Fantasy Soccer 25: Rating the Spherical 1 gamers

The curtain has fallen on the 2024-25 NFL season, and like a lot of you I certain missed watching soccer this previous Sunday. In the meantime, a bit of the nation (together with the place I reside) is roofed in snow and ice, with very chilly temperatures and howling winds. I can’t consider a greater time to begin writing concerning the 2025 NFL season.

However that doesn’t imply we shouldn’t do it! Barring one thing unexpected, Ja’Marr Chase and Saquon Barkley are going to finish up 1-2, or 2-1, in just about each remaining rating for redraft leagues. On the very prime of the draft, this enterprise isn’t precisely a leap of religion. I additionally suppose it’s helpful to do that train now, whereas the reminiscence of what went down this previous season continues to be recent, and earlier than the static of an entire bunch of latest narratives arrives. I’m curious to see how right this moment’s first effort compares to my remaining preseason rankings for the 2025 season.

Let’s get to it. These are my present rankings for 2025 season-long, redraft fantasy soccer, utilizing these settings: 1 QB beginning, Half-PPR scoring, and 4-points per passing TD. I’m going 16-deep as a result of that covers the entire first spherical in bigger leagues, and for conventional 12-team leagues it ought to cowl the gamers that (as of now) are the likeliest first spherical picks. I did this blind, with out anybody else’s rankings. I’ve damaged the gamers into teams of 5 – 6, however these are NOT meant to be participant tiers.

Each different WR is chasing Triple-Crown winner Chase

Photograph by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Photos

The Rankings

The Prime 5:

1. Saquon Barkley (RB1)

2. Ja’Marr Chase (WR1)

3. Justin Jefferson (WR2)

4. Bijan Robinson (RB2)

5. Jahmyr Gibbs (RB3)

Commentary: If I used to be doing this with tiers, the primary one would simply be Barkley and Chase, who to me are the clear-cut prime picks, in no matter order you need to take them. Every is coming off the perfect marketing campaign of his profession, however I wouldn’t use the time period “career year” for both one, since that time period often implies manufacturing that was far past expectations, and unlikely to ever repeat. Barkley and Chase may not duplicate their monster numbers from 2024, however they may come shut, and even 80% of what every one did final season would warrant this rating.

For the second straight yr, Jefferson carries the query of the standard of quarterback play in Minnesota. Sam Darnold was simply high-quality, because it turned out (Jefferson completed 2024 because the WR2), and it would simply be that Jefferson is QB-proof in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Gibbs was the RB1 over the ultimate 4 weeks of the 2024 season, however that was a stretch of video games that David Montgomery missed. That (and never the departure of OC Ben Johnson) is why I’ve acquired Robinson forward of him.

I’ve acquired three operating backs in my top-5, and that represents an enormous shift from current seasons. You’re going to see this quite a bit with 2025 rankings. 2024 was the yr of the operating again, and a whole lot of that needed to do with what number of RBs stayed wholesome, and what number of outstanding WRs missed a number of video games. I don’t anticipate that to repeat, however it’s 100% going to be mirrored in consensus rankings, and I do suppose the operating again resurgence has some legs.

Father time could have met his match in King Henry

Photograph by Al Bello/Getty Photos

Gamers 6-10:

6. CeeDee Lamb (WR3)

7. Derrick Henry (RB4)

8. Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR4)

9. Nico Collins (WR5)

10. Puka Nacua (WR6)

Commentary: I view all 5 of those gamers as very protected and stable center of the first-round picks, assuming (a) Dak Prescott is nice to go when the season begins and (b) Matt Stafford stays in L.A. You possibly can organize them nevertheless you want. I’m sticking with Henry as an elite again till he exhibits that he isn’t. He’s made in a different way, and I don’t suppose the conventional guidelines of operating again getting old apply to him. Baltimore is an ideal match for his recreation. Nacua and Collins needs to be among the many league leaders in targets and catches if they’ll keep wholesome. St. Brown has been as constant as they arrive for his complete profession, and the one knock on him is that the Lions have a whole lot of mouths to feed, and rating a whole lot of dashing touchdowns.

