Values for CMC, Tyreek and more top storylines for 2025

The 2025 NFL play is astir the corner. I cannot wait.

The "Fantasy Focus Football" podcast volition beryllium returning soon for different season, arsenic we'll person a batch to dive into passim the preseason to get you acceptable to predominate your leagues.

As we number down the days until the regular season, present seems similar an perfect clip to spotlight immoderate of the biggest storylines surrounding the upcoming season.

There's nary 1 amended to bash that with than Daniel Dopp. ESPN asked that we besides see Mike Clay.

So let's dive into it. -- Field Yates

Yates: Will Ja'Marr Chase beryllium the king of phantasy again? Between present and the commencement of the season, the question I volition surely beryllium asked astir often is: "Who would you instrumentality with the archetypal wide prime successful your draft?" Without diving into each campaigner with a case, my abbreviated reply is that the likeliest prime is Chase, arsenic helium returns aft winning the NFL's receiving quadruple crown: He led the league successful catches, yards, touchdowns and targets, scoring much phantasy points than each subordinate but Lamar Jackson. The lawsuit for Chase to person occurrence comparable to that: He's Ja'Marr Chase (now the highest-paid non-quarterback successful league history), his backmost is inactive Joe Burrow, and the Cincinnati Bengals person been 1 of the pass-heavier teams successful the league. Repeating historical accumulation is hard to do, however, and determination are different players who could emergence to the apical -- adjacent if Chase inactive has an All-Pro-level play -- specified arsenic Bijan Robinson, Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs and a little-known moving backmost named Saquon Barkley.

Clay: Wow, what an grant it is to beryllium included successful an nonfiction with Mel Kiper III ... err, I mean Field Yates! The Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame motion was chill and all, but present I cognize I've yet made it. By the way, are we definite Daniel is going to contribute? I heard he's connected the roadworthy scouting halfway endowment for his Detroit Lions present that Frank Ragnow hung up his cleats. Speaking of which, I wonderment however that mightiness impact Gibbs' ratio and, portion I'll prevention that taxable for immoderate different time, I privation to speech astir moving backs, specifically the loaded 2025 RB rookie class. All six backs selected successful the archetypal 3 rounds of April's NFL draught are apt to marque a sizable interaction close retired of the gate: the Las Vegas Raiders' Ashton Jeanty, Los Angeles Chargers' Omarion Hampton, Denver Broncos' RJ Harvey, Cleveland Browns' Quinshon Judkins, Pittsburgh Steelers' Kaleb Johnson and New England Patriots' TreVeyon Henderson, arsenic good arsenic New York Giants fourth-rounder Cam Skattebo. It won't beryllium astonishing if astir (if not all) of these backs find their mode into the "lineup lock" treatment this play ... and that doesn't adjacent see a fewer chaotic cards, specified arsenic the Dallas Cowboys' Jaydon Blue and Jacksonville Jaguars' Bhayshul Tuten. Running backmost is headed for a spot of a facelift this season, and I cognize I'll beryllium investing heavy successful respective of these rookies connected draught day. Do you person a favourite rookie RB target, Daniel?

Dopp: Hey Michael, large to spot you, too! I can't judge my squad and I are taking shots earlier I've adjacent written a connection successful this column. But we tin conscionable determination past it, and I'll reply your question similar a nonrecreational (in lawsuit you were wondering what 1 looked similar -- zing!). My favourite rookie backmost is Jeanty, who I person astatine RB4, 1 spot up of existent rushing champion Barkley. I'm acrophobic astir the earthy regression for Barkley coming disconnected of specified a dense workload, and I cognize I'm not alone. Reddit is filled with threads astir workload concerns and whether they're real. We'll prevention the large numbers for an upcoming "Fantasy Focus," but 12 of the past 13 moving backs with astatine slightest 300 carries saw their phantasy points driblet by an mean of 78.8 points the pursuing season. Maybe I'm disconnected base, but springiness maine the rookie successful a Pete Carroll-led Raiders discourtesy with absurd expectations for the young backmost implicit the vet who has to flooded humanities likelihood (and aged age, successful RB terms). Oh, and Field, did I notation that Barkley is connected the Madden screen this year? He's my No. 12 wide subordinate down a fig of wide receivers and Jeanty. I wouldn't responsibility anyone for taking Barkley -- helium could beryllium a morganatic outlier -- but I conscionable don't deliberation I'll draught him considering wherever I ranked him.

