Way-Too-Early 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings

By Kevin Hanson (@EDSFootball)
Updated: Tuesday, February 11th

With Super Bowl LIX now behind us, it's officially the offseason for all 32 NFL teams.

Player movement in free agency as well as the 2025 NFL Draft will impact these rankings, but this early look is the order in which I'd personally select players given what we currently know.

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More rankings: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Top 150

2025 Fantasy Football QB Rankings

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Putting aside the debate over who should have won the NFL MVP award this season, it's clear that both Allen and Lamar Jackson had MVP-caliber seasons, especially as voters split their votes for MVP and 2024 AP NFL All-Pro first team. Going into fantasy drafts this summer, Allen vs. Jackson will be the difficult (or easy) choice facing fantasy managers — and to be clear, the "easy" part is that you can't go wrong with either.

Allen posted five-year lows in several passing categories — attempts (483), yards (3,731) and touchdowns (28) — but his dual-threat skill set is what makes him so dangerous. Allen now has (at least) 12 rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons and 500-plus rushing yards in four consecutive seasons. He has now finished as a top-two fantasy quarterback for five consecutive seasons.

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

What a year it was Jackson, who posted career highs in passing yards (4,172) and touchdowns (41) while leading the NFL in TD% (8.6%), yards per attempt (8.8) and passer rating (119.6). 2024 was the second time in his career that he has finished as fantasy's QB1. He posted a 9% TD% in his other QB1 (2019) season, and then followed that up with a 6.9% rate in 2020. His career average is 6.4%. Long story short, he was absolutely phenomenal in 2024, but last year's ratios would be unsustainable for any quarterback. Although he has a max of five rushing touchdowns over the past four seasons, Jackson is the NFL's all-time leader in quarterback rushing yards, averaging a whopping 1,019 yards per 17 games.

MORE: 2025 NFL Strength of Schedule

> Continue reading our 2025 Fantasy Football QB Rankings


2025 Fantasy Football RB Rankings

1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Joining the exclusive club of 2,000-yard rushers, Barkley racked up an additional 499 rushing yards in four playoff games. Yes, he set a career low in receptions (2.1) per game and Jalen Hurts (14) had more rushing touchdowns than Barkley (career-high 13). That said, he has an elite combination of speed and power, runs behind an elite offensive line and plays with talented wideouts, who help to keep opposing defenses honest.

2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

You could argue that Robinson (not Barkley) should be the RB1 in 2025 fantasy football drafts. The 23-year-old running back racked up 1,887 scrimmage yards and scored 15 total touchdowns on 365 touches including 61 receptions.

> Continue reading our 2025 Fantasy Football RB Rankings


2025 Fantasy Football WR Rankings

1. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

Chase led the NFL in receptions (127), yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17) in 2024 to become the fifth triple crown winner since the league merger. There were nine 35-point wide receiver performances league-wide in 2024, and Chase had three (one-third) of them. From Week 5 on, Chase had a 31.46% target share with a weekly minimum of 24.32%. It's unclear whether impending free agent Tee Higgins will be back in 2025, but the only (minor) concern as he enters a contract year is the potential of the front office dragging their feet on an extension.

2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Sam Darnold created some modest concerns entering the season, but it was business as usual for Jefferson, who finished with 103 catches for 1,533 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns on 154 targets. He was consistent throughout the season with 80-plus yards and/or a touchdown in 14 of 17 games. It's appears likely that Darnold will be playing home games outside of Minnesota in 2025, but Jefferson is essentially QB-proof in Minnesota's QB-friendly offense.

> Continue reading our 2025 Fantasy Football WR Rankings


2025 Fantasy Football TE Rankings

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers led all tight ends in receptions (112), targets (153) and receiving yards (1,194) despite being a rookie with sub-par quarterback play. Only George Kittle scored more fantasy points on a per-game basis, and Bowers led the position in overall points. While it may be difficult to outproduce his rookie numbers, few, if any, tight ends are the focal point of their offense the way Bowers is.

2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

The good news is that McBride smashed previous career highs in targets (147), receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,146). Among all players (wide receivers included), he finished eighth, fourth, and 11th, respectively, in those categories. The bad news is that he had only two touchdowns and has a total of six through three NFL seasons. If there's a glimmer of hope, McBride finished top three in TE targets from inside the 20 (21, T-2nd), 15 (16, T-2nd), 10 (12, 1st) and 5 (seven, T-1st).

