Why rank the best overall fantasy offenses? This is a game of individual players, after all. But how often do you find yourself on the clock with 0:23 remaining with absolutely no way of differentiating between Option A and Option B? You need a tiebreaker. Overall offensive environment is one of the best places to start.
Although some of the very worst teams still produce elite fantasy options, we generally want players in good offenses with good quarterbacks. Shocking, I know.
With the caveat that this is a highly subjective exercise and that the criteria sometimes feels like a moving target even to myself, here is my crack at ranking this year’s fantasy environments 1-32. I have also included a “fantasy dark horse” for each team. As is the case with the ranks themselves, the “dark horse” criteria is wildly subjective and different from team to team.
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NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams
Your one-stop-shop for Rotoworld’s preseason fantasy football content.
Best 2025 NFL Offenses
32. Cleveland Browns
One sign a team might not produce many fantasy points? Even casual fans can name four quarterbacks on the 90-man roster. Forever in transition, the Browns could cycle through 2-3 signal callers this season, and yes, maybe even four. (Joe Flacco is starting Week 1.) Momentum will be all but impossible to come by. Even if it were somehow established, this is a wafer-thin skill corps and muddled backfield. Quinshon Judkins is no longer facing charges in his domestic violence case, but the league could still take action of its own. David Njoku is a top-12 tight end. Jerry Jeudy has a reasonable shot at becoming a top-36 wide receiver. Everything else is up for grabs, and the players fighting for the touches are either retread veterans or unproven Day 2-3 picks from the past 2-3 seasons.
Fantasy dark horse: Cedric Tillman is one choice, but it’s so difficult to see anyone carving out pass-catching value behind Njoku and Jeudy. Fourth-round rookie RB Dylan Sampson is the real answer, though he’s not a “dark horse” depending on the service. Then again, his situation became much more uncertain with the news Judkins could become available early in the season. With an oscillating ADP, Sampson is a late-round flier who could earn immediate change-of-pace work.
31. New York Giants
The Giants have an alpha WR1, one who could finish as the WR1 overall. They also have … a quarterback taken in the “Kenny Pickett zone” of the draft? Who isn’t even starting over Russell Wilson in Week 1? Pickings rarely get as slim as they are behind Malik Nabers in New York. Wan’Dale Robinson is a PPR scammer who caught 93 passes last season and finished as the WR43 by average fantasy points. That is almost impossible. They have a second-year running back, Tyrone Tracy, who erased nearly all of his rookie goodwill with a barrage of late-season fumbles. Fourth-round rookie Cam Skattebo offers some 2025 hope but ran a 4.65 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. The Giants’ depth is simply nonexistent, while the hopes require some prayers. That very much includes Jaxson Dart, who inarguably has more upside than Pickett but the kind of downside that lands you at No. 25 overall instead of No. 5 overall.
Fantasy dark horse: Cam Skattebo. The fourth-round back had a hype-filled spring followed by a buzzkill training camp. He has barely practiced thanks to a hamstring issue. He still profiles as an immediate change-of-pace option with a clear path to more work behind fumble-prone Tracy.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
Straight up, the Steelers don’t have a No. 2 receiver. So there’s one pretty big problem right off the bat. The issues don’t end there. Last-ditch quarterback Aaron Rodgers has become one of the league’s slowest-paced signal callers. That, coupled with Arthur Smith’s run-game obsession means this team could end up running the fewest plays in the league. Lack of play volume means lack of fantasy opportunities. So even if someone were to emerge behind DK Metcalf, they would have an extremely difficult time commanding enough looks to be worth targeting in fantasy leagues. In theory, this is all great news for rookie runner Kaleb Johnson and holdover third-down back Jaylen Warren, but the overall trainwreck potential is so high it’s tough to get excited about either player.
Fantasy dark horse: Pat Freiermuth. Left for dead in fantasy with Jonnu Smith arriving as something of a de facto No. 2 wideout, 26-year-old Freiermuth essentially doesn’t have an ADP. I can’t really say I blame drafters, though Freiermuth did finish 2024 on the TE1/2 borderline. He could easily become Rodgers’ preferred red-zone option.
Which version of Rodgers will Steelers get?
Chris Simms and Stugotz debate which version of Aaron Rodgers the Pittsburgh Steelers will get in 2025, discussing why it's imperative the veteran quarterback gets preseason reps ahead of Week 1.
