Earlier this week, I took some time to break down what I thought would be the first round of 2025 Underdog best ball drafts. And so today, I wanted to continue that into the second round! As I previously stated, this isn’t my personal first and second round ADP but rather, what I think the fantasy community will land on when those first drafts hit. Things I looked at when building this include but are not limited to the following:
-Previous year’s production
-Name/team recognition
-Position
-Potential growth year over year
Round 2
13. Eugene Wilson, Florida, WR
Wilson received a bunch of hype going into the season, but injuries caused him to play just four games. I think we’re all excited about the connection he could have with star sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, and that’s why I have him landing in the top 24 picks. Elijhah Badger was great with Lagway, averaging over 20 yards per catch on the season. This is an opportunity to get a potential target monster with a rising star quarterback who knows how his bread gets buttered.
14. Isaac Brown, Louisville, RB
We all knew Brown would be a star, right? Well, it feels like even the Louisville coaching staff didn’t believe it after he had many big plays early in the season and still had to grind to get RB1 usage. It happened in the end, and he rewarded everyone with some monster performances. He broke 1,100 rushing yards on just 165 attempts in 2024. This guy could easily sneak into the first round if we hear rumblings of him being the clear RB1 in the offense, but for now, I’ll keep him here in the early second round.
15. Devon Dampier, Utah, QB
Dampier was a star in the G5 last season, and just like Mateer, he stepped up into the P4. There will surely be some caution regarding how he may perform in the Big 12, but if he were still at New Mexico, he’d be a clear first-rounder, right? He threw for over 2,700 yards and added 1,166 more on the ground this past season. It’s hard to ignore 7.5 YPC, no matter who he’s facing.
As far as P4 scheduling goes, Utah has it about as good as it gets. Sure, Arizona State and BYU are on the schedule, but so are Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Colorado, West Virginia, and Baylor, among others. This isn’t the intimidating SEC schedule that Mateer has to face.
16. Deion Burks, Oklahoma, WR
A former high to mid-round pick in 2024, Burks struggled with injuries and chemistry with his quarterbacks. It doesn’t help that Jackson Arnold was bad, and his replacement was a run-first guy. Burks will be healthy in 2025 and get ADP help because of Mateer. When on the field, Burks did perform decently well, bringing down 31 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns. Considering the quarterback’s play, I think the community will give him a pass.
17. Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, WR
And just like that, we have a string of receivers being taken! Tyson was an absolute target monster in 2024, routinely seeing upwards of 45-50% of targets on a game-by-game basis. The Sun Devils will be a hot team to love next season, and Sam Leavitt will also return. Cam Skattebo is gone, but his replacements are good, not great. Tyson will get plenty of love coming into these early drafts. His injury may scare some people off, but it being an upper-body injury certainly helps over something knee-related.
18. Evan Stewart, Oregon, WR
Stewart finds himself here as every draft must have an Oregon receiver taken in the top two rounds. Who else on the team warrants this high of a pick? The room is thin and Stewart is the best of who is available. This Oregon offense should continue to be a fantasy goldmine, so I believe people will just go with Stewart because of it. I can’t say I necessarily agree based on what we saw out of him in 2024, but I get most of the reasons.
19. Dylan Edwards, Kansas State, RB
Most of Edwards’ 2024 season was pedestrian at best, but he popped off huge in the bowl game against Rutgers. He ran the ball 18 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the 44-41 win. With DJ Giddens gone, Edwards slots into a role that the every-year fantasy community loves. We saw Giddens be one of the top running backs off the board this past season, so why not Edwards this season? His smaller stature will scare some folks off, but people will justify Edwards as a star thanks to Deuce Vaughn in this uniform years ago.
20. Jahiem White, West Virginia, RB
After an incredible 2023 season in which he ran for 7.7 YPC, he ran for only 5.7 in 2024. White saw single-digit carries four times as he was a part of an RBBC. Now that CJ Donaldson has transferred out, there’s a big opportunity for White to have a huge year. The next biggest reason to love White is because of the return of Rich Rod as head coach. This guy turned Tre Stewart, a former Limestone running back, into a 1,600-yard rusher at Jacksonville State. Rodriguez loves feeding his RB1, and everyone knows it.
21. Bryson Washington, Baylor, RB
Even though Washington played just 11 games in 2024, he ran for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns. It is more impressive than that because, in his first five games, he ran the ball just 53 times. What an impressive second half of the season for the redshirt freshman.
In his final four games of the regular season, he found the end zone ten times and ran for 110 yards or more in every game. We saw his usage go as high as 28 attempts (twice). There’s going to be plenty of people who know this type of success and usage and want to jump on it. One great thing for Washington drafters is that Baylor’s success came with Washington being the lead guy. They finished the season going 6-0 in games he played, and in those games, he averaged 23.2 touches per game.
22. Kaidon Salter, Colorado, QB
By now, everyone knows who Kaidon Salter is. Sure, he played at Liberty, but he did so at a very high level for most of his career there. He ran for over 1,000 yards in 2023 and followed it up with 587 yards on 114 attempts in 2024. As long as Deion Sanders is the head coach of Colorado in 2025, there will be a ton of hype for Salter in drafts. He’s nowhere near the passer that Shedeur Sanders was at Colorado but is ten times the runner. Will the offense be able to adapt?
23. Denzel Boston, Washington, WR
One of my favorite quarterbacks not included in this article is Demond Williams. The about-to-be-true sophomore played a ton in 2024 and was impressive in the bowl game against Louisville. His WR1 is Boston, and it couldn’t be more clear. Boston caught 63 passes for 834 yards and nine touchdowns this past season, with most of his success coming in the first half of the season. The receiver pool feels thin, but with Boston, it feels like you’re getting a well-known commodity with a big upside in this Jedd Fisch offense that we’ve all known to be successful over the years.
24. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State, QB
Leavitt marks the ninth quarterback taken in the draft for me, which is about on par with what we saw in last year’s drafts. Drafters loved this position and loaded up on them often. Leavitt isn’t the volume fantasy asset but rather the guy who does the most with what he’s given. He threw 25 times or less in 8 of 13 games, so why is he considered great for fantasy?
Well, he’s good with his legs, rushing for 4 YPC on 110 attempts in 2024. I also believe the fantasy community will love the “second-year starting” bump. Kenny Dillingham knows what he’s doing at Arizona State, which should boost those who continue to get experience and comfort in his offense.
