In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:

Hollywood Brown has not been lighting it up with stats since he returned from a shoulder injury in Week 16. In four games, the Chiefs wide receiver has 12 catches for 126 yards on 22 targets.

The presence of Brown on the field has helped the offense improve with his speed as a threat to stretch the defense. In games with Brown, the Chiefs averaged 23.2 points during the season and scored 27, 29, 23, and a season-high 32 points last week against the Bills to punch a Super Bowl ticket.

Hollywood Brown The Super Bowl X-Factor

The Chiefs offense was underwhelming most of the season and since Brown returned it’s the best it has looked all season. Just having Brown on the field has helped Travis Kelce. Without Brown on the field, Kelce averaged 6.5 yards per reception, compared to 9.3 with Brown.

The Eagles do a good job of limiting the big plays and it might be a difficult week for Brown to catch a long pass. Brown’s average depth of target is 8.1, and he averaged 11.7 yards per catch against the Bills. Don’t be surprised if Brown gets a few short targets early to set up a deep pass later in the game.

The Hollywood-Patrick Mahomes connection didn’t pan out as we hoped during the regular season, but Brown has the opportunity to make an impact on the biggest stage before he becomes a free agent.

 

AROUND THE WATERCOOLER

For today’s Senior Bowl, our merry band of football nerds directs our focus to NFL Draft prospects in this annual showcase:

💪 Jalen Milroe, Will Howard, and Riley Leonard are just a few of the QBs expected to play in the Senior Bowl.

👀 Who will be the next Bucky Irving-like breakout rookie RB? A few candidates will be on display.

🚀 These WRs will be all over the field in Mobile today. Catch them before the NFL Combine.

⚡️ His NFL Draft coverage helped Thor hit a milestone. Coming soon, Senior Bowl Risers/Fallers column.

🌟 Coach Gene highlighted Shedeur Sanders and all the 2025 Shrine Bowl players.

🎤 Do you belieeeeeve? Jason Kelce’s Super Bowl anthem.


Quench Your Hard-Earned Thirst With Mike’s Hard Lemonade 🍋

The Super Bowl is around the corner, and for some, it's game time—while for others, it's heartbreak. No matter how your season ended, Mike’s Hard Lemonade is here to remind you: Hard Days Deserve a Hard Lemonade.

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The Early Bird Gets The Worm

A couple of weeks ago, Matthew Freedman released his way-too-early top 50 rankings for 2025 fantasy football leagues. Throughout the offseason, you can find his rankings updates in our rankings hub.

No. Days. Off.

Now, he’s focusing on early 2025 Fantasy Football breakout candidates for redraft, best ball, and Guillotine Leagues.

Two of his projected breakouts are products of the 2024 NFL Draft and should be squarely on your radar heading into the upcoming offseason …

J.J. McCarthy (QB, Vikings)

Because J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury last year in the preseason, we can't point to any production he accumulated last year on the field and say, “See, he looks like a guy who could go off.”

But it's worth noting that the Vikings seem more than willing to let QB Sam Darnold walk away in free agency after having a breakout season of his own. That speaks to the confidence the team probably has in McCarthy.

And let's look at Darnold. He entered last season with a subpar career 6.0 AY/A, and then for the campaign he had a career-best mark of 7.9. That speaks to the infrastructure the Vikings have built and the supportive environment McCarthy will have around him this year, especially HC Kevin O'Connell and WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

With 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 has the potential to have a 2024 Darnold-esque season, even in his first year as a starter.

McCarthy will be a viable option in 2-QB/superflex leagues.

Ricky Pearsall (WR, 49ers)

As a rookie, Ricky Pearsall did little last year (31-400-3 receiving, 3-45-0 rushing).

But he could take a big step forward in 2025.

No. 1 WR Brandon Aiyuk (knee) suffered a season-ending injury last year and could be slow to start the campaign. And No. 2 WR Deebo Samuel is a legitimate cut/trade candidate after failing to live up to the highs of his 2021 All-Pro performance over the past three seasons.

As a result, Pearsall could be a full-time starter this season. In his four starts last season, he accumulated the supermajority of his season production with 22-321-3 receiving on 28 targets with 3-45-0 rushing and an incomplete pass attempt.

As the team's 2024 first-rounder, Pearsall has the real potential to be a big-time contributor in HC Kyle Shanahan's offense this season.

MORE EARLY 2025 BREAKOUTS


Jacksonville Jaguars Team Needs

It was a rough season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, coming off back-to-back 9-8 campaigns before limping to a 2-7 start then losing QB Trevor Lawrence to a season-ending AC joint sprain.

Now Doug Pederson is out, and incoming is former Bucs OC Liam Coen. Will that help Lawrence live up to his vast potential? Ian Hartitz takes a hard look at the Jaguars’ team needs on both sides of the ball in the early days of the NFL offseason.

Say it together everyone: “Duuuvvaaalll!”

Upgrade Trevor Lawrence’s Pass Catchers

There is a lot of uncertainty in the WR and TE rooms alike due to the aforementioned potential for Christian Kirk and Evan Engram to be cap casualties. Throw in Gabe Davis' recovery from knee surgery, and it's possible three of the team's projected top-four targets ahead of Week 1 last season aren't available come September.

Perhaps the Jaguars simply go all in on their Penn State pipeline and embrace TE Brenton Strange and WR Parker Washington as full-time starters; just realize something needs to be done to help improve this overall offensive environment. Look no further than the Jaguars' ranks in "Supporting Cast Rating," which takes the average of every team's PFF rushing, receiving, run-blocking, and pass-blocking grades (everything but passing):

2021: 28th

2022: 20th

2023: 30th

2024: 24th

Brian Thomas Jr. gives the Jaguars a legit No. 1 WR to build around, but remember: It's legal in the year 2025 to have multiple baller pass catchers in the same offense.

TWO MORE OFFSEASON PRIORITIES FOR THE JAGS

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