The 2025 edition of the Alvin ARTHUR’s fantasy football team has been drafted and its owner, general manager and coach is thinking championship.
In a random draw, announced just 90 minutes before the draft, I was awarded the 11th pick in the 12-team League of Deez. My squad has the lowest predicted chance of making the playoffs at 24%.
With Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals at quarterback, it promises to be a successful season, especially because he was secured in the fourth round with the 38th overall draft pick.
Burrow, the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year, was the second or third QB selected in most ESPN fantasy drafts. Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills were the most coveted quarterbacks.
The league uses a “snake draft,” which winds from top to bottom, then bottom to top. I follow the “load up on quality receivers.”
With pick 11 in the first round, I chose Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions, then snatched Drake London of the Atlanta Falcons in the second round with the 14th overall pick.
With Justin Fields now at quarterback for the New York Jets — not the mercurial Aaron Rodgers — Garrett Wilson is the go-to guy at wide receiver. Grabbing him with the 35th pick of the draft in the third round was a pleasant surprise.
Following the Burrow selection, my fifth-round pick (No. 59) was Tennessee running back Tony Pollard. The Titans will protect rookie quarterback Cam Ward with an emphasis on the running game. The guy I really wanted, St. Louisan Kyren Williams of the Los Angeles Rams, was gone.
My steal of the draft came with the 62nd overall pick in the sixth round. Welcome to the ARTHUR’s Denver rookie running back R.J. Harvey. Broncos head coach Sean Payton calls him “an extremely instinctive runner.” He is predicted to be the starter over J.K. Dobbins.
In round seven with the 83rd overall pick, I put faith in Chicago Bears new head coach Ben Johnson and drafted tight end Coleston Loveland. While offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, Johnson helped turn tight ends T.J. Hockenson and then Highland (IL) native Sam Laporta into stars. He can do the same in Chicago.
Three picks later in the eighth round, Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas wide receiver, fell into my hands. Sports Illustrated draft guru Michael Canelo calls him “one of the best true No. 1 wide receivers in the NFL; He gets slept on and is underrated.” I like this pick a lot, especially if another ARTHUR’s receiver should get injured.
I took Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams in the ninth round with the 107th overall pick. Williams will either get off to a fast start or find himself on waivers.
All teams should have a solid backup starting quarterback, and I accomplished that by tabbing the Lions’ Jared Goff in the 10th round (No. 110.) Dak Prescott was pick No. 109, by the way.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid has been impressive in training camp. I made him my 11th round pick (No. 131.)
Another surprise was that I got the Baltimore Ravens’ stingy defense in the 12th round with the 134th overall pick.
The Philadelphia Eagles should again have a proficient offense, which means kicker Jake Elliott (13th round, pick 155) will have many opportunities.
Rounding out my draft were Miami running back Jalen Wright (14th round, pick 158), Ravens’ receiver Rashod Bateman (15th round, pick 179) and the New York Giants defense (16th round, pick 182.
Let’s kick this thing off.
The Reid RoundupFormer Missouri receiver Luther Burden caught three passes for 49 yards in the first half of the Chicago Bears’ 38-0 win over Buffalo on Sunday…Another former Tiger, Theo Wease, had six receptions and two touchdowns in Miami’s 24-17 win over Detroit on Saturday…St. Louis Cardinals centerfielder Victor Scott II landed awkwardly on Saturday night after trying to rob NY Yankees slugger Aaron Judge of a home run, sprained his left ankle and is on the 10-day injured list…Napheesa Collier, sidelined with a sprained ankle for four games, remains a heavy favorite to win the WNBA MVP Award.