The Panthers (8-8) face the Buccaneers (7-9) on Saturday night in Tampa. If the Panthers win, end of story, Carolina takes the division. (More on that in a moment.) If the Bucs win, though, the two teams would be tied at 8-9 … and they’d have to wait until the outcome of Sunday’s Falcons-Saints game. If the Falcons win, you’d have three teams tied at 8-9 … and the Panthers would win by a series of tiebreakers.
Advertisement
For any other division in football, this would be a ridiculous, borderline unbelievable turn of events. For the NFC South, it’s called “a season.”
The NFC South is the point on the NFL map where the border with the college football universe is the thinnest, and consequently a whole lot of SEC crazy tends to seep into the water supply. The four teams that make up the NFC South — Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay and New Orleans — are the most ramshackle collection of weirdos in the NFL.
You don’t want to play any NFC South team at any point in the year, because you never quite know how it’s going to go (see: Monday night’s Rams-Falcons game). These four teams shoot themselves in the foot with numbing regularity, but they might just be standing on your foot when they fire.
Baker Mayfield had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in prime position to win the NFC South, but Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers are now in the pole position to win the division. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
(Julio Aguilar via Getty Images)
Five of the NFL’s eight divisions have sent all four members to the Super Bowl. (Sorry, AFC South and AFC/NFC Norths.) No division has sent all four teams to the big game more recently than the NFC South (New Orleans 2009, Carolina 2015, Atlanta 2016, Tampa Bay 2020). And yet, almost every time an NFC South team manages to reach the big game, it faceplants for a few seasons afterward, like a pageant winner ascending the podium and then immediately falling off the back as soon as she receives her crown.
Advertisement
In other words, you must take the NFC South seriously, even though it is a profoundly unserious division.
Consider how this season alone has gone:
The Falcons’ backup quarterback is on a $180 million contract. They have one of the game’s three best running backs, a vicious pass defense, a young and hungry receiving corps, and yet have lost nine games already this season. They’ve beaten both the Rams and Bills in prime time … and lost to both the Dolphins and Jets. They might well finish with a record equal to the division winner … and they were eliminated from the playoff picture weeks ago.
The Panthers are the odds-on favorite to win the division — a 78 percent chance, per The Athletic — and yet nobody’s quite sure if their quarterback will be around much longer. Bryce Young has engineered six game-winning drives this season, second in the league only to Bo Nix’s seven, but the fact that the Panthers have won only eight games total is a sign that this is a team that needs game-winning drives a little too often. And again, Carolina being a division winner with a below-.500 record is very much on the table.
The Bucs are the four-time defending division champs, and after starting the season 5-1, appeared headed to an easy fifth. But they’ve lost seven of their past eight, including four in a row. They’ve won exactly one game since before Halloween — and that was a three-point victory over the woeful Arizona Cardinals. Everybody on the entire team is injured, including two separate players since you started reading this sentence.
The Saints somehow built an entire 2025 team and forgot they might need an NFL-caliber starting quarterback. They immediately proceeded to go 1-8 to start the season. But they’ve swept the season series against the likely division winner, and they’re on a four-game winning streak. Of course.
This is the division victimized by 28-3 and the Minneapolis Miracle, the division where Cam Newton capped an MVP season with an LVP Super Bowl, where a creamsicle-clad team lost its first 26 games. Sub-.500 teams have won the division twice in the past 11 seasons. So are you at all surprised that the 2025 season might end in a three-way 8-9 tie?
The chaos of the NFC South is glorious to behold, yes. But it might be time to institute some changes. Idea: After this season, relegate the entire division to the SEC and promote some replacements. Bringing Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas into the NFL couldn’t be any weirder than what we’re dealing with now.
Another fantasy football rookie ride in the books. It was fun, frustrating and encouraging all at once, and now, it’s time to grade what actually happened. I’m weighing the full body of work with emphasis on how the back-half closed and what they did for you in December when lineup decisions mattered most. This isn’t a dynasty sermon, it’s a look at 2025 production and how it felt to hit submit with these rookies week in and week out.
Ten rookies, 10 honest blurbs, tough but fair grades, plus a quick 2026 outlook for each. Thanks for rocking with me all year. Final grades, rookie report, end of season. Let’s get it.
Advertisement
Running Backs
TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots — Grade: B+
You drafted TreVeyon Henderson early with sky-high expectations out of Ohio State. The path to this grade wasn’t easy. He had to earn it on the field, earn the coaches’ trust, then cash it in. Early on, the volume wasn’t there and backs like Rhamondre Stevenson and Terrell Jennings were getting work in spots we expected for Henderson. Through Weeks 1-8, he averaged about 5.5 half-PPR points per game and felt more like a stash than a start. For a player with this pedigree, that type of production tested lineups, patience and discipline.
Then the payoff.
Advertisement
From Weeks 9 through 17, Henderson was the RB10 in half-PPR at 15.8 points per game. You look at the season stat line and it reads like a productive rookie year, but what matters is how he arrived there. He went from rotational piece to a trusted part of the plan, working with Stevenson while the offense found its identity behind second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who played like an MVP. Even without a blowup in Week 17, handling 19 carries for 82 yards told you everything about the staff’s confidence in the rookie back.
For the season, Henderson settled at RB25 in PPR at 10.7 per game, which reflects the early drag and the late surge. Henderson’s evaluation accounts for both halves. The early stretch probably cost you starts and challenged your discipline, but the back half gave you a real edge when it mattered most, thanks to a clear usage spike and growing trust.
2026 outlook: TreVeyon Henderson will be a weekly high-end RB2.
Advertisement
Quinshon Judkins, Browns — Grade: C+
Judkins came out hot and it looked like Cleveland had a rookie it could lean on beyond just volume. The line was supposed to open lanes, the offense looked ready to ride him when quarterback play was shaky, and for a while, it worked. Across the full season, Judkins landed in the RB2 range in half-PPR at 11.2 points per game, handled 68% of the RB rushing share and played about 50% of the snaps — a heavier slice than several rookie peers. He logged 230 rush attempts, second among rookies behind Ashton Jeanty, which speaks to the trust he earned right away.
Then the grind hit.
The run blocking cratered, quarterback play never steadied and defenses started squeezing the box. From Weeks 9 through 17 Judkins was the only back in this rookie review who sat below 10 half-PPR points per game. That dip wasn’t about the late-season injury — the offense just wasn’t good enough for sustained drives or high-value touches. The game log tells the story. His final three outings before going out around Christmas brought roughly 20 rushing yards each. His last touchdowns came in November versus the Raiders, where he punched in two; before that, you have to go back to mid-October against Miami.
Advertisement
So why C+? Because the workload and early flash were real, but the back half asked fantasy managers to eat low ceilings every week. That’s not a failing grade — it’s a realistic one. Judkins did his job; he played through tough sledding and there’s plenty to like once (if?) Cleveland fixes some pieces.
2026 outlook: Quinshon Judkins will be a weekly RB2.
RJ Harvey, Broncos — Grade: B
RJ Harvey closed his rookie year on a heater, punching in touchdowns in five straight games — that’s how you finish a fantasy season. Expectations were real the moment Denver spent second-round capital and paired him with Sean Payton. We talked all summer about the role he could command, but the opening act was rough because he split with J.K. Dobbins, who was playing out of his mind. Dobbins was so good that even after going down in early October, he still sits top 25 in rushing, which tells you what Harvey was competing with.
Advertisement
Once the backfield cleared, Harvey answered the call. From the moment Dobbins went out, over the next 10 games, he scored in eight of 10. On the season, he piled up 12 touchdowns — five as a receiver, seven on the ground — and finished in the RB2 range in half PPR at 11.2 points per game. The split view tells the truth about his arc. Through Weeks 1-8, he was RB34 at 8.8 half-PPR points per game and felt like a matchup flex while the staff sorted roles. From Weeks 9-17 he leveled up to RB12 at 13.6 per, delivering startable floors with legit week-winning upside.
Why a B grade? Because the early split held him back long enough to cost lineups, but when the runway opened, he seized it and didn’t let go. That’s a rookie who met the moment.
2026 outlook: RJ Harvey will be a weekly high-end RB2 with RB1 upside.
Advertisement
Omarion Hampton — Grade: B
Hampton’s rookie year was abbreviated, but the impact wasn’t. He only logged nine games and still finished RB16 in half PPR at 13.3 per game. Early on, there was noise about a split with Najee Harris before Najee went down, yet every time Hampton was on the field, he looked like the plan. In Weeks 1-8 he played five games and sat RB14 at 13.4 half-PPR points per game. From Weeks 9-17 he checked in at RB13 at 13.1, a steady drumbeat that never really dipped when Los Angeles needed him most.
Context matters. This was a makeshift offensive line that shuffled pieces all fall, and Hampton still gave us bankable usage. In those nine games, he caught 32 of 35 targets with one receiving score and there was only one game where he dipped below 12 rush attempts. He closed with back-to-back touchdowns and stacked eight receptions in the fantasy championship, exactly the kind of skill set you want from your running back when matchups get tight.
