By: Al King | Gabe Hernandez | Ray Fletcher

Fantasy Football is back!

In what feels like a shorter and shorter offseason every year, we are yet again BACK to our favorite time of year! I’m not talking about your birthday, I’m not talking about the fall holidays, I’m talking about the time of year where all of us cool nerds start to turn our energy and focus to studying for our upcoming fake football teams draft day. Maybe when you put it like that, it’s less cool. But you know what…MAN IT’S GLORIOUS!

Writing this I realize how long and how many seasons have passed since I have sat and written anything about well anything for anyone to digest. (Wow, does it show in that sentence, phew) But I am back and ready to give a team by team breakdown for the upcoming fantasy football season. So let’s kick it off, shall we?!

Arizona Cardinals

There really isn’t too much to get excited about this season when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals for fantasy purposes. Marvin Harrison Jr. drastically underperformed his expectations in his rookie season and I’m still trying to figure out if he will improve or not. Historically rookie WR’s who take a big step forward in year two are usually coming off of a better second half of their rookie season. Take AJ Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson and others for example. These guys started out slow and lifted off for the final 8 weeks of the season. MHJ on the other hand GOT WORSE even with a higher snap percentage. That’s very troubling. 

James Conner is a machine, but does the machine break down this year again? Last season was his “healthiest” season as a pro, risky pick but gives good value. I’m not too concerned with Trey Benson, unless he does well if Conner gets hurt and forces an eventual timeshare. Trey McBride could end up being TE1 by end of year, if Kyler can just figure out how to get him the ball in the endzone. Kyler Murray’s rushing upside always makes him a fantasy football starting QB, but the inconsistency is maddening. 

Atlanta Falcons

OH BUDDY! I’m unusually high on this roster and team going in to this season. I think the full release of Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback is going to rejuvenate this “dirty-bird” offense. In his three starts to end last season he attempted 27, 35 & 38 pass attempts. Averaging just under 7.5 yards per attempt. The number of attempts shows the amount of trust they already have in the young gun slinger. He had a 3/3 TD/INT ratio, but this year he will get a true shot of going in to camp and the season as the starter. For fantasy purposes he makes a GREAT QB2 but is going to pay off in big ways for the supporting cast. 

Bijan Robinson is arguably the no. 1 overall pick this season and rightfully so. He’s going to be a monster this year, both as a runner and receiver, serving as Penix’s safety valve. Drake London had a career year last season and in his three games with Penix at the helm, he had 8, 13 & 18 targets. EIGHTEEN! Look for London to have top 5 WR production this year. Are we drafting Kyle Pitts? If you feel like it…sure, but it’s not gonna be me.

Baltimore Ravens

There’s a ton to be excited for when it comes to the Ravens. The most obvious is Lamar Jackson who finished last season as QB1. If you saw all of our rankings, Lamar is the top QB on the board and there’s no reason to expect any sort of decline. He was tied for 2nd in touchdown passes with 41, however Truzz only threw 4 interceptions ALL SEASON. Add in 951 yards on the ground and 4 rushing touchdowns, you’ve got the best fantasy football quarterback in the game. 

Speaking of running the ball, Derrick Henry is back for his 10th season, and still no one wants to tackle him. Last season he fell 79 yards short of 2,000 and tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns with 16. He’s a top 5 running back (unless your Al King) in any league you’re playing in. Now granted, Derrick Henry is 31 years old, but I don’t think you need me to tell you he’s built different. However if you’re concerned about the potential for injury, Justice Hill would be your handcuff. Last season, Hill put up 4.9 yards per carry in a limited capacity, but would be the first man up if Henry were to go down. 

Now WR is where it gets interesting. Zay Flowers broke the 1000 yard mark last season for the first time and should continue to thrive in this high powered offense. With 116 Targets last season, Zay recorded 74 receptions for 1059 yards and 4 touchdowns. I believe we’ll see some positive regression with Touchdowns this year and could be looking at a potential high end WR2. On the other side of the field.. SLEEPER ALERT. Rashod Bateman is a prime candidate for a breakout season. Last year he finished as WR45 in half ppr leagues. But the key factor working in Bateman’s favor is the fact that he ranked 4th in separation ability last season and he had 7 weekly finishes as a top 36 WR. 

