We are officially in the midst of fantasy football draft season! Best Ball contests on DraftKings have been open since the NFL Draft ended, most notably the $15M Best Ball Millionaire, which features a grand prize of $2 million to first and $1 million to second.
In this article, I will break down the players who appeared most on playoff-advancing rosters from the 2024 DraftKings Best Ball Millionaire contest, to see what we can learn as we look ahead to 2025.
I will be detailing two of the highest advancing players from each position.
Quarterback
Joe Burrow
After suffering a wrist injury at the end of 2023 and some videos popping up during training camp last year of Burrow having trouble gripping a water bottle, people were certainly on the fence about the Bengals’ signal caller heading into the season. However, he would quell all doubts with an MVP-like campaign.
Burrow led the NFL in both passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43), while throwing just nine interceptions. He became just the third QB in NFL history to throw for 4,500+ yards, 40+ TDs, and less than 10 INTs, joining Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. He ranked as the overall QB2 in fantasy points per game behind only Lamar Jackson, while producing three QB1 overall weeks.
Nothing has changed for Burrow in 2025, as the Bengals re-signed both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term contract extensions this offseason. He’s going about two rounds earlier in drafts than he did last year, currently sitting with a 46.3 ADP on DraftKings. However, that’s mainly a byproduct of both of his top wideouts going inside the top 25. Burrow is a slam dunk selection and should be high advance rate player once again this season.
Sam Darnold
This one pretty much came out of nowhere. Darnold posted career high marks of 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns in 2024, both of which ranked fourth in the NFL. He finished as the overall QB8 in fantasy points per game, despite being taken after pick 200 in most drafts.
J.J. McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in August, which thrust Darnold into the starting job for Minnesota, and boy did he deliver. Of course life is made easier when you’re in Kevin O’Connell’s system and throwing to the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones, but fantasy managers don’t care, we just want results.
Darnold joined Baker Mayfield as the only quarterbacks drafted after Round 10 to post a positive advance rate last season. Despite his monster year, Minnesota is moving ahead with McCarthy in 2025, which allowed Darnold to sign a three-year deal to become the new Seahawks QB.
Leaving KOC’s system is a pretty big downgrade for any QB, but especially a career-journeyman like Darnold. He should be viewed strictly as a late-round draft option — and only if you’ve already selected Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Cooper Kupp.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley
In 2024, Barkley delivered one of the greatest seasons in Eagles history, racking up a career-high 2,005 rushing yards on a whopping 345 carries and scoring 15 total touchdowns. He finished just 100 yards shy of the NFL single-season rushing record but didn’t get a chance to pursue it in Week 18, as he sat out with the Eagles having already locked up their playoff seeding.
In fantasy terms, Barkley finished as the overall RB1 in points per game — despite being stopped at the 1-yard line an incredible 11 times. Many drafters passed on him in the first round last year, concerned that Jalen Hurts would steal too many goal-line touchdowns. But sometimes, it really is that simple: a generational talent joins an elite offense with a dominant offensive line — and the results speak for themselves.
The only real concern for Barkley heading into 2025 is durability, as he’s coming off an exhausting 482-touch workload between the regular season and playoffs — one of the heaviest in recent NFL history.
Derrick Henry
Talk about a misprice — Derrick Henry was going at the tail end of Round 2 last year and blew that ADP out of the water. The Big Dog finished second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,921), tied for first in rushing touchdowns (16), and ended the season as the RB3 overall, racking up seven top-10 fantasy finishes along the way.
Many drafters were hesitant on Henry, fearing he’d be limited to early-down work and lose goal-line touches to Lamar Jackson. But much like Barkley’s situation, those concerns quickly faded, as Baltimore led the NFL in red zone trips, giving Henry plenty of opportunities to rack up touchdowns.
Now entering his age-31 season, Henry has shown no signs of slowing down. Even with a first-round ADP, he remains one of the safest and most reliable picks in fantasy this year.
Wide Receiver
Ja’Marr Chase
Not much needs to be said here. Chase slipped to the mid-to-late first round in drafts last year due to contract concerns with the Bengals, then promptly reminded everyone he’s the best wide receiver on the planet. He claimed the receiving Triple Crown, leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17), setting Bengals franchise records in the latter two categories. Unsurprisingly, he finished as the overall WR1
As mentioned above with Burrow, nothing has changed fundamentally for the Bengals this offseason. The defense is again expected to be poor, which should lead to a bunch of potential shootouts. Chase is the consensus No. 1 pick in drafts this year, and even if you’re skeptical about him repeating his 2024 dominance, you’ll need to take him there to secure any meaningful exposure.
Jauan Jennings
Much like Sam Darnold, Jennings wasn’t on many fantasy radars for 2024 and went virtually undrafted in numerous leagues. But with the 49ers hit hard by injuries—Christian McCaffrey playing only four games and Brandon Aiyuk sidelined by a Week 7 ACL tear—Jennings was thrust into a major role and made the most of his opportunity.
Jennings hauled in 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns, delivering several huge fantasy performances along the way. He posted massive spike weeks of 25.1, 28, and an explosive 49.5 fantasy points—the latter coming in Week 3 against the Rams, where he dominated with 11 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
Tight End
Brock Bowers
Taken in the eighth round of drafts last year, Bowers quickly disproved the common narrative that rookie tight ends need time to develop. He delivered one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history, hauling in a rookie-record 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns—all while playing with quarterbacks Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew.
Things look even brighter for the Georgia product in Year Two, as the Raiders brought in Geno Smith to be their new starting QB. The team also drafted RB Ashton Jeanty in the first round, hinting at a potentially more run-heavy scheme this season, but it’s possible that could actually boost Bowers’ efficiency. Currently going at the end of Round 2 in Best Ball drafts, he has the talent to blow every other tight end out of the water with his reception volume.
Jonnu Smith
Another surprise breakout, Smith emerged as a league winner in 2024 for the injury-plagued Dolphins. With Tyreek Hill sidelined by a wrist injury for much of the year and Tua Tagovailoa battling his own health issues, Miami’s offense was far from effective. On top of that, its offensive line ranked among the worst in the league. Smith capitalized on this by hauling in a high volume of short-area targets, turning them into big gains thanks to his athleticism.
Things were looking up for him heading into 2025, but his value took a nosedive after being traded to the Steelers. While he’s reunited with his former head coach Arthur Smith, he’ll now be part of a much weaker offense, one that’s expected to be one of the run-heaviest in the league. That said, with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and no pass catchers besides DK Metcalf worth noting, there’s still some upside here.
The dip on Smith might be worth taking at the end of Round 11 this season.