The size-speed receiving combo plays perfectly with Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ pass game, creating easy outlet chances and red-zone looks. Credit to Kimani Vidal for holding serve, but when Hampton returned, he reclaimed the backfield and the staff leaned in.
Advertisement
Why a B grade? Availability counts, but I’m not docking him for the missed time because when he played, he delivered at an RB2 floor with RB1 flashes. That’s what we drafted — a potential bell cow who converts volume into points without empty touches.
2026 outlook: Omarion Hampton will be a weekly RB1.
Ashton Jeanty — Grade: B-
Jeanty was the first running back drafted in 2025 and a first-round fantasy pick in a lot of rooms, so the bar was sky high. Through the full ride, he settled as RB17 in half PPR at 12.9 per game across 16 outings. The role was everything we asked for. He handled 240 carries, had an 85% RB rush share that trailed only Jonathan Taylor and cleared 80% of the team’s RB touches. That’s workhorse stuff.
Advertisement
The season splits tell you how the production landed. Through Weeks 1-8 he sat at RB17 with 12.6 half-PPR points per game. From Weeks 9-17 he nudged up to RB14 with 13.1 per. We got two 100-yard games, two multi-touchdown weeks and a semifinal nuke against Houston that had managers’ chests out before a 60-yard follow-up on the ground versus the Giants in Week 17. He also brought real passing-game value with 52 receptions and five receiving scores to match five rushing touchdowns.
Context matters here. Las Vegas rolled out one of the league’s rougher lines, the quarterback room was chaos, it traded its best receiver and changed play callers mid-season. That’s a lot for any rookie back. Still, when you spend first-round capital, you hope for more than a middling RB2 finish. He didn’t sink lineups, but he rarely carried them outside those spike weeks.
So B- feels fair. Massive volume, solid weekly floor, flashes of the ceiling we chased but not the season-long hammer some expected when the Raiders took him at No. 6.
2026 outlook: Ashton Jeanty will be a weekly high-end RB2.
Fantasy Rookie Report Card – full-season grades. (Photo by Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
Wide Receivers
Tetairoa McMillan — Grade: C+
McMillan closed his season as one of the most utilized wide receivers in the league, exactly the kind of day-in, day-out role we projected when Carolina took him. Across 16 games, he finished as a weekly starter or flex in most builds. The usage lined up with our summer read and put him in the neighborhood of low-end alphas. He had a 24% target share, sat top 15 in total targets and was one of 18 receivers to run over 500 routes. That’s bankable opportunity for a rookie who earned the trust of his offense fast.
Advertisement
The friction point was quarterback play. Bryce Young’s timing and accuracy was up and down all year, and McMillan left a few on the turf with some costly drops of his own. The game logs show it. We got two multi-score weeks, then long stretches where explosives just didn’t connect and the ceiling felt capped by the passing environment. Volume kept him in lineups, but week-to-week volatility made managers live with some thin outcomes while waiting for the next spike.
So C+ is the fair call. The volume said he could be a weekly WR2, but inconsistency from the passing game, plus the occasional drop, pulled him toward WR3 territory in stretches. Net-net, this was solid production for a rookie asked to be a centerpiece while the offense searched for answers. The base is strong, the role is sticky and if the Panthers raise the floor at quarterback, the ceiling will follow.
2026 outlook: Tetairoa McMillan will be a weekly WR2 with room to climb.
Advertisement
Emeka Egbuka — Grade: C+
This one stung. Egbuka opened like a cheat code — two touchdowns in Week 1, another in Week 2, 85 yards in Week 3 then 100 and 163 with touchdowns in back-to-back games — and it felt like we’d found the next early-round hammer. Across the full ride, he still posted 930 yards and six scores, finishing as WR30 in half PPR, but the journey was rough.
Through Weeks 1-5, he averaged over 17 half-PPR points per game and was an automatic start. From Weeks 6-17, he cratered to under 6.5 per game, including a WR66 finish during the fantasy playoffs when managers needed him most. After that white-hot start, he managed just one more 100-yard game and one more touchdown the rest of the way.
Context matters, and it wasn’t all on the rookie. Baker Mayfield’s play wobbled at times, which stalled drives and capped explosives, but Egbuka also had some costly drops and a few near-misses he’d want back. Net-net, it was still a strong rookie season on paper, just wildly volatile for fantasy based on how it started and how it ended. The expectation tax after that opening month is why this lands at C+. You didn’t get a sinkhole, but you didn’t get the league-winner the first month teased either.
Advertisement
The long view stays optimistic. The talent is real, the role should remain stable and any step forward from the passing game puts more of those early-season outcomes back on the menu.
2026 outlook: Emeka Egbuka will be a high-end WR3.
Tight Ends
Harold Fannin Jr. — Grade: A
The rookie curve didn’t faze Fannin at all. Week-to-week, he was Cleveland’s most dependable pass catcher and the tape, plus the box scores, backed it up. He finished his rookie fantasy season as TE9 in half PPR at 9.5 points per game with 107 targets and 72 receptions. Leading the Browns in the three major receiving categories is outstanding for any rookie tight end, let alone a Round 3 pick who wasn’t an every-down player.
Advertisement
After a solid first half, he really turned it on late, scoring five touchdowns across his final five games, including scores in two of three fantasy playoff weeks while navigating extremely volatile quarterback play and at times, an inept offensive game plan. Beyond the counting stats, there’s context you can’t ignore. Fannin is two years younger than Tyler Warren (more on him below), yet both already etched their names in the record book. Warren sits eighth in rookie tight end receiving yards all-time, Fannin is ninth.
Draft cost matters. Fannin was cheaper than the splashier names yet gave managers a steadier drumbeat of usable weeks and one of the best closing stretches at the position. Cleveland wasn’t a good offensive environment, but Fannin earned his role and red-zone looks in spite of it. That’s why he gets an A. Fannin delivered above expectations when everything around him tried to pull him down.
2026 outlook: Harold Fannin Jr. will be a weekly top-five tight end.
Advertisement
Tyler Warren — Grade: C+
Great on paper, uneven in practice. Warren finished the fantasy season as TE12 in half PPR at 9.0 points per game on 104 targets and 71 receptions. From the very first game, it looked like he’d be the focal point with Daniel Jones, and through September, he commanded a heavy slice of the pie. After Week 4, though, he produced just one more game over 70 yards. That Oct. 19 matchup against the Chargers capped a run of three straight touchdowns; after that, he managed only one touchdown over his final nine games, which left managers juggling start-sit calls weekly.
This wasn’t all on Warren. Daniel Jones blew his Achilles. Indianapolis had to call Philip Rivers out of retirement at 44 years old to come off the couch because Riley Leonard couldn’t get it done. The season went off the rails for the Colts. When you have a run game led by one of the best in the league, Jonathan Taylor, all this team needs is consistent quarterback play until Jones is healthy — and when he’s back, you can expect quick throws to his big second-year tight end.
This 2025 tight end class was loaded. Oronde Gadsden II, Harold Fannin Jr. and Colston Loveland landed inside the top 20 all-time for rookie tight end receiving yards (as mentioned, Tyler Warren sits eighth on that list).
Advertisement
The C+ here isn’t a talent ding — it reflects a hot start that turned into a thin finish and the start-sit strain that created. With that run game and steadier QB play, this grade could flip from C+ to A fast. Warren is an extremely talented tight end who should become a focal point of this offense soon, and I have no doubt he’ll deliver in the fantasy playoffs for years to come — this season’s late fade just dragged the mark.
2026 outlook: Tyler Warren will be drafted as a top-five tight end with every-week starter expectations.
Quarterback
Jaxson Dart — Grade: B+
Jaxson Dart finished his rookie fantasy season as the QB14, but this was really about who he outscored on a per-game basis. He posted 17 points per game, outpacing Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love, Bryce Young and J.J. McCarthy despite not opening the year as the Giants’ starter. That output sat in range with Justin Herbert and Jared Goff and just a point behind Bo Nix and Jalen Hurts. Dart delivered QB1 numbers with elite stretches when it mattered.
Advertisement
Once he took the reins, the dual-threat profile popped. He scored in nine straight games, stacked five outings with both a passing and rushing touchdown, and in the fantasy championship, he punched in two on the ground. He ran for 50+ yards six times, topped 200 passing yards five times, threw only five interceptions and finished with 13 passing touchdowns. Dart had four games where he finished as the QB5 or better — week-winning stuff from your quarterback slot.
And none of this lived in a cozy setup. New York fired its head coach midseason, Malik Nabers missed time, Cam Skattebo went down, the line leaked and the defense didn’t offer cover. Dart still produced. If you’re worried about head injuries, you bake that into price, but when he’s on the field, he gives you juice, grit and fantasy points.
So B+ feels right. He didn’t get a full runway, yet he churned out top-end QB production with repeated QB1 spikes when you needed them most.
2026 outlook: Jaxson Dart will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback with a dual-threat floor you start every week.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — If College Football Playoff titles were decided on lack of sleep, Oregon would probably be a shoo-in to win the national championship.