Mark Andrews got a slow start last season, as did almost every TE in the league. Through 5 games, Andrews accumulated 10 catches for 120 yards and ZERO touchdowns. If you cut bait and went to the waiver wire last season before week 6, you surely regretted it. Andrews scored 11 touchdowns over the next 12 games and showed why he’s one of the top Tight Ends in the league. He’s turning 30 before the season starts and has shown a decline, so “elite” might be out of the question, but he’s still a respectable TE1 and I wouldn’t hesitate to draft him if you don’t go TE early. 

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have one of the most high powered and efficient offenses in the league last season scoring 30.9 ppg, good for second in the NFL. Josh Allen finished as QB2 in fantasy in 2024, but had a career best QBR (77.3). Feel confident if Josh Allen is your Quarterback this season. 

It feels like we always have concerns about the weapons in Buffalo, but the run game sets the tone for this team with both Josh Allen and James Cook. Cook had a ridiculous run in 2024 with 18 Touchdowns. I’d caution restraint because that number is unlikely to be that high in 2025, but draft Cook with confidence and expect a top 10 finish. 

When it comes to the WRs, I don’t know if any of the top three projected WRs crack the top 36 WRs, but Khalil Shakir has the best chance. He finished as WR38 in half ppr leagues last season with a line of 76-821-4 on 100 targets, which was good enough to land him a 4 year, $53 million dollar extension. Any time he touches the ball, he’s got a chance to score and I expect more than 4 Touchdowns from Shakir this season. In the later rounds, take a stab at Keon Coleman who showed some promise last season before a hand injury cost him 4 games in the middle of the season. He only registered 10 receptions following the injury, but a full off-season to heal and the confidence Josh Allen has in his jump ball ability could provide a big jump in production this season. 

For those who wait on Tight End, Dalton Kincaid could be a solid player for you. I have him just outside the top 12, but he ranked 2nd in targets per route run in 2024 among TEs so he clearly has the trust of Josh Allen. I don’t expect him to crack the top-10, but he’s a solid streaming TE or bye week fill-in. 

Carolina Panthers

I’m probably not going to draft any of these guys, but definitely plan to keep an eye on them. Bryce Young really came along last season towards the end of the season and scored 5 rushing TDs after the week 11 bye. If the rookie Tetairoa McMillan can perform as a rookie and Xavier Legette can take a step forward, Bryce could have a decent season. Chubba Hubbard and the newly acquired Rico Dowdle should provide a productive combined backfield, but for fantasy purposes, Hubbard is the one you want. He’ll be the starter and an RB3 with the potential to move into RB2 territory. 

Tetairoa McMillan is primed to take over as the top recipient for Bryce Young, whatever that’s worth. He’s currently being drafted as a top 24 WR, which is a little too rich for my taste, but if you can land him as a WR3, fire away. 

Chicago Bears

Another exciting offseason for the Chicago Bears. Last year felt as if Bears fans thought they were going to the Super Bowl in Caleb Williams first year. Now with the addition of head coach Ben Johnson, the hype may be real. Not for a Super Bowl run but for an exciting and fun offense that will put up numbers this year. Caleb Williams will once again be most fantasy players sleeper at the QB position and they may have it right year. The Bears drafted TE Colston Loveland in the 1st round and WR Luther Burden III in the 2nd, respectfully. The Bears offense is young when you add 2nd year WR Rome Odunze to the mix. The leader of the group however will be DJ Moore. Moore can line up anywhere on the field and I can see him being that Amon-Ra St. Brown role. This offense is loaded with young talent that can explode and be a top 10 offense. If they fail to do so, might be time to jump off the Caleb Williams bandwagon. 

The one thing Ben Johnson won’t have that he did in Detroit is a dynamic running game. D’Andre Swift will start the season as the starter and should be the guy to have in Chicago the whole year. Roschon Johnson could steal some carries and goal line work but everything else points at Swift being the guy. They did draft Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers in the 7th round but I don’t see him being a factor getting touches out the backfield. 

