Fantasy football 2025: Top 10 league-winners

The Bears’ top two receivers are in a prime position for league-winner status this season. Not only did Chicago make the premier play-caller upgrade of the offseason with the hiring of Ben Johnson, it also rebuilt the interior of the offensive line. A more creative passing attack under Johnson and more time in the pocket for Caleb Williams should lead to great results. 

We already know Moore can perform as a WR1 in fantasy, though last year he was limited by usage, leading to a career-low in air yards per target. Odunze didn’t hit as a rookie in 2024, but that was largely because he had the lowest rate of catchable targets and second-most unrealized air yards in the league, per NFL Research. Odunze has received praise from Johnson in camp, and it looks like he’ll operate as the Bears’ X receiver. With Moore currently the WR21 and Odunze the WR37 in ADP, there is a clear opportunity for both players to exceed expectations on the fantasy front -- especially Moore, who I rank much closer to a fantasy WR1 due to his versatility. 

Walker has always returned solid RB2 value, but the fantasy community has been waiting for him to produce a breakout RB1 season. He could be in position to feast in the Seahawks' new scheme -- a welcome sight for Walker after the Seahawks ranked in the bottom five in run play percentage in each of the last two seasons. New OC Klint Kubiak operates a heavy outside-zone run scheme, which should allow Walker to put up more chunk plays in Year 4. Last season under Kubiak, the Saints ran outside zone at the third-highest rate in the NFL (Seattle was 22nd). Walker, a solid pass-catching option for Sam Darnold, has yet to play a full regular season, but if he can stay healthy, he should outperform his current RB15 standing.

The Lions offense was fantastic for years under Ben Johnson, but one thing it didn’t do often enough was throw the ball deep. In fact, only the Dolphins threw the deep ball at a lower rate in 2024, and in 2023, the Lions did so at the lowest rate in the NFL. New OC John Morton joined the Lions this offseason from Denver, where he spent the last two years as passing game coordinator under Sean Payton. The Broncos ranked 12th and third, respectively, in deep pass percentage over the past two seasons, per PFF. 

Implementing more deep shots would bode very well for Williams, who picked up 20-plus yards on the 28 percent of his receptions last season, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. He also finished in the top three in fantasy points per target, yards per target and yards per catch among wide receivers. Williams has flashed breakout potential, but this could be the year he puts it all together. 

This season feels like the year of the rookie running back with several players in line to start from Day 1. The Chargers’ first-round pick is a very physical runner who has good wiggle for his size (6-foot, 220 pounds). He has the ability to carry the team’s rushing load on his shoulders and can contribute immediately in the pass game. Jim Harbaugh is known for leaning on the run, as his NFL offenses have only finished outside the top 10 in rush attempts once (11th, 2024). Veteran Najee Harris is missing valuable camp time due to a non-football injury, which helps open the runway for Hampton. And while there won’t likely be many strong fantasy options in the Chargers' offense, Hampton and second-year wideout Ladd McConkey should return early-round value. 

There are certain qualities I look for in running backs that I believe make them great fantasy football assets. The first is big-play ability. Henderson has blazing speed, and his college tape is littered with explosive runs. The other is pass protecting and receiving abilities. Henderson thrived in both areas at Ohio State, which should lead to him playing in passing situations -- a great way for backs to rack up fantasy points. In addition, with Rhamondre Stevenson a holdover from the old regime, the rookie has a real chance to be the feature back in New England. Not to mention, Mike Vrabel's teams have always been run-heavy in the past, leading me to believe Henderson has league-winning upside in the middle rounds.

I labeled Swift the best running back value in fantasy drafts largely because he brings league-winning upside as the lead back in Ben Johnson’s offense. The Lions finished among the top two in RB goal-line carries and touchdowns in all three seasons with Johnson at the helm of the offense, and in each of those years, Detroit’s top two backs combined for more than 90 targets. Swift hauled in 48 receptions on 70 targets with Johnson in Detroit in 2022. 

Swift’s current ADP of RB21 is an opportunity for value. If you draft him at his floor, he could reward you with RB1 upside in one of the NFL's most fantasy-friendly systems.

There are some concerns over how little the Eagles threw the ball last season, as they were one of just three teams to throw on less than 50 percent of their plays, per Team Rankings. That seems unlikely to happen again. But even with the low pass volume, Brown, who missed four games due to injury, was on a 17-game pace for 127 targets, 88 receptions, 1,411 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Only Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson topped that receiving yards total, and he would’ve matched rookie Brian Thomas Jr.’s fantasy output. That projected production reflects an average season for Brown as an Eagle, as he topped 1,400 yards in both 2022 and ’23. Still, Brown is projected to be a mid-second-round draft pick. I don’t get it. But don’t pass on the opportunity to get a top-five WR in Round 2.

There is a clear-cut top five at the quarterback position, and fantasy managers have to pay up to secure one of them. However, my guy Fields brings the same upside at a much lower cost. Dual-threat QBs are fantasy cheat codes, and the first-year Jet is one of three QBs to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Fields has also put up top-five QB numbers in the past; as Pittsburgh’s starter last season, he was on a 17-game pace for 3,134 passing yards, 14 pass TDs, three INTs, 655 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. That would equate to about 353 fantasy points, which would have made him QB6. 

Fields took a step forward as a passer in 2024 because he was asked to focus more on short, high-percentage passes instead of airing the ball out. That’s also what I expect with former Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand at the controls of the Jets offense. Detroit’s explosive offensive used a high volume of outside runs in 2024, and Fields ranks in the top two among QBs in yards and TDs on such runs over the last three seasons. Lastly, I expect the Jets to operate a version of the Tush Push with Fields under center. It feels as if a career year is on the horizon, and if it is, Fields could finish as a top-five QB -- at a low-end QB1 price. 

Achane finished as a top-five fantasy back last season and that might just be a launching off point. In the 11 games he played with Tua Tagovailoa last season, Achane averaged 22.6 fantasy points per game, which would have made him the RB1 had Tagovailoa stayed healthy over a full season. No running back picked up more points from receiving production than Achane, as Miami abandoned the deep ball and focused on short, quick throws to get the ball out of Tagovailoa’s hands. Achane also saw 70 percent of the team’s goal-line carries. He’s an explosive player who should continue to see plenty of volume on the ground, through the air and near the end zone. Yet, the potential RB1 overall is projected to go in the second round. Take advantage.

Last year, I was called “click bait” for ranking Nabers the best receiver in his draft class. I was then told Nabers would not return top-20 WR value as a rookie after labeling him as a one of the breakout candidates in this space. One year later, everyone loves Nabers! The Giants second-year wideout is a first-round fantasy draft pick, but I’ll take it one step further and say he can return league-winning production. 

In 2024, Nabers led the NFL in target rate (31 percent) and set a league record for most catches in a season by a rookie receiver (109). He also had the third-most unrealized air yards (875) and ninth-highest rate of uncatchable targets (21 percent), while hauling in just five catches of 20-plus air yards, per Next Gen Stats. Watch his college tape and you’ll quickly realize that this is NOT a Nabers problem. The Giants greatly upgraded their QB room this offseason, signing veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and drafting Jaxson Dart in the first round. With Wilson in place as QB1, Nabers could very well lead the league in receiving yards.