29. New Orleans Saints
First things first: No one has a worse quarterback situation. When the good outcome is Tyler Shough is “ready” or Spencer Rattler “takes a step forward,” you are already in all-time disaster territory. But the league’s worst passing duo does have a trio of intriguing weapons. Ageless Alvin Kamara refuses to be a bust, while Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed at least make sure their downside is accompanied by proportional upside. Brandin Cooks, Cedrick Wilson and Juwan Johnson will also provide competent veteran reps behind the play-making youngsters. If Kellen Moore can scheme even half as well as his reputation, Olave and Shaheed will be useful fantasy players despite their dispiriting quarterbacks.
Fantasy dark horse: Devin Neal. The sixth-round rookie has the distinct advantage of “not being Kendre Miller,” while the Saints are always looking for someone to take a load off Kamara. Of course, Neal has barely practiced this summer due to a hamstring issue. That makes him a final-round pick you might end up cutting loose as soon as bye weeks starting coming around.
28. Tennessee Titans
After two years of one of the silliest quarterback experiments in recent memory, the Titans finally have a real signal caller. So what does Cam Ward have? A 30-year-old No. 1 receiver who squeaked by 1,000 yards each of the past two seasons. A decent running back duo whose main attribute, per the coaching staff, is nevertheless “interchangeability.” That’s Brian Callahan and company’s fancy way of saying Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are both just fine. We would be lucky if “just fine” applied to the rest of the skill corps, but that would be too strong of praise for a group where the best bets are a Tyler Locket bounce back or rookie Elic Ayomanor pulling a Gabe Davis from the fourth round. Ward is a special talent. He is surrounded by mediocre at best supporting players.
Fantasy dark horse: Cam Ward. It’s not often the literal No. 1 overall pick is a skill player generating zero fantasy buzz, but such is the state of Ward’s skill corps. The “dark horse” potential comes from the possibility Ward is the next instant superstar quarterback, a rising tide floating every boat to fertile fantasy waters.
27. Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young has stabilized if not necessarily saved his career. “Stabilized but not saved” is a good descriptor for the rest of the Panthers’ offense. Although the selection of new No. 1 wideout Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 overall was electrifying in and of itself, it was also the bare minimum of what this skill group needed. It’s now McMillan followed by a 35-year-old No. 2 wideout in Adam Thielen and a Laviska Shenault-in-waiting, Xavier Legette. Fantasy managers are hoping second-year UDFA Jalen Coker has something to be said about that, but he’s supposedly been fighting for targets in camp with reclamation project Hunter Renfrow. Unlike in years past, there is both some potential and depth to this group, but it does not look like a unit poised to generate more than 2-3 weekly fantasy starters.
Fantasy dark horse: Jalen Coker. The Holy Cross product flashed more convincingly as a rookie than Legette, and it’s hard to believe he will lose a positional battle to Renfrow. Productive and decently efficient as an UDFA, Coker could take a sophomore step forward.
26. New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers is gone. His wreckage remains. In the Rodgers era’s wake, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are no longer clear-cut top-12 players at their positions. Maybe it’s their own fault. Or maybe evaluation was impossible in the chaos of the past two seasons. We might not be any closer to answers with Justin Fields under center, though Fields provides twice as much standalone fantasy value as his quarterback predecessor. But the 1/2 borderline at his position is where Fields finds himself, as well. So the Jets have no guaranteed QB1, RB1, WR1 or TE1. It’s at least possible at the first three positions, keeping Gang Green out of the bottom tier. That’s also all there is. There is no No. 2 wideout. Rookie TE Mason Taylor probably isn’t ready to make a weekly fantasy impact. Braelon Allen could again end up hurting Hall’s fantasy value more than creating his own. New coach Aaron Glenn provides more order and discipline, but this is still a mess.
***Fantasy dark horse:***I said Mason Taylor “probably” wasn’t ready to make a weekly fantasy impact. But what if he is? Bizarrely, 6-foot-5 Taylor wasn’t a featured red-zone option at LSU, but that’s admittedly hard for a tight end to do at the SEC’s wide receiver U. The Jets badly need a second passing-game weapon, and it could be Taylor inside the 20.
25. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks finished seventh in pass attempts last season (593). First-time head coach Mike Macdonald took that personally. Ryan Grubb and his spread-it-out aerial attack are gone. Klint Kubiak and his balanced version of Shanny ball is in. Seattle also pared down its skill corps, trading DK Metcalf and cutting Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant before adding only Cooper Kupp in free agency. Even if Sam Darnold ends up passing more than expected, this will be a run-based offense. It’s also a run-based offense with continued whispers around Kenneth Walker’s status as the unquestioned lead back. Aka, it could be a headache. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a set-and-forget weekly starter, while Walker is for now. Beyond that, this could be an offense that is orderly and efficient in real life but quiet and dull in fantasy.