Cincinnati Bengals

From a fantasy standpoint, the Bengals had a very good year. Joe Burrow finished as QB3 in 2024 and not to brag but he did help lead me to my fantasy championship last year. Burrow had his best year to date statistics wise last year with 4,918 yards, 43 passing TD’s and adding 2 rushing TD’s. It is not farfetched to think he can put up similar numbers, especially with the best WR duo in the league. Ja’Marr Chase led all WR’s in scoring last year and is the consensus WR1 going into 2025 and seems to be the favorite as the 1st pick overall in fantasy drafts. But there is one concern for him not having back-to-back WR1 seasons and that’s a healthy Tee Higgins. Higgins does have some injury history but if he can stay healthy he will certainly cut into Chase’s output. If healthy for a whole season, Higgins flirts with being a top 10 WR.

Chase Brown was a popular sleeper going into drafts last year but he is no longer a sleeper. He burst onto the scene last year finishing as RB13 finishing just shy of 1,000 rushing yards with 990. Where he surprised fantasy managers was his ability to catch out of the backfield. Brown had 65 targets catching 54 of those targets for 360 yards.

Buy into this Bengals stock. These 4 names don’t look like they will make it past the 4th round and barring injuries could help lead you to a fantasy championship again.

Cleveland Browns

Shadeur Sanders. Okay, now that that is out of the way, let’s take a look at what this team can offer in fantasy circles. The QB position is anyone’s call right now with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and yes Shadeur Sanders all in the running. Four guys going for one spot. Vegas odds currently have Flacco as the favorite but with training camps getting underway, the news should come hot and heavy about who’s getting what reps and when. 

That mess at the QB position leaves A LOT of questions for the surrounding positions. Nick Chubb has moved on and that leaves the backfield to Jerome Ford and what we thought was rookie Quinshon Judkins but as this is being written he is under some heavy legal pressure, may be facing a suspension and still unsigned. Ford did average 5.4 YPC last season and is a decent pass catcher out of the backfield where he added 37 receptions. But will he have room to run if the Browns can’t pass the ball.

Speaking of pass catchers the Browns have an excellent trio of weapons actually and they were on display last season with Jamies Winston slingin the rock. Jerry Jeudy climbed his way in to the NFL Top 100 list after breaking out in a big way last year and finishing as the WR12 in full point PPR. He may be QB safe and may be the best player to draft on this offense. Cedric Tillman went as the QB play did, a super talented wideout who has a prototypical body for the positon but the QB play worries me, but I do have him as a great late round sleeper pick. Rounding out the trio is David Njoku, you wanna talk prototypical bodies…this is the definition, I mean the guy is…let me not go too far. Njoku is a stellar athlete and great football player, but year in and year out has injury issues. That may not change this year, a great backup TE selection. But hoping for him to be your week in and week out TE1 is asking a lot.

Dallas Cowboys

The offseason trade for George Pickens helped the Cowboys tremendously for fantasy. Ceedee Lamb was always going to be a top pick but now the possibility of having a top 10 QB and 2 top 20 WRs is a strong possibility. Dak Prescott, who is coming back from a torn hamstring that made him miss 9 games last season, now has one of the best pair of playmakers in the league. While there are questions regarding new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, son of legendary coach Marty Schottenheimer, will have to implement his new system for the offense but he has been with the Cowboys since 2022 so he should have a relationship with Prescott, Lamb and most of the offense already.

The passing game should shine as the run game has major questions. They will start training camp with JaVonte Williams as the starter. Williams average a meager 3.7 yards per carry last year and 3.6 in 2023. The Cowboys did draft Jaydon Blue in the 5th round of Texas. He is someone possibly worth drafting late and being patient on as he could possibly take over the backfield. 

Denver Broncos

The Broncos were A LOT better than many if not all expected. That’s in big thanks to Bo Nix, who was stellar as a rookie and looks to continue that in to his sophomore season. He finished 3rd in rookie of the year voting with a 3775/29/12 stat line, but where he really turned heads is what he did on the ground and rushing categories. He ran the ball 92 times for 430 yards and 4 TD and even had a RECEIVING TD! Nix is in line to finish as a top 10 fantasy QB this season, the question is, how high do you think he could finish?

