Faux Football Year In Review - 2025
Chew recounts hits and misses from the 2025 fantasy football season and the takeaways.
Hopefully, you are reading this with at least one fantasy championship trophy on your mantle. How did you get there? Was it with the players you expected to get you there? Since January, I have made some buy, sell, and other similar “calls”. Here is how things shook out, and some takeaways to consider for next season.
5 Dynasty Buys Under 25 - TE Edition
In February, I picked out five tight ends under 25 to buy in dynasty. These were not household names, but showed enough to warrant greater roles in 2025. Three of these names did not disappoint, greatly improving from their 2024 fantasy production:
THEO JOHNSON (2024: 5.7ppg & 2025: 8.5ppg)
BRENTON STRANGE (2024: 5.4ppg & 2025: 9.2ppg)
A.J. BARNER (2024 : 4.6ppg & 2025: 9.1ppg)
Two of the tight ends did not see much of an improvement, but likely did not cost much before the 2025 season.
JA’TAVION SANDERS (2024: 4.6ppg & 2025: 4.2ppg)
BEN SINNOTT (2024: 0.7ppg & 2025: 1.7ppg)
Johnson and Strange did not enter the 2025 season with much competition in their respective tight end rooms. And with injuries and uneven play from the surrounding receivers, the pair of tight ends proved to be valuable pieces of their offenses.
Barner stepped up big in the Seahawks’ new-look offense despite the addition of the shiny new rookie Elijah Arroyo. The rookie still has tremendous upside with top-tier athleticism at a position that demands it. However, Barner proved to be a sound blocker and a big red zone target for Sam Darnold throughout 2025.
Sanders’ plateau was caused by a number of factors and may not change anytime soon. An early-season injury kept Sanders out for a few weeks, and in that time, the Panthers found their groove in the run game. Blocking is not Sanders’ strong suit, so once healthy, he was in the 50% snap share range while Tommy Tremble handled blocking duties. This is likely to limit Sanders’ upside in the offense going forward.
Sinnott was once again firmly behind Zach Ertz as the pass-catching tight end in 2025. Unfortunately, Ertz suffered a season-ending (or worse) knee injury in Week 14. This saw a bump in both Sinnott and John Bates. This could be the springboard for Sinnott to earn the coaching staff’s trust and enter the 2026 season as Washington’s TE-1.
The Takeaway: Bet on athletic tight ends with a clear path to opportunities.
The Path To RB-1
Back in June, I touted Christian McCaffrey as THE RB-1 for the 2025 NFL season. It would not be a hot take based on talent, but there was much skepticism given his injury history. As fate would have it, there was no shortage of injuries to the 49ers’ offensive weapons, but CMC was not on that list. Following Week 17, CMC did indeed finish as THE RB-1.
Other running backs considered were Bijan Robinson, Kyren Williams, and James Conner. Robinson finished with a top-12 season but was eclipsed by CMC primarily due to receptions and total touchdowns. Williams also finished in the top-12 and was an efficient back that capitalized on red zone opportunities, but the increased workload of Blake Corum certainly ate into his fantasy upside. Conner was off to a so-so start, lacking the volume that had made him so appealing in years prior. Unfortunately, Conner’s season was cut short by a gruesome ankle injury in Week 3, and the hope is that the 30-year-old running back can bounce back in 2026.
The Takeaway: Don’t get cute. Injuries happen, especially at the running back position, but don’t let it cloud your fantasy judgement.
Buy These Discount Running Backs in Dynasty
In July, I compiled a list of discounted running backs to trade for in dynasty leagues, as their values were suppressed due to rookie fever in full effect. Whether it be age, injury, and/or competition, these running backs could be had for what I deemed a reasonable trade cost. The list included: Isiah Pacheco, Brian Robinson, James Conner, Tyrone Tracy, Tony Pollard, and Javonte Williams.
Swing and a miss on Pacheco, as I thought the leg injury that hindered him in 2024 was the reason for his poor fantasy output. Robinson was on this list before his trade to the 49ers, but that risk still factors into his (and anyone’s) trade value. I have already shared my belief for James Conner in 2025 and how it blew up in my face, but especially at the running back position, that is a risk. Tracy found himself usurped by rookie Cam Skattebo before a gruesome leg injury ended the latter’s season. So Tracy found value in 2025, but I am not so certain about how sustainable it is once Skattebo returns. Pollard held Tyjae Spears off for much of the 2025 season; however, the Titans’ dreadful offense was a hindrance to fantasy points for much of the year.
