Can These Second-Year Stars Do It Again In 2025 Fantasy Football?

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter:

Yesterday was for the daddies (Hey, Josh Allen). Today is for the baddies!

Look, I know it’s easy to fall into the trap of avoiding players from sh*tty NFL teams when you're drafting fantasy football teams. It's simple math, right?

The Math: Player A good + Team B sucks = Not Worth the Risk

But the equation is wrong! The limit does not exist! We learned in 2024 that a player can still perform at elite levels, even in the worst of conditions. It’s like Ron Burgundy said: “60% of the time, a baddie succeeds every time!”

Oh? What? Don't believe me?

Here are some of the WORST NFL offenses from 2024 and the baddies that rose above it all (despite the no good, very bad, terrible conditions).

Jacksonville Jaguars

Total Points Scored: 320 (26th)
Total Yards: 5,206 (25th)

Brian Thomas Jr. still managed to thrive as a rookie on a lackluster offense. His 10 TDs in 2024 were T-6th amongst all WRs. That’s right, he was tied with Justin MF’ing Jefferson! And while JAX ranked bottom of the league in total yards, BTJ ranked 3rd amongst all WRs in receiving yards. From Weeks 11-17, his UR Score was a stellar 9.2, fourth in the league. Curious … It's almost like the offense was BTJ.

Las Vegas Raiders

Total Points Scored: 309 (29th)
Total Yards: 5,154 (27th)

Brock Bowers not only led TEs in 2024, but he was hanging with the big dawgs across all receiving positions. I don't care that he barely caught any TDs. Bowers logged the third-most receptions (112) and eighth-most receiving yards (1,194) IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE last year. As a TE. On a crappy team. With a dumpster-fire QB room.

New York Giants

Total Points Scored: 273 (31st)
Total Yards: 5,011 (30th)

Malik Nabers is proof that talent can prevail in even the darkest of times. Daniel Jones performed so poorly in 2024 that he isn't even on the team anymore. Yet Nabers still managed to climb the leaderboards. Ranked fifth in receptions?! Ranked seventh in receiving yards?! Seriously … HOW?! Oh, because he had the second-most targets across the entire league. Hey Giants, keep doing that in 2025. Please.

The moral of the story: Don't be scared to draft a baddie from a bad team. There are still pathways to fantasy success! (I'm looking at you, Tyler Warren)

We’ve Got Your Rankings

If you’re picking in the back half of Round 1, how can you decide between Malik Nabers, Ashton Jeanty, and Brian Thomas Jr.? Is Jayden Daniels in a good spot to go elite QB? As Matthew says, “Faith in 5!” And is Round 2 a good spot to get a Hero RB? The Fantasy Life Rankings Hub is here for you.

PPR, Half-PPR, Best Ball, even Superflex … we’ve got you covered. Yes, even our Standard scoring holdouts get rankings love. Dynasty Bros., you too. Our Fantasy Life experts have crunched the projections and created their rankings, which they update throughout the offseason to give you the most up-to-date ranks for you to peruse and get you ready for the fast-approaching fantasy draft season.

2025 Fantasy Rankings

Surprising Projections

HOLD UP! Does Matthew Freedman hate Justin Jefferson?!

No, no, no. He doesn’t. But you might be surprised by his 2025 projections, which are “so out of line with his ADP.” Find out why Freedman projects Jefferson a full six spots below his ADP.

Other projections that might surprise you …

WR Jerry Jeudy

ADP: WR38
Projection: WR17

RB Ashton Jeanty

ADP: RB4
Projection: ???

NOT THE PROJECTIONS YOU’D EXPECT

Building A Case For A QB’s Value

More pressure isn’t necessarily a bad thing (it’s not good either, to be clear). In the right context, sacks aren’t as damning as we think. But when we combine the two, we can better characterize a QB.

Pressure-to-Sack Ratio does exactly that. Chris Allen takes a deep dive into how we can use it to evaluate quarterback play and how we can use it for fantasy football.

Caleb Williams is the perfect case study for exactly that. Will he take a much-needed leap in a new system in Year 2, or will he fold under pressure and disappoint fantasy managers and Queen fans alike? ⬇️

NOT GREAT COMPANY FOR WILLIAMS IN ‘24

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

🚀 We know Travis Hunter can catch balls. What about fish?

👀 Starting a dynasty league? Don’t leave your draft without these guys.

🙈 Do the Saints really need more? Add another RB to the list.

🤓 Who’s the best at being bad? Test your ball knowledge.

🏈 ICYMI: These RBs could disrupt their new backfields.