“I’m tired,” said Will Stein, Oregon’s 36-year-old offensive coordinator, which isn’t a surprise when you consider that he’s trying to get ready for Thursday’s CFP quarterfinal against Texas Tech while preparing to be Kentucky’s head coach on a full-time basis as soon as the Ducks’ season ends.
Advertisement
“I’ve got a light job and a night job,” said Tosh Lupoi, the Oregon defensive coordinator who is taking over as head coach at Cal, his alma mater. “When the [game planning] duties are done, late at night and early in the morning, just trying to do anything possible to put us in a good position for the future.”
There’s nothing particularly new about coaching staffs having to balance postseason preparation with impending change. Tennessee dealt with it in 1998 when defensive coordinator David Cutcliffe took the Ole Miss job before the Vols played Florida State in the BCS championship game. Dan Mullen was on his way out the door to Mississippi State in December of 2008 while trying to get Florida’s offense ready to play Oklahoma for the national title. Nick Saban frequently had coordinators in transition during Alabama’s CFP runs — including one, Lane Kiffin, who was dismissed from offensive coordinator duties before the national title game nine years ago because he was too distracted with his new duties at Florida Atlantic.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning himself dealt with this in December of 2021, having taken his current job amidst a national title run at Georgia where he was defensive coordinator.
“The hotel we’re staying at this week, I remember hiring my strength coach in that hotel during the same process of preparing for the Orange Bowl,” Lanning said. “It’s kind of a full-circle moment but I’m very appreciative of the detail they’ve put in. A lot of long nights and not a lot of sleep, but I tell our staff, you sleep when you die.”
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi talk during a game. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
(Dustin Bradford via Getty Images)
What’s unusual, though, is having both coordinators getting ready for the exits — a huge compliment to Oregon’s program — in this new, 12-team playoff world where a potential national title run would tie up coaches until Jan. 19. Meanwhile, the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, meaning both of Oregon’s coordinators could be in the unenviable position of trying to rebuild rosters at their new school while also having to prepare for a CFP semifinal on Jan. 9.
Advertisement
In some cases, that means Lupoi or Stein could be recruiting in the portal against their current employer — or each other.
Stein, in fact, told Yahoo Sports that he’s heading straight from the Orange Bowl to Lexington so that he can work on the transfer portal Friday regardless of result.
“There’s a lot of buckets to fill at both places,” he said. “That’s what I signed up for. It’s a first-world problem.”
Lanning insists nothing has changed about the way Oregon prepared for this game, that both outgoing coordinators have been 100 percent focused on their current jobs when they’re in the building. If the Ducks lose to Texas Tech, they will not use distraction as an excuse.
Advertisement
“I think they both recognize they’d never have the opportunities they have if not for the players at Oregon,” Lanning said. “They feel like they owe it to our players to give their absolute best on the way out.”
Will Stein has been the offensive coordinator at Oregon since 2013 and will be Kentucky’s head coach next season. (Larry Placido/Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Still, the mere existence of this situation highlights one of the major flaws in college football’s calendar. The coaching carousel now takes place in November and early December. With a 12-team playoff now and a strong possibility it will expand to 16 (or more) in the future, it’s common sense that more schools will enter the CFP with coaching staffs that are being picked apart.
But college football does not have to shrug its shoulders and accept that this is merely a cost of doing business.
“I think there’s absolutely a better way,” Lupoi said. “Ultimately, I’m going to operate within the schedule we have. I don’t have a choice in that, so no sense in complaining. But it would be amazing when we’re in these opportunities to go compete for a championship to devote all our time towards that. With the portal being where it is during the playoffs, it’s a very difficult thing to comprehend. That’s the schedule but it sure would make a lot of sense to not have them going at the same time.”
Lupoi said he’s leaning a lot on Cal general manager Ron Rivera and director of player personnel Marshall Cherrington to be ready for the opening of the portal but admits it’s been a challenge to balance both duties.
Lanning said his preferred solution would be for the CFP to wrap up on New Year’s Day. Even if that would require the college season to move up a week and start in late August, Lanning believes college football should utilize every Saturday in December to get in the four playoff rounds without the two-week break between the conference championship games and the first round and the 12-day break between the first round and the quarterfinals.
Advertisement
Having this staccato postseason schedule has also helped the NFL to take over Saturdays in December. Extending the season well into January makes it difficult for college football to sustain momentum and interest as the NFL playoffs gear up.
“Our national championship game is Jan. 19,” Lanning said. “That’s really hard to envision as a coach that’s going out and trying to join a new program and start a staff. It’s hard for players to understand what continuity looks like and where they’re going to be at and to manage that with visits, the portal and everything else that exists. The clear way to do that is to bump the season up and make sure these games happen a lot faster.”
There’s something about the turn of the year that makes us all pause and think about how to make positive changes in our lives. It could be the calendar flip, but it translates to fantasy basketball, too. Or perhaps I’m just in way too many leagues. Either way, seeing “Week 11” in your fantasy basketball league and realizing, wait — we’re nearly halfway through this thing can be shocking. —
The New Year brings reflection with some sense of urgency. And after assessing my squads across multiple leagues, I’ve found a resolution worth committing to: being more active in the trade market.
Advertisement
Trade smarter, not harder
If your fantasy team is stuck in neutral or sinking toward the bottom of the standings, the waiver wire alone won’t save you. It’s time to think bigger.
Assess the field. Which teams are overloaded in assists but weak in big-man stats like boards or blocks? Where do you have leverage? Roster imbalance across the league is inevitable — use it to your advantage.
And don’t guess. It’s not perfect, but utilize Yahoo’s trade market under the research tab to help formulate some trade ideas. The Yahoo Fantasy Trade Market provides a real-time snapshot of trade values and top movers. It’s a scouting report for deal-making, and it helps you gauge what it might take to pull off that swing trade. You have to sift through some noise, but it’s a decent baseline to get going.
Trading is strategy (and fun)
There’s always that balance with trades — figuring out the right time to move on from a player who’s been playing well, or whether it’s worth taking a shot on someone who’s underperforming. Selling high can feel uncomfortable, but sometimes it’s what sets your team up for the long haul. And buying low? It could change your season, or not work out at all.
Advertisement
That’s just part of the game and timing is everything. Shooters shoot!
Just don’t be that manager sending B.S. offers. No one wants to open a trade proposal full of bench guys for their best players. Keep it fair and reasonable. We’re all grown, we’re all busy. Respect people’s time and if you want to deal, make a competitive offer. Show the other manager you understand their needs, too.
Remember, it’s a negotiation, not a heist. The back-and-forth should be part of the fun – not an instant dismissal.
Midseason moves matter
The season is about 40% complete. The contenders are separating from the pretenders and we’re approaching the moment where every move counts. Got off to a slow start? There’s still time to fix it. Made a bad draft pick? Trade out of that business. This is the part of the season where you can still reshape your roster for a playoff push.
Advertisement
If you’re sitting eighth or ninth in your league — or even lower — one or two savvy trades could flip the script.
If you’re on top? Stay proactive. If you’ve built a comfortable margin, start thinking about how the playoff schedule will look. Depth, balance and planning ahead win championships.
Resolution Recap
This year, I’m resolving to trade more — and trade better. Use your resources. Know your leverage. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Oh, and have fun. Now go make a move!
The new year is here and, as we keep pushing in the regular season, now we get to the fun part. We know about teams’ identities, what they do well and what they struggle with. A new year brings a new opportunity, a new set of goals, a chance to reset. Let’s take a look around the league to see what should happen more (or less) for all 30 teams going forward.
Show anything that resembles multiple efforts on defense. It would be more fun to highlight the career years from Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu if the Hawks were defending. Heading into the last day of 2025, the Hawks have lost 11 of their past 13 games with opponents averaging 127.2 points a night and shooting 50.4% from the field. The Hawks may want to keep the ball in front on closeouts and avoid overhelping; take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Advertisement
Practice mindfulness and live in the present. By that I mean Boston should stick with the process that’s pushed it to third in the East until the wheels fall off. Coach Joe Mazzulla has this team ready to compete on a nightly basis. The Celtics lead the NBA with the fewest turnovers per game (12.3), while 66.3% of their field-goal attempts and 64.4% of their points have come from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons. Everyone else knows his role, takes the opportunity and works to contribute. Resist the urge to bring Jayson Tatum back, please.
Invest in yourself and what you have been doing. Seven of the Nets’ 10 wins this season have come this month. In December, they have held teams to 104.6 PPG, which is about five points better than the second-ranked Clippers (and the Celtics and Thunder) in that span. So, continue to build, give the effort defensively, allow room for the young guys to grow and enjoy the bucket-getting of Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas.
Prepare for a shift or change. This is the year where you hand the keys to Kon Knueppel, leave no stone unturned to know what Brandon Miller is, and play Moussa Diabaté and Sion James to fill the gaps. You won’t have every answer, but it will be a letdown if you don’t find clarity.
