Now that free agency and the draft have concluded, fantasy football managers have a firm grasp on the general makeup of each NFL roster. News reports, training camp tidbits, preseason games and injury updates will begin to shape the average draft position (ADP) landscape of draft season.
Over at FantasyPros, we constantly have our ears to the ground and our fingers on the pulse of the latest information, some of which has caused players to begin trending in different directions. Below you’ll find a positional breakdown of players that are trending and the reasons why, plus my determination on whether the news is impactful or represents a buy-low/sell-high opportunity.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Dynasty Rankings
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Players Trending Up & Trending Down
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All reports coming from Patriots camp have been glowing about Drake Maye and the improved feel of the new-look New England squad. Following a dismal season where the Patriots continued to dwell in the AFC East basement, the team made wholesale changes, starting with their coaching staff (firing Jerod Mayo in favor of Mike Vrabel) and investing heavily in improvements to their offensive line. New England added offensive tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury early in free agency, and then spent the fourth overall selection in the NFL Draft on Will Campbell from LSU. New bookends on both sides will do wonders for Maye’s development, allowing him additional time within the pocket without constantly running for his life.
Bringing in additional offensive playmakers was another priority for the Patriots, who ranked dead last in passing yards in 2024 (a paltry 176 per game). Running back TreVeyon Henderson from Ohio State is a fantastic pass-catching outlet for Maye to utilize when necessary, and speedster Kyle Williams from Washington gives the Patriots a much-needed downfield threat. Williams will complement veterans Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas, in what should be a dramatically different situation for Maye.
Currently ranked as our QB16 in the latest expert consensus rankings (ECR), Maye has begun to vault ahead of Dak Prescott and Jordan Love in recent industry drafts.
Before you cringe and scroll past Quinshon Judkins since he is a member of the Browns, hear me out on this one. Selected with the fourth pick in the second round of the draft, Judkins was brought in as a direct replacement for Nick Chubb and stands to inherit all of the early-down and goal-line carries for Cleveland. Possessing a powerfully built frame at 6-foot-o and 221 pounds., Judkins demonstrated a knack for breaking tackles by lowering his pads and running through defenders at Ohio State. Though he isn’t as adept a receiver as teammates Jerome Ford or Dylan Sampson, Judkins isn’t a detriment in the passing game, and his ability to pass-protect blocking is quite strong.
Cleveland’s quarterback situation is a mess — there is no two ways about that. Veteran Joe Flacco is expected to begin the season under center, with Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders all pushing him for snaps, should (and when) the team falters. With that situation in such a state of flux, I believe the browns will rely heavily upon their running game to keep them competitive in the AFC North, and Judkins should be given every opportunity to succeed. The Browns were one of five teams in the league that averaged fewer than 100 rushing yards per game in 2024, so look for them to make it a priority to improve upon those totals to aid in their time of possession each week.
Judkins is currently the RB28 in the latest ECR rankings as a Tier 5 option. I can see him becoming a locked-in RB2 for standard-size formats in short order, with touchdown upside if Cleveland can stabilize their quarterback situation.
A young, highly productive receiver out of college with an immense catch radius? Check. The ability to outmuscle defenders on contested catches and jump balls? Check. An ascending passing offense that began to hit its stride in the second half of 2024? Check. Top-10 draft capital spent, allowing him time to adjust? Check. Playing on a team that will need to pass often, as they come from behind, thanks to an awful defense? Triple check.
Simply put, it is all there for Tetairoa McMillan to succeed in his rookie season with Carolina.
The top-ranked receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft, McMillan instantly becomes Carolina’s top “X” option, with big-play ability downfield and a knack for creating yards after catch (YAC) hand over fist. Reports out of camp have praised his chemistry with quarterback Bryce Young, who appeared to take a gigantic step forward in his development down the stretch last year. McMillan’s tape out of Arizona highlighted his ability to beat man coverage and work downfield, and he should quickly become the alpha option in this offense. Currently ranked as the WR32, I expect to see McMillan rise several more spots as we approach August.
Is there anyone flying under the radar right now in drafts more than Jake Ferguson? In 2023, after an impressive 71/761/5 split, Ferguson was held to just 494 receiving yards on 59 receptions (and zero touchdowns) last season, mainly due to the devastating injury Dak Prescott suffered in Week 9. Prescott’s healthy return signifies a tremendous bounce-back opportunity for Ferguson, especially with Dallas failing to address their lackluster running game in the offseason.
After the “big three” at the tight end position (Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle), there is a wide-open second tier of players for managers to choose from to become their every-week starter. Ferguson offers modest upside for a dirt-cheap price with little competition for targets outside of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Dallas is expected to pass the ball early and often to stay competitive, and at just 26 years old, Ferguson enters the prime of his career. He self-described last season as a “fluke” due to his injury and Prescott’s, and I’m inclined to agree. I’ll be buying shares of him all draft season.