***Fantasy dark horse:Zach Charbonnet and Kupp are too name brand for dark horse status, so the best choice is fifth-round wideoutTony Horton*. Kupp’s injury history is as long as it gets, and journeyman Marquez Valdes-Scantling is Horton’s only competition for the No. 3 job. A splash-play specialist, Horton could emerge as a bye week WR4 fill-in.
NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles
Ja’Marr Chase cemented his status as the fantasy WR1 by winning the receiver triple crown last year, while Justin Jefferson is looking to dethrone him with the help of J.J. McCarthy.
24. New England Patriots
The Patriots are not lacking for hype merchants. In addition to second-year QB Drake Maye and second-round RB TreVeyon Henderson, there is third-round WR Kyle Williams. All have generated fairly consistent summer excitement. But that’s the main thing the Pats have for now — potential excitement. On the proven production front, this offense has a No. 1 wideout who had been declining for 1.5 years before he tore his ACL. The No. 2 receiver is a 25-year-old man named “Pop” who has three touchdowns on 115 career catches. They hope the No. 3 can be Williams. So there were no proven additions to a skill corps that was “led” by Hunter Henry in 2024. Any steps forward will be about Maye, Henderson and Williams living up to their potential, or Diggs turning back time. That is not nothing. It’s also the bare minimum. There are better places to look for fantasy dark horses.
Fantasy dark horse: If you don’t want to count Williams, it’s UDFA Efton Chism. The Eastern Washington product has been the apple of the Boston press corps’ eye since May.
23. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are a painful fantasy “what might have been.” By the letter of the law, Daniel Jones is an improvement as a passer over Anthony Richardson. That’s because anyone would be. The upgrade is so marginal, however, that it is difficult to drum up excitement for a skill corps that could conceivably be amongst the league’s deepest if only there was anyone to throw the ball. Tyler Warren, Josh Downs, Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell could be a Super Bowl-caliber supporting group in Kansas City or Buffalo. (Emphasis on “could.”) In Indianapolis, they are fighting for looks from a quarterback who has averaged a modest 32 attempts per game over the course of 70 career appearances. Jones’ 3.1 lifetime touchdown percentage is catastrophically low. Jones will lock onto 1-2 middle of the field winners and sink the value of everyone else. It’s a crying shame for a group that should be ranked higher.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Mitchell has been tearing up summer practices, but rookie running back DJ Giddens profiles as a 1-for-1 replacement for injury-prone lead runner Jonathan Taylor. A home run threat in Taylor’s mold, Giddens is an insurance back who needs to be rostered to begin the season.
22. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have the No. 1 overall tight end and the No. 1 overall rookie prospect. That’s a good start. They also have an immensely improved quarterback situation with Geno Smith replacing last year’s comical Gardner Minshew/Aidan O’Connell duo. But while Geno might be a massive improvement relative to the Raiders’ dismal baseline, he is still a league-average starter. He is also reuniting with a head coach in Pete Carroll whose team ran the fewest plays in the league his last year as head coach in 2023. Caroll, of course, has always oriented his offense around the run, and a slow, methodical ground-based attack is the easiest way to limit play volume and overall fantasy opportunities. There are two high-end players here and a decent secondary option in Jakobi Meyers, but this ultimately profiles as a top-heavy attack that will struggle to produce more than 2-3 weekly options.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Fourth-round rookie Dont’e Thornton appears to have blown by second-round rookie Jack Bech on the depth chart. Smith loves to throw deep, and that is where Thornton could do immediate damage. Brock Bowers and Meyers occupying defensive attention over the middle of the field could make Thornton surprisingly lively on the boundary.
21. Washington Commanders
The Jayden Daniels effect? The Commanders went from 25th in points the year prior (329) to fifth with 485. That was despite nonexistent skill corps upgrades. Daniels was just that dynamic in a frankly non-dynamic Kliff Kingsbury system. Those are the twin risks for 2025. Will Kliff have the answers for the league’s adjustments, and is there anyone to make plays besides Daniels? 30-year-old No. 1 wideout Terry McLaurin spent the summer not practicing, while 29-year-old No. 2 Deebo Samuel appeared increasingly out of steam last season. Daniels is so good that it’s hard to feel bearish on this attack, but a sophomore bump in the road, if not necessarily slump, is well within the range of outcomes. That has the Commanders punching beneath their weight in fantasy despite Daniels’ real-life dynamism.