Advertisement
It’s time for a journey of self-discovery. We’ve gotten used to the Bulls having a level of star power but just competing for the play-in, only for them to pivot, play with more youth, pace and tempo and … compete for the play-in. This team has two five-game win streaks this season and two losing streaks of five or more, and I would just like to see what the next step is outside of fun offensive basketball.
Change the pattern at the start of the year. Whether it has been their defense lacking consistency, the offense generally being a whole lot of Donovan Mitchell and 3s, or injuries breaking their rhythm, this has not been where the Cavs thought they would be entering 2026. With Darius Garland and Evan Mobley both being healthy again, maybe the Cavs can look within and remember who they are as a team. If the defense gets back to a certain level, and if the offense is able to get defenses in rotation to generate good looks, a run can be had.
Advertisement
Understand the future is now. It’s Cooper Flagg’s team. The rookie’s growth when it comes to aggression and patience is what the franchise needs to embrace for the rest of the season.
Build off the momentum of early success. The Nuggets enter 2026 with four of their five starters injured. But early on they displayed a high level of versatility on defense and a unique connection on offense; don’t let go of the rope. Nikola Jokić has been incredible, Jamal Murray has stayed consistent, and Aaron Gordon’s usage has added a different layer. The Nuggets must build and maintain until they get everyone back.
Advertisement
Show gratitude for the work you’ve put in and a belief that you have enough. No one expected the Pistons to be on top of the Eastern Conference to start 2026, so I’d resist the urge to swing for the fences and instead see how far this roster can take you. Cade Cunningham is one of two players in the NBA averaging 26-plus points, 9-plus assists and 6-plus rebounds (the other is Nikola Jokić), Jalen Duren has emerged as a consistent force, and the defense has elevated Detroit toward the top. Many a team has proven there is no problem with knowing exactly what you may need before you alter what you have.
It’s time to shake up this sitcom. The Warriors started 4-1 and have been fighting .500 ever since. They shouldn’t be 4-6 when Stephen Curry scores 30 or more points. So, buy in to the little things on both ends of the floor. Offensively, find a way to execute to avoid clutch games. On defense, build a consistency to give yourself some wiggle room. Set Jonathan Kuminga free and move forward.
Advertisement
Fix the clutch-time issues and lock in your lineups. Kevin Durant’s shot-making has been way too good and important for this team to fall short. The two-man game with Alperen Şengün has paid dividends throughout the season. Understand the attention those two will receive and, whether it’s Tari Eason or Reed Sheppard, continue to make teams pay. Learn the lesson now and let it pay off down the line.
Pascal Siakam, stay hydrated and get a journal for reflection. Everyone else, get well soon. Siakam has had an unbelievable year, but everyone misses Pacers basketball. I’m not sure the slippage on both ends is a proper reflection of who this team is at its core.
Advertisement
Remember your identity. Kawhi Leonard has sent a reminder of exactly what he does, and James Harden remains one of four players in the NBA averaging at least 25 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. You need defense around that to give yourself wiggle room offensively. The efforts of Kris Dunn, Nic Batum and a resurgent Brook Lopez have reopened a door. If that doesn’t move you, just feed Kawhi whatever he has been eating for the last two weeks.
Commit to habits that give you the best chance to win long term. We have seen brilliance from Luka Dončić, consistent growth from Austin Reaves and a return of LeBron James. At the end of the day, though, this team has limitations on the defensive end that it needs to take off the table. When the Lakers work to keep the ball in front, show early help and make multiple efforts defensively, they give themselves a chance. When they don’t, the margin for error is slim to none. If they want to make the most of their early start, they have to recommit to the little things.
Advertisement
Find an in-between on offense. The Grizzlies have found success within their offensive system, but must mix in what Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. bring to the table. The movement and flow has worked for pockets of the system; now add the drives of Morant, add the versatility of Jackson and make it all come together.
Continue to mix in pick-and-roll. The Heat lead the NBA in drives per game (61.9), with their ability to space the floor and continuously flow into drive-and-kick being the base of their offense. Adding more pick-and-roll for Norman Powell is a way to get defenses to react when they are able to keep the ball in front; keep Bam Adebayo involved; and flow into what’s kept pressure on defenses early on this season. It’s helpful to have pick-and-roll in your back pocket when size and length are keeping the drives in front.
Advertisement
Try their best to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo from leaving. It’s the start of a new year, full of new possibilities and good vibes that fill the room like a humidifier. If the Bucks can keep Antetokounmpo from leaving, whatever other resolution I’d put here would be the equivalent of committing to going to the gym and hitting snooze on the alarm clock on Day 2.
It’s Anthony Edwards’ time. There will be some bad losses, there will be some great wins, and the offensive improvements will be felt once the defense hits a consistent level. But Edwards is on a mission. Trust and believe in that.
Advertisement
Entrust Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears with minutes to grow. Fears always looks to get downhill, and Queen’s playmaking and driving ability open up movement. That should allow Trey Murphy and Herb Jones room to attack and get in the paint. Throw in the sudden nature of Zion Williamson attacking space, and you have a recipe to be an annoying team in the second half of the season.
Keep a balanced diet offensively. The commitment to pace, tempo and flow has empowered the Knicks’ roster. Seven Knicks players average 10 or more points per game. In December, the team had five or more players score in double-digits in 10 out of 13 games. The Knicks are 14-2 on the season when they have 28 or more assists and 9-0 this season when they have 30 or more assists. Jalen Brunson has led the dance, but consistent production throughout the team has allowed the Knicks to thrive.
Advertisement
Keep doing everything you’ve been doing (and do it better against the Spurs). This is a disruptive defense and a decisive offense led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Keep the faith offensively. The Magic went from averaging 120.9 points a night in November to 112.9 in December and, according to NBA.com, went from having the seventh-best offensive rating in November (119.5) to 26th in December (111.2). Desmond Bane’s drives and playmaking have been key, the aggression from Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black have helped elevate them, and the tempo opens room for quicker decisions from Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. If they can get back to the decisive, out-of-the-mud offense, things could pay off in the playoffs with their defensive potential.
Advertisement
Commit to putting together the puzzle pieces. The Sixers have one losing streak of three games or more and one winning streak of more than three games. Tyrese Maxey has been a constant force on offense with his scoring and speed. A commitment to drive-and-kick and movement has opened a window for VJ Edgecombe to consistently contribute. It also gives wiggle room as Paul George returns to form. Live for the nights where you see Joel Embiid looking to drive the basketball and protect the rim. If they can put it all together, they may not be a team people want to see in the playoffs.
Stay low-key, stay under the radar. The Suns have quietly become a team no one enjoys facing. The defensive effort stands on its own, and Devin Booker has been moved around the court to attack in different areas. Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale have been key cogs of the lineup, and Dillon Brooks is no longer just staring you down in warmups; he’s staring you down with 3s and pull-up jumpers. The task was to be annoying; keep doing it.
Advertisement
Get the next steps from Shaedon Sharpe. A defensive base has been established in Portland, but the Blazers must ensure that their promising 22-year-old guard puts together the athleticism, scoring and playmaking with patience.
“The things which hurt, instruct.” Read all the inspirational quotes you can, hope you can get as much development from Keegan Murray as possible and don’t notice the DNPs surrounding Keon Ellis and Malik Monk at various points.
Nail down the blend of your talent and swing for the fences. Why not? Victor Wembanyama has been on a mission all year long. In his absence, they found 48 minutes of guard play from De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. Get the most out of that, and keep pressure on offenses knowing Wemby can protect on the back end. The Spurs have defeated the Thunder three times; harness that and push forward.
Advertisement
Keep your balance offensively. RJ Barrett’s return from injury should slot everyone into their roles and get the Raptors back toward the level they displayed early. They can have a stronger starting lineup and better balance as they stagger. Those lineups should allow them to unlock Scottie Barnes as a roller on top of his ability to drive the basketball. Brandon Ingram’s shotmaking has continuously drawn attention from defenses and balanced the Raptors’ attack when they need to make plays.
Get back to winning games at home. In my 38 years on this earth, the Jazz have had a losing record at home only three times. Trust the offense and do the thing that will keep Will Hardy from cussing you out on social media.
Get buckets. Never stop getting buckets. Never ever stop getting buckets.
When it came to fantasy running backs, a weird thing happened in 2025 in that, well … nothing happened. What I mean is that almost every single year, the running back position sees huge, massive, seismic shifts. It’s the most volatile position in football because of injuries and the relatively short prime years the game’s stars enjoy.
It’s the whole premise behind backups and the Zero-RB movement; those strategies work when there is chaos at the running back position. But for the last couple of years, the position has really enjoyed a lot of stability.
