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Fantasy Football Breakouts 2025 2.0: Jamey Eisenberg's league winners at every position
Expect these players to make a major jump in 2025
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1 min read
I don't love using rookies as breakout candidates, but I wanted to give you a different list of names from Breakouts 1.0, which was written prior to free agency and the NFL Draft. The players here, in Breakouts 2.0, are guys who have must-start potential -- so rookies qualify.
And Travis Hunter could be a significant difference-maker.
The first receiver selected in the NFL Draft by the Jaguars at No. 2 overall, Hunter is a unique talent as a two-way star out of Colorado. He's expected to play cornerback in Jacksonville, but receiver should be his primary spot. And that's a good thing.
In 2024, Hunter had 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns -- along with 16 pass breakups and four interceptions on defense -- which ultimately earned him the Heisman Trophy. For the Jaguars, he'll be the No. 2 receiver opposite Brian Thomas Jr., and Hunter should get plenty of chances to dominate.
Jacksonville has completely revamped its receiving corps from last year with Hunter and Dyami Brown brought in, and Evan Engram (Denver), Christian Kirk (Houston), and Gabriel Davis (unsigned) are gone. Those are only 153 vacated targets, but the Jaguars offense should improve this season with Liam Coen as the head coach and a healthy Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) back.
I'm expecting Hunter to be featured by Lawrence and Coen, who had success as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay last season with Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Jalen McMillan. Hunter should be considered a low-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 5.
We could get plenty of preseason hype with Hunter, which would make his Fantasy stock rise. I don't view that as a negative because I'm counting on him to produce at a high level this season.
Even though he's a rookie, Hunter is one of my favorite breakout candidates for 2025. Now, let's look at 10 other players I'm expecting to be standout Fantasy options this year.
Quarterbacks
Nix had a surprising rookie campaign in 2024 when he averaged 22.1 Fantasy points per game, and he's worth trusting again as a No. 1 quarterback in all leagues this year. The Broncos added two significant weapons this offseason in Evan Engram and RJ Harvey, and both should enhance Nix's passing stats from 2024 when he had 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Nix also will use his legs, and he rushed for 430 yards and four touchdowns on 92 carries as a rookie. Sean Payton should continue to help Nix improve, and he has top-five upside in all leagues. He's an excellent quarterback to target with a mid-round pick.
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I listed Maye in Sleepers 1.0, which was written prior to free agency and the NFL Draft, and I said that he could graduate to breakout status if the Patriots had a good offseason. Well, here we are. New England added three significant weapons in Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kyle Williams, and I like Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator. Maye showed plenty of flashes in his rookie campaign, especially with his legs, to see the upside he has to offer. In 10 healthy starts, Maye scored at least 21.4 Fantasy points five times. He was also on pace for 632 rushing yards, which would have been third among quarterbacks behind only Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. You can draft Maye late as a low-end No. 1 quarterback, but he should prove to be a weekly starter sooner rather than later given his potential.
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Running Backs
Harvey is going to be one of my favorite players to draft this season given his role with the Broncos. Denver selected him in Round 2 of the NFL Draft from UCF, and he should be the featured running back for Sean Payton, which is ideal. In his past two seasons in college, Harvey combined for 458 carries for 2,993 yards and 38 touchdowns and 39 catches for 505 yards and four touchdowns. Harvey ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and Payton is excited to use Harvey in the passing game. His competition for touches in Denver is Jaleel McLaughin and Audric Estime, which isn't daunting at all, and Harvey could easily be a workhorse for the Broncos this season. He's worth drafting as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues as early as Round 4.
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The Chargers revamped their backfield this offseason with the additions of Hampton and free agent Najee Harris. Gone are J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, and I expect Hampton to eventually become the lead running back. He was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft at No. 22 overall, and he has three-down potential in a run-friendly offense. Last year, Dobbins averaged 14.8 PPR points per game for the Chargers, which was No. 18 on the season, and Hampton has that type of upside. In his past two seasons at North Carolina, Hampton combined for 534 carries for 3,164 yards and 30 touchdowns and 67 catches for 595 yards and three touchdowns. Harris will likely begin the season as the starter, but look for Hampton to eventually become a workhorse. He's worth drafting as early as Round 4 in all leagues.
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I'm curious to see what Henderson's role will be early in the season since he'll likely share touches with Rhamondre Stevenson. But Henderson should have an immediate impact in the passing game, and he should prove to be more explosive than Stevenson as the season goes on. At Ohio State in 2024, Henderson had 144 carries for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns and 27 catches for 284 yards and a touchdown while sharing playing time with Quinshon Judkins. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should give Henderson plenty of opportunities to catch the ball, especially given what McDaniels has done in his career with guys like Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen, and James White. But Henderson can also be a featured running back, and I plan to draft him as a No. 2 Fantasy option in all leagues as early as Round 5.