> Continue reading our 2025 Fantasy Football TE Rankings


Top 150 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet

> Continue reading our Top 150 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet


2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft

By Kevin Hanson (@EDSFootball)
Updated: Thursday, February 6, 2025

We are a long way away from when fantasy managers will be drafting their fantasy football teams this summer, but it's never too early to look ahead at how things may play out.

Although I have ranked 200 total players (by position) in my 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings, here I take a look at the 12 players who will likely be first-round picks.

1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Chase led the NFL in receptions (127), yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17) in 2024 to become the fifth triple crown winner since the merger. There were nine 35-point wide receiver performances league-wide in 2024, and Chase had three (one-third) of them. From Week 5 on, Chase had a 31.46% target share with a weekly minimum of 24.32%. It's unclear whether impending free agent Tee Higgins will be back in 2025, but the only (minor) concern as he enters a contract year is the potential of the front office dragging their feet on an extension.

2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Barkley became the ninth player in league history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards, and he has racked up an additional 442 yards through three playoff games. Yes, he set a career low in receptions (2.1) per game and Jalen Hurts (14) had more rushing touchdowns than Barkley (career-high 13). That said, he has an elite combination of speed and power, runs behind an elite offensive line and plays with talented wideouts, who keep opposing defenses honest.

Continue reading our 2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft


2025 NFL Mock Draft Roundups (By NFL Franchise)

Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, we will round up NFL mock drafts by franchise for a more convenient way to view who's being mocked to a franchise.

Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

Throughout the year and leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, we will update our Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the Arizona Cardinals from several prominent sites and draft analysts.

The following are picks from recent NFL mock drafts for the Cardinals:

NFL.com — Eric Edholm

16. Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

This defense needs help at multiple spots. Williams and 2024 first-rounder Darius Robinson could be a strong duo for Jonathan Gannon's unit to build around.

CBS Sports — Josh Edwards

16. James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

Arizona had a bottom-10 pressure rate in the league this season, according to TruMedia, and that figure is propped up heavily by a game against the Bears. James Pearce Jr. has great first-step quickness and is explosive off the edge.

NFL.com — Bucky Brooks

16. James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

A mass exodus of front-seven defenders in free agency could force the Cardinals to replenish this area of the roster early (and often) on draft weekend. Pearce is an explosive athlete with a developing game as a pass-rush specialist.

Continue reading Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

More NFL Franchise Mock Draft Roundups:


2025 NFL Mock Draft Roundups - By Prospect

Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, we will track where several top prospects appear in recent NFL mock drafts.

Abdul Carter 2025 NFL Mock Draft Roundup

Here are some of the latest mock drafts in which Carter has appeared:

NFL.com — Eric Edholm

No. 1 overall — Tennessee Titans

I think this Penn State product is either going first or second overall. It really felt like Chad Brinker's "generational talent" comment boiled down to one of two players: Carter or Travis Hunter.

CBS Sports — Josh Edwards

No. 1 overall — Tennessee Titans

There has been buzz that Tennessee could pass on a quarterback in favor of a different position group. If it is not sold on Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, but loves Abdul Carter, then that is the direction that it should go rather than forcing a situation.

NFL.com — Bucky Brooks

No. 2 overall — Cleveland Browns

Despite an obvious need at QB, the Browns opt to pair Carter with Myles Garrett to give the defense a dynamic duo on the edges.

Continue reading our Abdul Carter 2025 NFL Mock Draft Roundup

More NFL Draft Prospect Roundups


2024-25 NBA Power Rankings: Week 15

Updated: January 30, 2025

Throughout the 2024-25 NBA season, we will update our consensus NBA Power Rankings from a variety of national sites.

Below you will find a table of our NBA Power Rankings for Week 15, ranked by their average ranking. The table also lists their respective rankings at various sites.

Previous: NBA Power Rankings: Week 14

RankTeamW-LAvg.Chg.NBACBSNBCESPNATH
1Oklahoma City Thunder37-91011111
2Cleveland Cavaliers38-92.4+0.432322
3Houston Rockets32-143-0.823253
4Boston Celtics33-153.8+0.444434
5Memphis Grizzlies31-165.2+0.456546

MORE: Full Week 15 NBA Power Rankings


2025 NFL Mock Draft

By Kevin Hanson (@EDSFootball)
Updated: Monday, January 27, 2025

Six of the first 12 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft were quarterbacks.