Yates: Will Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill return to highest form? At this clip past year, we were each gearing up to instrumentality McCaffrey with the No. 1 pick, arsenic helium was otherworldly erstwhile again successful 2023. His 2024 play was efficaciously implicit earlier it adjacent started, arsenic an Achilles and consequent genu contented constricted him to 50 carries. If we knew McCaffrey was going to beryllium steadfast for this afloat season, I inactive judge helium would beryllium deserving of the archetypal pick; he's simply that dominant. But we don't, truthful wherever helium lands successful drafts -- person to the extremity of the archetypal circular successful the mocks I person done -- could marque him the bargain of the year. Meanwhile, Hill had wrist country this offseason, which mightiness explicate his disappointing 2024 season, but lone partially. He didn't miss a azygous crippled past year, but the discourtesy seemingly conscionable mislaid its mojo. Because of Hill's bizarre 2024 season, the wide extent of wide receiver and the emergence of young stars astatine the spot, Hill's mean draught presumption is dropping substantially. He seldom lasted past the archetypal 5 picks successful drafts past year, portion I've seen him consistently driblet to the extremity of the 3rd oregon opening of the 4th circular successful aboriginal 10-team mocks. Do these stars person a resurgence successful them successful 2025 and beyond? Mike, I was going to marque a gag astir however immoderate accidental you person besides fallen disconnected similar Hill past year, but I won't due to the fact that I'm a bully guy. You're backmost up.

Clay: Hey, astatine slightest I was atop a cliff I could autumn from ... dissimilar Anthony Richardson. Imagine hyping up that feline past offseason. Speaking of quarterbacks, what's the champion strategy this year? It utilized to beryllium indispensable to get 1 of the superstars, but past the fad was to hold arsenic agelong arsenic imaginable to find a starter. This season, I privation 1 of the large five, which includes Josh Allen, reigning apical scorer Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Burrow (he doesn't person rather the rushing appeal). After those five, I spot a large drop-off and a batch of quarterbacks with akin outlooks. That includes Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix, Kyler Murray, Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams and Justin Herbert (among galore others). If I miss connected the archetypal five, I'm blessed to absorption connected different positions and hold rather a agelong clip to pounce connected a passer, including taking a lottery summons connected a breakout campaigner specified arsenic Drake Maye oregon J.J. McCarthy. The 1 QB I cognize I won't ever draught is Jared Goff, arsenic Daniel is simply a existent Lions instrumentality and would ne'er fto him retired of the archetypal round. Right, Daniel? RIGHT?!

Daniel: I tin recognize the disorder due to the fact that the Lions bash person 2 players who are being drafted successful the archetypal circular this twelvemonth successful Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but no, Michael, I'd NEVER instrumentality a QB successful the archetypal round. Even my beloved Goff, who trails lone Hurts, Allen and Jackson for the astir games with astatine slightest 25 phantasy points among QBs implicit the past 3 seasons. Not atrocious for a nonrecreational jock who has the 40-yard dash velocity of Mike Clay. At slightest we cognize who Goff is arsenic a quarterback. I can't accidental the aforesaid for Jonnu Smith. How are you expected to decently worth Smith this year? He has finished 17th oregon worse astatine choky extremity successful 7 of his 8 NFL seasons. That's truly bad. The lone objection was past year's decorativeness arsenic TE4, and lad was it a weird season. After dealing with caput injuries successful the archetypal fractional of 2024, Tua Tagovailoa was backmost nether halfway successful Week 8, and Smith went connected a teardrop to decorativeness the season. From Weeks 8 to 16, helium saw much targets, receptions and receiving yards than immoderate different walk catcher successful Miami (including Hill and Jaylen Waddle), and helium tied Hill for the astir receiving touchdowns among Dolphins during that stretch. Last play was great, but 2025 managers person to wonderment whether a feline who finished extracurricular the apical 16 successful each but 1 play successful the NFL tin really repetition and supply TE1 value. And present there's interest helium could beryllium traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers to play for Arthur Smith for a third time. I technically person Smith listed arsenic a starter due to the fact that he's the TE10 successful my rankings, but during our mock draught workout I passed connected Smith much than Mike passed connected the gym this spring. Can't hold to spot that dada bod successful the Bahamas!