 1, another in Week 2, 85 yards in Week 3 then 100 and 163 with touchdowns in back-to-back games — and it felt like we’d found the next early-round hammer. Across the full ride, he still posted 930 yards and 6 scores, finishing as WR30 in half PPR, but the journey was rough.

Through Weeks 1-5 he averaged over 17 half-PPR points per game and was an automatic start. From Weeks 6-17, he cratered to under 6.5 per game, including a WR66 finish during the fantasy playoffs when managers needed him most. After that white-hot start, he managed just one more 100-yard game and one more touchdown the rest of the way.

Context matters, and it wasn’t all on the rookie. Baker Mayfield’s play wobbled at times, which stalled drives and capped explosives, but Egbuka also had some costly drops and a few near-misses he’d want back. Net-net, it was still a strong rookie season on paper, just wildly volatile for fantasy based on how it started and how it ended. The expectation tax after that opening month is why this lands at C+. You didn’t get a sinkhole, but you didn’t get the league-winner the first month teased either.

The long view stays optimistic. The talent is real, the role should remain stable and any step forward from the passing game puts more of those early-season outcomes back on the menu.

2026 outlook: Emeka Egbuka will be a high-end WR3.

Tight Ends

Harold Fannin Jr. — Grade: A

The rookie curve didn’t faze Fannin at all. Week to week, he was Cleveland’s most dependable pass catcher and the tape, plus the box scores, backed it up. He finished his rookie fantasy season as TE9 in half PPR at 9.5 points per game with 107 targets and 72 receptions. Leading the Browns in the three major receiving categories is outstanding for any rookie tight end, let alone a Round 3 pick who wasn’t an every-down player.

After a solid first half, he really turned it on late, scoring 5 touchdowns across his final five games, including scores in two of three fantasy playoff weeks while navigating extremely volatile quarterback play and at times, an inept offensive game plan. Beyond the counting stats, there’s context you can’t ignore. Fannin is two years younger than Tyler Warren (more on him below), yet both already etched their names in the record book. Warren sits eighth in rookie tight end receiving yards all-time, Fannin is ninth.

Draft cost matters. Fannin was cheaper than the splashier names yet gave managers a steadier drumbeat of usable weeks and one of the best closing stretches at the position. Cleveland wasn’t a good offensive environment, but Fannin earned his role and red-zone looks in spite of it. That’s why he gets an A. Fannin delivered above expectations when everything around him tried to pull him down.

2026 outlook: Harold Fannin Jr. will be a weekly top-five tight end.

Tyler Warren — Grade: C+

Great on paper, uneven in practice. Warren finished the fantasy season as TE12 in half PPR at 9 points per game on 104 targets and 71 receptions. From the very first game, it looked like he’d be the focal point with Daniel Jones, and through September, he commanded a heavy slice of the pie. After Week 4, though, he produced just one more game over 70 yards. That October 19 matchup against the Chargers capped a run of three straight touchdowns; after that, he managed only 1 touchdown over his final nine games, which left managers juggling start-sit calls weekly.

This wasn’t all on Warren. Daniel Jones blew his Achilles. Indianapolis had to call Philip Rivers out of retirement at 44 years old to come off the couch because Riley Leonard couldn’t get it done. The season went off the rails for the Colts. When you have a run game led by one of the best in the league, Jonathan Taylor, all this team needs is consistent quarterback play until Jones is healthy — and when he’s back, you can expect quick throws to his big second-year tight end.

This 2025 tight end class was loaded. Oronde Gadsden II, Harold Fannin Jr. and Colston Loveland landed inside the top 20 all-time for rookie tight end receiving yards (as mentioned, Tyler Warren sits eighth on that list).

The C+ here isn’t a talent ding — it reflects a hot start that turned into a thin finish and the start-sit strain that created. With that run game and steadier QB play, this grade could flip from C+ to A fast. Warren is an extremely talented tight end who should become a focal point of this offense soon, and I have no doubt he’ll deliver in the fantasy playoffs for years to come — this season’s late fade just dragged the mark.

2026 outlook: Tyler Warren will be drafted as a top-five tight end with every-week starter expectations.

Quarterback

Jaxson Dart — Grade: B+

Jaxson Dart finished his rookie fantasy season as the QB14, but this was really about who he outscored on a per-game basis. He posted 17 points per game, outpacing Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love, Bryce Young and J.J. McCarthy despite not opening the year as the Giants' starter. That output sat in range with Justin Herbert and Jared Goff and just a point behind Bo Nix and Jalen Hurts. Dart delivered QB1 numbers with elite stretches when it mattered.

Once he took the reins, the dual-threat profile popped. He scored in nine straight games, stacked five outings with both a passing and rushing touchdown, and in the fantasy championship, he punched in two on the ground. He ran for 50+ yards six times, topped 200 passing yards five times, threw only 5 interceptions and finished with 13 passing touchdowns. Dart had four games where he finished as the QB5 or better — week-winning stuff from your quarterback slot.

And none of this lived in a cozy setup. New York fired its head coach midseason, Malik Nabers missed time, Cam Skattebo went down, the line leaked and the defense didn’t offer cover. Dart still produced. If you’re worried about head injuries, you bake that into price, but when he’s on the field, he gives you juice, grit and fantasy points.

So B+ feels right. He didn’t get a full runway, yet he churned out top-end QB production with repeated QB1 spikes when you needed them most.

2026 outlook: Jaxson Dart will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback with a dual-threat floor you start every week.