While quarterback is a team need for six of the first nine teams picking in 2025, this year's quarterback class is inferior to last (and next) year's group(s). Need could very well push up the top quarterbacks in this class, as it typically does.

That said, none of this year's quarterback prospects would have been selected before last year's top three — Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye.

If a quarterback isn't selected first overall, the likely pick would either be Colorado's Travis Hunter or Penn State's Abdul Carter.

It hasn't been uncommon for an edge defender like Carter to be selected first overall, but we'd have to go pretty far back for the top overall pick to not be a either a quarterback, edge rusher or offensive tackle. The last was USC's Keyshawn Johnson, who was selected first overall by the New York Jets in 1996.

Note: Draft slots 31-32 will be finalized based on the results of Super Bowl LIX.

1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)

Whether via free agency and/or the draft, it's clear that the Titans will add to their quarterback room with only Will Levis currently under contract for 2025. The former second-round pick has started 21 games over the past two seasons, a span during which he has thrown 21 touchdowns to 16 interceptions and has been sacked 69 times (tied for ninth-most over that stretch).

A lightly recruited prospect who took a winding path through college football (Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami), Ward progressed each year and is a natural thrower with the mobility to extend and make plays.

2. Cleveland Browns: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

It's unclear whether Deshaun Watson (Achilles, contract), the latest example in Cleveland's well-documented struggles to find a franchise quarterback, will even play in 2025 after reinjuring his Achilles and playing (mostly poorly) in 19 starts over the past three years. Will they use this pick on Shedeur Sanders (despite Deion not wanting his son to play there)? While they may not care about Deion's feelings, that could be shared to entice others (Giants, Raiders or another team) to trade up so the Browns can "maximize [this pick] in another way."

If it's not a quarterback, this pick will come down to Carter or Colorado's Travis Hunter. As unique and talented as college football's ironman may be, you could make the case that Carter is the top prospect regardless of position in this class. The explosive edge rusher finished with 12 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss in his first season as a full-time edge defender after converting from off-ball linebacker. Pairing Carter with Myles Garrett will lead to many sleepless nights for opposing quarterbacks.

MORE: Continue reading our 2025 NFL Mock Draft


2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundups (By NBA Franchise)

Leading up to the 2025 NBA Draft, we will round up NBA mock drafts by franchise for a more convenient way to view who's being mocked to a franchise.

Atlanta Hawks 2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

The following are recent mock draft picks for the Atlanta Hawks:

For the Win — Bryan Kalbrosky

13. Khaman Maluach, Duke

South Sudan's Khaman Maluach is having an excellent, efficient freshman campaign for Duke. He is raw but has a strong defensive presence as opponents are shooting just 50.4 percent at the rim with Maluach on the floor, per CBB Analytics, which ranks 98th percentile among all players. As a lob threat, per CBB Analytics, he leads all freshmen in alley-oops completed by nearly double any other player his class.

17. Nolan Traore, Saint-Quentin (France)

Based on his priors before this season, some team is likely to take a flier on Nolan Traore in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. But the reality is that the young French guard has simply not played very well so far this season and is likely not ready to make a positive impact in the NBA any time soon.

CBS Sports — Adam Finkelstein

14. Nolan Traore, Saint-Quentin (France)

Traore came into this draft cycle billed as a top-five pick but has not had a good season thus far in France. He's still a high-upside swing with solid size, very good speed, and real playmaking instincts for a lead guard. Defense, shooting and ball security are the swing skills that could impact his stock in the coming months.

21. Alex Karaban, Connecticut

Karaban is a smart and skilled forward who can provide some much-needed floor spacing for an Atlanta franchise that is gradually picking up some quality young assets.

MORE: Atlanta Hawks 2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

More NBA Franchise Mock Draft Roundups:


2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundups - By Prospect

Leading up to the 2025 NBA Draft, we will track where several top prospects appear in recent NBA mock drafts.

