Last week, I took a look at the top fantasy football free agents heading into the 2025 offseason. But free agents only stay free for so long. This week, I’ll be predicting where each of those players lands, with a brief fantasy football breakdown of each landing spot. Let’s get right into it! These are the 2025 NFL Free Agency Predictions!
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2025 Fantasy Football Free Agent Predictions
Sam Darnold → Pittsburgh Steelers
Darnold massively hurt his stock with back-to-back stinkers when it mattered most, but the rest of his 2024 success should still land him a starting job (and a hefty payday) in 2025. Of course, the first question we have to answer is whether he will stay in Minnesota. It’s tempting to say that the last two weeks will be what causes the Vikings to let him go. However, those two stinkers may have actually given Minnesota a great chance to retain him, if anything.
His price will be lower, and the Vikings at least know they can get a very successful regular season out of him. With that said, I still expect Darnold to try his luck somewhere else. However, the team that signs him will have to be confident in the infrastructure around him. That makes Pittsburgh stand out as a team that prides itself on being able to win with tough defense and reliance on the run game … and a team that needs a quarterback but won’t be in a position to draft one. From a fantasy perspective, essentially anywhere but Minnesota will be a downgrade for Darnold, and he will likely fall out of the QB1 ranks in Pittsburgh.
Russell Wilson → New York Jets
With Darnold landing in Pittsburgh in this theoretical universe, it’s time for Danger-Russ to pack his bags. Even if Darnold doesn’t head to the Steel City, Wilson should be on the move. He has said he wants to stay in Pittsburgh, but will the Steelers really want to sign him to a real contract after they flamed out even with him on the league minimum in 2025? Instead, Wilson will head to another AFC franchise that considers itself a QB away: the Jets.
New York’s Aaron Rodgers experiment ended in disaster, but they will swing again with another former Super Bowl winner who looked at least competent in his time in Pittsburgh. Once again, this isn’t a particularly appealing fantasy landing spot. Russ does like to throw it deep and could form a Wilson-to-Wilson connection with the Jets’ WR1 (Davante Adams isn’t technically a free agent, so he doesn’t make this list, but he is all but guaranteed to be cut given his huge contract with zero guarantees), but that’s still unlikely to result in more than QB2 numbers.
Justin Fields → Indianapolis Colts
Coming off a season in which Anthony Richardson missed six games, including two due to benching, it’s very unlikely that the Colts will head into 2025 without some sort of viable Plan B at the QB position. And they’ve already built an offense around a running quarterback who isn’t an NFL-viable passer, so why not double down with Justin Fields as Richardson’s backup/competition? Fields’ issues are different from Richardson’s — sacks instead of inaccuracy — but they are both heavily flawed young quarterbacks with tons of upside.
Perhaps this is one of those “only works on paper” predictions, especially because the drama surrounding the situation would be absurd. But assuming he doesn’t manage to land a starting job, the Colts feel like an ideal landing spot for Fields in 2025. From a fantasy perspective, Fields is always intriguing when he is starting, just like Richardson. Whoever wins this theoretical camp battle would be worth at least keeping an eye on.
Jameis Winston → Minnesota Vikings
Winston is unlikely to be any team’s plan 1A heading into 2025 — being benched for Dorian Thompson-Robinson is as bad as it gets. However, he showed enough in Cleveland to have appeal as a bridge quarterback or high-end backup. With Darnold in Pittsburgh and J.J. McCarthy recovering from a torn meniscus, Minnesota could be in need of one or both of those things. They also have the structure in place, with Kevin O’Connell and above-average weapons, to get the most out of Winston’s volatile playstyle. In any week where he is starting in that situation, Winston would be a borderline QB1.
Andy Dalton → Carolina Panthers
Dalton has said he would be happy returning to Carolina as a backup, and that seems like the most likely outcome for the 37-year-old Red Rifle. Bryce Young has now likely earned the Week 1 starting job for the Panthers in 2025, but Carolina will want a capable backup. Dalton was that, more or less, when he took over for Young this season, and he might even have finished the year for the Panthers if not for an unfortunate car accident. Of course, as a backup QB, he won’t have any fantasy relevance barring an injury or another benching for Young.