His primary weapon Courtland Sutton is currently hoping for a new contract deal but has reported to camp, providing a sigh of relief to fantasy owners everywhere. His ADP currently sits at WR24 and 51st overall in PPR. That has him as a back end WR2 and that feels safe. I wouldn’t reach for a guy like Sutton, but he is a great low risk, low reward pick. Other wideout options here are scarce with Marvin Mims and Devaughn Vele with the latter being my favorite to keep an eye on. Mims currently sitting at ADP 150 overall with Vele at 223. You can find better “sleepers” elsewhere.

The RB room is a mess with 3 maybe 4 names to mention. They drafted RJ Harvey in the 2nd round before bringing in J.K. Dobbins off of a 1,000 yard season last year. The other names are Jaleel McGlaughlin and Audric Estime, with McGlaughin a much more polished pass catcher out of the backfield. But for fantasy purposes, if you have a backfield with 3 or 4 names, it’s generally an avoid situation. Which I would say to do in regards to this backfield this season.

Detroit Lions

The fighting Dan Campbells! I’d fight for him, I don’t care, I’m ready to bite some kneecaps! A guy who runs around kneecaps and is becoming an absolute fantasy monster is Jahmyr Gibbs. A bonafide top 5 pick without hesitation in full PPR leagues and in most standard leagues (do people still partake in standard leagues?), can’t miss when taking Gibbs. Jared Goff is back once again providing steadiness and consistency for all parts around him. 

Another name, another first round pick; Amon-Ra St. Brown has been absolutely lethal in Detroit, having had at least 100 receptions and 1100 yards each of the last three seasons. With a bonkers 2023 that saw a 119/1515/10 stat line followed up by 115/1263/12 line in 2024. I do think the yardage and receptions will continue to stay in that area. It’s hard to argue the TD number won’t get to double digits again, but with the presence of both Jameson Williams and hopefully the reappearance of Sam Laporta, that could take a step back. This team is loaded and even guys like David Montgomery are worth a draft pick.

Green Bay Packers

Josh Jacobs, Josh Jacobs and Josh Jacobs. The only player I’m personally drafting from this team. Jordan Love is a bit overrated and certainly not a viable fantasy football starting option. The wide receiver room is incredibly crowded. It almost works on a rotation basis. This situation can be incredibly frustrating for fantasy managers.

Tucker Kraft is legit. He may be the other guy I find myself drafting this season. His ADP is around 115-120, which actually presents value at the TE position.

Houston Texans

This team is going to be a fantasy powerhouse. Sure there was some regression last season from an overall standpoint, starting with QB CJ Stroud. Throwing 3 less touchdowns and almost 400 yards less while playing two more games. They have a bonafide WR1 in Nico Collins who can arguably finish the No. 1 overall fantasy WR bye the end of the year. After 4 weeks last year he was on pace for 183 receptions and 2078 yards, seems doable right? Obviously that’s absurd but just goes to show his role in this offense. Double digit touchdowns very much a reality in a full healthy season for Collins. Outside of him I LOVE rookie wideout Jayden Higgins to be an instant contributor opposite of Collins. They also brought in Christian Kirk and drafted Jaylin Noel as well, both guys who will work in the slot. I like Noel more there but probably leaving them for others to draft.

The running back situation is an interesting one with two veterans leading the charge. Joe Mixon returns as the starter and longtime Brown Nick Chubb in the complimentary role. It’s too early to even guess the split in this backfield. This is a situation to monitor and probably avoid come draft day. Tight End Dalton Schultz is back and healthy along with Cade Stover. It would have to take a Schultz injury or trade for anyone else to have any impact there.

Indianapolis Colts

This may be my dark horse team that surprises fantasy managers. Just got news that Anthony Richardson resumed throwing today but I believe Daniel Jones will win the starting job and that makes the skill players more enticing to draft. I don’t think Jones is worth a draft pick unless you do a 2 QB league. Jonathan Taylor has been one of the better RBs the last 3 years despite injuries. Taylor finished as RB10 last year while missing 3 games. His average ADP as of July 17 is 20.5, making him a late 2^nd round pick. Taylor always has top 5 RB upside and could be the best pick in round 2 this year. I believe this will rise but I would look to draft Taylor early 2^nd round, possibly late 1^st by August drafts. 