Fantasy dark horse: Jacory Croskey-Merritt is no longer a dark horse after the Commanders cleared the deck by trading Brian Robinson Jr. There are simply no other candidates in what is looking like a scarily-thin skill group.
Win total predictions for 2025: Commanders
Connor Rogers and Chris Simms project how many wins the Commanders will have this season, discussing the development of QB Jayden Daniels and evaluating if their pass rush is good enough to make up for weak cornerbacks.
20. Denver Broncos
The Broncos are an on-the-rise offense where it is nevertheless difficult to pinpoint just which boats might be getting lifted. Bo Nix has breakout appeal after sneaking into the top 12 last season, but his receiver corps is a jumbled mess for fantasy purposes. The backfield has one sexy option in second-round rookie RJ Harvey and one looming buzzkill in J.K. Dobbins. Evan Engram does profile as a fantasy cheat code, with his “easy button” receptions an element that were badly missing from this attack last season. Marvin Mims has proven his explosive-play ability but seems destined to remain a gadget player, which makes him a tough sell as anything other than a zero-floor WR5.
Fantasy dark horse: Pat Bryant. The third-round rookie drew a Michael Thomas comparison from Sean Payton in the spring, and the coach recently lauded his blocking and unselfishness. Translation, he will be on the field, especially following the trade of Devaughn Vele. With targets up for grabs behind Courtland Sutton and Engram, Bryant could be the biggest beneficiary.
19. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are a top-heavy fantasy attack, but we are talking really heavy. Like No. 1 overall player potential via Bijan Robinson. A consensus top-five pick who is no stranger to the top spot in summer drafts, Robinson is accompanied by consensus WR1 Drake London. It’s dicier after those two stars, but first-year starter Michael Penix is an “attempts are a quarterback stat” QB. That could keep Darnell Mooney relevant when he returns from his shoulder injury, while Penix claims he is even ready to execute the Kyle Pitts protocol. Tyler Allgeier is one of the game’s most valuable insurance backs, and Ray-Ray McCloud is a break glass in case of PPR emergency option. This won’t be the first offense you look to, but this is an attack where explosive growth is within the range of outcomes.
Fantasy dark horse: Michael Penix Jr. The controversial first-round pick provided inconclusive returns upon being thrown into emergency starting duties from Week 16 onwards last season, but he averaged 33 attempts and cleared 200 yards all three times out despite the Falcons running a risk-averse attack as they attempted to sneak into the playoffs. With the offense now built around the former No. 8 overall pick, he is one of the only quarterbacks providing legitimate upside from outside the top 20.
NFL: Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. 2025 player profile, projection, stats, outlook from Rotoworld.
18. Houston Texans
The only thing you can say for sure about the Texans’ 2024 offense was that something had to change. Former OC Bobby Slowik was a convenient scapegoat but also a logical one. Maybe it was all C.J. Stroud’s fault, but Slowik couldn’t fix it. If the latest, greatest Sean McVay disciple Nick Caley can, the Texans have a deep, varied skill corps for fantasy managers to draw on. There are young wideouts (Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel), bounce-back candidates (Stroud, Dalton Schultz), previously productive but left for dead veterans (Christian Kirk, Nick Chubb) and some combination of the latter two in Joe Mixon. Nico Collins is a superstar. This offense is only one year removed from being one of everybody’s favorite on-the-rise units. Let’s give it another chance.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Amidst Mixon’s health intrigue has been persistent chatter Chubb hasn’t regained his lost step. Enter fourth-rounder Woody Marks, who has an immediate opening on third downs with room to grow between the tackles.
17. Green Bay Packers
The Packers crept into the top 10 in scoring last season despite producing zero top-36 wideouts by average PPR points. Jordan Love barely even cracked the top 20 depending on your games played sliders. Tucker Kraft wasn’t a top-12 tight end. Josh Jacobs, of course, killed it, but he was the only one. Green Bay hopes first-round wideout Matthew Golden will at least solve the receiver problem, but he has a questionable if admittedly intriguing profile for a first-rounder. On top of everything, Love is hurt yet again. His left thumb injury isn’t going to hold him out for Week 1, but that was his biggest issue in fantasy last season. After Love injured his knee in the opener, the Packers became more of a run-focused attack. That’s bad news when a skill corps is this “spread out.” Love could still be fun. The second half of 2023 happened. But at least for now, this looks like an offense whose real life efficiency won’t produce as many fantasy points as you might hope.