Javonte Williams on this list is my pride and joy, and I also saw the 2025 season as a potential career year for the former Tarheel. Williams did not disappoint, with new head coach Brian Schottenheimer establishing the run while still feeding the Cowboys’ leading pass-catchers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. The 25-year-old running back has put the early-career knee injury behind him and appears to be capable of leading a rushing attack going forward.
The Takeaway: You never know when running back opportunities will strike. Buy the players you believe in at a cost that won’t destroy your team if/when injury strikes.
First Time Top-12 Fantasy Finishers
In July, I picked two players at each fantasy-relevant position to finish top-12 in fantasy for the first time. This list primarily includes players entering their sophomore seasons, but a few have more experience despite not yet achieving top-12 status. The list includes: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Chase Brown, Bucky Irving, Drake London, Rashee Rice, Tucker Kraft, and Tyler Warren.
Williams and Maye both found themselves in the top-12 in 2025, with their respective offenses outperforming what many had expected. Williams was slightly ahead of passing production from 2024, but the big improvement was a trio of rushing touchdowns. Maye has improved in every facet, boosting his passing and rushing production while minimizing turnovers.
After a slow start behind a rough offensive line, Brown turned the corner and finished in the top-12 in fantasy points per game (2024 was top-12 in overall fantasy points but not points per game). Irving’s season was derailed by injury, missing Weeks 5-12. Despite this misfortune, Irving narrowly missed his first top-12 fantasy performance.
London and Rice both missed time in 2025, but for different reasons. London missed five games due to injury but still found himself in the top-12 in fantasy points per game. All of this despite an up-and-down Falcons’ offense, as well as a season-ending injury to Michael Penix. Rice missed the first six games due to a suspension and burst onto the fantasy scene to finish in the top-12. A concussion, and likely Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending injury, landed Rice on the IR and missing the final three games of the season.
Kraft served as a pivotal piece of Green Bay’s passing game, and a top-12 fantasy tight end until a Week 9 injury ended his season. Hopefully, the injury occurred early enough in the season that the 2026 season will not be hindered. Warren is the sole rookie on this list and DID find himself in the top-12 in 2025.
The Takeaway: Sample size, opportunity, and offense are the key factors that can vault a player into the top-12 for the first time.
J.J. McCarthy Is Not A Top-15 Dynasty Quarterback…Right?
I was not high on J.J. McCarthy coming out of college, and in July 2025, he was considered QB-13 via KeepTradeCut (for what that’s worth). McCarthy finished outside the top-24 in fantasy points per game in 2025, in a season marred by somewhat mysterious injuries and up-and-down fantasy performances. The “Nine” persona may help in making gritty plays, but as a whole, the Vikings’ offense should be looking for quarterback competition ahead of the 2026 season.
The Takeaway: Trust your gut when evaluating incoming rookies. You are not always right, but trust your process and improve each season.
R.J. Harvey & Brashard Smith
As my April 2025 post indicated, I am a huge fan of running backs who were converted from another position (quarterback and wide receiver). The two notable names in the 2025 rookie class that fit this description are R.J. Harvey and Brashard Smith. Harvey had the draft capital, as a second-round pick going to a Sean Payton-led offense with only J.K. Dobbins as competition. Dobbins did not disappoint, but injury shortened his season, which gave Harvey the runway to show his home run upside and pass-catching chops.
Smith had a tougher hill to climb as a seventh-round pick joining an established offense. What was working in Smith’s favor was his skillset as a pass-catching back, which was sorely lacking between Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco. Both veteran running backs are unrestricted free agents following the 2025 season, so after a promising rookie season on minimal opportunity, Smith is poised for fantasy growth in 2026.
The Takeaway: Converted running backs with appealing athletic/production profiles are worthwhile investments in dynasty rookie drafts.
So you made it this far, and hopefully you enjoyed it (that’s what she said). If you wouldn’t mind sharing this in your group message with your fellow fantasy football degenerates, I would greatly appreciate it!
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