Joe Flacco → Miami Dolphins
I heavily considered listing “Retirement” as Flacco’s destination, but the 39-year-old has said he intends to play in 2025, and he has done enough to earn a backup job in a year where plenty of teams need quarterback help. One team that desperately needs to improve its backup situation is the Dolphins, whose offense completely fell apart without Tua Tagovailoa this season.
Mike McDaniel would also theoretically be able to scheme around Flacco’s complete lack of mobility at this point in his career. The main fantasy impact of this move would be a slight boost to the value of Miami’s skill-position players, as Flacco should be able to keep their offense slightly more functional if Tua misses time again.
Aaron Jones → Minnesota Vikings
Like his fellow Viking Darnold, Jones had a productive first season in Minnesota that ended on a bit of a down note. The veteran was banged up to finish the year, and Cam Akers began cutting into his workload. However, I still expect Jones to return to Minnesota in 2025. Akers (who is also a free agent) is not going to be the Vikings’ primary option. In fact, I wouldn’t even be surprised if the Vikings both re-sign Jones and draft a rookie running back. With that in mind, it’s hard to predict Jones’ fantasy value, even if we predict his landing spot — he could run it back as a solid RB2 or fade into risky flex territory depending on the quality of his competition.
Najee Harris → Las Vegas Raiders
The fantasy community loves to hate on Harris (sometimes with good reason), but he has proven himself to be a competent NFL running back. At the very least, he’s reliable, having started all 17 games in all four of his years in Pittsburgh. And the Raiders could desperately use a reliable back. Where Najee has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in every year of his career, no Raider broke even 500 yards on the ground last season. For fantasy, however, this isn’t a very exciting landing spot … unless Ben Johnson also heads to Vegas.
Jaylen Warren → Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers’ other RB, Warren is actually a restricted free agent this offseason. Combine that with the fact that he seemed to be overtaking Najee as Pittsburgh’s preferred option down the stretch of the season, and the most likely outcome is the former UDFA staying put. As for fantasy implications, Warren with this backfield to himself would be a very intriguing option … but it’s more likely that the Steelers will add another back to be involved along with him.
J.K. Dobbins → Los Angeles Chargers
Dobbins revitalized his career in LA this season and has expressed interest in remaining with the Chargers. Given how their rushing offense performed when he was sidelined, it makes sense that Jim Harbaugh and Co. would be more than happy to have him back. With that said, this is another landing spot where I don’t expect Dobbins to have the backfield to himself. I even considered projecting Najee to the Chargers as well — at the very least, expect LA to add to this backfield with a rookie RB. Who that is will determine Dobbins’ fantasy value.
Rico Dowdle → Dallas Cowboys
This is a very similar situation to Dobbins and the Chargers. I don’t necessarily expect the Cowboys to stick with Dowdle as their clear RB1A. But they have essentially zero talent remaining in their RB room, so they might as well sign back the player who was productive in their system this season.
Once again, Dowdle’s fantasy value in this scenario depends entirely on the caliber of competition the Cowboys bring in. That competition can’t possibly get any worse than the corpse of Ezekiel Elliott, so proceed with caution if Dowdle does remain in Dallas.
Javonte Williams → Cincinnati Bengals
Javonte was one of the trickiest players to project because, frankly, I can’t see why any team would want him. He was hugely ineffective this season, ranking No. 53 out of 56 qualified backs in PFF Rushing Grade. If he has any value, it is likely as a third-down back, as he is a solid pass-catcher and above-average pass-blocker. That brings me to the Bengals, who finished the 2024 season using Chase Brown in essentially every situation.
Brown eventually went down with an ankle sprain, and they immediately gave 100-percent of their backfield to Khalil Herbert. This bell cow usage isn’t what any team wants to do in this day and age, so adding Javonte as a third-down RB makes some sense for the Bengals. However, Javonte’s fantasy value in that situation would be essentially nil, barring an injury to Brown (or anyone else the Bengals add to their backfield).
