Kendall Valenzuela presents three major NFL storylines that are impacting 2025 fantasy football, starting with Jameson Williams' potential target boost.

Organized team activities have begun and that means we get to dissect players and coaches quotes for the next few weeks! Look, if you're not excited about it, I understand, but we are still months away from real football so we need something to get excited about.

You know what we do here … let's go through the latest NFL news that's impacting fantasy football, but more importantly the quotes that could change some draft landscapes.

Huge season on the horizon for Jameson Williams?

Jameson Williams fantasy managers have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions during his career, but last season gave everyone hope. He finished second on the team with 1,001 receiving yards and also locked down 58 receptions and 7 touchdowns on the year. Williams averaged 15.3 fantasy points per game from weeks 10-18, which ranked 22nd among wide receivers. His Utilization Score in that span was a solid 6.4.

But could an even bigger year be on the horizon? Lions head coach Dan Campbell thinks so …

“The sky’s the limit for him,” Campbell said. "He’s exactly where we want him to be right now at this point. He’s been here. He’s grinding. He’s getting better. But we expect him to have a huge season—we really do, man. He’s going to be one of these guys that we’re going to lean on this year and is really going to be big for us. And all he’s got to do is keep working like he’s working and we’ll be good.”

In my recent wide receiver rankings, I still have Amon-Ra St. Brown as my WR8, which is in line with our other rankers, but I did acknowledge how the presence of Williams could impact him with increased target competition. John Morton is now the offensive coordinator with Ben Johnson out of town, which means Williams could get an increased workload and continue building off a 2024 season that saw him be more than just a deep threat. He's currently going off the board on Underdog as the WR26—ahead of Courtland Sutton, DK Metcalf, and Zay Flowers. 

More opportunities for Audric Estime?

Yes, the Denver Broncos went out and drafted RJ Harvey with the 60th overall pick, but does that mean it's the end of the road for Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin? I want as much Harvey as I can get in my drafts, but Estime especially doesn't seem like a running back who's going to fully go away in this Broncos backfield.

Head coach Sean Payton might have told us that Estime won't be out of the picture entirely…

“A little bit harder for him last year—for a handful of these guys,” Payton said. "I don’t want to say the grade was incomplete, but they just didn’t have enough [carries]. He’s a back that requires enough touches. He’s going to get those opportunities.”

Now this doesn't mean go target Estime at all cost, but it could make him a viable handcuff. He was a fifth-round draft pick by the Broncos last season and finished the year with 76 carries for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns (in 14 games). Harvey will be the RB1 in this offense, but in deeper leagues Estime isn't a bad late-round target. He's currently projected at Fantasy Life for 97 rush attempts, 415 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns with 60 receiving yards as well. 

Ricky Pearsall not at OTAs

We don't have to dissect a quote for this one. According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, receiver Ricky Pearsall is not participating in the team’s organized team activities and will more than likely not return until training camp because of a tweaked hamstring he suffered during offseason workouts.

So do not panic if you don't see him! Pearsall missed the first six weeks of the 2024 season after being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery and eventually made his debut in October. This is another receiver who could find a bigger role in 2025 after he finished last year with 31 catches for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns.

If Brandon Aiyuk takes a little longer to return to action after his season-ending knee surgery, then it would be Jauan Jennings and Pearsall in line for even more work. Right now Fantasy Life has Pearsall projected for 738 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns—with a WR40 price tag, Pearsall is a pretty good receiver to bet on right now. 

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