BTJ seems to be to construct on an enormous rookie yr

Photograph by Justin Casterline/Getty Photos

Gamers 11-16:

11. Christian McCaffrey (RB5)

12. Brian Thomas, Jr. (WR7)

13. De’Von Achane (RB6)

14. Jonathan Taylor (RB7)

15. A.J. Brown (WR8)

16. Josh Jacobs (RB8)

Commentary: I’ve a fair variety of operating backs and broad receivers in my Prime-16. That’s a change from current seasons the place the WRs had been a bit extra closely represented.

CMC is considerably prone to drop from No. 11, and if he falls out of my Prime-16, the following man in can be Malik Nabers, who I’ve at 17 and may’t rank greater as a result of as of right this moment his quarterback is Tommy DeVito. That can nearly definitely change however for now, that’s the tax I’m charging. Dysfunction within the Huge Blue offense final season led to some inconsistency and a depressed TD complete for Nabers, even together with his immense expertise and talent to get open and command targets. There’s one thing to be stated for avoiding gamers on dangerous offenses in Spherical 1. The remainder of the gamers on this “late first/early second” group are all excessive upside performs who aren’t fairly as protected as these within the 6-10 group.

Spherical 2? No argument right here.

Photograph by Michael Owens/Getty Photos

Notable omissions: Along with Nabers, I actually needed to get Brock Bowers into my Prime-16, and as soon as I do know extra concerning the Las Vegas offense (together with who the quarterback can be), I’ll transfer him up. After a short resurgence in 2022-2023, TE is as soon as once more a reasonably weak place, which pushes up his worth as a differentiator.

A fast phrase concerning the QBs: I thought of placing Josh Allen and/or Lamar Jackson within the 11-16 grouping, and I nonetheless would possibly earlier than all is claimed and executed, with Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels not too far behind, and in addition ranked contained in the Prime-24. Why not? Look, I’ve lengthy been a proponent of ready on QB in 1-QB leagues and I’m nonetheless high-quality doing that, because the place could be very deep with high quality selections. The standard argument goes like this: Why take Lamar Jackson within the again half of Spherical 2 when you may get somebody like Bowers, Kyren Williams, or Drake London as an alternative, and nonetheless draft a top quality quarterback like Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott, or Jared Goff six to eight rounds later?

It’s a persuasive case, however the counter-argument has gotten stronger within the final couple of years, because the elite dual-threat quarterbacks have turn into so dominant as fantasy scorers. There may be now a reasonably sharp drop-off to the remainder of the place. Allen, Hurts, and Jackson all have confirmed over current seasons that their actually elite manufacturing is sticky and repeatable, and there’s each cause to imagine that Daniels will be a part of them in that regard. You already know you’re getting a participant who’s going to common someplace within the 21-25 fantasy factors per recreation vary. The highest “pocket” QBs of the final half decade like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow (and Mayfield, final season) have the potential to place up comparable factors (as Burrow did final season), however with out the high-end dashing flooring it’s a lot tougher for them to do it persistently, and you may’t financial institution on it. In leagues that award six factors per passing TD, the case is that a lot stronger. I’ll write extra about this because the season will get nearer.

One other notable participant who missed the lower is Kyren Williams, who no one appears to totally belief regardless of back-to-back seasons as a Prime-7 RB with elite utilization. And when you’re in search of Breece Corridor or Garrett Wilson, who had been each consensus Prime-12 picks final season, maintain trying. You received’t discover them on my listing. The Jets’ offense presents means too many query marks proper now.

That’s a wrap. Hold it right here for extra low season fantasy content material. We’ve acquired a number of extra weeks of winter to cope with, however NFL kickoff 2025 is simply six and a half months away!