The wide receiver room is definitely an interesting one here. Michael Pittman Jr. remains the #1 WR for the team but Josh Downs has proven to be worthy of a roster spot as well while Alec Pierce would be a good spot week start with his big play ability. Pittman Jr. is my lead candidate for bounce back player of the year and could be the best value pick this year. Look to buy low on Pittman Jr. in that 8-9 round range.

Tyler Warren will be a top 5 TE this year. Remember you heard it here first. He is a guy that is worth waiting and relying on to be your starting TE. That is all.

Jacksonville Jaguars

This could be a make or break year for QB Trevor Lawrence. Entering his 5th year since being drafted 1st overall in 2021, Lawrence got off to a hot start to his career and looked to have a lot of promise. However, the last 2 years have been a big disappointment. New head coach Liam Coen could certainly help with his play calling and system like he did Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay.

Having an up and coming WR in Brian Thomas Jr certainly helps. Thomas will enter as top 10 WR come draft day and should be gone no later than mid 2nd round. The Jaguars also bring in the biggest wild card in fantasy football this year. WR Travis Hunter could be a top WR depending on his playing time. Is he a full time WR? Does he play both ways? Hunter is the definition of high risk high reward. 

Also a buy low candidate is RB Travis Etienne Jr. Could we see a Bucky Irving type season from last year? He is another bounce back candidate in this Liam Coen offense.

Kansas City Chiefs

Imagine getting to the Super Bowl for a 3rd straight season and having a disappointing offense? 

Another bounce back candidate but as a whole team. QB Patrick Mahomes is hoping to have a full arsenal of weapons this year. WR Hollywood Brown got injured in camp missing most of the season. RB Isiah Pacheco missed 9 games and WR Rashee Rice was off to a hot start before sustaining a torn ACL in week 4. With news coming out of Rice’s sentencing expect a lengthy suspension. At full strength, there is some upside with Mahomes, Rice and even Travis Kelce. However, the most exciting player this year will be WR Xavier Worthy. They finally realized in a blowout in the Super Bowl that he’s pretty fast. My bold prediction for this team is Worthy puts up Tyreek Hill when he was with the Chiefs type numbers.

Las Vegas Raiders

Geno Smith and Pete Carroll bring an excitement to the Raiders this season. This excitement hasn’t been there for a long while. With the upgrade at QB, the outside weapons certainly stand to benefit. Brock Bowers came out and shocked the league as a rookie. Breaking TE and rookie records along the way. His 112 receptions was the all-time high for rookie TE’s but better yet, any rookie ever! The 1,194 receiving yards another all-time rookie TE record. All of which that are also franchise records. This should be an expectation again this season with some regression likely.

Jakobi Meyers is a sneaky pick when looking back at his last year finish with the shotty QB play he had. Finished 12th in receptions and 17th in yards amongst all wide receivers. With the change at quarterback you have to anticipate these to go up. With his current ADP of 85-95 and WR39. This could be the steal of the draft!

Ashton Jeanty is supposed to get a large workload and immediately take control of the backfield. Personally (Al) I very much worry about the o-line and I would never draft him in round 1. But at this point, i’m sure you’ve made up your mind about him and I can’t change it.

Los Angeles Chargers

Here we are in LA with arguably the best color combo in the NFL for uniforms. Fantasy wise, this team year in and year out always seems middle of the pack. Justin Herbert once again mans this offense and while a great real life quarterback, doesn’t move the needle much for fantasy. Last year he finished as the QB17 after averaging only 16.8 points per game. I’m not sure the game plan and weapons around him will make him any better this year. Ladd McConkey (what a name) is developing a “telepathic connection” with Herbert and is in for a big second season. Great guy to target in drafts after a 82/1149/7 state line last year with 112 targets. All that has a chance to go upward. The other wideouts in the room are all question marks, with lofty expectations for rookie Tre Harris. Harris is a risky pick but you got to assume that he will hold off Quentin Johnston for target share after McConkey.

