In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:
I’ll be honest…
After reviewing the early ADPs and starting to consume mock draft content, I was a little bummed out about this incoming WR class.
We were incredibly spoiled with an incredible WR class last year so it’s understandable that this year would feel like a letdown.
But our guy Dwain McFarland has me fired up again.
Dwain is in the lab working on the 2025 Super Model (it will officially go live on the Monday after the NFL Combine) and leaked some early nuggets on the 2025 WR prospects.
And based on his comps, I was clearly too low on this group …
He has Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan as the 3rd and 4th best WR prospects since 2022, behind only Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison. Of course, the model doesn’t know about Hunter’s likelihood to play CB, but it’s still a very bullish signal at his talent.
His model slots Luther Burden (11th) in the same range as Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Treylon Burks.
It puts Emeka Egbuka (16th) in the Zay Flowers range.
And then it has Matthew Golden in the Xavier Worthy ballpark.
Obviously the comps in those ranges represent the hits and don’t include the misses (Hey, Jahan Dotson almost scored a TD in the Super Bowl!), but even knowing that those guys are in the range of outcomes gets me excited.
All five of the aforementioned rookie WRs could be found in Thor’s most recent mock draft too, which is very important for their fantasy outlook.
Oh, you want a RB sneak peak, too? Wait until you see where Ashton Jeanty slots in …
🍋 Quench Your Hard-Earned Thirst With Mike’s Hard Lemonade
The NFL season has wrapped up, and for some, it's a celebration—while for others, it was a tough ride. No matter how your team finished, Mike’s Hard Lemonade is here to remind you: Hard Days Deserve a Hard Lemonade.
Will Stefon Diggs Be Back In Houston In 2025?
NFL Free Agency is around the corner and while this class may not carry the firepower that last summer’s class did, there are still noteworthy names surrounded by question marks.
The first up? Stefon Diggs—a player who seems to have polarized some of our staff:
🐂 The Bull Case For Diggs Re-Signing
Kendall: I think both players here have a good chance to re-sign with their current teams, but Stefon Diggs going back to the Texans makes a lot of sense. The Texans were hit hard by injuries in 2024 and not only lost Diggs for the season, but Nico Collins missed time with a hamstring injury and Tank Dell suffered a dislocated knee as well as a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL in Week 16 against the Chiefs. While head coach DeMeco Ryans has said that Dell is "right on track" in his recovery, it seems very unlikely that he will come back in 2025 at all.
That leaves a hole that needs to be filled, and letting Diggs go when he already seemed to have a good rapport with quarterback C.J. Stroud seems like it would be a mistake. I say this too because the NFL Draft is not necessarily loaded with wide receivers this year either.
If Diggs is on the move I could see the New England Patriots trying to snag him. They are working with a ton of cap space and really need to get Drake Maye some weapons over there.
🐻 The Bear Case For Diggs Re-Signing
Freedman: Diggs has been a diminished version of himself over the past two years (8.7 yards per target in 2015-22, 7.5 yards per target in 2023-24). He has no goodwill built up with the Texans (unlike another FA WR in Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay), who acquired him last year because he had notably worn out his welcome with his previous team. Plus, Diggs is more than two years older than Godwin.
There's almost no accounting for what NFL teams do, but I'd almost be surprised if Diggs ended up back with the Texans after he had just 47-496-3 receiving in eight games for them.
MORE FREE AGENCY SITUATIONS TO MONITOR
The Next Larry Johnson?
No, it’s not just because he and Kaleb Johnson share a last name—that would be lazy analysis. Is it a factor? Perhaps.
Whether or not Kaleb will be the next Larry remains to be seen, but the similarities are glaring. Just ask Thor Nystrom:
KALEB JOHNSON 2025 SCOUTING REPORT
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:
🚀 Will Marvin Harrison Jr. bounce back in 2025? 10 second-year breakout candidates.
🤔 Who’s going to play QB for the Steelers next season? Russ? Fields? Other?
👑 Chris Allen remembers the 2015 NFL Draft class, including fantasy royalty.
Do you know the names Tyler Shough and Bhayshul Tuten? You will.
💇 Lamar Jackson’s new haircut?! What do we think?
😆 Oh man, now this is a savage burn. We can’t do this again.
🔒️ The Panthers keep their backup QB. Nice signing.
🤔 Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers? How their futures could impact each other.
