Fantasy Football Player Notes
2025 PPR Draft Rankings
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1.
Ja'Marr Chase
WR - (vs . CLE)
It might not be realistic for Chase to match the splendor of a 2024 season in which he finished with 127-1,708-17, but Chase has been a high-end WR1 since entering the league in 2021, and he has a great bond with longtime college and pro teammate Joe Burrow, one of the best pure passers in the game.
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20.
Tee Higgins
WR - (vs . CLE)
Some fantasy managers will shy away from Higgins because he's missed five games in each of the last two years, and because he isn't the top receiver on his own team. (That honor belongs to Ja'Marr Chase, of course.) But Higgins is an outstanding receiver in his own right. He scored 10 touchdowns in only 12 games last season and averaged 75.9 receiving yards per contest. The Bengals' shaky defense could lead to a lot of high-scoring shootouts for Cincinnati this season -- another reason to consider investing in Higgins.
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21.
Chase Brown
RB - (vs . CLE)
Brown became a high-usage monster for the Bengals last season, finishing with 229-990-7 rushing and 54-360-4 receiving. That was good for an RB12 finish in half-point PPR fantasy scoring, but from Week 4 on, Brown was RB6 in fantasy scoring and RB7 in fantasy points per game. The Bengals didn't make any major investments at running back in the offseason, so Brown should continue to be the lead back for one of the NFL's best offenses.
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49.
Joe Burrow
QB - (vs . CLE)
One of the best pure passers in the game, Joe Burrow led the NFL last season in completions (460), passing yardage (4,918) and TD passes (43). Burrow completed 70.6% of his passes, threw only nine interceptions despite a league-high 652 pass attempts, and averaged 289.3 passing yards per game. Burrow finished QB3 in fantasy scoring last year. Could he be an even more valuable fantasy asset in 2025? It's not out of the question. Burrow has arguably the best WR combo in the league with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and the Bengals' defensive shortcomings could thrust Burrow into plenty of high-scoring shootouts. Burrow doesn't provide much in the way of rushing, but he's such a prolific passer that he's a top-five fantasy quarterback anyway.
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200.
Mike Gesicki
TE - (vs . CLE)
Mike Gesicki is the top pass-catching tight end in arguably the NFL's best passing attack. You'd think that role would mean more, but Gesicki was TE14 in fantasy scoring last year after catching 65 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns. With the dynamic WR duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins vacuuming up targets, Gesicki averaged a modest 4.9 targets per game. It's worth noting that Gesicki's productivity increased over the five games Higgins missed last season. Gesicki averaged 5.2 catches and 62.4 yards in those games, and he scored both of his touchdowns when Higgins was out. Gesicki has a high-end TE2 ceiling when Chase and Higgins are both healthy, but if either of them were to miss time in 2025, Gesicki's value could spike.
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218.
Evan McPherson
K - (vs . CLE)
Evan McPherson will play one game indoors all season in 2025. Therefore, I'd be careful investing too much into him this draft season. The Bengals' kicker is coming off a season-ending injury and he has failed to finish higher than K14 since his rookie campaign. His FG% have also declined for four straight seasons.
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227.
Andrei Iosivas
WR - (vs . CLE)
Last year, Andrei Iosivas was the WR74 in fantasy points per game, with only four weeks as a WR36 or higher in weekly fantasy scoring. He only drew a 9.2% target share with 28.2 receiving yards per game and 0.88 yards per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). He's a last-round pick in best ball only as a stacking piece with Joe Burrow.
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243.
Tahj Brooks
RB - (vs . CLE)
Brooks lands in Cincy via the sixth round of the NFL Draft. With the depth of his running back class, it isn't surprising to see him having slipped that far down the board, but it still sucks. Brooks has the talent that should have justified an earlier pick and would have had he come out last year. Brooks will need to hop Zack Moss (assuming health) and Samaje Perine on the depth chart to even be proclaimed as the direct handcuff to Chase Brown. I think he has the talent to do so, but it remains to be seen if he can achieve it. Texas Tech's run blocking was abysmal last year, and it hurt Brooks' tackle-breaking numbers. In 2023, he ranked 60th in yards after contact per attempt and 37th in elusive rating (per PFF). Brooks is a final-round pick/deep league dart throw.
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255.
Joe Flacco
QB - (vs . CLE)
Joe Flacco is the favorite to be the Browns' starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2025 season, but Cleveland has a crowded QB room. The Browns also signed former Steeler Kenny Pickett in the offseason, then drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. After his 11-year run with the Ravens, Flacco has reinvented himself as a daring gunslinger late in his career. In stints with the Jets, Browns and Colts over the last five years, Flacco has averaged 269.9 passing yards over 20 starts, with 36 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. The Browns have incentive to give Gabriel and Sanders 2025 auditions before they decide whether to take a quarterback in what looks like a QB-rich 2026 draft, so the 40-year-old Flacco may not be the starter for long. But Flacco is such an aggressive thrower that he'll be fantasy-viable for as long as he starts.
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303.
Samaje Perine
RB - (vs . CLE)
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307.
Jermaine Burton
WR - (vs . CLE)
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308.
Noah Fant
TE - (vs . CLE)
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391.
Cincinnati Bengals
DST - (vs . CLE)
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491.
Mitch Tinsley
WR - (vs . CLE)
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525.
Tanner Hudson
TE - (vs . CLE)
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530.
Jake Browning
QB - (vs . CLE)
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558.
Drew Sample
TE - (vs . CLE)
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562.
Charlie Jones
WR - (vs . CLE)
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578.
Erick All Jr.
TE - (vs . CLE)
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