The 2024 NFL season is not even close to over, but the 2024 fantasy football season is. With that in mind, I’ve already turned my eye toward the top fantasy players who will be free agents this offseason. While some positions have more options than others, there is at least one free agent at every position who was fantasy-relevant in even the smallest of leagues in 2024. Where these guys land will have a huge impact on 2025 fantasy football drafts, so let’s take a look at who is available. These are the top 2025 NFL Free Agents!
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Top 2025 Free Agent Quarterbacks
I would like to start the QB section by clarifying that this list only includes players who are guaranteed to hit free agency this offseason. That’s why you won’t see names like Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers on this list. They may well be on the move this offseason, but as of now, they are both under contract for 2025. With that caveat, this is a fairly uninspiring list of names. However, the 2025 quarterback draft class is one of the weakest in recent memory. Additionally, there are plenty of teams without a long-term answer at the position. Some of the following players will almost certainly land starting jobs, while others will at least get a shot to compete.
Sam Darnold
Darnold came into this season as damaged goods, just another draft-bust quarterback doomed to drift around the league as a backup. But when J.J. McCarthy went down for the season with a torn meniscus, Darnold was suddenly locked in as the Vikings’ starter. With Kevin O’Connell calling plays, a solid O-line, and some elite weapons, this was a great place to be. Darnold took full advantage. He led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a playoff berth, posting career highs in every metric under the sun. This year was also a revival for Darnold’s fantasy career, as he finished as the QB9 in both total points and points per game.
This performance has almost certainly earned Darnold a starting job for 2024. The only question is whether it will be in Minnesota. That question might be answered by how he performs over the next few weeks of the NFL playoffs. It’s also the key question to answer to determine his fantasy value. If Darnold lands in a less QB-friendly environment (which essentially every QB-needy team is), he will be hard-pressed to provide another QB1 season. If he stays as the Vikings’ starter, we can expect another productive year.
Russell Wilson
After missing the first six weeks of the season with a calf injury, Wilson took over as the Steelers’ starting quarterback. He started red-hot from both a real-life and fantasy perspective but cooled down to finish off the season as a mid-range fantasy QB2 and below-average NFL starter. Will his 2024 performance be enough to earn the 36-year-old another starting job? It’s tough to say, but he won’t be a particularly appealing fantasy option regardless.
Justin Fields
Wilson’s teammate in Pittsburgh, Fields started the six games of the season for the Steelers. The general consensus is that the former No. 11-overall pick performed better from a real-life perspective than during his time in Chicago, although I do think the Steelers’ 4-2 record against some bad opponents did a bit more heavy lifting in that department than his actual play. However, Fields took a clear step backward as a fantasy option. He had one massive game, so his overall averages look fine (QB7 in Weeks 1-6). However, he actually finished outside the top 10 QBs in four of his six starts.
With that said, we know that Fields still has the dual-threat upside to be an elite fantasy option in the right situation. The question is whether he will land a starting job. The Steelers only had to pay a sixth-round pick to pry him from the Bears, an indication that NFL teams didn’t think very highly of Fields as of last season. Were his six okay games enough to change that perception? We will see. However, Fields is definitely worth monitoring in case he lands in a spot where he has a chance to start.
Jameis Winston
Honestly, I’m over Jameis Winston. He gets a lot of favorable coverage due to the fact that he elevates the fantasy production of the players around him, but he’s simply not a good NFL quarterback. This season, he ranked No. 24 among qualified QBs in PFF Grade and No. 28 in adjusted net yards per attempt. Perhaps some team will be tempted enough by the flashy upside to try and fix him, but I doubt it. With that said, if he does find himself starting, either in Week 1 or further down the line, Winston’s hyper-aggressive playstyle makes him a good fantasy quarterback.
Andy Dalton
Dalton has been a journeyman backup since departing Cincinnati after the 2019 season. He has had stints of genuinely quality play during this period, including his first two starts this year. But it’s very unlikely that he will be any team’s Plan A at quarterback heading into his age-37 season. That makes him only fantasy-relevant in deep Superflex or 2-QB formats where even backups are rostered.