Advertisement
2025’s top RB scorers (through 17 weeks)
1. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers — 356.9 half-PPR fantasy points
2. Jonathan Taylor, Colts — 334.4
3. Bijan Robinson, Falcons — 325.5
4. Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions — 309.6
5. De’Von Achane, Dolphins — 289.3
6. James Cook, Bills — 284.2
7. Derrick Henry, Ravens — 259.4
8. Kyren Williams, Rams — 235.7
9. Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars — 231.6
10. Chase Brown, Bengals — 231.1
11. Javonte Williams, Cowboys — 225.3
12. Josh Jacobs, Packers — 219.1
The Other Shoe Never Dropped
All the bad stuff Zero RB’ers were waiting on largely died on the vine. Christian McCaffrey was supposed to be a massive injury risk. He didn’t miss a single game and finished in a familiar spot as the game’s top-scoring running back in PPR formats.
Advertisement
“There is absolutely no way in hell James Cook III is going to score at the rate he did last year!” He had 18 touchdowns last year; he has 14 through 16 games this year. He was the RB8 in 2024; he finished as the RB6 in 2025. That’s a giant DX crotch chop to you regression nerds!
The Curse of 370 was a dark, shadowy spectre looming over the shoulders of Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry entering drafts. And while there’s no question both backs saw noticeable dips in efficiency, the bite was largely de-fanged.
Sure, Saquon was a disappointment, drafted as the RB2 but finished as the RB14, but he wasn’t the reason why you lost. He played 16 games and while he whiffed during championship week, he had fewer than 8.5 PPR points in just three games this year. He wasn’t a league-winner like he was last year but he was a consistent contributor with a few spike weeks. You would’ve liked more given his draft price but overall, he was still a good player.
Advertisement
Derrick Henry had 16 touchdowns last year, another 16 this year and tacked on another 1,600 scrimmage yards onto his Hall of Fame tally. Henry’s biggest problem was actually that his coach forgot he existed for large portions of games. Oh, and by the way, he did this at the age of 31! Henry treated the 2025 season like he did the 2018 Jags, stiff-arming TWO negative narratives into the dirt.
Young Players Never Materialized
Rookies or sneaky second-year players always seem to jump to the forefront of the fantasy landscape — think Bucky Irving and De’Von Achane last year. But this year? There was a shocking lack of season-long, high-end production from young players.
Advertisement
Ashton Jeanty’s season was rocky as he posted five games of fewer than 8.5 PPR points, and while I thought he showed truly elite upside for stretches of games, the Raiders’ offensive line and coaching madness were too much for him to overcome.
Drafted as a top 6-7 running back (🫲6 7🫱) he finished as the RB13 on the season. Like Barkley, he wasn’t bad, he just wasn’t quite what we wanted in fantasy.
I was told Travis Etienne Jr. was actually terrible and that Tank Bigsby was going to take over the Jags backfield. Then Tank was traded, and then I was told this was a move to actually get Bhayshul Tuten the rock more so that he could overtake ETN. Meanwhile, Etienne just kept plugging away.
TreVeyon Henderson was downright dominant from Weeks 10-15, averaging 22.6 PPR points across those five games, but other than those handful of contests, he was largely unplayable as Rhamondre Stevenson consistently held onto the starting gig.
Advertisement
I thought Quinshon Judkins was going to take off but after a hot start, he cooled considerably. He averaged 15.5 PPR PPG from Weeks 2-5, then 10.8 PPG from Week 6 on, five times scoring single-digit PPR points.
Cam Skattebo could have been that guy but, unfortunately, he got hurt. Omarion Hampton and RJ Harvey were terrific down the stretch but were unplayable until distressingly late into the season.
Woody Marks, Kyle Monangai and Jacory Croskey-Merritt had their moments and will be intriguing players going into next year, but were at best role players this year.
And remember Kaleb Johnson??? Drafted as a high-upside, top-30 running back prospect, a player who should have been a perfect schematic fit apparently evaporated after Arthur Smith did his yearly nonsense.
Advertisement
The Biggest Surprises
Javonte Williams, Cowboys
I mentioned Etienne earlier and there’s no question him finishing as the RB10 through Week 17, after being drafted around RB30, is one of the season’s biggest surprises. That being said, there was no bigger out-of-left-field season than Javonte Williams in Dallas.
EVERYONE thought he was toast after injury-ravaged seasons in Denver but he announced his arrival in Week 1 in an island game with a 20-spot and just kept on producing. He carried teams to early-season winning records and even though he slowed a touch in the back half (going from 17.3 to 12.4 PPR PPG), he rarely crushed your team. He only had one single-digit PPR game after his Week 10 bye and finished the season as the RB11.
Advertisement
Rico Dowdle, Panthers
From Week 5 to 15, Uncle Rico was a top-10 fantasy back, averaging a whopping 17.4 PPR PPG. This was all found money as well, considering Rico was a running back taken outside the top 55 at the position. In the vast majority of leagues, he was a waiver wire hero. Before you consider this a fluky season, keep in mind, Dowdle has now put together BACK-TO-BACK 1,300-yard seasons for two different teams. Give this man his proper due.
Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers
It’s unfortunate Gainwell flopped during championship week (6.8 points in PPR) because otherwise, he was insanely productive. He’s still arguably the waiver wire pickup of the yea,r considering he’s the RB9 since Week 11. Despite the big finish, I have literally zero clue what this running back rotation looks like next year. It’s because of this lack of clarity I imagine he’ll still go in the later rounds of drafts next year, but we’ll see.
Advertisement
The Busts
Speaking of fantasy flameouts, Kaleb Johnson was the most notable rookie bust but despite all the consistency I’ve been yapping about, you can’t tell the story of a fantasy football season without harping on the guys who torpedoed your various teams.
Bucky Irving, Bucs
It’s generally a gentleman’s agreement that professional fantasy analysts don’t bring up injured players when talking about season-long disappointments but it’s worth noting that Bucky lost a lot of juice this year.
After impressing with a 5.4 yards per carry average as a rookie, Irving averaged a lowly 3.4 YPC this past year. That’s a massive dropoff. And this wasn’t just an injury issue. He averaged 3.3 YPC before the injury.
Advertisement
Add to Bucky’s slump was the fact that new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard refused to give him goal-line carries late in the year. Between Weeks 13-17, when Irving returned from injury, he had three carries inside the 10-yard line; Sean Tucker had seven such carries. Bucky, across nine games this year, scored just ONE rushing touchdown. Something to keep in mind for 2026.
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs
A top-25 running back selection, folks thought they were investing in a solid floor guy, considering Pacheco was the clear lead back in what was supposed to be a more explosive KC offense this year. Well … none of that happened. Pacheco averaged an awful 6.7 PPR PPG in the 13 games he played this year. Kareem Hunt was arguably the better back in both real life and in the fake game.
Advertisement
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers
After a surprising breakout season in 2024, compiling 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games, the team added Rico Dowdle in the offseason. That, combined with an early-season injury that lingered, tanked Chuba’s entire 2025 campaign. He saw a nearly 50% reduction in yards (717) and scored just four times across 14 games. Drafted as a top-20 RB, he finished as the RB37.
David Montgomery, Lions
If you were expecting 2024 Ben Johnson usage in 2025 for Montgomery, you played yourself. He was solid early when the offensive line was healthy but from Week 6 on, he averaged just 8.2 PPR points per game; the RB35 in per-game scoring. He cracked double digits in just four of his last 11 games played.
Advertisement
It’s a slow drip but as Jahmyr Gibbs has ascended, Montgomery has gotten slightly fewer snaps, saw slightly fewer targets and, most importantly, saw a slight reduction in goal-line carries. That, combined with fewer scoring opportunities in general (DET went from 33.2 PPG to 28.9 PPG), meant he wasn’t scoring touchdowns at an absurd rate. It’s hard to see any of that bouncing back in 2026, especially as Montgomery is entering his age-29 season.
The wide receiver position took some wild twists and turns during the 2025 NFL season. We saw big performances from superstars, with letdowns at all levels. The position was dominated by Year 3 to 4 wideouts; six of the top-12 scorers on a per-game basis were receivers in their third or fourth season.
This is an area of players’ careers to bet on going forward. The fantasy community is way too quick to label a player as “he is what he is” after just a couple of seasons in the NFL. Making those labels for a handful of these guys, particularly several of the names coming up in the “Best Performers” section below, was a losing bet in 2025. This will be a fascinating conversation to revisit in the offseason when analyzing the outlook for what was a disappointing — and not all due to factors within their control — crop of second-year receivers this past season.
Advertisement
2025’s top WR scorers (through 17 weeks)
1. Puka Nacua, Rams — 289.5 half-PPR points
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks — 289
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions — 246.1
4. George Pickens, Cowboys — 244
5. Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals — 231.5
6. Chris Olave, Saints — 219
7. Davante Adams, Rams — 192.9
8. Nico Collins, Texans — 190.7
9. Courtland Sutton, Broncos — 181.7
10. A.J. Brown, Eagles — 181.3
11. Jameson Williams, Lions — 177
12. Zay Flowers, Ravens — 172.5
The other thing you’ll note from the top scorers at the position is that the archetype of a leading receiver in today’s NFL is changing. Almost none of the top wideouts in the league are used as pure (or in some cases even mostly) X-receiver roles anymore. The league is now dominated by power slots like Amon-Ra St. Brown or guys who at least move around the formation. You still need to be a high-end man coverage-beating wideout to be the top target over an extended stretch for a healthy passing game, especially if you don’t have an elite quarterback, but the archetype of leading wideouts has slowly been evolving over the last few seasons.