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Putting Swift here makes me nervous because the Bears can still add another running back, and there are rumors that Nick Chubb has interest in Chicago. For now, Swift is in a great spot as the lead running back for the Bears, especially following the additions this offseason of coach Ben Johnson and offensive line upgrades in Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, and Jonah Jackson. Swift has been a good Fantasy option in his career -- he's averaged at least 12.5 PPR points in five seasons in a row -- but this could be one of his best seasons to date. Johnson was the passing game coordinator in Detroit in 2021, and Swift had 62 catches on 78 targets that season. Johnson took over as offensive coordinator for the Lions in 2022, and Swift averaged 13.7 PPR points that season. Don't expect Swift to perform like Jahmyr Gibbs, and Swift could lose goal-line work to potentially Roschon Johnson (or Chubb if he signs). But this is a tremendous opportunity for Swift, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 5 in all leagues.
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Wide Receiver
McConkey had a standout rookie season in 2024, but he could be even better this year. He's worth drafting as early as Round 2 in all leagues. Last year, McConkey averaged 15.1 PPR points per game, but his production skyrocketed from Week 15 through the wild-card round of the playoffs. He averaged 22.4 PPR points over that span, which included three games with at least eight targets and six catches, four games with at least 87 receiving yards, and four total touchdowns. Mike Williams, Tre Harris, and Tyler Conklin were added this offseason, but Josh Palmer (Buffalo) is gone. McConkey is easily the go-to receiver for Justin Herbert, and McConkey has top-10 upside in all leagues. I'm expecting him to pick up where last season ended, and McConkey should be a sophomore star in 2025.
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DK Metcalf was traded to Pittsburgh, and Tyler Lockett (Tennessee) was released. Even though Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were added, we should be looking at a big season for Smith-Njigba. He has the potential to be a top-10 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he's worth drafting in Round 2. In 2024, Smith-Njigba averaged 14.9 PPR points per game. He had 100 catches for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns on 137 targets, and he had seven games with at least 18.3 PPR points, including three in a row from Weeks 14-16. Metcalf missed two games during the season with a knee injury in Week 8 against Buffalo and Week 9 against the Rams, and Smith-Njigba had his best game of the season against Los Angeles. He had seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets, and he scored 37 PPR points in that outing. We can't expect that level of production all the time, but it gives you a glimpse of Smith-Njigba's ceiling as the clear-cut No. 1 receiver in Seattle. I don't worry about Kupp and Valdes-Scantling being a significant detriment to Smith-Njigba, but hopefully, Sam Darnold keeps Smith-Njigba playing at a high level. I'm expecting a big third season for Smith-Njigba in 2025.
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Harrison was a bust in 2024 when he struggled in his rookie campaign with 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns on 116 targets. He only averaged 11.6 PPR points per game, and he was outplayed by fellow rookie receivers Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey, and even Xavier Worthy by the end of the season. By most accounts, Harrison didn't have a bad rookie season, and he almost mirrored the rookie production from his Hall of Fame father in 1996 when Marvin Harrison Sr. had 64 catches for 836 yards and eight touchdowns with the Colts. Harrison Jr. still has the potential for a great career, starting this season, and Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon is highly confident in his No. 1 receiver. "He looks awesome out there right now," Gannon said earlier this month on SiriusXM. "I'm really excited to see where his game goes. ... Just wait until this guy plays this year." I'm willing to buy back into Harrison this year, and he's a great No. 2 receiver to target in Round 4 in all leagues.
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Jennings will enter this season as the No. 1 receiver for the 49ers, and he could emerge as a top-20 Fantasy option in all leagues. I'm planning to draft Jennings as early as Round 6. Deebo Samuel (Washington) is gone, and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) could be out or limited early in the year. Jennings and Ricky Pearsall (another breakout candidate) have immense upside, but Jennings has the higher ceiling. In 2024, when Samuel struggled and Aiyuk was injured, Jennings averaged a career-best 14 PPR points per game. He had seven games with at least eight targets, and he scored at least 16.3 PPR points in four of those outings. Christian McCaffrey is healthy and George Kittle is back, and we'll see what happens when Aiyuk is healthy. But Brock Purdy should lean on Jennings, and this should be a standout season for him, especially since he's in a contract year.
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