Good-process fantasy football decisions are born at the intersection of tangible upside and surplus value. The NFL Draft offers managers a chance every season to find quality assets at their floor.
New York Giants phenom Malik Nabers will never be as cheap as he was while mired in quarterback uncertainty a season ago. The year prior, the teams that splurged on Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua capitalized on his rise from anonymous to unstoppable.
The 2025 rookie class doesn’t offer quite as much intrigue as 2024’s group of star receivers, and most of its expected producers feel properly ranked. But before rolling the dice on a Day 3 dart throw, it’s worth considering the cheapest path to league-winning upside, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe.
It’s called a cheat code for a reason
At Fantasy Pros, Milroe is currently the QB33 and the 263rd player by average draft position. Among rookies, he ranks 40th. He is free in essentially every league except the deepest, but it is fairly easy to see him in a game-breaking role by the time the fantasy playoffs roll around.
Milroe’s claim to fame is his elite athleticism, which gives him answers to defensive tests that other passers can’t access. Running a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at 217 pounds is absurd for a quarterback and similar to some of the best running backs of recent memory — think Adrian Peterson’s Combine numbers with a cannon attached to his right arm.
The Alabama product is already one of the five most athletic quarterbacks in the sport, fundamentally changing the calculus on his relevance as a passer. Managers saw Justin Fields run for over 1,100 yards on a Chicago Bears team that won three games. That year, he ranked 22nd in EPA/Play, 23rd in success rate, and 27th in CPOE, throwing for just 2,242 yards and completing 60.4% of his passes (rbsdm).
He was downright bad as a passer, but by now the fantasy community knows that isn’t the key to posting productive seasons. Rushing yards are 2.5x more valuable than passing yards in most leagues, and if he plays, Milroe will be off to the races.
MORE: Fantasy Football ‘Do Not Draft’ list 2025: Worst value picks & bust candidates
This was evident in his preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders when he broke off a 27-yard run. He also completed 6-of-10 passes for 61 yards and took a sack, sporting both the tools that made him a third-round pick and the inconsistencies that made him a project.
All the action from Jalen Milroe’s debut 😮💨@JalenMilroe | @Seahawks pic.twitter.com/yks8OlTiPA
— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2025
Currently, two quarterbacks are standing in his path to playing time. Sam Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal, and Drew Lock returned to the Seahawks in a backup role. Milroe sits third on the depth chart, but neither veteran poses too significant an obstacle.
Darnold got paid handsomely after his breakout season, but few are confident he can repeat it with a new offensive coordinator, a lesser offensive line, and no Justin Jefferson. There’s a real chance he crashes back to Earth after his meteoric season, and the Seahawks can cut him for four seasons of $6.4 million dead cap charges if need be after the season (Over the Cap). Despite the big money, Seattle didn’t make a long-term commitment to its 2025 starter.
Meanwhile, Lock is insurance in the event Milroe isn’t ready for playing time. Last season, he inexplicably dismantled the Indianapolis Colts in one of the most impressive performances of the season. He was bad enough in the rest of his relief stints to rank 38th in both EPA/Play and CPOE among the 41 quarterbacks with as many plays (217) as him in 2024.
If Milroe shows anything in camp or during practices this season, there should be more than enough upside for the Seahawks to turn to him rather than Lock, should Darnold miss time. His impact on the run game would be massive, and he’s better suited to survive poor offensive line play than Lock. The passing game would get ugly, but in a world where the Seahawks are evaluating other options under center, it’s never going to be pretty.
Between injuries and inconsistencies, there’s a real chance Milroe sees playing time in 2025. In doing so, he could add league-winning upside under center, even without looking the part of a capable starting quarterback. With only last-round opportunity cost factoring into his price, managers will be hard-pressed to find a better dart throw in deeper leagues.
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