When it comes to fantasy football, the conservative approach tends to result in a middle-of-the-pack finish. If you stick purely to ADP, you’ll just be drafting the players that the rest of the people in your league think are good, too. And that’s a great way to finish in fifth place. If you want to win your league, you have to be bold and take some chances. Sure, some of them won’t work out. But the right mix of solid picks and high-upside swings could result in a championship roster come January. That’s where our FantasyPros analysts come in. We cast a wide net and came up with several fantasy football bold predictions for the 2025 season.
The primary objective of bold predictions isn’t to get them exactly right; it’s to highlight the players with a strong chance to produce an outlier season and paint a picture of what that ceiling or floor looks like and why it could happen. Read on for our analysts’ bold fantasy football predictions.
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Fantasy Football Bold Predictions
What is one bold fantasy prediction for the 2025 season, and why could it happen?
Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR – ARI) & Rome Odunze (WR – CHI)
“Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze will both finish as WR2s this season. I’m giving Odunze a mulligan for his rookie campaign, given how bad Caleb Williams and his protection were. The Bears are all in on Williams now, and a second off-season will assuredly advance the Williams-Odunze rapport. Harrison just has too much talent not to progress as a sophomore. He and Kyler Murray were grotesquely rusty at times in 2024. Each receiver will surpass the 1,000-yard mark and drastically outperform their ADPs on their way to their respective WR2 seasons.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)
Drake London (WR – ATL)
“My bold fantasy prediction is that Drake London will be the overall WR1 in FPPG. Last season, London averaged 23.2 FPPG in the three games that Michael Penix Jr. started. London had 39 targets, 352 yards, and two touchdowns in those three games. The Falcons’ defense was one of the worst in the league last year, and while I think they are going to be better, the Falcons should still have to throw the ball a lot to stay in games. London could see 175 targets this year, and that will put him in contention to be the WR1.”
– Nick Penticoff (Fantasy Football Astronauts)
“Is Drake London finishing as THE WR1 overall bold enough? I’m going to go ahead and assume that this write-up is already in someone’s Freezing Cold takes exposed folder, that’s how bold it feels, but it also feels so right! If you follow my work, then you already know that I can’t shut up about Drake London this off-season, to quote Seinfeld, “Love the Drake.” After posting a career-high 100 receptions for 1,271 yards and 9 touchdowns, London showed signs that he’s not just progressing, he’s on the brink of elite. The real signal came during the final three games, when Michael Penix Jr. took the helm. In that stretch, London averaged 13 targets, 117 receiving yards, and 23.1 PPR points per game.
His yards per route run (YPRR) over that stretch? An astounding 3.52, which would’ve led all wide receivers over a full season. Even more encouraging: he saw 23 red-zone targets (tied for third among all wide receivers) and 14 end-zone looks, but only converted six of them into scores. That kind of gap screams positive touchdown regression, especially if the offense as a whole takes a step forward under Zac Robinson in Year 2. London also expanded his role last season, lining up in the slot on 38% of his snaps, up from just 20% the year prior. That shift opened the door to more favorable matchups and schemed opportunities. London led all wide receivers in yards per route run from the slot (2.57) and earned PFF’s No. 3 slot WR grade, trailing only Puka Nacua and Nico Collins.
His 90.1 PFF receiving grade overall tied for 4th-best in the league, showing he was efficient, dynamic, and dependable at every level of the field. We’ve seen this kind of usage bump act as a catalyst for elite fantasy seasons before. In 2023, CeeDee Lamb‘s slot rate jumped from 23% to 45.5%, unlocking career highs in volume and red-zone production and ultimately propelling him to the WR1 overall finish. The same thing happened again in 2024 with Ja’Marr Chase, whose slot usage climbed from 23% to 31% in his Triple Crown-winning campaign. The blueprint is becoming clear for fantasy: increased slot usage is the key that unlocks true WR1 overall upside. “The Drake” now has everything in place: the usage, the scoring opportunity, the talent, and now the quarterback to realize a WR1 overall season. The path to the top isn’t just possible, it’s plausible. And if it happens? It won’t just be me who loves the Drake. Everyone will love the Drake.”
– James Emrick-Wilson (Armchair Scouting)
Calvin Ridley (WR – JAC)
“Old man Calvin Ridley will be a top 12 PPR fantasy WR in 2025. With shaky-at-best QB play in 2024, he managed a 64-1017-4 line on 120 targets, led the league in air yards, ranked 6th in downfield receptions, and finished as the 28th-ranked PPR WR. Cam Ward (who ranked 4th among all 2024 College QBs in deep-ball completions) is now at QB, and the two have been seen taking extra reps together during OTAs. With no real competition added to the WR room, coach-speak from Bill Callahan indicating a pass-heavy offense, another year in the Titans’ system, locker narrative (they’re neighbors), and a shifting landscape amongst other top WRs, Ridley’s path to a top-12 PPR finish in 2025 becomes clear.”
