The NFL Draft is in the rearview, and now it is time to turn attention towards the upcoming season. Best Ball drafts have been taking place for a while, and some players are starting to see significant boosts in their average draft position.
This is a look at this offseason’s biggest risers.
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2025 NFL Best Ball ADP Risers
RB J.K. Dobbins, Broncos | ADP: 124.6 (biggest week-to-week riser)
J.K. Dobbins has moved across the AFC West this offseason, from the Chargers to the Broncos. Dobbins is a unique player with great talent, but he struggles to stay on the field. He had a great rookie season in 2020, but tore his ACL just before the start of his sophomore campaign. In 2022, he suffered another injury after returning from the ACL, only playing half of the Ravens’ regular season games that year. Finally, in 2023, Dobbins tore his Achilles in his first game. So, across three seasons, he only played nine regular-season games. That is when the Ravens decided it was time to let him go, and he took his talents to Los Angeles. Dobbins played 13 games last season due to another knee injury, but he ultimately had the best numbers of his career, rushing for over 900 yards despite the limited game action. He finished tenth in the NFL in rushing yards per game.
During the offseason, Dobbins signed a one-year contract with the Broncos. Teams are clearly afraid to trust Dobbins with a long-term contract because of his injury woes, but he is undoubtedly a high-end back when he’s on the field. Last season, the Broncos made the postseason in Bo Nix’s rookie year and want to build on that. They had the best defense in the NFL, but needed to get Nix more weapons for their offense to progress. At running back, they added not only Dobbins but also R.J. Harvey from UCF through the NFL Draft. Harvey and Dobbins will likely split carries, but the Broncos could lean on Dobbins early while his body is fresh and Harvey is adjusting to NFL life. Because of their great defense, the Broncos are often afforded the ability to play conservatively and move the ball slowly on offense. That should lead to great numbers for Dobbins, as long as he can stay on the field.
WR Rashee Rice, Chiefs | ADP: 22.7 (second-biggest riser)
Rashee Rice is another player who has been negatively impacted by injuries. In Rice’s rookie season in 2023-24, he was the Chiefs’ leader in receiving touchdowns and second only to Travis Kelce in receptions and receiving yards. He seemed poised for a breakout sophomore campaign in the Kansas City offense, but suffered an injury in Week 4, which took him out for the rest of the season. In those early games, he did look like that superstar receiver that the Chiefs have been missing since Tyreek Hill left. Across the first three games of the season, he averaged eight catches and 96 receiving yards per game, adding two touchdowns, as well.
Rice is fully healthy heading into this offseason, and if he can stay on the field, he could be one of the league’s best receivers. Despite making it to the Super Bowl again, Patrick Mahomes didn’t have a great season statistically in 2024-25. The Chiefs ranked 17th in total offense and need to boost those numbers if they want to stay on top of the AFC. Rice will be a key factor in the Chiefs looking more explosive, like they did when Tyreek Hill was there. Xavier Worthy had a great season for the Chiefs as a rookie, but he isn’t a typical WR1 like Rice is. With the threat of Worthy, Kelce and Hollywood Brown, Rice shouldn’t be too overwhelmed by defensive attention. If everyone can stay healthy, Rice has a chance to be a top-ten receiver in the NFL next season.
RB Travis Etienne, Jaguars | ADP: 108.2 (fifth-biggest riser)
Travis Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is looking to prove that he deserves a big contract next offseason. There are also rumors floating around the league that Etienne could be traded from the Jaguars sometime this offseason. Last year, Etienne split carries with Tank Bigsby, and Bigsby outperformed him by almost a full yard per carry. His teammate also managed five more touchdowns. The Jaguars are unlikely to give Etienne a new contract, so they could look to get something back for him this offseason and just roll with Bigsby as their featured back.
Etienne could be great if he gets traded to the right spot. The Cowboys have been one of the teams rumored to be interested in Etienne, which would be an amazing fit for him. After missing all of his rookie season with an injury, Etienne had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24. In 2023-24, he finished third in total fantasy points among all running backs. However, last season, the Jaguars started to favor the younger option in the backfield, the aforementioned Bigsby. This rise in Etienne’s ADP is likely due to the speculation about him being traded. If he remains in Jacksonville, he will likely be splitting carries again, at best, with Bigsby potentially getting an even bigger share of the carries than last season. A fresh start on a good offense that is missing a great RB1, like Dallas, could allow Etienne to emerge as a top ten running back in the sport once again.
