The 2025 NFL season is around the corner. I cannot wait.
The “Fantasy Focus Football” podcast will be returning soon for another season, as we’ll have a lot to dive into throughout the preseason to get you ready to dominate your leagues.
As we count down the days until the regular season, now seems like an ideal time to spotlight some of the biggest storylines surrounding the upcoming season.
There’s no one better to do that with than Daniel Dopp. ESPN asked that we also include Mike Clay.
So let’s dive into it. — Field Yates
Yates: Will Ja’Marr Chase be the king of fantasy again? Between now and the start of the season, the question I will certainly be asked most frequently is: “Who would you take with the first overall pick in your draft?” Without diving into every candidate with a case, my short answer is that the likeliest pick is Chase, as he returns after winning the NFL’s receiving quadruple crown: He led the league in catches, yards, touchdowns and targets, scoring more fantasy points than every player except Lamar Jackson. The case for Chase to have success comparable to that: He’s Ja’Marr Chase (now the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history), his quarterback is still Joe Burrow, and the Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the pass-heavier teams in the league. Repeating historic production is hard to do, however, and there are other players who could rise to the top — even if Chase still has an All-Pro-level season — such as Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs and a little-known running back named Saquon Barkley.
Clay: Wow, what an honor it is to be included in an article with Mel Kiper III … err, I mean Field Yates! The Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame nod was cool and all, but now I know I’ve finally made it. By the way, are we sure Daniel is going to contribute? I heard he’s on the road scouting center talent for his Detroit Lions now that Frank Ragnow hung up his cleats. Speaking of which, I wonder how that might affect Gibbs’ efficiency and, while I’ll save that topic for some other time, I want to talk about running backs, specifically the loaded 2025 RB rookie class. All six backs selected in the first three rounds of April’s NFL draft are likely to make a sizable impact right out of the gate: the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Ashton Jeanty, Los Angeles Chargers‘ Omarion Hampton, Denver Broncos‘ RJ Harvey, Cleveland Browns‘ Quinshon Judkins, Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Kaleb Johnson and New England Patriots‘ TreVeyon Henderson, as well as New York Giants fourth-rounder Cam Skattebo. It won’t be surprising if most (if not all) of these backs find their way into the “lineup lock” discussion this season … and that doesn’t even include a few wild cards, such as the Dallas Cowboys‘ Jaydon Blue and Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Bhayshul Tuten. Running back is headed for a bit of a facelift this season, and I know I’ll be investing heavily in several of these rookies on draft day. Do you have a favorite rookie RB target, Daniel?
Dopp: Hey Michael, great to see you, too! I can’t believe my team and I are taking shots before I’ve even written a word in this column. But we can just move past it, and I’ll answer your question like a professional (in case you were wondering what one looked like — zing!). My favorite rookie back is Jeanty, who I have at RB4, one spot ahead of current rushing champion Barkley. I’m concerned about the natural regression for Barkley coming off of such a heavy workload, and I know I’m not alone. Reddit is filled with threads about workload concerns and whether they’re real. We’ll save the big numbers for an upcoming “Fantasy Focus,” but 12 of the past 13 running backs with at least 300 carries saw their fantasy points drop by an average of 78.8 points the following season. Maybe I’m off base, but give me the rookie in a Pete Carroll-led Raiders offense with absurd expectations for the young back over the vet who has to overcome historical odds (and old age, in RB terms). Oh, and Field, did I mention that Barkley is on the Madden cover this year? He’s my No. 12 overall player behind a number of wide receivers and Jeanty. I wouldn’t fault anyone for taking Barkley — he could be a legitimate outlier — but I just don’t think I’ll draft him considering where I ranked him.
Yates: Will Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill return to peak form? At this time last year, we were all gearing up to take McCaffrey with the No. 1 pick, as he was otherworldly once again in 2023. His 2024 season was effectively over before it even started, as an Achilles and subsequent knee issue limited him to 50 carries. If we knew McCaffrey was going to be healthy for this full season, I still believe he would be deserving of the first pick; he’s simply that dominant. But we don’t, so where he lands in drafts — closer to the end of the first round in the mocks I have done — could make him the steal of the year. Meanwhile, Hill had wrist surgery this offseason, which might explain his disappointing 2024 season, but only partially. He didn’t miss a single game last year, but the offense seemingly just lost its mojo. Because of Hill’s bizarre 2024 season, the overall depth of wide receiver and the rise of young stars at the spot, Hill’s average draft position is dropping substantially. He rarely lasted past the first five picks in drafts last year, while I’ve seen him consistently drop to the end of the third or beginning of the fourth round in early 10-team mocks. Do these stars have a resurgence in them in 2025 and beyond? Mike, I was going to make a joke about how some say you have also fallen off like Hill last year, but I won’t because I’m a nice guy. You’re back up.
Clay: Hey, at least I was atop a cliff I could fall from … unlike Anthony Richardson. Imagine hyping up that guy last offseason. Speaking of quarterbacks, what’s the best strategy this year? It used to be necessary to get one of the superstars, but then the fad was to wait as long as possible to find a starter. This season, I want one of the big five, which includes Josh Allen, reigning top scorer Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts and, to a slightly lesser extent, Burrow (he doesn’t have quite the rushing appeal). After those five, I see a big drop-off and a lot of quarterbacks with similar outlooks. That includes Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix, Kyler Murray, Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams and Justin Herbert (among many others). If I miss on the first five, I’m happy to focus on other positions and wait quite a long time to pounce on a passer, including taking a lottery ticket on a breakout candidate such as Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy. The one QB I know I won’t ever draft is Jared Goff, as Daniel is a true Lions fan and would never let him out of the first round. Right, Daniel? RIGHT?!
Daniel: I can understand the confusion because the Lions do have two players who are being drafted in the first round this year in Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but no, Michael, I’d NEVER take a QB in the first round. Even my beloved Goff, who trails only Hurts, Allen and Jackson for the most games with at least 25 fantasy points among QBs over the past three seasons. Not bad for a professional athlete who has the 40-yard dash speed of Mike Clay. At least we know who Goff is as a quarterback. I can’t say the same for Jonnu Smith. How are you supposed to properly value Smith this year? He has finished 17th or worse at tight end in seven of his eight NFL seasons. That’s really bad. The lone exception was last year’s finish as TE4, and boy was it a weird season. After dealing with head injuries in the first half of 2024, Tua Tagovailoa was back under center in Week 8, and Smith went on a tear to finish the season. From Weeks 8 to 16, he saw more targets, receptions and receiving yards than any other pass catcher in Miami (including Hill and Jaylen Waddle), and he tied Hill for the most receiving touchdowns among Dolphins during that stretch. Last season was great, but 2025 managers have to wonder whether a guy who finished outside the top 16 in all but one season in the NFL can actually repeat and provide TE1 value. And now there’s concern he could be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers to play for Arthur Smith for a third time. I technically have Smith listed as a starter because he’s the TE10 in my rankings, but during our mock draft exercise I passed on Smith more than Mike passed on the gym this spring. Can’t wait to see that dad bod in the Bahamas!