***Fantasy dark horse:***MarShawn Lloyd is already on his second injury of the summer. He is questionable for Week 1 with a hamstring issue. That means ADP-less Emanuel Wilson could be on his second year as the No. 2. back. Completely free in drafts, Wilson could be in the right place at the right time if Jacobs gets injured.
16. Los Angeles Chargers
Although the Chargers still aren’t the first place you would look for fantasy points, this is a much deeper offense than it was a season ago. Omarion Hampton’s presence alone transforms the backfield, while even Najee Harris would represent a sizable upgrade over Gus Edwards as the No. 2 back if he can ever get over his eye injury. Say what you will about Keenan Allen, but he deepens the receiver corps. Second-rounder Tre’ Harris offers upside despite a quiet training camp, and fifth-rounder KeAndre Lambert-Smith is one of this summer’s most intriguing deep sleepers. Free agent addition Tyler Conklin and fifth-rounder Oronde Gadsden II give Justin Herbert two more potential targets up the seam.
Fantasy dark horse: KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s hype train has quieted a bit, but he has the profile of a “next Marquez Valdes-Scantling.” He’s a deep threat who might see only 2-3 weekly targets, but one who could change fantasy matchups as a WR4/5 with 1-2 catches.
15. Dallas Cowboys
Perennially top heavy, the Cowboys at least made sure to get an actual No. 2 receiver this season. Dak Prescott’s injury history has gotten concerningly long, but he’s thrown for at least 30 touchdowns each of his past three healthy seasons. He was MVP runner-up in 2023. With no clear lead back or even a clear backfield role player, Prescott could vie for the league lead in pass attempts. That makes CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens potential smashes despite their lofty ADPs, and cements Jake Ferguson as an obvious bounce-back candidate after his fluky zero-score 2024. If Prescott is healthy and dealing, even Jonathan Mingo (knee, 4-6 weeks) or Jalen Tolbert could get in on the action.
***Fantasy dark horse:***The Cowboys’ lack of depth makes for a lack of dark horse contenders. Then again, it’s this sort of vacuum that can wake up the sleepiest of sleepers. Jaydon Blue is not that. He’s already a household name for the draft-addicted, but he is going outside the top 100 picks in more standard leagues. The only Cowboys runner with any semblance of upside, Blue could end up one of 2025’s biggest ADP overperformers.
jeantylovehate.jpg
Ashton Jeanty, Justin Fields, and Nico Collins headline Matthew Berry’s Love/Hate for the 2025 fantasy football season. And it’s his last Love/Hate column ever.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
If you had told Jaguars fans a year ago they would be betting the future of the franchise on the “Liam Coen effect” … there’s no need to finish that sentence. While we wait to learn whether the Coen effect is actually the Baker Mayfield effect — funny how all of Mayfield’s OCs keep landing head-coaching jobs — there’s no question Coen has a lot to work with in Duval. In addition to the former No. 1 overall pick quarterback, there’s last year’s best overall rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and the highest-drafted wideout since Calvin Johnson in Travis Hunter. Brenton Strange is an excellent tight end sleeper, and Bhayshul Tuten is a buzzy rookie running back. For all his frustrations, Lawrence has two 4,000-yard seasons on his résumé. There is talent and upside and talent with upside. If either Lawrence or Coen is for real, this suddenly looks like a dangerous fantasy offense.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Fourth-rounder Bhayshul Tuten is already well known in best ball circles, but home league managers could be caught unawares. This is the second successive Jags coaching staff that appears out on Travis Etienne, and Tank Bigsby does not catch passes. If this offense improves like we think it could, Tuten could have real value as a change-of-pace back.
13. Arizona Cardinals
Is the Arizona Cardinals offense actually good? It doesn’t really matter. It’s good enough in fantasy. Trey McBride is vying for the top spot at tight end while Kyler Murray profiles as a QB1. Marvin Harrison Jr. is getting a WR2 do-over and James Conner is a clear-cut RB2. Trey Benson has FLEX potential. Admittedly, there is a lack of “graduation” candidates. Michael Wilson has maxed out as a mediocre WR2 with little fantasy appeal. The Cardinals’ 2025 draft class included zero skill players. Sleeper candidates are nonexistent while Murray and MHJ are potential busts at their ADPs. There’s enough to like here, but there is not more than meets the eye.
