Every single NFL roster has changed in some way, shape, or form since the Eagles blew out the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. Whether from retirements, trades, or free agency: The fantasy football landscape ahead of the 2025 season already looks radically different compared to this time last year.

This brings us to today's goal: What individual players have seen their stock rise the highest thanks to the events that have unfolded over the last two months?

As always: It's a great day to be great.

NFL Free Agency Winners For Fantasy Football

Chargers RB Najee Harris

The often-criticized former first-round pick was one of the bigger-name free agents available this cycle, but should anyone have really been that excited about where the reigning RB25 in PPR points per game landed?

Answer: Yes, mostly because Harris managed to hit the nut landing spot in the form of Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers. The only competition to speak of features Hassan Haskins (73 career touches) and Kimani Vidal (48) inside of an offense that ran the ball at the 10th-highest rate last season.

Could the Chargers add a day-two RB in the draft that takes away Harris' theoretical workhorse role? Sure, but that sentiment is true across the league, and obviously Los Angeles signed up to potentially pay the ex-Steeler up to $9.25 million for a reason.

The NFL's only RB with 1,000-plus rush yards in each of the past four seasons, Harris has three-down ability (caught 74 passes as a rookie!) and is fresh off a season in which he racked up a 24% missed tackle rate–good for the eighth-highest mark among all RBs with 150-plus carries.

You'll be surprised at how solid his 2024 highlights really were.

Now, it hasn't all been ideal: Harris put forward a not-so-great (read: bad) combination of explosive play and success rate last season. He doesn't have the sort of provocative one-hitter quitter home-run speed that gets the people going, and Jaylen Warren regularly looked like the better back over the years.

And yet, what is really the difference between Harris and guys like Joe Mixon and Kyren Williams? None exhibited anything close to elite efficiency in 2024, but all three have 300-plus touch upside in offenses that have plenty of potential to finish inside the league's top-10 scoring units. I'm being relatively cautious with Harris' fantasy rank (RB19) for the time being, but a still-barren depth chart six weeks from now would force me to get the 27-year-old veteran inside the position's top 12.

Rams WR Davante Adams

Finding a new home in free agency is tricky for a WR considering the NFL isn't exactly overflowing with offensive environments featuring quality gunslingers with minimal target competition.

And yet, Adams' new home in Los Angeles might have been the single best possible outcome for him:

  • Matthew Stafford is one of the best WR whisperers of all time, as evidenced by the plethora of WRs who have put forward monster seasons under his direction in both Detroit and Los Angeles.
     
  • Sean McVay knows a thing or two about enabling high-end fantasy options at the position. In fact, Rams WRs rank second in both receptions and receiving yards since McVay and Stafford teamed up back in 2021.
     
  • The departures of Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson leave a whopping 164 available targets inside a passing game otherwise only consisting of Puka Nacua.

It took Adams a few weeks to catch his stride with the Jets, but make no mistake about it: This man is far from washed. Overall, only Ja'Marr Chase (151.3) and Brian Thomas (137.2) scored more fantasy points (PPR) than Adams (136.6) during the final six weeks of 2024.

Turning 33 next December, Adams doesn't profile as the same game-changing alpha he was three or so years ago; just realize that the three-time All-Pro still appears to offer the sort of savvy route-running ability and underrated after-the-catch goodness to boost any passing game in the league, particularly one that has proved to be so adept at enabling high-end fantasy pass-catchers in recent years.

Ultimately, it's hard to dispute the Rams as one of, if not the single best, landing spot for Adams: I'm comfortable treating him as a legit borderline WR1 alongside young guns like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, and Ladd McConkey.

Jets QB Justin Fields

The free agent possibilities for Fields in March had a fairly wide range of outcomes. Sure, it was possible the former 11th overall pick landed a full-time starting job, but that was hardly guaranteed coming off essential back-to-back benchings in Chicago and Pittsburgh. A true backup role to regroup for a year or two seemed fully on the table.

Fast forward to the present day, and Fields is suddenly the clear-cut QB1 for the J-e-t-s Jets Jets Jets. Now, his two-year, $40 million deal doesn't exactly eliminate the possibility of New York adding an early-round talent to the position in the draft, but the leash is looking long for the time being with the only active competition being 35-year-old Tyrod Taylor.

The verdict still remains out on whether or not Fields can adequately boost an NFL passing attack, and the supporting cast here remains mediocre outside of stud WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall. Adding Fields to the equation hardly guarantees the Jets of suddenly contending in the AFC East.

And yet, Fields' status as one of the more high-volume dual-threat signal-callers in the NFL bodes quite well for his chances at re-emerging as a weekly QB1 in fantasy land.

Consider: 31 QBs had 100-plus carries in a season from 2014-2024, and …

  • 13 (42%) finished as top-three fantasy QBs on a per-game basis
  • 20 (65%) finished as top-six fantasy QBs
  • Only 3 (10%) finished outside fantasy's top-12 QBs (2014 Kaep, 2018 Lamar, 2020 Cam)

Reminder: Fields joins Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels as the only QBs in NFL history to average at least 50 rush yards per game; the 26-year-old talent is a legit threat to take it the distance anytime he takes off.

The QB12 in the Fantasy Life consensus rankings, Fields is ready to party like it's 2022 again as a potential game-changing fantasy option … inside an offense that hasn't helped enable high-end real-life QB play this century.

Honorable Mentions

The Commanders' screen-heavy attack is perfect for getting the most out of Deebo Samuel at this point of his career. … It's tough to think of a TE better suited to be Sean Payton's "Joker" than Evan Engram, who certainly seems to understand the assignment. … Jaylen Warren AKA Gen-Z Austin Ekeler profiles as the Steelers' lead RB for the first time of his career. … Raheem Mostert took his talents to Las Vegas, making Jaylen Wright the top candidate to work as the Robin to De'Von Achane's Batman in Miami. … Both Brian Thomas and Jaxon Smith-Njigba suddenly profile as potential dark horses to lead the NFL in targets after their respective teams gutted their WR rooms. … Hollywood Brown is quietly back in Kansas City and profiles as a Week 1 starter in a passing game that may or may not include Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice for 17 non-suspended games next season. … Both Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers suddenly have a far higher floor under center in the form of Geno Smith. … The Packers continue to refrain from adding a legit No. 1 WR to the offense, once again setting up Jayden Reed and company for big roles. … Caleb Williams might actually have a clean pocket every once in a while after the Bears spent all kinds of money on their offensive line. Hell yeah!