Nick Chubb → Cleveland Browns
Chubb’s 2024 season was not pretty. He returned in Week 7 from the knee injury that ended his 2023 season, looked like a shell of himself for eight games, and then suffered a season-ending broken foot. Now 29 years old, Chubb isn’t likely to command much interest in the free agent market. With that in mind, I expect him to stay put in Cleveland and attempt to show that he can still be one of the best rushers in the league. His fantasy value in that scenario would be entirely contingent on two things: Whether he can get back to 100-percent (unlikely) and whether the Browns add someone other than Jerome Ford to their backfield (likely).
Jordan Mason → San Francisco 49ers
Like Warren, Mason’s status as a former UDFA makes him a restricted free agent. After a season in which he was very productive in place of Christian McCaffrey, Mason is probably more likely than Warren to land on a new team this offseason. However, we know that Kyle Shanahan loves to hoard running backs. My best guess is that Mason stays in San Francisco, which means his fantasy value will once again be mostly as a handcuff.
Tee Higgins → New England Patriots
Joe Burrow has indicated that he wants the Bengals to re-sign their WR2, but that will be a financial nightmare for Cincinnati along with making Ja’Marr Chase the highest-paid receiver in the league. Instead, I expect Higgins to head to a team that leads the league in cap space and has a desperate need for a playmaking receiver to help their young quarterback. I may be falling prey to wishful thinking as someone who has lots of Drake Maye Dynasty stock, but this landing spot just makes too much sense.
As for the fantasy implications for Higgins, this is certainly a good landing spot. However, I’m certainly not going to say that playing for the Patriots will allow him to improve the WR3 ranking in Half-PPR points per game that he posted this season. Really, most landing spots would be good for Higgins — we know he can eat in Cincy alongside Chase, and anywhere else he signs will likely plan to feature him as their WR1.
Chris Godwin → Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a blistering start to the season, Godwin’s year ended with a dislocated ankle. He will also turn 29 in February, meaning the market for his services might be slightly disappointing. With that in mind, he will stay in a system where he was thriving this year in Tampa Bay, potentially on a one-year deal to prove he still has it. Thankfully, this is also the best possible fantasy landing spot for Godwin. He looked like a legit fantasy WR1 back in the slot to start this season.
Marquise Brown → Carolina Panthers
This is a tough one to project, as Brown’s market will likely depend massively on how he performs over the next few weeks. Personally, I’m expecting him to play a solid role in the Chiefs’ offense, likely pricing himself out of a return to Kansas City. Instead, he’ll head to Carolina, which admittedly is a bit of a shot in the dark. But, despite theoretically having three decent receivers in first-round rookie Xavier Legette, UDFA standout Jalen Coker, and the ageless Adam Thielen, Carolina could certainly use another weapon to aid in the Bryce Young revival tour. The speedy Brown would also add a deep-threat element that their offense is currently lacking. As for Hollywood’s fantasy value, this would be a decent spot, where he could potentially serve as the Panthers’ WR1 or at least settle in as a boom-or-bust WR3 play.
Diontae Johnson → Kansas City Chiefs
Since I first wrote up Johnson in last week’s article, he has been cut by the Texans, seemingly for attitude-related issues. Technically, the Ravens have re-claimed him (they also cut him for attitude issues earlier this season), but that move is just for compensatory pick equity. Johnson will be a free agent coming off a season in which he completely tanked value that was already lower than the fantasy community would have guessed.
Any team choosing to sign him will have to have confidence in their culture and ability to deal with a locker-room disruption — who better than the back-to-back reigning champs? This could also be a good landing spot for Johnson, getting to rehab his image as a member of KC’s misfit cast of receivers. As far as fantasy, Johnson’s talent clearly isn’t his biggest issue at this point. If he lands in KC and manages to stay on the field, he could be a legit WR2 (especially as long as Rashee Rice is sidelined).
