Alabama Football News

The best former Alabama players to draft and start in 2025 fantasy football leagues

by
Matthew Mason
August 25, 2025

Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs to score a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third quarter in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL season is two weeks away, but there is plenty of time to participate in fantasy football drafts and build a roster.

There are plenty of talented players across the draft boards to choose from, and the Alabama Crimson Tide is well represented in fantasy football.

Here are the top former Alabama players to select in fantasy football drafts and put in the starting lineup this season.

Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Gibbs is arguably the most versatile running back in the NFL, and this is what makes him a first-round draft choice for any fantasy league. Christian McCaffery has been labeled as such for a while, but McCaffery being injury-prone and a bit old for a running back has caused him to be avoided in the first round of fantasy football drafts, opening the door for a younger and healthier Gibbs to be a top selection.

According to Gibbs, new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton has him splitting out wide “way more” than he was in his previous two years. The third-year Lions running back was able to catch 52 passes for 517 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, and his receiving numbers could increase if he is split out more often this year.

On the ground, Gibbs rushed 250 times for 1412 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024, averaging 5.65 yards per carry. When you add his receiving production to his rushing production, Gibbs had the most points of any running back in 2024 with a total of 362.90.

The versatility is why Gibbs is a must-pick player if he’s not being selected yet.

Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry

Like McCaffery, Henry is getting up there in age, but physically, he’s in arguably the best shape of his life. Henry exploded in his first season with the Ravens after leaving the Tennessee Titans, and he greatly benefits from having a mobile threat like Lamar Jackson at quarterback.

Henry is the primary back for the Ravens, and he is coming off a season where he had 325 carries for 1921 yards and 16 touchdowns. Henry factors into the passing game significantly less than a guy like Gibbs, but that’s because if someone built like Henry is going out for a pass, it’s definitely not hard for someone to see him running a route because he is probably not going to be able to be stealthy at 6-foot-2 and 252 lbs.

On 325 attempts, Henry ran for 1921 yards and 16 touchdowns. Perhaps the biggest reason why Henry is a first-round pick in most leagues is because the NFL has seen a huge increase in defense running Cover 2 to slow down the ultra-fast receivers the league currently has. This opens yourself up for a thrashing in the run game if you do this against the Ravens because Henry and Jackson can embarrass a light box.

Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams

Williams is a player who has plenty of upside, and fantasy football experts are expecting a big season from Williams after hearing how the Lions are going to “throw the ball deep downfield more” in 2025, per Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press.

Amon-Ra St. Brown is still the top option for the Lions in the passing game, followed by Gibbs if the Lions do get him to split out more. This means Williams may not see as many targets, but if his targets are deep routes for touchdowns, the fantasy points awarded for that will be plentiful for the team with Williams in the lineup.

Just last season, Williams finished 22nd in fantasy points for wide receivers with a season total of 212.20. Despite catching only 58 passes, he racked up 1001 yards and scored seven times.

This is definitely not a player to draft too early if there are more established players still available or other team needs needing to be filled, but Williams is a solid wide receiver to put in your second receiver slot or flex position for the 2025 season.

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

The “tush push” not being banned is a great thing for the fantasy football fanatics who love drafting mobile quarterbacks. Hurts does not get his number called for as many designed quarterback runs as a guy like Bills quarterback Josh Allen for example, but he is the first option when the Eagles are on the goal line.

Although Hurts is punching the football for a touchdown in a short yardage situation, fantasy football gives six points per touchdown, so Hurts could finish a game with a rushing stat line of four carries for four yards for four touchdowns, and that would give him at least 24 fantasy points on top of what he does in the air.

Now that his value as a rusher has been explained, Hurts has matured into a reliable deep ball quarterback. He has great chemistry with receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert, and it showed in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win last season.

The normal rule in fantasy football is to take running backs and wide receivers in the first three or four rounds of a fantasy draft and take a quarterback after that, but Hurts brings tremendous value to teams as a runner, making him a solid option in early rounds if most of the dynamic skill players are off the board.

Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith

Smith is not the top wide receiver on his team, as that role belongs to Brown, but there are weeks when teams dial on Brown and give him extra attention if he’s making strong grabs over the top of defenders. When that happens, defenses allow Smith to make them look silly and find the open spots in zones as well as take advantage of single coverage at times.

He’s one of the smallest receivers in the league, but his route running more than makes up for the lack of size. He did plenty with the ball in his hands last season, averaging 12.25 yards per catch.

However, Smith’s dealt with some injuries on and off, including right now. He is currently dealing with a groin injury as well as recovering from a back issue, but he should be ready for the 2025 season opener versus the Dallas Cowboys.

Although he missed a few games in 2024, Smith finished 27th in fantasy points for wide receivers with a total of 199.40. Having this type of production even with missing four games means he’s a solid player to select in the mid rounds in a fantasy draft and possibly start in the second wide receiver spot or the flex position, a roster spot in fantasy football that can be filled by either running backs, wide receivers or tight ends.

Cleveland Browns WR Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy may not have the same quarterback throughout the entire season, but last year, he proved that he can build chemistry quickly with any passer. Despite having a couple of different quarterbacks throwing to him in 2024, Jeudy finished the season with 240.90 fantasy points, which put him in the top 12 of most fantasy points by a wide receiver last year.

Joe Flacco will start for the Browns this year, but he’s one of the oldest quarterbacks in the NFL. Behind him are rookie Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, as well as Kenny Pickett, who’s on his third team in three years.

Regardless of who the Browns put out there each week, Jeudy showed in 2024 that he can be reliable anyway. He caught 90 passes for 1229 yards for four touchdowns and was the 12th-best receiver in terms of fantasy points as he finished with a 240.90-point total.