Advertisement
It came to a head in 2025.
Another theme that’s more anecdotal than anything else is that it sure feels like wide receiver injury rates are on the rise. Again, that is more of a feeling than anything else. However, we watched a season where tons of big names missed time, which also happened in 2024, as well. There might be deeper issues at play but part of me wonders if this is also a consequence of modern passing games looking to take advantage of the middle of the field more than ever. If we’re going to deploy wideouts in this move-around fashion, they aren’t just going to be ducking out of bounds on boundary routes or taking hits on vertical routes from corners. You’re going to end up taking licks over the middle by bigger bodies, and the league is incentivizing these defenders to hit lower more than ever, based on the rules.
It’s one example, but I think about the knee injuries adding up for a guy like Garrett Wilson, who was deployed more in that move-around, over-the-middle fashion after being a pure boundary option in Aaron Rodgers’ style of offense in 2023 and 2024.
Advertisement
The final big picture note to make for this position: it’s time for a major market correction on the dominance WR holds in today’s fantasy game. This may not hold over the long term, but running backs have been outproducing wide receivers for each of the last two years. There were 20 flex-eligible players to score 14 or more half-PPR fantasy points per game this season. A whopping 13 of them were running backs, including seven in the top-nine scorers. I love studying and discussing wide receivers and when you hit on a mid-round gem, as we’ll discuss here, it’s a huge win. However, until we see the league meta shift back to what we watched in the late 2010s and early 2020s (if it ever does) we need to adjust the way we attack wide receivers relative to other positions.
Biggest Surprises
Christian Watson, Packers
The Packers’ receiver corps has been an object of sick fascination of mine for the last few seasons, because it’s a deep room with no clear leading man but the overall offensive environment lends itself to passing production. I spent so much time talking about the group in the offseason. Yet, one outcome I didn’t imagine was that Christian Watson would return midseason and play the best football of his career after tearing his ACL in January 2025. That is exactly what happened. Watson wasn’t being drafted in most leagues but finished as the WR16 in points per game.
Advertisement
Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants
I’ve been critical of Wan’Dale Robinson’s game during his NFL career but credit where it’s due, he took things to a new level this year. He’s seen 140 targets and caught 92 passes through 17 weeks this season, nearly identical to the 140 and 93 he had all of last year. This season, he’s already cleared 1,000 yards after finishing with 699 in 2024. Robinson took a career-low 56% of his snaps in the slot and averaged 8.5 air yards per target. He simply got better as an outside and downfield wideout in Year 4 en route to a WR21 points-per-game finish.
Quentin Johnston, Chargers
Very early on this season, it was apparent that Quentin Johnston was a different player than the guy we saw in Years 1 and 2. This coaching staff has a much better handle on how to involve him as a run-after-catch threat than what he was tasked with in his rookie season. Johnston wasn’t consistent throughout the entire season and did have down weeks, but he ultimately led the Chargers in yards per game (52.5) and touchdowns (eight). That counts as a surprise. He was the WR24 in points per game this season.
Advertisement
Michael Wilson, Cardinals
Michael Wilson was one of the pleasant-surprise stories in the wide receiver world this season. Quietly, Wilson has always been a player who has flashed some ability to be a starting outside receiver in the NFL:
When Marvin Harrison Jr. was removed from the lineup, the targets consolidated around Wilson and Trey McBride in a shallow group of pass catchers on an offense that was relentlessly throwing the football with Jacoby Brissett in negative game script. It was a perfect storm for passing production that was certainly a fantasy scam; the Cardinals won just one of Brissett’s starts.
Advertisement
However, Wilson can play and that was revealed this season. He ended the year as the WR26 in points per game.
Best Performers
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba went off the board in the third round of most fantasy drafts this summer and well outperformed those expectations. He averaged a whopping 3.72 yards per route run and gained a first down on 16.5% of his routes. It was one of the most efficient receiver seasons in recent years. He did it while working as an outside receiver in a new offense after previously being a slot-heavy option. Smith-Njigba’s ascension to elite status was a treat to watch.
Advertisement
George Pickens, Cowboys
Won’t get them all right; never will. However, George Pickens being one of the best picks you could make at wide receiver this season after being my biggest flag-plant player in my Draft Day Blueprint was a nice hit. Not only did Pickens get a boost by going to a pass-first offense in Dallas with a massive quarterback upgrade in Dak Prescott, he’s also gotten better in each of his pro seasons. Pickens was productive regardless of whether CeeDee Lamb was available or not. He finished the year as the WR6 in per-game scoring.
Chris Olave, Saints
One of the things I found out this summer whenever I put content out about him was that people thought Chris Olave was actually not good at football, in addition to the concussion concerns. Seemingly, the only reason for this was that he never had big games in fantasy or was a letdown pick relative to ADP.
Advertisement
It was absolute nonsense.
Always be ready to take advantage of these situations because it was pretty easy to see that was not true by the eye test, Reception Perception, advanced stats, etc. The bigger issue was never Olave; it was that he’d never played a full season in a well-designed offense or with a quarterback he had good chemistry with. Both of those boxes were checked by Kellen Moore’s system and especially Tyler Shough ascending to the starting job. Olave finished the fantasy season as the WR9 in points per game.
Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Rams
Puka Nacua is the current WR1 in points per game and Davante Adams the WR8. It was an awesome year to draft a Rams wideout, as this passing tree was incredibly consolidated around these two options. The Rams’ push to more 13 personnel only increased the per-route target numbers for Nacua and Adams. You even got a slight August discount on both amid the Matthew Stafford back scares from training camp.
Advertisement
Biggest busts — and what needs to change for them to turn things around
Justin Jefferson, Vikings
Justin Jefferson is off to one of the best starts in NFL history for a wide receiver. And yet, he’s not impervious to a falloff in a bad offensive environment with poor quarterback play. Even when J.J. McCarthy started to stack some viable weeks toward the end of the season, it was a struggle to get Jefferson the ball on the difficult perimeter routes.
If we’re calling balls and strikes, Jefferson also left some plays on the field with drops. That can usually be mitigated if you have a functional passer, which Minnesota didn’t. We’ll either need to see a big jump from McCarthy or a serious veteran addition before getting Jefferson anywhere near his old status in fantasy rankings.
Advertisement
Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars
The 2025 season was a lost one for Brian Thomas Jr. right from the jump. He has likely played through injuries all season but also didn’t play well going over the middle of the field or consistently working through zone coverage. Those are requirements for NFL WR1s in today’s game. It was just a bad season for him, no way around it. The Jaguars eventually started rebuilding him by moving him into a mostly X-receiver role where he almost exclusively ran vertical and out-breaking routes. That move helps get the best out of Thomas but it’s a naturally low-volume and borderline sacrificial role in Liam Coen’s offense. Even if he’s healthier and cuts back on drops in 2026, he’s going to need a role change to get back to the production he had as a rookie.
Ladd McConkey, Chargers
Ladd McConkey falling from WR11 in ADP to WR37 in points per game was a huge bummer and something I didn’t see coming. As for why it happened, I think it is as simple as the pass-catching group was way more crowded in 2025 than anticipated, and the offensive line has, at this point, become untenable. You can’t run a normal passing game with it in its current state and I’m not sure they’ve done a good job coaching around it. McConkey is someone I’d be comfortable betting on as a rebound candidate if Keenan Allen isn’t back next season and guys like Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt return to the lineup at tackle.
Advertisement
Xavier Worthy, Chiefs
I’ve always been a skeptic of Xavier Worthy as a high-volume starting outside receiver. It’s fair to note he got hurt in Week 1 and that may have sunk his whole season but there wasn’t much evidence that he could be that guy in 2025. Worthy just doesn’t have the skill set as a separator to inhale a high target load at his size as a perimeter receiver. He needs role catering but that can’t happen in the Chiefs offense because Rashee Rice gets that treatment. I’d be hard-pressed to bet on Worthy bouncing back in 2026.
Honestly, I can see why a quarterback wins the MVP every year. I know, that’s for real football. But on the fantasy football side of the shield, QB might be the only position where you can say the name of your starter, and folks can gauge how well your season went. Tell a friend you drafted Drake Maye and watch them smile, as if they already know you won your league.
And then mention to someone else that you had Patrick Mahomes and expect the opposite reaction.
Advertisement
2025’s top QB scorers (through 17 weeks)
1. Josh Allen, Bills — 374.5 standard fantasy points
2. Drake Maye, Patriots — 343.5
3. Matthew Stafford, Rams — 331.6
4. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars — 326.8
5. Dak Prescott, Cowboys — 323.1
6. Caleb Williams, Bears — 305.7
7. Bo Nix, Broncos — 305.3
8. Jalen Hurts, Eagles — 305
9. Justin Herbert, Chargers — 299.8
10. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs — 295.7
11. Jared Goff, Lions — 288.9
12. Baker Mayfield, Bucs — 268.7
It’s not that the other positions don’t matter. Ask anyone with Derrick Henry. But we start more players with those non-QB designations. Meanwhile, as it is for most franchises, our rosters rise and fall with our QBs. So, let’s look at the best (and worst) of the 2025 season with the signal-callers in mind, and what we should be looking for next year.