– Avery Thrasher (The Branded Sports)
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
“While calling for Ja’Marr Chase to finish as the WR1 seems far from a bold prediction, we haven’t seen a wide receiver repeat as the top guy in back-to-back years since Antonio Brown in 2014 and 2015. Last season, Chase was the WR1, averaging 20 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. He scored 73.5 more fantasy points than the next closest wide receiver. More importantly, the superstar had over 1,700 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns last year, making him the only player in NFL history to hit those marks in the same season. The Bengals’ offense will be pass-happy again this year, especially with their below-average defense. Don’t be surprised if Ja’Marr Chase improves on his numbers from last season.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
Kyle Williams (WR – NE)
“It may not sound bold given the number of times his name has been said over the course of the last month post-NFL Draft, but Kyle Williams being the Patriots’ WR1 may be bold. Yes, Stefon Diggs and his contract come to town; however, Williams has already done work with the Patriots’ starting offense this spring. Not to mention, Williams gives the Patriots a home run threat that simply does not exist on this roster. 65+ catches is absolutely doable for the former Washington State product, and at the cost of a late-round selection, is a must-have for fantasy managers come draft time. Kyle Williams TO THE MOON.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF)
“Brandon Aiyuk will not be a factor in 2025. This isn’t the boldest take out there, but after I saw Brandon Aiyuk‘s current consensus ranking at WR 43, I almost fell over. I think some of my fellow analysts have been enjoying too many beverages this summer. Apparently, they never had to rehab from a major reconstructive knee injury. I have. (Note- Brandon Aiyuk is coming off a gruesome knee surgery for his ACL & MCL, which was done on November 12th.) And, I’m telling you, there is no way Aiyuk will be anywhere close to a top forty WR in 2025. Don’t believe me? Okay, let’s go back to last summer. How did Nick Chubb and T.J. Hockenson do after tearing both of their ligaments the prior season? Go ahead, look it up. I’ll wait…….Ringo thinks it’s time for drafters to “Escape from Aiyukatraz” and go with Jauan Jennings instead.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
Ricky Pearsall (WR – SF)
“Ricky Pearsall will be a top-20 fantasy wide receiver in 2025. After being shot during an attempted robbery last August, the 2024 first-round draft pick made it back on the field in October and flashed his tremendous potential over the closing weeks of the season. In Weeks 17 and 18, Pearsall caught 14 of 18 targets for 210 yards and two touchdowns. With Deebo Samuels gone and Brandon Aiyuk likely to miss the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL, Pearsall could run away with the WR1 job in San Francisco. That role translated to a top-15 fantasy performance in each of 2021, 2022, and 2023.”
– Jason Willan (Gridiron Experts)
Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
“Jameson Williams out-scores Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2025. Quietly went over 1,000 yards last year on limited volume last season – and after returning from suspension in Week 10, he ranked as the WR10 in fantasy points per game. And the breakout smoke from Detroit cannot be ignored. HC Dan Campbell and new OC John Morton have made it clear: Jamo is the guy. Meanwhile, the Sun God just had offseason knee surgery and might not be as featured in the post Ben Johnson offense, which may not be dedicated to the slot. Keep in mind that Jamo ended last season with a 21% target share – closing the target gap to St. Brown’s over the back half, minus that 18-target outlier game in Week 15. Williams is a former 12th overall pick, only 24 years old, with elite explosiveness and a clear opportunity. He has 15 career TDs – 9 of which came on plays over 40+ yards. All gas and no brakes. Giddy up. ”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
“Jameson Williams finishes as a WR1. Jameson Williams hasn’t quite lived up to the hype after being taken 12th overall in the 2022 NFL draft. Recovery from an ACL injury suffered in college marred his rookie campaign, and a six-game gambling suspension derailed his 2023. In 2024, head coach Dan Campbell talked up the young wideout’s commitment to the team and his craft, and Williams came through with over a thousand yards and eight total touchdowns. At just 24 years old, and a physical freak, if “Jamo” can put it all together, he could easily be the fantasy steal of the 2025 season. ”
– Lee Wehry (FantasyPros)
DK Metcalf (WR – SEA)
“DK Metcalf will finish as a Top 10 WR in most 2025 fantasy football leagues. We’ve all seen DK Metcalf dominate in the past, so why is this a “bold prediction?” For starters, Metcalf hasn’t even finished in the Top 12 in Half-PPR leagues since 2021 (2020 in full PPR). Also, he’s catching passes on a new team in a new offense from a 41-year-old quarterback…whose backup is Mason Rudolph. Aaron Rodgers has lost his mobility, but still possesses above-average arm talent along with the acumen of a seasoned veteran. More importantly for fantasy, he has a propensity for feeding his top receiving option with reckless abandon, most recently Davante Adams. Unless we believe that Calvin Austin III or Roman Wilson is going to emerge as a target hog, DK’s only realistic competition for steady target volume on a weekly basis is Pat Freiermuth, who has drawn 80 or more targets only once so far in his four-year NFL career. Smash DK Metcalf at his current ADP as the consensus WR21.”
– Drew DeLuca (QB List)
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