Cooper Flagg NBA Mock Draft Roundup

Here are some of the latest mock drafts in which Cooper Flagg has appeared:

For the Win — Bryan Kalbrosky

Round 1, Pick 1 — Washington Wizards

If there was any doubt about whether or not Cooper Flagg deserves the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he silenced it. Flagg recently recorded 42 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds versus Notre Dame. He leads all Duke players in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals per game this season. Since 2009, the only freshmen with a higher box plus-minus are Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis.

CBS Sports — Adam Finkelstein

Round 1, Pick 1 — Washington Wizards

Flagg continues to get better with each passing month for Duke and seems to have gained some separation from the field in the last few weeks because of it. Flagg's versatility and the totality of his overall impact have been off the charts, and if the shooting and self-creation keep trending in the right direction, he could end up being the runaway favorite for the No. 1 pick.

MORE: Read full Cooper Flagg 2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

More NBA Draft Prospect Roundups


Fantasy Football QB Strength of Schedule

A fantasy football strength of schedule (SOS) helps fantasy managers determine which teams and players have favorable (or unfavorable) schedules for the 2025 NFL season.

Based on each team's opponents for the 2025 NFL season, we have tallied the average fantasy points allowed by each of those opponents to the position.

Note: Bye weeks and the actual dates of games will be announced in May, so these numbers include all 17 games. Following the release of the full schedule, we will update these rankings to include only Weeks 1 through 17.

While strength of schedule should never be the sole factor in determining who to draft/add, it could help potentially break a tie between two players that you may otherwise view as comparable.

Note: Fantasy SOS = Average fantasy points per game allowed of each team's 2025 opponents.

MORE: Full Fantasy Football QB Strength of Schedule

More positions:


2025 NFL Strength of Schedule

Updated: January 6, 2025

While the 2024 NFL regular season has just concluded and we'll have to wait until May to know the timing/weeks of the 2025 NFL schedule, we now know all of the opponents each NFL team will face next season.

Which team has the most difficult 2025 NFL schedule? Or the easiest NFL schedule?

Using each NFL team's 2025 opponents, our NFL strength of schedule (SOS) tallies the win-loss records of each team's opponents and then uses that cumulative win-loss record to rank the difficulty or ease of each team's schedule.

2025 NFL Strength of Schedule Rankings

RankTeamOpp. RecordOpp. Win Pct.
1New York Giants166-123-00.574
2Detroit Lions165-124-00.571
2Chicago Bears165-124-00.571
4Philadelphia Eagles162-127-00.561

MORE: See where all 32 teams rank based on their 2025 NFL Strength of Schedule


College Football Playoff Bowl Games

With 12 teams making the College Football Playoff, there will be four first-round playoff games, four CFP Quarterfinal bowl games, two CFP Semifinal bowl games and then the national championship.

>> College Football Bowl Game Tickets

DateBowlMatchup
Dec. 20, 2024CFP First Round GameNotre Dame 27, Indiana 17
Dec. 21, 2024CFP First Round GamePenn State 38, SMU 10
Dec. 21, 2024CFP First Round GameTexas 38, Clemson 24
Dec. 21, 2024CFP First Round GameOhio State 42, Tennessee 17
Dec. 31, 2024Vrbo Fiesta BowlPenn State 31, Boise State 14
Jan. 1, 2025Chick-fil-A Peach BowlTexas 39, Arizona State 31
Jan. 1, 2025Rose Bowl Presented by PrudentialOhio State 41, Oregon 21
Jan. 2, 2025Allstate Sugar BowlNotre Dame 23, Georgia 10
Jan. 9, 2025Capital One Orange BowlNotre Dame 27, Penn State 24
Jan. 10, 2025Goodyear Cotton Bowl ClassicOhio State 28, Texas 14
Jan. 20, 2025College Football Playoff National ChampionshipOhio State 34, Notre Dame 23

MORE: 2024-25 College Football Bowl Schedule


2024 NFL Power Rankings: Week 18 Rankings

Updated: December 31, 2024

Throughout the 2024 NFL season, we will update our consensus NFL Power Rankings from a variety of national sites.

Below you will find a table of our NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 18, sorted by their average ranking. The table also lists their respective rankings at various sites.

Change is difference from last ranking: + number = improvement, - number = decline.