Advertisement
OK, So What Happened Again?
It feels like a lifetime ago, but let’s rewind to August. You know, back when we all believed our draft day decisions would eventually lead us to a championship. But, of course, the market still had a say in how we built our squads:
I’ll say this. Hindsight has got to be 20/20 because my foresight is 20/200. Four of the QBs in this list ended the season on IR. Of the remaining eight, four missed significant time. And Baker Mayfield? Well, I’ll get to him in a bit.
However, there is at least one positive takeaway. We weren’t too far off base in categorizing these passers as potential QB1s. Besides, for most of them, their passing wasn’t the only allure. The Konami Code still reigns in 2025, and we saw that come to fruition throughout the first eight weeks of the season.
After 2024, we (and I’m using the royal “we” here) boosted hybrid signal-callers into the QB1 discussion. Two-thirds of the above list had top-12 marks in fantasy points per game as runners the prior year. And the same was true through Week 8.
Advertisement
Our starters were averaging 21.4 rushing yards per game (or 3.8 FPPG as runners). It’s why we were right to keep guys like Daniel Jones (QB13) and Jaxson Dart (QB14) on our fantasy speed-dials. A dual-threat ability still gives us the best shot at accessing a weekly ceiling at the position. Of the 22 instances where a quarterback scored more than 30 points (i.e., what won you your week), 13 of them featured a performance with at least six of those fantasy points (aka, a touchdown) coming from them running the ball.
However, as the NFL likes to do, chaos changed the landscape of the entire league.
Since the Colts are out of the playoff race, Indianapolis pulling 44-year-old, retired Philip Rivers back into action deserves more discussion. But we can save that for the offseason. However, the Colts’ problems weren’t too different than everyone else’s. Fifty-one different QBs had two or more starts this season. Reminder, there are only 32 teams. And as fantasy managers had to scramble through the minefield that was the waiver wire for viable passers, we had to evaluate not just the player, but their situation, too.
Advertisement
Some of the mid- and late-season heroes were like solving a problem in reverse. Nobody thought Jacoby Brissett would (or should) average 41.2 attempts per game. But Trey McBride was a consensus TE1, and Michael Wilson, as the lone WR, was whatever we thought Marvin Harrison Jr. would be. The same logic applied to Tyler Shough with Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson. With the production intersection at the QB spot, instead of looking at the production flowing out from under center, the pass-catchers would be the ones doing the heavy lifting.
In any case, let’s dig into a few specific players and see what we can take from this year and apply it to 2026.
The Biggest Surprises and Best Performers
Josh Allen, Bills
I recognize this comes on the heels of Josh Allen overthrowing his receiver for what would’ve been a game-winning two-point conversion. As a unit, the Bills’ WRs have generated the 12th-fewest receiving yards per game and rank 22nd or lower in touchdowns (11 total) and first downs (6.1 per game). Accordingly, Allen ranks just outside of the top 12 in passing yards per game (14th). However, his rushing ability remains unmatched both on the field and in the boxscore. With the leader of Bills Mafia leading all QBs in rushing yards and TDs, Allen will have yet another early-round ADP even if Buffalo waits another year to add to its receiving room.
Advertisement
Drake Maye, Patriots
Fantasy managers got enough of a glimpse of Drake “Drake Maye” Maye last year to understand his potential in fantasy. After taking over for Jacoby Brissett, the then-rookie averaged 34.1 rushing YPG and two TDs. The only hesitation was whether or not a pass-catching corps headlined by a 31-year-old WR coming off an ACL injury would be enough in Maye’s first full year. But as Maye sits in first among all QBs in EPA per dropback with Stefon Diggs and Hunter Henry, and none of his pass-catchers over 1,000 yards, his case to be the MVP isn’t outlandish.
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
A lot’s happened this season, but I remember Trevor Lawrence brushing off HC Liam Coen’s criticism like a son unbothered by their parent. Lawrence, unable to get in sync with either Brian Thomas Jr. or Travis Hunter, was a growing concern. But one Jakobi Meyers trade later, Lawrence is looking like the player we expected coming out of Clemson a half-decade ago, with the 11th-most passing yards per game (234.5). But the surprise part of the “2025 T-Law Experience” has been the rushing component. As we saw with Mayfield under Coen, Lawrence has hit career-high marks in yards (348) and scores (9) as a runner. With Thomas and Hunter (hopefully) contributing more next season, Lawrence should be a staple of the middle rounds in fantasy drafts.
Advertisement
Matthew Stafford, Rams
I had no idea what an ammortal chamber was until I saw one parked next to the Rams’ practice field in August. But I did understand what a back injury meant for a 37-year-old QB behind an average offensive line. Or at least I thought I did. Matthew Stafford has put together nothing short of an MVP season. He’s top-three in every stat, from passing success rate to yards per game, while setting a new career-high in TDs thrown in a single season. Sure, it benefits having Puka Nacua and Davante Adams (the King of Goal-Line Routes) on the opposite end of your throws. But defenses are still trying to get after Stafford. Teams have blitzed Stafford at the sixth-highest rate, but he’s taken the fewest sacks of any full season he’s played. We can debate if he plays in ’26 later, but this result was hard to foresee, given what we were hearing towards the end of summer.
Let’s Hope Things Get Better Next Year
Baker Mayfield, Bucs
Mayfield carried a QB9 price tag and closed out the fantasy season as the QB15 in PPG. So, I might be stretching the definition of bust, but two top-12 finishes over the last two months feels like a letdown to me. However, the thing I’ll be looking for signs of is a less-aggressive passing scheme.
Advertisement
Mayfield’s passing aDOT was up to 8.8 air yards through the first three weeks of the season. That was at about the same time when his offensive linemen were dropping like flies. Luckily, he was hitting on his intermediate and deep shots to Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka, but Mayfield was below Spencer Rattler in passing success rate. Plus, after Evans went down, there was no adjustment.
Egbuka just slid into the “Evans’ role,” forcing the rookie to play as the iso-X receiver on 71.9% of his snaps with a 12.3-yard receiving aDOT. So it’s no surprise that Mayfield’s EPA per pass attempt dropped, and the interceptions and sacks increased. And when both Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. returned, even with a bum (non-throwing) shoulder, there was no shift to make things simpler, bumping the Bucs’ first-round WR into a timeshare with Jalen McMillan.
Mayfield’s best season in Tampa came with him averaging over a yard less on a per-attempt basis (7.0). I’d expect him and the coaching staff to try to get back to more shorter-area concepts with their younger receivers in 2026.
Advertisement
Jayden Daniels, Commanders
Here’s my foolproof, two-point plan for Jayden Daniels to have a bounce-back season: stay healthy and add a receiver. Sounds simple, right? Well, maybe not the first part. A chest injury limited Daniels throughout some of his rookie campaign, and multiple ailments sidelined him this season. Regardless, even when he was out there, the downfield magic wasn’t on display as often, indicating the Commanders need another boost to their pass-catching corps. But not just any receiver will fit the bill.
Daniels threw to the perimeter on 44.1% of his attempts in 2024. And you can guess who was on the other end of those passes. Terry McLaurin hauled in 43 passes on the boundary for 696 yards and a hilarious 10 TDs. Daniels has still been throwing to that part of the field, but with McLaurin dealing with his own injuries, the Commanders’ entire receiver room hasn’t even totaled McLaurin’s TD mark from last year. The majority of their current group primarily works from the inside. Having a full season of McLaurin should help, but another contested-catch option for Daniels will ensure we get another top-10 campaign out of Washington’s QB1.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Go ahead and add Lamar Jackson to the list of players who could benefit from at least the first part of my strategy to fix Jayden Daniels. But the Ravens don’t need another wide receiver. If anything, they should lean into the personnel already on the roster.
Advertisement
Last season, Jackson was on an MVP trajectory, throwing dots to every eligible pass-catcher with a purple jersey. Accordingly, we saw career-high output from not just Zay Flowers, but the ancillary options like Rashod Bateman and Justice Hill. We even got a return to form for Mark Andrews, as he found the end zone 11 times. But the same formula didn’t work in 2025.
The Ravens ran 11-personnel on 40.2% of their plays (42.9% in ’24). That means, outside of Flowers, at least two of Bateman, Tylan Wallace and DeAndre Hopkins are on the field. And no disrespect to Hopkins, but asking the 33-year-old veteran to play 40.2% of the routes is a choice. And it’s especially confusing when you have not one, not two, but three TEs with a receiving skill set.
