We're through the first wave of free agency, so now's the time to do a big update on my positional fantasy football rankings for 2025, which you can leverage for best ball, redraft, and Guillotine Leagues.

No. Days. Off.

To check out my full rankings set, go to our Fantasy Life Rankings Hub, where I will provide updates as we progress through free agency, the NFL draft, training camp, and finally the preseason.

In this article, I outline my general 2025 fantasy football strategy and then highlight some of my "Freedman's favorites"—the players I like and will want to have greater-than-average exposure to in fantasy, along with where I currently have them ranked.

A few notes on my favorites.

  1. These are preliminary and could change based on A) more moves teams make in free agency and the draft and B) how the markets for these players develop as we approach the season.
  2. Some of these players I like for value-based reasons.
  3. Others I like for strategy-based reasons. (Example: Maybe this QB is fairly priced as the QB15, but I still like him because I want to wait until the late rounds to address the position.)

For all my NFL content this offseason, check out my Fantasy Life author page.

2025 Fantasy Football Strategy

  • QB: Wait until the late rounds.
  • RB: Address in the middle rounds.
  • WR: Attack in the early rounds.
  • TE: Defer and seek value if miss out on top two.

Here's what the positional allocation tends to look like in practice.

  • Rounds 1-3: 2 WRs | 1 RB or 1 TE
  • Rounds 4-7: 2-3 RBs | 1-2 WRs
  • Rounds 8-10: 1-2 RBs | 1-2 WRs
  • After Round 10: 1 QB | 1 TE | Upside RBs & WRs

With my early picks, I want rock-solid investments, and I feel I get that with top-tier WRs, elite TEs, and some Hero RBs.

In the middle rounds, I see a number of RBs I like. In general, RB tends to be heavily impacted by injury, surrounding talent, and playcalling, so I don't want to invest much premium draft capital in the position—but the middle rounds feel like the right place for that investment.

In the late rounds, that's where I want to get my QB, because I generally have had success in finding guys there who produce on par with those taken far earlier.

As for TE, I think there's a big difference between Brock Bowers and Trey McBride and everyone else, which means that I'm fine with prioritizing them and taking them at cost when available. If I don't get them, then I'll wait at the position and look to get a guy who falls below his average draft position and offers value.

Quarterback Rankings for 2025

Jayden Daniels (Commanders)

  • Rank: QB3

Last year, Daniels had an OPOY campaign with 3,568 yards and 25 TDs passing and 148-891-6 rushing—and this offseason the team traded for WR Deebo Samuel and LT Laremy Tunsil and brought back TE Zach Ertz. He already has a high floor, but if Daniels progresses in his second season he could finish as the No. 1 QB in fantasy.

Drake Maye (Patriots)

  • Rank: QB16

If we remove the injury-impacted Week 8 and meaningless Week 18 games that Maye exited early, he averaged 36.3 yards rushing across 10 starts. He has a reasonable chance to build upon a promising rookie year, and I still expect the Patriots to improve their WR unit via free agency and the draft.

J.J. McCarthy (Vikings)

  • Rank: QB20

If HC Kevin O'Connell, WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, TE T.J. Hockenson, and RB Aaron Jones can make Sam Darnold look like one of the league's best QBs after a career of subpar performance, then what can they do for McCarthy? Given his draft pedigree (No. 10 pick), athleticism (6.82-second three-cone drill), college production (72.3% completion rate, 9.8 AY/A in final season), and winning makeup (CFB and HS national champion), McCarthy could be even better in 2025 than Darnold was in 2024.

Running Back Rankings for 2025

Derrick Henry (Ravens)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): RB6

For each of the past seven years, Henry has had 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 TDs—and last year he popped off for 2,114 and 18. The dude is Terminator: He might get older, but he never dies.

James Cook (Bills)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): RB11

In 2023, Cook had 1,567 scrimmage yards but only six TDs. In 2024, Cook had only 1,267 yards … but 18 TDs. In 2025, why can't he have the best of both worlds with 1,567 yards and 18 TDs alongside MVP QB Josh Allen?

Joe Mixon (Texans)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): RB15

Since 2018, Mixon has averaged 1,280.4 scrimmage yards and 10 TDs per season (including 2020, when he played just six games), and he'll still be only 29 years old in 2025. With his three-down skill set, Mixon remains a true workhorse (245 carries, 52 targets in 14 games last season), and there's little to suggest he won't be featured in the Texans offense this year. 

Alvin Kamara (Saints)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): RB19

It has been four years since Kamara had an NFL-high 21 TDs to go along with his dominant 1,688 yards. In NFL RB dog years, that was decades ago. Still, Kamara had 1,493 yards and eight TDs on 228 carries and 89 targets in 14 games last year, and only once in his career has he had fewer than 1,300 scrimmage yards.

David Montgomery (Lions)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): RB21

Only six RBs have had back-to-back seasons with 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10-plus touchdowns over the past two years: Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams, the aforementioned Henry and Mixon, and then the always underappreciated Montgomery. Even with Gibbs establishing himself as a true lightning dominator last year, I don't see why Montgomery's thunder role should be reduced this year.

Aaron Jones (Vikings)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): RB25

Since becoming a lead back in 2019, Jones has averaged 1,359.7 yards and 9.5 TDs from scrimmage. He turns 31 years old in December, but he's still slated to be the clear No. 1 RB in an offensive that has a top-eight OL and top-eight playcaller in HC Kevin O'Connell. 

Najee Harris (Chargers)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): RB26

A couple of weeks ago, Ian Hartitz, Kendall Valenzuela, and I did a pre-free agency roundtable in which I posed this question: "How many carries and scrimmage yards will Harris have this year?" Given that Harris is now in a run-first offense under the aegis of HC Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman, and given that he's never had fewer than 255 carries and 1,205 scrimmage yards, those feel like decent base-level projections, and that's pretty good.

Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins (Rookies)

  • Hampton Rank (0.5 PPR): RB17
  • Henderson Rank (0.5 PPR): RB23
  • Judkins Rank (0.5 PPR): RB22

Every Saturday edition of the Fantasy Life Newsletter is now dedicated to the NFL draft. In the edition immediately following the combine, I highlighted Hampton, Henderson, and Judkins as guys who could have big NFL futures because they produced in college and then showed up to the combine weighing more than 200 lbs. and running the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds. Even without knowing where they will go in the NFL draft, I'm fine with getting exposure now in best ball.

Wide Receiver Rankings for 2025

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR11

QB Geno Smith is gone, but Darnold is an acceptable replacement, and the departures of WRs DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett should allow Smith-Njigba to approach double-digit targets on a per-game basis while lining up all across the formation. As strong as he was last year (100-1,130-6 receiving, 8.2 yards per target), Smith-Njigba has the potential to become a dominator in 2025.

Tyreek Hill (Dolphins)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR12

Last year, he was a top-three fantasy pick. This year, he's going in the back half of Round 2. He had just 1,012 yards and six TDs from scrimmage in 2024, but QB Tua Tagovailoa was out for six games, and Hill is likely to be more efficient this year (9.5 yards per target for career) than he was last year (7.8).

Mike Evans (Buccaneers)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR18

Evans turns 32 years old in August and is likely to slow down soon … but he has averaged 9.2 yards per target over the past two seasons with QB Baker Mayfield, and he has famously surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in each of his 11 NFL campaigns. Add on top of that the 57 TDs he has scored in the past half-decade, and Evans' near-elite ceiling/floor combination is evident.

Marvin Harrison (Cardinals)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR21

With even just a slight boost in targets per game (6.8) and yards per target (7.6), Harrison would've had a 1,000-10 receiving campaign last year as a rookie. What we saw out of Smith-Njigba in 2024 should remind us that underperforming first-round receivers can enjoy second-season breakouts.

Rashee Rice (Chiefs)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR23

Rice had a promising rookie campaign in 2023 (79-938-7, 102 targets) and was dominant for the first few games of 2024 (24-288-2, 29 targets) before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Expected to make a full recovery (his ACL, MCL, and meniscus are intact), the explosive Rice (9.4 yards per target) has the potential to return in 2025 as the No. 1 WR for QB Patrick Mahomes.

Jameson Williams (Lions)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR24

Upside is as upside does, and Williams has 9.8 yards per target and 8.7 yards per carry for his career. Coming off his first 1,000-yard campaign, Williams is still yet to see even 100 targets in any of his three NFL seasons, but if his usage were to increase in 2025 he could be a league winner.

Jerry Jeudy (Browns)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR27

In the final 10 games of 2024—after QB Deshaun Watson (Achilles) was lost for the year—Jeudy piled up 69-963-3 receiving on 103 targets. With limited competition on the team and 8.5 yards per target for his career, Jeudy has a chance in 2025 to exceed last year's career-best yardage total of 1,229.

Jauan Jennings (49ers)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR40

No. 1 WR Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from a season-ending knee injury. No. 2 WR Deebo Samuel is gone. First-round WR Ricky Pearsall played sparingly last year as a rookie. TE George Kittle turns 32 years old this season. RB Christian McCaffrey dealt with injuries for all of 2024. In his 10 games last year without either Aiyuk or Samuel, Jennings had 63-746-6 receiving on 89 targets. It's not likely, but Jennings could be the No. 1 pass catcher for the 49ers in 2025.

Ricky Pearsall (49ers)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): WR41

Again: Aiyuk is coming back from an injury. Samuel is gone. Jennings has potential but is unproven. Kittle and McCaffrey are aging. Pearsall is slated to be a full-time starter this year, and in his four starts last year, he had 22-321-3 receiving on 28 targets with 3-45-0 rushing and an incomplete pass attempt. A 2024 first-rounder, Pearsall could be a big-time contributor in HC Kyle Shanahan's offense.

Tight End Rankings For 2025

Brock Bowers (Raiders)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): TE1

Bowers last year as a rookie had a first-team All-Pro campaign with an outstanding 112-1,194-5 campaign, and he could be even better this year given that pass catchers usually develop in their second seasons, the Seahawks haven't added any receivers in free agency, and OC Chip Kelly and QB Geno Smith are likely upgrades on OCs Luke Getsy and Scott Turner and QBs Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell. Bowers might be the new Travis Kelce.

Trey McBride (Cardinals)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): TE2

McBride had a modest start to 2024, but after missing Week 4 with a concussion he dominated from Week 5 on with 97-1,024-2 receiving on 126 targets (plus a two-yard rushing TD) in 13 games. Even if WR Marvin Harrison develops, McBride still might lead the team in targets in 2025. He's a fine missed-out-on-Bowers consolation selection.

Jonnu Smith (Dolphins)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): TE9

A few weeks ago, the Fantasy Life crew did a 12-team half-PPR mock draft, and I was happy to get Smith as the No. 9 TE. Last year after the Week 6 bye he put up 74-744-8 receiving across 12 games with 7.5 targets per game. If he plays like that this year, he'll have a top-three positional finish.

Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): TE10

Yes, Kelce had a career-low 6.2 yards per target last year … but he also had 133 targets. He's still a top pass-game option for QB Patrick Mahomes and HC Andy Reid, and Kelce has a chance to bounce back to the 8.1 yards per target he averaged in 2023.

Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)

  • Rank (0.5 PPR): TE16

After No. 1 WR CeeDee Lamb, who else are the Cowboys gonna throw the ball to?