In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by FantasyLife+:
NFL Draft content is fun—but now that picks are in, it’s time to get to work: my upcoming fantasy drafts matter more to me right now.
Like my NFL front office counterparts (except maybe the Browns?), I understand proper drafting strategy directly addresses a need with the potential for ceiling outcomes.
In other words, the goal is to tip the risk-reward ratio in your favor as far as possible—and there’s no better place to do that than this season than the Mile High City.
But first, we have to address the elephant in the room. The Shedeur Sanders Slide—and eventual pick by the Browns in the fifth—was one of the most bizarre sports moments of our time. And it was stretched over three days. I’m not sure where to put it in the pantheon of weirdness. Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson? Morganna the Kissing Bandit? Don Mattingly without a mustache? Maybe the Antonio Brown/Raiders saga?
Just to recap, three of the smartest “draft people” I know—Thor Nystrom, Emory Hunt, and Dane Brugler—had Sanders as their No. 1 or 2 QB. And now he’s on a Browns team that traded up to get him after adding Dillon Gabriel on Friday.
It’s chaos, it’s head-scratching … it’s weird. But hey, it’s what makes this all fun. Sanders jumped from +3000 to +1500 on DraftKings for OROY after the pick. So after all the drama? He may still have landed in a great spot.
Meanwhile …
Have A Harvey Bar
With the 28th pick in the second round (60th overall), the Broncos selected RB RJ Harvey out of UCF. From his 96th-percentile 40-time to ability in the passing game, everything checks out across the board for this rookie’s fantasy outlook. Just check out some of the gems on his highlight reel.
Maybe most important to the calculus stands with the very team-specific boost arriving in Denver. The Broncos already have all the pieces in place for fantasy success—all that’s missing is the talent carrying the ball. Just nine NFL teams posted more than 1.60 yards before contact per rush last season, none performing nearly as badly as DEN.
Look at the difference in how the eight others that were great at creating space fared in the ground game compared to the Broncos.
Average ⏩ Denver
- 5.1 Yards/Rush ⏩ 4.1 Yards/Rush
- +0.03 EPA/Attempt ⏩ -0.05 EPA/Attempt
- 153.1 Rushing Yards/Game ⏩ 112.2 Rushing Yards/Game
- 42.4% Success Rate ⏩ 39.3% Success Rate
- 10.4% Explosive Rush Rate ⏩ 8.7% Explosive Rush Rate
The blocking and play-calling is already set to perfection, and Harvey should step right into the lion’s share of high-value fantasy touches on a team that just made the playoffs. I especially like the fact that Harvey boasts plus ball skills with lots of experience working from the wildcat near the goal-line—the combination with a shifty Bo Nix could create fireworks.
Do not undersell the potential here—you almost literally can’t search a CFB running back leaderboard without finding Harvey atop it. Among all college RBs with +200 carries, RJ finished top-10 in yards/carry, explosive runs, total yards, missed tackles, yards after contact/rush, and touchdowns. Bet your bottom dollar Sean Payton’s going to be in his bag this season.
Currently going off the board as RB60 (~ADP 170), there’s no way I’m letting Harvey slip past me in the thirteenth round of fantasy drafts.
Mr. Harvey, like your candy bars, you are completely nuts …
WHO’S LEFT FOR THE UDFA FREE-FOR-ALL?
🏈 Your Fantasy Football Advantage Starts Now!
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NFL Draft Winners, Sleepers, And A Loser
OK, now we have the landing spots after three days of NFL drafting, so it’s time to start figuring out which of the rookies we’ve been hoping end up in great spots actually could be league-winners for fantasy next season. And time to figure out which players may have ended up in crowded or inefficient offenses.
Kendall Valenzuela examined the draft, and gave us a look ahead at the winners, sleepers, and a loser using our Fantasy Life Projections. There might be a surprise or two in there as you start to prepare for the coming campaign. ⬇️
HOW WILL THE JAGUARS HANDLE TRAVIS HUNTER?
Everyone Loves a Super Model
Gisele Bündchen, Cindy Crawford, Travis Hunter, TreVeyon Henderson … what do these four have in common?
Outside of other-worldly athleticism compared to you and me, each of them has a reputation as a supermodel.
What’s DIFFERENT? Well, besides the obvious (Cindy runs an abnormally slow 40), Hunter and Henderson have had their rookie super model grades updated with draft capital accounted for.
Oh, and that’s not all. Every Round 1 through 5 rookie in the model has been updated, with the remainder coming today.
Risers, fallers, and targets for your dynasty rookie drafts. What more could you want?
Let’s dive into how the draft shook up the model. ⬇️
THE MODEL’s RB5 HAS SLEEPER UPSIDE
After the marathon that was the 2025 NFL Draft …
⬆️⬇️ Whose stock is rising and falling after the NFL Draft?
🏈 Who did your favorite NFL team pick? Where did you favorite college players go? And where did we rank them all? Make the Thor 500 filters your friends!
🤯 Dwain McFarland has updated the Rookie Super Model numbers for Cam Skattebo.
🎁 ICYMI: Matthew Berry had a “creeper” in his replies and raised $3100 for charity when he found out it was just an extreme league punishment.
🧨 Ian Hartitz has Ashton Jeanty ranked No. 6. Not RB6—he’s 6 overall. We love it.
📺 Gene Clemons breaks down Jaxson Dart’s fantasy value as the newest Giants QB.