Advertisement
Baltimore already has an identity as a power run team with Jackson and Henry. Embrace it. The team could condense its personnel packages to focus on multiple TE sets, featuring both Andrews and Isaiah Likely (assuming Likely re-signs). Similar to how Seattle has kick-started its passing game, a dose of heavy fronts would entice defenses to respond with fewer defenders in coverage. The result? More open throwing lanes for Jackson.
The 2025 fantasy football season gave us two paths to succeeding at the tight end position:
1. Draft Trey McBride
2. Punt, play the value game
McBride’s smash year obviously left a mark. His 119 catches (and 161 targets) are both records for the tight end position. His 302.4 points in full-PPR scoring ranks fifth all-time, trailing Rob Gronkowski (2011), Travis Kelce (2020, 2022) and Jimmy Graham (2013). McBride ranked fourth on the Yahoo MVP list, the chart of the players most commonly on the top-500 teams in Yahoo Public Leagues. If you landed on McBride, you picked a winner.
Advertisement
But you need to power-scroll down that MVP list to find additional tight ends. McBride was on 37.2% of the best teams. After that, among the tight ends, we’re looking at Harold Fannin Jr. (11.8%), Kyle Pitts Sr. (11.4%), Brenton Strange (9.8%) and Darren Waller (9.0%). It can be argued that Strange and Waller are mostly on this list because they reflect how winning managers play, not that they necessarily drove winning managers to success.
If you lump all the tight ends into the wide receiver bucket, McBride comes out as the WR5. He was the right answer here. But it’s tricky to guess where McBride’s story might be headed.
Kyler Murray hasn’t been able to deliver the ball to McBride consistently in the red zone, and although McBride and Jacoby Brissett had a wonderful couple of months this year, that’s not a sustainable business model. The Cardinals are 3-13 and might fire the entire coaching staff. Can they make things work with Murray, who’s at a crossroads at the end of his age-28 season? Brissett is 33, and for all his fun moments this year, Arizona went 1-11 on his watch.
Advertisement
McBride’s ADP will rise to the first or second round next year, and I don’t think I’ll pay the freight. But even mock draft season is a ways off. This is all a pencil sketch; nothing committed to ink yet.
The only tight ends within hailing distance of McBride this year on a per-game basis were the injured stars: George Kittle, Tucker Kraft and Brock Bowers. They played 10, 8 and 12 games, respectively. Kraft would have been a screaming right answer if he hadn’t suffered a torn ACL in Week 9.
Kittle also could have had a special season if health allowed for it. He’s sitting on 52-599-7 for his 10 games, and teammate Jake Tonges has a 24-293-5 log. It’s cheating to combine their stats because Tonges can also produce while Kittle is playing, but stick with the bit. The two tight ends combine for a lovely 76-892-12 line this year, which gets you to about 200 fantasy points. That would be TE2 on this board, or WR8 if you lump the tight ends with the wideouts.
Advertisement
Whatever they’re paying Kyle Shanahan, it probably isn’t enough. His passing-game pieces were consistently hurt all year, but he kept finding ways to win.
2025 Booms at Tight End
The Rookies: Fannin was a miracle worker in Cleveland, charting as the TE5 despite spotty quarterback play around him. I don’t know if Kevin Stefanski will survive after the year, but he was creative with Fannin from Day 1, to success. Tyler Warren (TE7) had a fast start and easily returned his ADP, while Colston Loveland (TE14) was more of a second-half star (three smash games after Week 8). Initially, I worried that the Bears took the wrong tight end, but that feels silly now. Oronde Gadsden II (TE17) was part of a crowded tree with the Chargers but had several useful weeks.
The success of this rookie group encourages us to be open-minded with future rookie classes. Kenyon Sadiq of Oregon is considered the No. 1 prospect for 2026.
Advertisement
The Comeback: Sometimes it’s hard to remember that Pitts is just 25. His season popped late in the year when Drake London and Michael Penix Jr. were both hurt; in one four-game sequence, Pitts rolled up a 31-395-4 line (including a three-touchdown explosion at Tampa Bay). Pitts timed the resurgence well, heading into his free-agent period. From out of nowhere, he finished TE2 this year. He was also second in targets (109), though that was a whopping 52 opportunities below McBride.
Old and Boring — but Useful: Time-honored touchdown deodorant was the story for Dallas Goedert (TE3), Jake Ferguson (TE6) and Hunter Henry (TE9); that trio combined for 25 spikes in all. The six-point plays were essential for Goedert and Henry, because they had just 82 and 80 targets, respectively.
The Sleeper: Juwan Johnson received a juicy extension before the year and if you followed the money, you were rewarded. Johnson pushed off to a strong start and it was a legitimate signal, the start of a useful (if not quite seismic) TE10 season. The Saints are looking up, with Kellen Moore a savvy hire at head coach and QB Tyler Shough an interesting player, no matter that he’s already 26.
Advertisement
2025 Busts at Tight End
Injuries, still the worst: Bowers didn’t return his second-round ADP because his health wouldn’t allow it, though Geno Smith was also a hindrance. Kittle and Sam LaPorta missed significant time, too.
Sometimes Old is just Old: The Broncos envisioned Evan Engram as the joker in their passing game, but the joke was on them. Engram scored just one touchdown and had 47 catches that no one remembers. T.J. Hockenson (51-438-3) wasn’t helped by a messy Minnesota QB room, but he doesn’t have much explosiveness left. He averaged just 8.6 yards a catch. The Ravens extended Mark Andrews for some reason, not sure why. Isaiah Likely isn’t exactly the same player, but he is five years younger. To be fair to Andrews, his lost season was also tied to Lamar Jackson, who was hurt midseason and ineffective after that.
Farewell to Kelce?
Travis Kelce deserves his own category, finishing up what’s likely his final NFL season. His TE4 finish this year was mostly about playing every game; a 73-839-5 log is solid but below his peak, obviously. He’s a walk-in Hall of Famer, and surely on the Mount Rushmore for all-time tight ends. (How about Rob Gronkowski, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Travis Kelce as the Fab 4? I like the sound of that.)
Advertisement
If we examine the seasonal scans for Kelce at the bottom of his Football-Reference page, this is what we get: TE8, TE7, TE1, TE2, TE1, TE1, TE1, TE1, TE2, TE1, TE3, TE10, TE4. That’s just absurd. I still think peak Gronkowski was the best tight end in NFL history, but Kelce easily goes down as the best cumulative fantasy tight end in history.
The Dallas Cowboys are walking away from a player who once looked like the future of the franchise. The team reportedly released cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
The 27-year-old will be subject to waivers before hitting the free-agent market. Due to the nature of Diggs’ contract, a team would have to pay Diggs his $472,000 base salary for Week 18 and $58,823 if he’s active for the game, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Advertisement
Since the rest of Diggs’ contract wasn’t guaranteed, the team that claims him wouldn’t be on the hook for the remaining roughly $55 million Diggs would have received over the next three seasons if he remained with the Cowboys.
The possibility of Diggs being cut at age 27 seemed extremely unlikely after his first few seasons in the NFL. After being selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Diggs turned in a modest rookie season.
He burst onto the scene in his second year, however, leading the NFL with 11 interceptions. That performance earned Diggs the first of two straight Pro Bowl nods and made him a first-team All-Pro.
He followed that up with a strong third season, picking off three passes and earning another Pro Bowl appearance.
Advertisement
Coming off two straight excellent seasons, Diggs was given a five-year, $97 million extension from the Cowboys in July of 2023. That deal proved to be ill-timed. Diggs played in just two games that season, tearing his ACL in practice ahead of Week 3. He was off to a decent start, already registering an interception and three passes defended before going down for the season.
Though he was able to return in 2024 in time to play in Week 1, Diggs didn’t grade out well once back on the field, per PFF. After missing time late in the season with a groin injury, it was announced Diggs would sit out the remainder of the year to have surgery on the same knee in which he tore his ACL in 2023.
Advertisement
Diggs missed time in the offseason and training camp while recovering from surgery. He was able to return in time to play in Week 1, but once again posted poor metrics before a concussion sidelined him after just six games.
After sitting out eight games, Diggs returned to play in Week 16 despite the Cowboys already being eliminated from the playoffs. He registered six tackles in the contest. Diggs then played again just four days later, when the Cowboys took on the Washington Commanders on Christmas. Diggs played every single defensive snap for the Cowboys during that contest.
Five days later, the Cowboys decided to release the former All-Pro.
If Diggs was upset about the situation, he didn’t show it Wednesday. The cornerback released a statement, thanking the Cowboys’ organization, coaches and fans.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer also spoke about the decision Wednesday. While he wished Diggs the best, Schottenheimer said the release was a combination of multiple factors, including Diggs’ performance.
Advertisement
Schottenheimer also said there was an incident last week in which Diggs asked to stay in the Washington, D.C. area after last week’s game. Schottenheimer reportedly said no, but Diggs stayed anyway. Schottenheimer said that was one of many factors that led to Diggs’ release.
Diggs’ release came on the same day his brother, New England Patriots wideout Stefon Diggs, was charged with assault and strangulation stemming from an alleged incident Dec. 2.