Keenan Allen → Los Angeles Chargers
The 32-year-old receiver has stated that he is primarily interested in playing for three teams in 2025: the Bears, where he played in 2024, the Rams and Chargers in LA, where he spent most of his career. Out of those options, the natural fit seems like a reunion between Allen and the Chargers. Yes, the Chargers cut him heading into the 2024 season, but he clearly harbors no ill will. And LA’s playoff struggles made it very clear that they need another reliable weapon for Justin Herbert outside of Ladd McConkey. A reunion with Allen, who isn’t the player he once was but still racked up 70 receptions in 15 games this season, makes sense. This is a good landing spot for fantasy, too, as Allen’s best hope is turning into a Thielen-esque big slot receiver on a team lacking for targets. His old home could be that team.
DeAndre Hopkins → Buffalo Bills
He may be 32 years old, but Hopkins has proved he still has gas in the tank. With that said, he did not play a full-time role either with Tennessee or after moving to Kansas City this season. That may change next year when he is fully recovered from his preseason MCL injury, or it may not. With that in mind, he seems like a perfect fit in Buffalo, where the Bills are taking an extreme WR-by-committee approach. Under this assumption that he continues to play only a part-time role, Hopkins will likely not be a particularly helpful fantasy asset.
Amari Cooper → New York Jets
Like Hopkins, Cooper was traded midseason from a team with nothing to play for to a contender. Also, like Hopkins, he only played a part-time role in his new home, although he at least was still an every-down receiver prior to leaving Cleveland. However, Cooper was also less effective than Hopkins for most of the time he was on the field. At this point, he is clearly more of a WR2 or even WR3 than a WR1.
Luckily, plenty of teams could use a WR2, and one of them is the Jets (assuming they move on from Davante Adams). In this world I’ve created where the Jets sign Russ, they are trying to make one more run towards contention with this current roster. Adding Cooper is just another step in that direction. With that said, Cooper would not have much fantasy value in this reality, playing second fiddle to Wilson on a likely low-volume offense.
Stefon Diggs → Houston Texans
Of all the aging receivers on this list, Diggs was arguably the best (aside from Godwin) in 2024. Unfortunately, he joins Godwin in having ended his 2024 season with an injury, tearing his ACL in Week 8. Like Godwin, that will lead to him returning to his most recent team for 2025, hoping to rehab and the come back strong in a system he is familiar with. This makes sense for the Texans, too, as Tank Dell suffered his own devastating injury late in the season leaving Nico Collins as their only plus wide receiver. From a fantasy perspective, this would be a solid landing spot for Diggs. The main question would be whether he can return to his old self coming off a major injury at 31 years old.
Zach Ertz → Washington Commanders
Ertz thrived in his first season in Washington, serving as a solid safety blanket for rookie QB Jayden Daniels. Barring a surprise retirement, I see no reason why the veteran won’t stay put for another year in 2025. Neither Ben Sinnott nor John Bates seems ready to step into his shoes as the team’s primary receiving TE.
The Commanders are also about as good a place as Ertz can be from a fantasy perspective. His value could drop if they add another receiver to play alongside Terry McLaurin, but he will have the inside track to repeat as their second leading receiver otherwise.
Juwan Johnson → New York Giants
Johnson isn’t exactly a high-profile free agent, so this is a huge shot in the dark. But the Giants are clearly looking for a receiving tight end, even claiming Greg Dulcich off waivers after he was released by the Broncos. Johnson, a college wide receiver who was solid during his time in New Orleans, could fit that bill. Even with the Giants’ QB question marks, this would be a great spot for his fantasy value. In 2024, the Giants consistently had one TE run the vast majority of routes, and they don’t have many target-earners outside of Malik Nabers.
Mike Gesicki → Cincinnati Bengals
Gesicki may be listed a tight end, but he is basically just a big slot receiver at this point in his career. With that in mind, it makes sense for him to stay put on a team that is willing to use him like that — the Bengals asked him to pass-block just 11 times all season and he ran a miniscule 8.4-percent of his routes from in-line as a true TE (no other qualified TE was below 19.8-percent). Especially with Higgins leaving, Cincinnati will be happy to retain at least one of their free agent weapons at a much, much cheaper price. This is also a decent landing spot for fantasy purposes, although he is likely to once again hover in the borderline TE1 range.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