Fantasy dark horse: Trey Benson. A categorical bust as a rookie sleeper candidate, Benson admittedly barely meets the criteria as a sophomore. If you’re reading this article, he’s not a deep cut. He’s just the best we’ve got in the desert. Conner’s injury history is long. Benson’s summer has reportedly been solid. He could end up the mid-round pick you didn’t want to make who ends up saving your bacon.
12. Miami Dolphins
Like the Cardinals, the Dolphins are a distinctly mediocre “real life” offense that helps keep the lights on in fantasy. Not that this group is without risk. An aging Tyreek Hill took a massive step backwards last season, albeit with injury and quarterback alibis. Jaylen Waddle is having an increasingly difficult time staying healthy. De’Von Achane is miscast as a true lead back, and 32-year-old Darren Waller after taking a year off is a rather ridiculous tight end solution. Tua is Tua. But that buries the lede on Hill, Waddle and Achane. Each possesses mammoth upside at what have proven to be discount ADPs, while there is more sleeper potential here than meets the eye. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the Dolphins’ best No. 3 wideout in years, and Jaylen Wright and/or Ollie Gordon could be ready to serve as lightning back Achane’s complementary thunder. Mike McDaniel’s returns are ever diminishing, but he always serves up the fantasy points.
Fantasy dark horse: Ollie Gordon. Wright isn’t blowing anyone’s doors off this summer after a disappointing rookie campaign. He’s also now hurt. This needs to be a two-back backfield. Wright remains the slight favorite for No. 2 duties, but Gordon figures to at least get a look.
11. Los Angeles Rams
Despite what can sometimes seem like a stodgy, traditional approach, Sean McVay’s offense produces elite receiver numbers. Period. It almost always supplies a weekly RB1, as well. Both those boxes should be checked for 2025. That alone keeps the Rams in the top 10 mix. It is a narrow target tree. We usually like that for fantasy — predictability — but it also means a third weekly pass-catching option won’t be emerging in fantasy. If that were to happen, second-year pro Jordan Whittington would be the best guess. Role player Tutu Atwell also tends to offer WR4 startability whenever the elite wideouts ahead of him miss time. All of this, of course, depends on Matthew Stafford healing up his balky back. Increasingly stoved up thanks to his career-long toughness, Stafford could be fighting a losing health battle. Backup Jimmy Garoppolo could push the buttons for a few weeks in Stafford’s absence but does not profile as someone who would last long before suffering an injury of his own. It all adds up to more volatility than usual for a group traditionally known for constancy. We still will take the high-end floor.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Second-round TE Terrance Ferguson is one possible answer, but we will go with fourth-round RB Jarquez Hunter. It’s been a zero-buzz summer for second-year pro Blake Corum, and Kyren isn’t known for his durability. The Rams have also long sought to reduce Williams’ workloads to keep him healthier and fresher. Corum didn’t take last season. Perhaps Hunter will this year.
Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp
Ranking and updating fantasy football’s best quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, and tight ends between now and Week 1.
10. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have an elite receiver duo, a strong offensive line, strong backfield tandem and elite pass-catching tight end. The only thing they don’t have is certainty under center. What first-year starter J.J. McCarthy does provide is a first-round pedigree. He is also the handpicked quarterback of offensive maestro Kevin O’Connell. We don’t “know” what is going to happen, but we can take a pretty good guess. The coach who made Josh Dobbs serviceable in fantasy and Sam Darnold the QB8 is probably going to know what to do with McCarthy. That makes this an offense to aggressively target down the drafting stretch.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Jordan Mason is no dark horse to managers who have been drafting all summer, though home-leaguers maybe haven’t caught up. He is still too big of a name to qualify, which means we will go with Jalen Nailor, who gets three more games to fill in as the No. 2 while Jordan Addison serves his suspension. “Surprisingly productive” with a nose for the end zone last year, Nailor could end up hanging around second FLEX spots in deeper leagues.
9. Chicago Bears
No one can accuse the Bears of skimping on skill players. For the second straight offseason, arguably no team was more active when it came to adding pass catchers. This time, they even included an offensive line, albeit via imperfect free agent additions and Day 2 and 3 picks. Surprisingly, they did not add a name-brand rookie or veteran running back. What they did add was one of the league’s premier play-callers in Ben Johnson. The ex-Lions OC will be tasked with scheming up ground production while trying to keep each of DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland and perhaps even Cole Kmet happy with targets. That’s a tall order, especially since the only thing Caleb Williams has proven as an NFLer is his toughness. But Johnson is the man for the job. If he does even half as well as he did in Detroit, the Bears will be providing fantasy starters every which way you look.
