Coach: Kevin O’Connell 6 PPG
QB: Drake Maye 25 PPG (Aaron Rodgers 24 PPG)
Alrighty, it was an interesting effort for Drake Maye, who indeed went through his growing pains. Naturally, we can brush them off and hope for better in year 2. The Pats secured their franchise blindside protector in the early 1st round and patched up other holes along the line. They also added Diggs and invested in an explosive 3rd down back/pass protecting savant, TreVeyon Henderson. All that being said, the offense still is a bottom-quartile unit. I’m also not convinced that Maye is a talent that can thrive in the NFL, and his 15/10 TD/INT ratio needs to improve if he’s to be a long-term solution. From a fantasy perspective, there will be big games. He’s too good a rusher not to have boom games, and he should thrive in garbage time. For now, he’s a barely startable option, just ranking in the top 16.
RB/WR/TE: Amon-Ra St. Brown 20 PPG, Mike Evans 19 PPG, Cooper Kupp 17 PPG, Terry McLaurin 15 PPG, Stefon Diggs 15 PPG 6th men: Darnell Mooney 14 PPG, Hunter Henry 14 PPG, Chigoziem Okonkwo 12 PPG, Raheem Mostert 11 PPG, Keenen Allen 11 PPG, Justice Hill 10 PPG, Jayden Higgins 10 PPG, Oronde Gadsen 6 PPG
Amon-Ra St. Brown is simply an incredible success story. A 4th round pick, no one could have expected him to be such a dynamic receiver from the get-go. Even in his rookie year, he was peppered with 119 targets. 2024 saw him take a step back from an opportunity standpoint, but he still finished at the RB/WR/TE21 in PPG. He was 9th in targets (140), 2nd in receptions (115), 5th in yards (1263), and 3rd in TDs (12). One thing to keep an eye on is the target distribution, as OC John Morton has expressed interest in throwing the ball deep down the field, routes St. Brown isn’t often asked to run. 12 TDs was also a career high, so there’s potential for a small step back there as well. Still, this PPR dynamo will continue to be a stud muffin delux in every sense of the word.
Week 18 featured an incredible moment for the all-time best Bucs receiver, who missed the better part of 4 games after sacrificing his body for a TD in the back of the endzone. The Bucs were going to win the game, but that didn’t stop them from getting their star player over 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season with a last-second pass. Evans finished 23rd in receiving yards (1,004), 27th in catches (74), and 4th in TDs (11). The 32-year-old is going through another playcaller transition. Still, he’s endured so many offensive coordinator changes that the Bucs could throw out a pre-teen picking plays from a Madden playbook, and I’d be confident he’d still produce fantasy numbers. He’s confidently on the 3rd or 4th starter borderline, as he has been since I’ve been writing these.
It was an inconsistent year for Cooper Kupp, who appeared to begin to regress as a professional. The 32-year-old receiver missed 4 games due to an ankle injury early in the year before being serviceable for much of the midseason. Then he all of a sudden fell off a cliff starting in week 15, with only 3 targets weekly til the end of the year. The Rams ended up releasing him, only for him to be scooped up quickly by the division rival Seahawks. He’ll be the secondary receiving option for Seattle and has deep ties to Washington. (he went to Eastern Washington) Kupp is a tough projection, as he looked a little washed. When he was given the opportunity, he performed. His profile should age well, so he’ll remain a more than serviceable option.
Tickle me worried for a Terry McLaurin fall off for 2025. (17 PPG in 2024) It all stems around the TD numbers, which were an astounding 13 TDs, a significant outlier from his career high of 7 from his rookie 2019 season. Despite playing in every game, he has a 4-year low in targets (117) and posted his normal 1,110 receiving yards. His 14 redzone looks as well don’t point to someone who can replicate those numbers either. Then there’s the hubabaloo about a new contract, and I am worried we’ll see more bust weeks than what we say in 2025. (He had 4 weeks of 9 points or less.) Even in an offense without consistent passing weapons outside of M1, he’s best served as your #5 RB/WR/TE.
Stefon Diggs is joining a new team again in 2025, hoping to lead the New England Patriots to greener pastures. Expected to be Drake Maye’s new #1 target he is a welcome sight for a WR room that has been deporable in the recent past. Diggs is 31 and coming off an ACL tear and there’s been rumblings that he’s well past his prime, but that shouldn’t stop the Pats from at least peppering him with targets on reputation alone. At least heading into the season, 110-120 targets is the expectation, and he should be able to provide back-end starter viability.
PK: Harrison Butker 9 PPG
PN: Jamie Gillan 10 PPG
DT: Braden Fiske 15 PPG, Javon Hargrave 13 PPG
We had something with Braden Fiske the moment he made Byron Murphy look like a plodder at NFL Combine. The Rams paired with him, Florida State teammate Jared Verse, and they kept the Rams’ defensive line competitive in a post-Aaron Donald world. It was the best-case scenario for them, as he tallied an incredible 8 sacks on 22 pressures as a rookie. Playing a full 17 games, he also added 44 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Big picture, the entire Rams’ defensive line are essentially all startable players, with an incredible 4 guys being IDP factors. I’m not sure how high Fiske’s ceiling is outside of what we saw, but growth can’t be ruled out as we head into the 25-year-old’s sophomore campaign. Lock him in for top 16 DT production in our DT-loving scoring.
Javon Hargrave’s 2024 was a lost cause after a torn triceps ended his season in week 3. The 32-year-old ended his stay in San Francisco, and he’s off to colder pastures in the Great White North of Minnesota. They needed interior help, and Hargrave now pairs with Jonathan Allen for a curious duo. Hargrave is 32, and his last fully healthy season was passable for fantasy. He tallied 44 tackles and 7 sacks, finishing as DT23 (14 PPG). The pressure numbers sat at a sad 14, so we probably shouldn’t expect much, but Minny’s scheme has occasionally produced IDP-relevant DTs.
