Pump The Brakes On Anthony Richardson For Fantasy Football 2025

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims:

If Anthony Richardson has been your sneaky late-round quarterback target over the last few months, you might want to press pause on drafting the third-year signal caller.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters yesterday that Richardson is dealing with a shoulder injury and will not participate in the team's minicamp next week.

This is also not a new injury; Richardson has aggravated the right shoulder joint he injured back in 2023. Steichen said the plan is for Richardson to return “at some point” in training camp and that surgery is not in the plans, but there is no clear timeline for return.

This is another wrinkle in what has been a disappointing two-year stretch for Richardson. During his rookie campaign, he was able to start only four games before a shoulder injury required season-ending surgery. Then, in 2024, not only was Richardson injured, but eventually he was benched for two games in favor of Joe Flacco—he finished with a 47.7% completion percentage on 264 attempts.

Richardson has missed 17 of a possible 34 games in two seasons.

Now, don't totally cringe when I say this, but could it be Daniel Jones SZN? They signed Jones to a one-year, $14M contract, and the organization has been very open that this was always going to be a "competition" between the two quarterbacks. Jones will now inevitably get more reps and ultimately have a leg up on Richardson in this quarterback battle. If Jones is able to take advantage of Richardson's absence and establish chemistry with Michael Pittman and new tight end Tyler Warren, then this could be Jones' job to lose.

It's not a sexy pick, but Jones is currently being drafted as the QB33 over on Underdog—or maybe you just want to choose peace and happiness for 2025, your call!

Plus, speaking of QB carousels and potential late-round targets …

IT’S JUST A COINCIDENCE WHICH QBs ARE AT 28 AND 29

It’s Finally Over.

You’re damn right it’s finally over, and nobody may be happier than our editors, who have sat on this story since mid-March while Mr. Rodgers (not the cool one) dilly dallied until he could soak up the most attention possible on a random Thursday in June. Nice, Rodgers—we had this ready for you in MARCH, when you had George Pickens, too! Instead, you waste our time, we remove Pickens, and then conveniently, one of our editors drafts you immediately after the announcement in our startup dynasty league.

Anyways …

The longtime Packers franchise QB, four-time MVP, and … ex-Jets signal-caller … has a new home: Aaron Rodgers will sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not too shabby for a 41-year-old veteran still a few months shy of two years removed from a devastating torn Achilles.

On the one hand, Rodgers' best years of his career are certainly in the rear-view mirror. From EPA per dropback (+0.057, 19th), to success rate (44.3%, 24th), and completion percentage over expected (-2.6%, 30th): Life wasn't easy for Rodgers when throwing the football last season despite having what sure looked like one of the league's better WR duos on paper.

On the other hand, that doesn't mean A-aron isn't capable of providing an improvement relative to what the Steelers have been dealing with in the post-Big Ben era. The man still throws a rather b-e-a-utiful Hail Mary and should still be capable of spinning a catchable ball from the pocket given adequate protection.

So, what will we (and DK Metcalf) get? Ian Hartitz breaks it down. ⬇️

COULD RODGERS BE A LATE-ROUND GEM?

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Five Different Contests, Five Different Strategies

There’s more to Underdog than Best Ball Mania VI. Can you picture a best ball contest with a weekly payout like in DFS? How about another where teams are eliminated weekly, similar to those meeting the blade in Guillotine Leagues^TM? There is even a contest similar to BBMVI, but Weeks 15-17 are handled differently.

Pete Overzet not only gives an overview of five different Underdog contests that vary greatly, he also provides specific advice for each of the contests to prepare you to conquer them. The contests up for discussion:

The Eliminator
Weekly Winners
The Marathon
The Sprint
The Superflex Puppy

If you think you can trust your fantasy football acumen to advance, try reading below before entering these best ball streets. ⬇️

NO NEED TO FETCH EXTRA WRs IN THE SUPERFLEX PUPPY?

In Memoriam

We found out late Thursday that Anthony Cervino, aka @TheRealNFLGuru, suddenly passed away.

I’m absolutely gutted beyond words to deliver the news that my podcast partner from another Mother, @therealNFLguru passed away unexpectedly yesterday.

Anthony was a great guy and one of my best friends. You all know him through his podcasting, fantasy football, sports betting,… pic.twitter.com/CKFjW6PM4H
— Michael Hauff (@TheFFRealist) June 5, 2025

Not to pull back the curtain too much, but fantasy sports writers have some quirky (but very real) bonds—we follow each other on social, we meet up at FSGAs and the Expo, we listen to podcasts, watch and like each other’s YouTube videos, and throw compliments back and forth on DMs.

With tributes pouring in from across the fantasy landscape—everyone from the Footballers to JJ—we wanted to add our voice to the chorus of Anthony fans.

He will be missed—his voice will be missed, his friendship will be missed—and we encourage everyone who loves fantasy to go scroll though his Twitter account and enjoy his personality and presence.

And then go hug your family and friends and tell someone whose work you enjoy (whatever that work may be, in any field) that you love it and them.