Previous iteration: Week 17 NFL Power Rankings

RankTeamW-LAvg.DiffESPNNFLATHCBSUSATFOXYAHPFT
1Kansas City Chiefs15-11.63+0.811312221
2Buffalo Bills13-31.88032121132
3Detroit Lions14-23.38-0.823433444
4Minnesota Vikings14-23.63+0.844244353
5Philadelphia Eagles13-34.5-0.455555515

See full Week 18 NFL Power Rankings


2025 NBA Mock Draft

By Kevin Hanson (@EDSFootball)
Updated: December 28, 2024

With six months to go until the 2025 NBA Draft, a lot can change — obviously! — from now until draft night.

That said, here are a few notes from my initial 2025 NBA mock draft:

Note: The draft order used is based on Tankathon (as of 12/28/24).

MORE: Full 2025 NBA mock draft


Fantasy Football Start'Em, Sit'Em: Week 17

BY KEVIN HANSON (@EDSFootball)
Updated: Tuesday, December 24th

Most fantasy football leagues declare their champions in Week 17, so if you're reading this, congratulations on reaching your league's championship round and good luck in the upcoming week.

Below you will find some players that could be starts or sits in your league, but my fantasy football rankings will better help you determine if I would start Player X over Player Y.

Week 17 Fantasy Football Start'em

Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings (vs. GB)

It may not be a great matchup against the Packers, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, but Darnold is the QB8 heading into the fantasy finale and scored 21.5 fantasy points (QB9) against them in Week 4. Darnold has been extremely consistent with at least 19 fantasy points in five of his past six games and only two quarterbacks — Joe Burrow and Jared Goff — have more games with 300-plus yards and two-plus touchdowns this season.

Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos (at CIN)

Like Darnold, Nix has vastly exceeded preseason expectations (low-end QB2 ADP). Interestly enough, Darnold (QB8) and Nix (QB9) rank just ahead of Patrick Mahomes (QB10) and Kyler Murray (QB11) in scoring. While Nix hasn't run as much recently (three or fewer rush attempts in five of his last six games), he ranks ninth among QBs in rushing yards (352) this season. His Championship Week matchup is favorable as the Bengals have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. CAR)

The Buccaneers are big favorites (-8.5) and currently have the largest implied total of the week. While injuries limited him to 10 snaps in Week 14, he has 16-plus touches in his other five most recent outings. In those games, he has finished as fantasy's RB6, RB3, RB1, RB17, and RB16, respectively, and the RB1 performance was against the Panthers. In that matchup, he finished with 25 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown along with three catches for 33 yards.

Continue reading our Week 17 Fantasy Football Start'Em, Sit'Em


Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 17

By Kevin Hanson (@EDSFootball)
Updated: Tuesday, December 24, 2024

If you're reading this, chances are that you're one step away from a championship!

To maximize the potential that these players are available in your league(s), only players available in 50% or more of Yahoo! leagues are considered. In several cases, there are injury dependencies for these players that could make them more or less valuable in Week 17.

Where possible, it makes sense to drop players that you (or your opponent) won't consider starting and add players that have upside based on players in front of them who may be dealing with injuries.

Week 17 Fantasy Football RB Waiver-Wire Rankings

Below are my running back waiver-wire rankings heading into Week 17:

RankPlayerTeamRoster %
1Gus EdwardsLos Angeles Chargers48%
2Kendre MillerNew Orleans Saints45%
3Alexander MattisonLas Vegas Raiders48%
4Ameer AbdullahLas Vegas Raiders23%

MORE: Full Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings


2024 NFL Draft Grades

Updated: April 28, 2024

The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror, and soon we will turn our attention to the 2025 NFL Draft.

Before that point, however, it's time for an initial reaction to what happened this past weekend. Who were the winners and losers of the 2024 NFL Draft?

While we believe that the best measurement of the success of a draft class is done after a few years, we've compiled draft grades from a variety of sites and used their grades to arrive a consensus GPA for all teams.

RankTeamGPANFLESPNRINGUSATFOXCBSPFFSNSITW
1Pittsburgh Steelers3.97AA-AA+A+AA+A+A+A+
2Philadelphia Eagles3.87A-AA+AA-B+A+AAA
3Washington Commanders3.84A-A-AA-B+A+AAA+A+
4Los Angeles Chargers3.77A-B+AAA-B+AAAA-
5Chicago Bears3.64A-BA+A+A-BAA-A+B+

MORE: Full consensus 2024 NFL Draft Grades