Fantasy dark horse: Kyle Monangai. Johnson was there when the Lions parted with D’Andre Swift. Roschon Johnson had a disastrous rookie season. Although Monangai was a seventh-round pick, he’s the only running back here who was added on Johnson’s watch. That makes him a name to watch.
8. San Francisco 49ers
You would think things would just be easy for an offense capable of spinning No. 262 overall picks into franchise quarterback gold, but it’s never that simple in San Francisco. This year features: 1. Jauan Jennings demanding a new contract then missing 99 percent of training camp with a “calf injury.” 2. Brandon Aiyuk working his way back from a torn ACL. 3. The entire running back depth chart behind injury-prone starter Christian McCaffrey missing time with injury or getting traded. There’s probably more that we are forgetting, but that’s easy to do when there are still so many elite fantasy options. CMC offers No. 1 overall upside, only this time without a No. 1 overall price tag. George Kittle is a top-three tight end. Brock Purdy remains a QB1. Ricky Pearsall is banging down the WR2 door. And yes, Jennings and Aiyuk loom as eventual reinforcements. We also know coach Kyle Shanahan is ready to conjure a new fantasy pro at any given moment. We were barely talking about Jennings this time last year, for instance. For all the headaches and drama, San Francisco remains one of the first places to look if you are trying to make something happen on the fake football gridiron.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Brian Robinson Jr.’s trade addition takes injury-addled second-year pro Isaac Guerendo out of the equation. That probably leaves Demarcus Robinson as the best sleeper bet. He’s a journeyman bet just screaming to be “this year’s Jauan Jennings.” It might not happen, but Shanny can make it so if he wants.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
It stood to reason 2024 would be the bounce-back year for the Chiefs’ elite fantasy fortunes. It didn’t happen. Rashee Rice went down early, and no one else really stepped up. After previously never posting a touchdown percentage below 5.4, Patrick Mahomes has watched that number stagnate at 4.5 the past two seasons. It’s almost unthinkable. I’m still choosing to believe it’s unsustainable. Xavier Worthy did come on in the second half of 2024, and Marquise Brown is finally healthy. Even though he’s facing a lengthy suspension, Rice should make more than three appearances. Jalen Royals and Brashard Smith offer rookie upside hope. No one in Kansas City wants to remain the “behind the line of scrimmage champions.” Long careers ebb and flow statistically. Check out Tom Brady’s Pro Football Reference. This is not the new normal for Patrick Mahomes. Maybe 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns are never coming back, but I will continue to bet the best football player on the planet will come back around in fantasy football.
Fantasy dark horse: Brashard Smith. The pass-catching back has always been a profitable role in Andy Reid’s Chiefs attacks, and seventh-rounder Smith has forced his way into the mix. A draft freebie you can simply cut if the targets aren’t there in Weeks 1 and 2, Smith has very real PPR potential.
6. Buffalo Bills
Like seemingly everyone else in football, the Bills have ceded some fantasy upside as they have cut down on deep shots in the name of avoiding turnovers. Unlike the Chiefs, it hasn’t resulted in a team-wide fantasy apocalypse. Josh Allen remains the best bet for QB1 overall status, while even a regressing James Cook should serve as a solid RB2. There is depth and variety in the receiver corps, if also variance. Khalil Shakir provides floor. Keon Coleman offers upside. Josh Palmer could end up the WR4 you never thought you needed. Dalton Kincaid is inching ever closer to legitimate TE1 status. The Bills should be a little more fun than they are, but rare are the times you will regret the “BUF” tag next to one of your fantasy starters.
Fantasy dark horse: Josh Palmer. Always more of a down-field threat than expected, Palmer also has some compiling to his game. WR4 would be a good outcome, but WR3 is not impossible.
Is Palmer being 'slept on' in Bills offense?
Lawrence Jackson highlights WR Joshua Palmer, who is reportedly being "slept on" in the Buffalo Bills offense, and how he can "fill the void" of a downfield target for Josh Allen.
5. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens don’t spread their fantasy points around as much as some teams. Thank goodness they score a million of them. Yes, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry hog most of the attention, but Zay Flowers is still hanging around the top 24 receivers, while Mark Andrews is proving stubbornly durable as a mid-range TE1. Rashod Bateman is always one of the first calls you make when you need a WR4 streamer, and Isaiah Likely has flashed so much play-making ability during his three-year career that John Harbaugh has thrown around the words “All Pro”when he talks about his No. 2 tight end’s upside. Beyond that core is a faded DeAndre Hopkins and change-of-pace backs Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell. There probably won’t be many surprises here, but again: There will be so, so many fantasy points from the principals.
Fantasy dark horse: Isaiah Likely (who is questionable for Week 1 with a foot injury) is an established name in fantasy circles, but his ADP remains outside the top 20 at his position. Considering Harbaugh’s words and Likely’s demonstrated upside, that feels like a mistake to me. The Ravens need another play-maker down the field. Perhaps they will realize it’s already been on the roster the past three seasons.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The word most often attached to this offense this summer was “regression.” No, Baker Mayfield probably isn’t going to set career compiling and efficiency highs across the board again. But just because this offense probably won’t be as good doesn’t mean it still won’t be really good. Because what else could a unit with Mayfield, Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin, first-round receiver Emeka Egbuka, Rachaad White, and hell, even Cade Otton, be? “Bad” certainly doesn’t come to mind. In addition to those stars, the Bucs also have depth in Jalen McMillan (out until mid-season with a neck issue) and Sean Tucker. You are right to expect some backsliding. You would be wrong not to target this team in fantasy.
Fantasy dark horse: Sean Tucker. With Rachaad White playing out his rookie contract and 23-year-old third-year pro Tucker proving to be a coaching staff favorite, the competition for touches behind Irving could be more competitive than fantasy managers think.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Neck and neck with the Bengals for the narrowest, most predictable offense in fantasy football, the Eagles take it a step further but having essentially no second string. There is no one threatening to peel even a few percentage points off A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith’s target share. That’s not amazing for the Eagles, but it sure makes things easy for fantasy managers. You know what you are getting in Philadelphia. An elite quarterback, an elite running back, one elite receiver, another weekly starter at wideout, and likely a deluxe tight end streamer in Dallas Goedert. Even better for fantasy managers is that this attack should come with more passing volume after Jalen Hurts’ average attempts plunged from 30 in 2021-23 to an absurd 24 last season. We know the Birds have this down to a science, but no offense can run quite that pure back-to-back seasons.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Will Shipley will be a plug-and-play RB2 and perhaps even RB1 in the event of a Saquon Barkley injury, but we’ll go with Jahan Dotson. He appears to be defaulting into No. 3 receiver status, and someone else eventually has to catch a few passes in this offense.
Eagles' RB Barkley has 'regression indicators'
Matthew Berry, Jay Croucher and Connor Rogers won't label Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley a potential fantasy bust in 2025, but they don't see him repeating last year's historic season.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Rarely will a team keep it this simple. The elite quarterback throws to his two elite receivers and hands the ball off to his every-down running back. If one of Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins gets hurt, No. 3 wideout Andrei Iosivas immediately steps in as a WR4 in fantasy. If Chase Brown goes down, rookie Tahj Brooks and ageless veteran Samaje Perine profile as a cut-and-dry committee. Brooks carrying the ball, Perine catching the passes. In between will be some good matchups for tight end duo Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant, with Gesicki already having demonstrated plug-and-play TE2 ability. This is the rare fantasy offense with precisely zero questions.
Fantasy dark horse: Tahj Brooks. Perine is to the point where it’s difficult to even call him a running back. He has 73 carries over his past 34 games. If Brown gets hurt, Brooks will likely find himself inside the top 24.
1. Detroit Lions
I never thought Jared Goff would be where I started, but 2024’s highest-scoring team still has the right stuff. Jahmyr Gibbs is vying for No. 1 overall status. Amon-Ra St. Brown always has WR1 overall in his range of outcomes. Jameson Williams was a 2024 breakout threatening for another 2025 breakout. Sam LaPorta is an unquestioned TE1. David Montgomery is one of the league’s strongest FLEX plays. And on and on and on. This 2025 unit is even making room for a sleeper option, as third-round WR Isaac TeSlaa has been one of the summer’s most intriguing Day 2 picks. History has a way of not repeating itself in the NFL. The Lions probably won’t lead in scoring again. But on the page as of today, this is fantasy football’s most loaded group.
***Fantasy dark horse:***Isaac TeSlaa. Stunningly athletic and capable of being used all over the field, TeSlaa could be the camera obscura version of Taysom Hill this Lions offense never knew it needed.