Ollie Gordon II And 3 Other Rookie Risers In Fantasy Football After The Preseason

The NFL preseason revealed some rookies who could become fantasy-relevant in 2025.

Miami Dolphins RB Ollie Gordon II shakes hands at the end of the joint practice with the Miami Dolphins at the Lions headquarters and training facility in Allen Park, Thursday, Aug. 14 2025 | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In preseason, it is hard to gauge how teams will perform, but it can be a good indicator of how some players will. Here are some rookies that stood out and could become important players in fantasy in the 2025 NFL season.

Elic Ayomanor

In the Titans’ fan base and media, there are high hopes surrounding rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor on being able to help this team, which finished 3-14 last season, right away. All these expectations come despite the Stanford receiver being drafted in the fourth round as the 136th pick. A game in college against a cornerback in the same draft class and now the same division, Travis Hunter, also has a lot to do with these high hopes.

Against Colorado in 2023, he had 13 catches for 294 yards.

Still thinking about the time Elic Ayomanor moss'd Travis Hunter 🤯 @StanfordFball | #ACCNTakeover pic.twitter.com/TA3h1U06iw

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) July 15, 2025

In the preseason over two games, Ayomanor had five receptions for 72 yards and was targeted nine times. Besides Calvin Ridley, the fantasy outlook of other receivers in TN is hard to determine. They signed two veteran receivers, Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson, in the offseason, who are currently listed as the team’s second and third receivers on the depth chart. Ayomanor getting ahead of both these guys, giving his unknown potential and the flashes he has shown already, would by no means be surprising.

In most fantasy drafts, he will go undrafted, but it is not a bad idea to take a gamble on him in the final two picks of a draft.

Jayden Higgins

Rookie wide receiver out of Iowa State, Jayden Higgins, had a solid preseason. He had five catches for 40 yards on seven targets. The 34th overall pick can give this Houston Texans team versatility by lining up in multiple spots on the field. He can line up as an X, Z, or slot receiver. With the departure of Stefon Diggs and the uncertain future of when Tank Dell will return from injury, it gives even more opportunity for Higgins to showcase his skillset and rack up fantasy points. On ESPN in PPR formats, he is currently WR #54, and is the #114 best player overall. He certainly has the potential to play above these ranks, especially if his quarterback, C.J Stroud, has a bounce-back season.

Ollie Gordon II

Miami Dolphins rookie running back Ollie Gordon II put together an extremely impressive preseason. He had 26 carries for 126 rushing yards and three receptions for 48 yards. Gordon II is currently listed as the running back three for the Dolphins, but he could be on the rise.

Here's every Ollie Gordon touch so far this preseason. Every snap is with backups vs backups. Physical RB with some pretty good burst and nice hands. pic.twitter.com/4Gf6J8cABK

— #KEON #AskFFT (@daverichard) August 21, 2025

Gordon II, in his sophomore year in college at Oklahoma State, put together an exceptional season. He had 1,732 yards rushing on 285 carries. He followed it up with a disappointing season in his last collegiate year with 880 yards on 190 carries. He was drafted with the 179th overall pick in the sixth round by the Dolphins following his junior year.

In conclusion, even though he is behind De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright on the RB depth chart, taking a flyer on him is not a bad idea. It would be an especially good idea to draft him as Achane insurance, given his injury history.

TreVeyon Henderson

It feels like it may be a committee backfield to start in New England, but rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson’s talent may be too great to split his share of carries down the road. The former Ohio State product in the preseason definitely turned some heads. In his lone preseason game, he had five carries for 38 yards and a touchdown. On ESPN in PPR formats, he is ranked as the #18 running back. He can easily outperform this if given the carry share to do so. With the first-year Patriots coach at the helm in Mike Vrabel, this coming to fruition is by no means out of the question. He has shown in his time as a head coach, if he has a talented running back, he is not afraid to use him and to use him often.