DE: Jonathan Greenard 18 PPG, Boye Mafe 13 PPG (Malcolm Koonce 12 PPG, Dre’Mont Jones 11 PPG)
Jonathan Greenard did the ol’ switcharoo with Danielle Hunter, and he didn’t miss a beat. In fact, it resulted in a career year, with the Vikings masterfully moving on from Hunter, who cost much more for less production. Greenard finished 5th in pressures (42), tallying 12 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 59 tackles. In a hyper-aggressive Brian Flores scheme and partnered with elite pass rush partners, he’s tapped in as a top 10 EDGE option again in 2025.
Boye Mafe enters a difficult-to-predict year where his role and value are in flux. He’s playing in a heavy timeshare role, contending with many other quality rushers for snaps. Mafe is an uber-athletic former 2nd round pick out of Minnesota and is in a contract year in Seattle. He’s provided fantasy owners a 16 PPG season in 2023, but regressed to 13 PPG while missing two games. With 21 pressures and 6 sacks last year, he profiles as a decent EDGE2 for real life, but with snap limitations capping his upside, he’s better used for bye-week fill-in at this time.
LB: Dee Winters 15 PPG Pete Werner 14 PPG (Devin White 13 PPG Cole Holcomb 10 PPG)
Dee Winters ate up Nick Martin in the training camp battle to replace Dre Greenlaw. The man really didn’t even have much of a competition as it appeared this battle was over in the early going. Winters is a difficult projection, but he did perform admirably in limited time as the starter to end 2024. He hovered around 85% of the snaps, but now, new/old DC Robert Salah is in San Fran. Combined with more trust given to Winters, he could be a full-time starter or a fringe guy. For now, he gets the opportunity option treatment.
Pete Pete Pete… lordt. There are players who you wish would get more opportunities and others who would get less. Pete fits into the ladder category because he’s been given so many chances to succeed and hasn’t been able to take advantage. He’s hovered around 80-90% snap share for a few years, but has rarely been able to deliver the bare minimum fantasy production. Last year was no different, with 92 tackles and NO big plays in 14 games. Perhaps the scheme change can help things, but he’d be best served as a bye-week guy for defense.
CB: Christian Izien 13 PPG, Kenny Moore 12 PPG (Carlton Davis 11 PPG, Nate Hobbs 11 PPG)
Christian Izien is one of the new hybrid-type secondary players who play alllll over the field. Izien actually spends most of his time as a free safety alignment (308 snaps), but also frequents slot corner (205 snaps) and in the box (135 snaps). Izien has a massive ceiling to go along with a low floor, but 100+ tackles are not out of the question. With his hybrid usage, he is obviously one of the most underrated corners in our scoring. Oh, we also can’t rule out a Gary Davenport late training camp position change special.
Every year, I write about the glorious IDP value Captain Kenny Moore provides. He’s such a stable and consistent corner that he’s been an annual safe bet to be startable since 2018. There aren’t many corners that could be considered for an IFL HOF, but Kenny may have a moment or two to bring him into consideration. The UDFA out of Valdosta State will continue to be the slot corner for Indy and play outside in base defense. He’ll eclipse 70 total tackles, and throw in 4-5 big plays with a 50% chance for a touchdown. He’s a top 16 option, no matter the matchup.
S: Tykee Smith 14 PPG, Reed Blankenship 14 PPG, Kerby Joseph 13 PPG
The Bucs have been in the process of revamping a secondary that needed serious help. Tykee Smith was a part of phase one, coming in as a day 2 pick last year out of Georgia. He was the slot cornerback the previous year and is making the transition to safety as a sophomore. That should be good for his fantasy value, as the Bucs like to play their safeties all over the field. Especially someone like Smith, who created 5 big plays as a rookie. Keep an eye on his tackle totals through the first part of the year for his upside, but he is a dark horse to be a top 16 option.
After finishing as a S1 in 2023, Reed Blankenship took a step back in the counting stats, but it was oddly a down year for safeties across the board. The UDFA from Middle Tennessee tallied 78 tackles, 4 INTs, and 6 PDs for a S31 finish. The regression likely stems from a dramatic improvement in linebacker play, as Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean were tackle machines. With the DC Vic Fangio retained and Baun staying in the middle, we’ve likely seen the best of Blankenship for IDP purposes, but he’s a decent bet to stick around the S2 ranks in a full-time role.
Kerby had a penchant for the big play throughout two years in the NFL, but he went bazooka strong in 2024, leading the league with 9 interceptions. That, combined with 83 tackles, resulted in an S18 finish, which is a quality result for a deep safety. Joseph has actually flirted with back-end S2 numbers for his entire career as a starter, many thanks to his ability to deliver INTs and the occasional forced fumble. Look for him to regress closer to 4-5 picks, as he is unlikely to reach 9 INTs again.
Off: Atlanta Falcons 12 PPG
PPG: 302
W-L: 3-14
X-Factor: The defense having multiple overachievers.
Offensively, there’s a vision here for Wade to have a successful season. There are plenty of veteran fantasy forces across the RB/WR/TE positions. Maye and the defense are where the questions begin to pile up. The resources weren’t there for Wade to build out a defense, especially at linebacker and it appears he’s looking to build for his future after his recent trade for Tony Pollard. There’s a world where this team does better than this projection, but it’s very possible that 2025 could be a tough season.
