The Disappointing Draft

Plus: Do you notice anything ... different?

Author

Peter Overzet
May 01, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

I try not to be too greedy, but I was a little disappointed with how the NFL Draft played out for the rookie RBs.

There were so many perfect landing spots available for these rookie RBs, and yet teams like the Cowboys, Bears, Commanders, and Chiefs all elected not to spend significant draft capital at the position.

On Tuesday, we discussed the big veteran winners in Chicago and Washington, but today I want to focus on Dallas.

Unlike the Fantasy Life Newsletter, the Cowboys backfield did not get a significant facelift …

Which Dallas RB Do We Draft?

Heading into the draft, the Cowboys RB depth chart looked pretty bleak with just veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders.

Surely they would invest in a solid rookie RB in one of the better RB classes of recent memory, right?

WRONG.

Instead, the Cowboys waited until the fifth round to select Texas pass-catching specialist, Jaydon Blue. 

This begs the question … is Blue the answer to this backfield, or will one of the rundown vets step up to the plate and be our 2025 Rico Dowdle? 

In his new RB piece, Dwain looked specifically at Blue's 2025 fantasy outlook ... and it's not pretty:

  • Floor Projection: 5.5 PPG

  • Median Projection: 7.3 PPG

  • Ceiling Projection: 12.1 PPG

Dwain admits that there is a lot of guesswork involved when projecting an ambiguous backfield like this, but Blue's niche skillset points to a committee situation.

Still, I plan to tilt my exposures to Blue for two simple reasons:

  1. He's the mystery box rookie who could be better than expected, whereas we know who Javonte is at this point

  2. He's much cheaper than Williams right now (166 ADP vs. 134.7)

Maybe someday the Cowboys will actually draft a legit RB again…

Fantasy

Editors’ Picks!

As part of the new newsletter, the editors demanded the right to make “picks” — like local video rental store employees in the 80s. We were very specific with our demands. We also asked for an office kegerator, but were then reminded we don’t have an office. Or a kegerator. We settled for this.

Please enjoy this curated list of “stuff we love” from the past week!

Ian Hartitz is the lowest among Fantasy Life’s rankers on Marvin Harrison Jr. Kendall is “in on him” at WR18. Waz, Freedman, and Dwain have him at 21.

Find out why — plus a bunch more fun stuff! — in our Rankings Roundtable.

Hey ranks are cool … but so are actual number of yards and TDs. The Oracle projects rookie performance for 2025.

One of the three editors (Joe) had never seen this series, which is one of our other editor’s (Nando) favorite shows ever.

1980s video rental store employee vibes are now activated.

🐎🌹 The most exciting two minutes in sports is almost here—and BetMGM is ready to take the thrill of the Kentucky Derby to the next level!

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Fantasy

🔮 Look Into Our Crystal Ball For Rookie RB Projections

We waited months for the NFL Draft to finally happen. Speculation, insider chatter, and mock drafts helped fill the time. Now we know where players have landed, it’s time to look ahead. Dwain McFarland was in the lab immediately after the last pick was made and projected the workloads for the coming season for rookie RBs like Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, and many more.

The best part is that he breaks up each projection into floor, median, and ceiling options for their fantasy outcomes. So you run the gamut of possibilities. Check it out!👇🏼

Fantasy

Ian’s Rankings: Where Are The Rookies?

It’s a great day for a great refresh of the rankings now that we know where the rookies are. Gone are the days when fantasy managers could draft Adrian Peterson as low as the fifth round so he could wreck his ADP as a rookie. Feels like fantasy football stone age. Now we can take aggressive stances on first-year players. Maybe even the first round!

Ian dropped updated rankings, and highlighted where the rookies fell. You’ll want to follow the movement on these players, because they could be the league-winners you’re looking for.

Fantasy

Around the Watercooler

One day this will be called “Around the Kegerator” — but for now…

💪 “We Did It, Big Bro.” Great piece from Jack Bech to his brother.

🙏 Jordan Travis hangs it up. Sad story.

📈 Why yes, we do have three sets of Dynasty Rookie rankings. Things get weird when we get to TreVeyon Henderson. 

🛝 Shedeur Sanders may have slid down the draft board but his jersey is the third-best-selling among rookies.

📞 Speaking of Sanders, the Falcons got a $250k fine and Jeff Ulbrich was fined $100k for That Prank Call.

🥍 Crazy lacrosse hazing story out of Syracuse, NY. 

👀 Our Dynasty Life Show with Kendall Valenzuela and Jake Trowbridge debuts today. Subscribe to the YT channel and, uh ... I don't know? "Don't miss a thing" seems dramatic. Enjoy the award-winning videos!

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