Round 1 Prospect Winners & Losers For Fantasy Football

After months of waiting, analyzing, and overanalyzing, the first round of the NFL Draft has come and gone. As always, we had plenty of surprises, including a few shocking trades and one very high-profile slide (in case you somehow missed it, Shedeur Sanders is still on the board). 

If you're anything like me, though, you're not actually all that worried about the nine O-linemen or the plethora of future defensive studs that were selected tonight. If you're wondering how last night's action will affect your Dynasty Rookie Draft board (or way-too-early Redraft rankings), you're in the right place. Let's jump right into the biggest Round 1 winners and losers among this year's fantasy football prospects. 

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NFL Draft Round 1 Fantasy Football Winners & Losers

Winner: WR Tetairoa McMillan (Carolina Panthers, 8th Overall)

He wasn't the first skill position player selected, but McMillan is arguably the biggest winner among the prospects who heard their names called on Thursday night. If you spent the last month or so under a rock, this take might be surprising to you, as McMillan was a consensus top-10 prospect early in the draft cycle. But his stock, at least in the public eye, had slipped by the time the first team was on the clock, with plenty of mock drafters even placing him outside the top 20. 

Clearly, the Panthers, at least, were still in on the 6'4” receiver out of Arizona, as they swooped him up with their eighth-overall pick. That's pristine draft capital for a wide receiver, giving a huge boost to McMillan's fantasy value. Moreover, Carolina is an excellent on-field fit for the 22-year-old. They don't currently have any target-dominant options, and Bryce Young's skill set matches up well with McMillan's abilities as a big-bodied possession receiver. The 1.02 position in Dynasty Rookie drafts will be hotly contested, but the newest Panthers certainly belongs in that discussion. McMillan is also a very attractive mid-round Redraft pick, as we all know that nobody brings late-season fantasy upside like highly drafted rookie receivers. 

Loser: QB Shedeur Sanders (Not Drafted In Round 1)

This one is obvious. Once considered a candidate for the first-overall pick, Sanders' stock has been trending in the wrong direction for the entire draft cycle. But it was still a shock to see him fall out of the first round entirely. Unfortunately for anyone who has already invested in the former Colorado QB for fantasy, the difference between first and second-round draft capital is the most pronounced at the quarterback position. First-round quarterbacks almost always get a chance to start as rookies, and they maintain value absurdly well in Dynasty formats. Second-round quarterbacks (assuming that's what Sanders ends up being) still usually get a chance to start, but their leashes are much shorter in both real life and in fantasy trade markets. 

From a Redraft fantasy perspective, Sanders is looking essentially undraftable at this point, even in two-quarterback leagues. This take could change if he lands in the right situation, but there aren't many teams left where he wouldn't clearly be a backup to start the season. On the Dynasty front, Sanders' stock is going to follow his draft capital and plummet. Even in Superflex formats, I wouldn't recommend considering him until the second round of Rookie drafts. No first-round draft capital means no safe floor as a multi-year starter, and he doesn't have the dual-threat ability to have much of a ceiling.

Winner: TE Colston Loveland (Chicago Bears, 10th Overall)

Just like McMillan, this is a double win for Loveland. The Michigan product received better draft capital than expected, leapfrogging Tyler Warren to be the first tight end off the board. He also landed in an excellent spot, joining a Bears offense that is full of optimism under new head coach Ben Johnson. The obvious comparison will be to Johnson's former TE Sam LaPorta, but Loveland is more of a playmaker than a traditional in-line tight end — he might play a role more like slot demon Amon-Ra St. Brown.

To throw some cold water on the absurd hype of comparing a rookie tight end to a first-round fantasy receiver, we should also consider that Loveland's path to targets is a little murky. D.J. Moore is an excellent receiver, and Rome Odunze was the ninth overall pick just last year. It's rare for tight ends to put up truly difference-making fantasy numbers without ranking among the top two target-earners on their team, and it's hard to see Loveland doing that, at least right away. With that in mind, he's still more of a late-round dart throw in Redraft formats than anything else. But in Dynasty, this elite draft capital outweighs short-term target concerns — Loveland is a first-round Rookie draft option. 

Loser: TE Tyler Warren (Indianapolis Colts, 14th Overall)

Where one tight end rises, another must fall. That's not actually necessarily true, but it is in this case. Warren, who was commonly projected to be a top-10 pick, fell every so slightly down in the real draft to 14th overall. He also lands in a much less exciting situation than Loveland, as the Colts' offense is not exactly a playground of passing production. With some combination of Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones under center, it's hard to see Warren putting up relevant fantasy numbers in 2025.