Najee Harris arrived in the backfield but decided to play with fireworks on the 4th of July and caused an eye injury. Which opens the door wide open for Omarion Hamptom, who may be the best rookie RB not named Ashton Jeanty when all is said and done.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams come into the season as one of the most exciting offenses. QB Matthew Stafford will squeeze out the last of what he’s got but he will have a great duo of WRs to throw to. WR Puka Nacua has become one of the best WRs in the league. He has solidified himself as a first rounder in fantasy and should continue to thrive. The only possible downfall is the addition of WR DaVante Adams taking away targets and red zone targets. Defenses will have a hard time game planning how to stop probably the best duo of WRs in the league. 

Throw in a solid running game in RB Kyren Williams. How does one finish as RB6 last year and being drafted late 2nd, early 3rd round this year? Well, one reason is he may have more competition in Blake Corum. However, it wouldn’t make too much sense to pay and extend Williams if you were going to limit his touches. But then again, what do we know? 

Miami Dolphins

What an interesting downward slide from this offense last season after DOMINATING the year prior. Tua Tagovailoa only played 11 games last season and suffered a couple pretty scary injuries along the way. But the season prior he was electric! If he can stay healthy, this offense can once again be a powerhouse. We should all be EXCITED about Devon Achane. He will take on a larger role now that Raheem Moestert has left town. He should easily finish in the top 10 RB rankings this year. Tyreek Hill had a terrible season last year. He is now 32 years old and dealing with an oblique injury. He also has some chemistry issues with his QB and team. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t worried about his situation. Currently on my “no draft” list.

Tyreek’s running mate, Jaylen Waddle, needs to take a big step forward this season. If the offense gets on the right path, he should achieve this. His current ADP or 74-80 presents great value here and a worthy gamble on this offense to bounce back.

Minnesota Vikings – R

coming soon

New England Patriots – R

coming soon

New Orleans Saints – R

coming soon

New York Giants – A

coming soon

New York Jets

There’s a lot of talent here along with a lot of questions. QB Justin Fields was QB6 weeks 1-6 before being benched. RB Breece Hall was RB2 in 2023 and WR Garrett Wilson has yet to hit his full potential but finished as WR15 last year. The talent is there for a top 10 QB-RB-WR trio. 

The god damn Jets (Big Daddy reference, if you know you know) are the definition of high risk high reward.

Philadelphia Eagles – R

coming soon

Pittsburgh Steelers

I’m calling it now. This will be the most inconsistent offense this year. QB Aaron Rodgers, on his farewell tour season, has joined the Steelers for 1 year. This offense isn’t a juggernaut but it has some value. I’m interested in WR DK Metcalf here pairing with Rodgers. Metcalf is a deep threat and Rodgers still has an arm to get it down the field so this pairing could actually work. Metcalf is really the only WR they have but I can see new addition TE Jonnu Smith being affective here too. 

He jumps in as the number 2 weapon for this team. Don’t be surprised if they run a lot of 2 TE sets with Pat Freiermuth still there too. One of my favorite rookies this year is RB Kaleb Johnson. He has explosive speed and size. He can break one for 60 yards and I believe he will be the goal line back. Jaylen Warren is still there but I see him reverting back to his role like when Najee Harris was there.

San Francisco 49ers

coming soon

Seattle Seahawks – G

Goodbye Geno Smith, hello Sam Darnold! Not sure how much of a difference this is but Sam Darnold coming off a MVP candidate type season got a lot of hype this offseason. While Darnold is talented, I’d temper expectations a little. He has a stud in up and coming WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba but they also added injury riddled and aging WR Cooper Kupp. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Kupp but his best years are behind him. WR Marquez Valdez-Scantling is a sneaky add though. Keep an eye on him for a roster spot late in your drafts.

The running game concerns me here. RB Zach Charbonnet seems primed to take over but Kenneth Walker still wants to prove he can be the main guy. Walker has an injury history though so it’s gonna be hard going into the season guessing who is the better RB to have. My advice, stay clear unless they fall to a spot you just can’t pass either of them up.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – A

coming soon

Tennessee Titans – A

coming soon

Washington Commanders – R

coming soon