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After finishing as the QB10 or better in each of the last three seasons with Detroit, it is interesting to see Jared Goff slipping in our rankings. The root causes are twofold: Goff’s reliance on touchdowns to inflate his weekly totals, as he fails to generate rushing yards, and a new offensive coordinator in place after Chicago hired Ben Johnson.
For the entirety of 2024, Goff had 35 rushing attempts for 56 yards and failed to score a rushing touchdown for the third time in the past four seasons. A pure pocket quarterback, Goff excels at accurate play-action passing, picking apart defenses, with the Lions’ running game doing the heavy lifting.
Last season, Goff finished with a career-high 37 passing touchdowns (ranked fourth in the NFL) and 4,629 passing yards (ranked second). Before hitting the “select” button during drafts, fantasy managers will need to seriously debate if Goff’s prior finish as the QB6 was his absolute ceiling when all the pieces fell into place. New offensive coordinator John Morton stated in mid-May that he will reportedly “not change the playbook much,” considering the success that the Lions had last year, but it is almost a certainty that he won’t be as creative or aggressive as Johnson was.
Given the success that both Jahmyr Gibbs (last season’s RB2) and David Montgomery (the RB18 in just 14 games) had when they touched the ball last year, I’d expect a further reduction in attempts for Goff in 2025, which makes him a risky option for managers relying upon him as their clear-cut QB1. Though he remains a safe choice at the position due to the copious number of playmakers on Detroit, Goff is best viewed as a top-15 option who won’t put managers over the top in any given week.
Just when it appeared Jaylen Warren was finally going to be Pittsburgh’s unquestioned lead option following the departure of Najee Harris to Los Angeles in free agency, the team decided to spend an early third-round selection on Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson. Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 224-pound do-it-all option adept at running inside and outside the tackles, stands to inherit Harris’ early-down and short-yardage role, significantly capping any upside Warren may have originally possessed.
Fantasy managers knew that Pittsburgh was going to address the running back position by bringing in competition for Warren, but Johnson represents a threat to siphon away most of his upside, rendering him more of a Flex option than an RB3. His weekly relevance will heavily rely upon his working in the passing game, since Pittsburgh is bereft of real threats outside DK Metcalf. The Steelers’ lack of depth will keep Warren relevant as an outlet for Aaron Rodgers to use on screens and wheel routes, but one has to wonder if his current ranking as the RB30 is justified.
The best-case scenario for Warren would be to alternate drives with Johnson as Pittsburgh eats away at the clock. Right now, there are other committee backs that offer similar upside for a cheaper cost (Austin Ekeler, Cam Skattebo, Travis Etienne Jr.) that I’d pivot towards instead.
Michael Pittman was one of the biggest disappointments at the receiver position in 2024, finishing as the WR41 with just 69 receptions for 808 yards and three touchdown receptions in 16 games. Due to a combination of his propensity for drops, coupled with the scattershot accuracy of Anthony Richardson under center, Pittman took a significant step backward statistically from his 109/1,152/4 line in 2023. I don’t envision a return to those lofty heights anytime soon.
The Colts signed New York Giants castoff Daniel Jones as competition for Richardson in the offseason, and the two options are currently mired in a camp battle to see who can lead the league in interceptions for 2025. Call me skeptical that a change of scenery is what the doctor ordered for Jones to breathe life into his career at this point.
Even when (or if) Jones or Richardson play well for the Colts, Pittman will need to compete with Josh Downs, Jonathan Taylor and first-round selection Tyler Warren for targets. Warren’s ability to fill multiple positions and be utilized all over the field will make him a major threat to capping Pittman’s potential upside in this offense. Pittman’s calling card is as a downfield threat, something challenging for Indianapolis to utilize often.
Pittman is ranked as the WR43, but I can easily see others in this territory passing him by in short order, namely Ricky Pearsall, Cooper Kupp and Jayden Reed.
Lofty expectations were placed upon Dalton Kincaid after his outstanding rookie campaign in 2023, when he finished as the TE11 with a 73/673/2 split. Unfortunately, nagging injuries and Buffalo’s emergence as a more balanced offensive attack under offensive coordinator Joe Brady capped Kincaid’s upside, resulting in a disappointing TE30 finish in 2024.
For Kincaid to return to fantasy relevance, he will need to overcome two areas specifically this season — his play toughness and ability to catch the ball. Reports have been positive regarding his increased strength and muscle gain in the offseason, which would aid in his ability to stay on the field and not be viewed as a detriment in blocking. We shall see if he was also able to work on his concentration when passes are thrown in his general direction, as 2024’s sub-60% catch rate was horrific.
Call me once-bitten, twice-shy when it comes to Kincaid. Is it possible he returns as a low-end TE1 for fantasy in 2025? Sure. But an awful lot would need to break in the right direction, including a significant reduction in quarterback Josh Allen‘s rushing touchdowns around the goal line.
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