5 Rookie Breakout Candidates for Dynasty Fantasy Football

Remember, signing up to play in a dynasty league means you're in it for the long haul.

Not every great rookie draft pick comes flying out of the gates. Some players are blocked by productive veterans. Some take extra time to translate from their college system to the pros. Some are marred by bad coaching or quarterback play and will see a shift in the coming weeks.

For a variety of reasons, I see these five rookies -- pretty darn quiet to this point -- as potentially making a giant splash in dynasty value in the second half of 2025. This list could be 12 names long, but here are 5 who I feel like you need to consider trading for if the manager of them is panicking about a slow start.

Note: Rankings come from KeepTradeCut's superflex rankings, and the basis for this piece is 10-team leagues using half-PPR scoring.

Second-Half Rookie Breakout Candidates in Dynasty Fantasy Football

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Cleveland Browns

Unlike most NFL Draft analysts, I haven't tucked my tail and run from my evaluation of Shedeur Sanders.

Sitting consensus 12th -- and unabashedly 9th on my final board -- across 199 industry rankings, Sanders' unprecedented draft slide was a combination of celebrity and rocky pre-draft interviews. Shedeur, clearly, marches to the beat of his own drum and doesn't always make the best decisions in a public opportunity. Neither did Cam Newton, though.

After Sanders went in the late-second-to-early-third round of most rookie drafts, panic has surely set in that managers have lit their draft pick on fire, but I'd recommend a deep breath. After all, Sanders hasn't taken a single first-team rep anywhere in camp as the Browns got Joe Flacco ready for the season and prioritized Dillon Gabriel, who was selected before Sanders, as the backup.

Gabriel's first assignment -- in London against the Minnesota Vikings -- was a brutal ask, but he did look overwhelmed en route to averaging -0.19 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db), per Next Gen Stats. If that remains the case, Cleveland will likely give Sanders a call at some point. An opportunity is still rumored to be coming, and with Flacco now traded, an injury can provide it.

The Shedeur flier was always based on his talent over immediate opportunity, believing he'll deliver when given a chance with Cleveland's starters. Zero -- and I mean zero -- has changed there.

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

J.K. Dobbins has missed 29 games over the last three seasons. When RJ Harvey's lone obstacle to being a weekly RB1 is Dobbins' health, there's a good chance the breakout is coming.

Harvey has delivered on his second-round draft capital in limited spurts. He ranks 13th among running backs averaging at least 5.0 carries a game in rushing yards over expectation per carry (0.96 RYOE/c), per Next Gen Stats.

Could some of the efficiency go away in a larger role? Sure. But volume is still badly needed when he's logged just 31.0% of Denver's snaps thus far. He hasn't really been put in a position to score, either, as he's got a 13.6% red zone rush share.

A surprise in the tailback's profile has actually been his ability to handle receiving work, drawing a target on 28.6% of his routes. If that's the case, there is no obstacle to a three-down role should Dobbins exit the lineup.

You don't wish for injury to anyone, but playing the percentages, the chances that Dobbins logs a full season seem small. The former Central Florida Knights star could shine if given the chance.

Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 5, the Jaguars' lone primetime game of 2025, was Travis Hunter's arrival.

Hunter has flashed talent on highlights all year, but the nation got a chance to see why the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner was drafted No. 2 overall with both a highlight catch-and-run and downfield snag. He also got a solid 77.3 coverage grade on defense, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Obviously, balancing the responsibilities of both sides of the ball is a large reason why Hunter has posted just 5.2 fantasy points per game (FPPG) so far. He's had a difficult start in traditional formats. But you have to expect his role to continue to grow every single week as he's a rookie learning two positions, and each performance has exceeded the last as a result.

Jacksonville hasn't gotten a true encore from Brian Thomas Jr. to the point where Hunter is still tied for the team's positional lead in receptions per game (3.2) despite a part-time role (62.2% route rate).

As Hunter continues to hone his craft, I don't think it's crazy that he becomes the Jags' go-to guy in key spots on offense. Trevor Lawrence is also playing better at 0.15 EPA/db the past two weeks, compared to -0.09 in the first three.

This trajectory of continuing improvement and opportunity seems primed to make its way to the fantasy box score later this season.

Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears

Can Luther Burden III squeak by Olamide Zaccheaus coming out of Chicago's bye? It's plausible.

LB3's injury in training camp derailed any chance for the second-round pick to become a starter early in 2025. He's run just 23.8% of the Bears' routes to this point, which lags considerably behind Zaccheaus (64.3%). Perhaps the week off was a chance for Chicago to get him up to speed.

To this point, Burden's per-route efficiency looks amazing. He's at 3.19 yards per route run (YPRR), which is fourth in the NFL on a minimum of eight targets. A lot of that is due to a wide-open touchdown on a busted coverage, though, as he's posted just 34 total yards on the other seven targets.

Still, his speed and potential playmaking ability were on display, and Burden has the clearest path to consistent playing time among WRs yet to break out from the first two rounds of rookie drafts. Matthew Golden, Tre Harris, and Jayden Higgins all face a ton of competition for snaps and targets.

Should the Bears fall out of contention and trade D.J. Moore, Burden could become a weekly starter in any format, too.

Elijah Arroyo, TE, Seattle Seahawks

Seattle has two rookies who could emerge as Sam Darnold's potential second favorite target.

It's sort of an "everybody eats" nightmare behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the moment, but Darnold's 0.25 EPA/db is fourth-best among NFL qualifiers. There will be fantasy-relevant targets in the offense, and Elijah Arroyo's bonus is that he doesn't need much to become extremely relevant at the tight end position.

Early returns on the rookie are promising. He's posted 1.33 YPRR and ranks seventh in the league in yards after contact per reception (7.2 YAC/rec) among tight ends who have drawn at least eight targets. As we saw with Tucker Kraft's breakout, that's a huge indicator of potential fantasy relevance at tight end.

The problem for Arroyo, frankly, has been AJ Barner. Barner's 59.3% route rate is higher than Arroyo's (47.6%), and he's caught four touchdowns to Arroyo's zero despite the two being exactly tied in end zone target share (20.0%). That's just bad luck.

Barner had the benefit of a previous campaign, so one would figure he'd lead this duo out of the gate. That might change over time, and should something happen to Barner, we could see Arroyo explode like Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin Jr., and Mason Taylor have from a strong rookie class. An injury is exactly what helped Kraft establish himself as one of the league's best.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.