However, situations change fast. By this time next season, we may be looking at Warren as the potential top target for a highly drafted rookie quarterback. The Colts do have a few solid pieces in Josh Downs, Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and the idea of Adonai Mitchell. But Warren theoretically brings an after-the-catch element that those other players don't, and it wouldn't be too shocking to see him eventually emerge as one of Indianapolis' target leaders. While he's not someone I will be drafting much of in Redraft formats, Warren is still a borderline first-rounder in Dynasty Rookie drafts. 

Winner: QB Jaxson Dart (New York Giants, 25th Overall)

Not all first-round draft capital is created equal, especially for quarterbacks. But it's still a huge win for Dart, considered a borderline first-rounder, to have been selected at 25th overall. His landing spot with the Giants isn't terrible, either. Dart likely won't be New York's Week 1 starter, as Russell Wilson should have that spot locked up. But Wilson will be gone by 2026, probably earlier — first-round QBs almost always get a shot as rookies. Whenever he does take thereinss of the Giants' offense, Dart will benefit from throwing to an elite young receiver in Malik Nabers. Barring news that he will start early in the season, he's not worth drafting in 1-QB Redraft formats, but Dart should sneak into the first round of Superflex Dynasty Rookie drafts. 

Loser: RB Omarion Hampton (Los Angeles Chargers, 22nd Overall)

This take might be controversial, so let me explain myself. First-round draft capital for a running back is a massive win — the vast majority of running backs selected that early provide at least one RB1 season. But these winners and losers are relative to expectation. By the time last night rolled around, Hampton was considered a lock for the first round. In fact, he was commonly mocked higher than 22nd overall, most often to the Broncos at 20. 

Along with that two-spot difference in draft capital, Denver would also have been a better landing spot than LA for Hampton. Their O-line was much better in 2024, and while I don't expect Najee Harris to hold Hampton off for long, he's more likely to remain a thorn in the rookie's side than Audric Estime or Jaleel McLaughlin would have. Don't get me wrong, this distinction is very slight. Hampton is still a borderline Redraft RB1 and a valid pick as early as second overall in Dynasty Rookie drafts. But I would argue that last night's outcome was a marginal loss for his fantasy value. 

Rapid-Fire: Remaining First-Round Rookies

Winner: QB Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans, 1st Overall)

Ward heading to the Titans was as close to a lock as it is possible for a draft pick to be, but it's still nice to get confirmation of that sweet first-overall pick capital. Ward should start for the Titans right away, making him a player to watch in Redraft and a contender for the 1.02 spot in Superflex Dynasty Rookie drafts. 

Loser: WR? Travis Hunter (Jacksonville Jaguars, 2nd Overall)

If Hampton's loss was marginal, Hunter's is microscopic. The 2024 Heisman winner was universally expected to be drafted by the Browns with the second-overall pick. Instead, he was drafted by the Jaguars with the second-overall pick. At first, this appeared to be a more significant loss, as Cleveland had committed to playing Hunter primarily as a receiver, while Jacksonville's plans were unknown. Thankfully, the Jaguars also seem to be headed in that direction. Still, there's more reason to be concerned about Hunter's role now than there was 24 hours ago. And even when Hunter is lined up for the offense, competing with Brian Thomas Jr. is still worse than competing with Jerry Jeudy. 

Winner: RB Ashton Jeanty (Las Vegas Raiders, 6th Overall)

With no meaningful competition on the roster and Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll at the helm, the Raiders were the dream landing spot for any running back prospect in this class. Jeanty, a generational prospect, heading to Vegas at sixth overall is an absolute smash. There's no question that he is the 1.01 in all Rookie draft formats, and he should be a first-rounder in Redraft as well. 

Winner: WR Emeka Egbuka (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 19th Overall)

Yes, the Buccaneers' wide receiver room is very crowded. But this is a Dynasty-focused article, and I'm more excited about Egbuka landing top-20 draft capital than I am worried about his short-term target competition.    

Winner: WR Matthew Golden (Green Bay Packers, 23rd Overall)

I've seen plenty of doubters of this landing spot, as analysts have argued that Golden will become just another member of the Packers' rotating cast of WR2s. But those doubts mostly stem from concerns about Golden's profile (which I'm also skeptical of, for what it's worth). From a pure landing spot perspective, this is undeniably a win. The Packers have been talking about looking for a true WR1 all offseason — with first-round capital on his side, Golden should get a chance to be that guy. 

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.