Joe Flacco
Flacco is essentially the same player as Dalton at this point: a former franchise QB well past his prime who can still have occasional flashes but isn’t going to provide more than that. The absolute best-case scenario for both of these guys would be starting for a few games in front of a rookie (think Jacoby Brissett in New England this year) … and even that seems unlikely.
Honorable Mentions: Mac Jones, Cooper Rush, Jacoby Brissett, Trey Lance, Marcus Mariota, Drew Lock, Zach Wilson
Top 2025 Free Agent Running Backs
Last year’s free-agent running back class was absolutely stacked. This year has some intriguing names but nowhere near the same star power. Especially with a deep class of rookie running backs coming in, I can’t guarantee that any of the following names will land a clear lead role in their new backfield. With that said, some of them almost certainly will, and many others will still get a chance to be fantasy-viable at one point or another.
Aaron Jones
Even at 30 years old, Jones is still the top name on this list for me. He brings the dual-threat ability that both real-life and fantasy GMs covet and is the only running back on this list coming off a 1,100-yard season. With that said, the cracks are starting to show in Jones’ profile. He is trending downward in every efficiency metric and especially struggled by the goal line, with negative two yards and only three touchdowns on 13 carries inside the five. Depending on where he lands, another RB2 season is definitely possible, but Jones’ years of RB1 production are almost certainly over. If he ends up in a crowded backfield, we might even see him lose most of his fantasy relevance as a third-down-only back.
Najee Harris
He’s not the most exciting player, but Harris is solid. With 1,043 yards this season, he has now rushed for at least 1,000 yards in all four of his NFL seasons. He can catch the ball, is an above-average pass-blocker, and is often underrated in fantasy circles as a pure rusher. He has a decent chance to land another starting job, and, if he does, he will probably post another RB2 season. There’s even a chance for more than that, as Harris is the type of running back that an NFL team might be willing to lean on as a true workhorse.
Jaylen Warren
Just like at quarterback, the Steelers have two soon-to-be free agents at running back. Once again, the second member of this duo is the harder one to evaluate. After having been one of the better rushers in the league over the last two seasons, Warren struggled for much of 2024. We can potentially blame his multiple injuries, but it’s undeniable that the former UDFA was not his explosive self, especially in the first half of the season.
With that in mind, it’s unlikely that any team will plan to head into 2025 with him as their primary back. But, especially if he can reclaim his old efficiency on the ground, Warren could still have a real fantasy impact. He has the receiving chops to add value through the air and could theoretically win a backfield competition if needed. Depending on where he lands, Warren could be a very intriguing sleeper pick for the 2025 season.
J.K. Dobbins
After suffering multiple season-ending injuries during his tenure with the Ravens, Dobbins signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Chargers this offseason. And prove it he did, looking like easily the best RB on LA’s roster and racking up a solid 13.5 Half-PPR points per game along the way. With that said, Dobbins did suffer another injury (a knee sprain that forced him to miss four weeks) and was by no means an elite back. His absolute best-case scenario is probably running it back as the RB1A in a Chargers committee. Otherwise, it’s hard to see his path to fantasy relevance, at least to start the season. However, he still is one of the top options at running back among the 2025 NFL Free Agents.
Rico Dowdle
Dowdle is similar to Dobbins. He is also a competent, if unspectacular, running back who was clearly the best back in his backfield in 2024 and found fantasy success as a result. Just like Dobbins, the team that is most likely to give Dowdle a starting job in 2025 is the team that he is currently on. Outside of Dallas, it’s hard to see what team would give the former UDFA the keys to their backfield going forward. With that said, Dowdle is clearly a decent NFL back, both on the ground and in the passing game. That is enough that he could absolutely have fantasy value with the right landing spot and/or a bit of luck.
Javonte Williams
Once a Dynasty darling, Javonte Williams is heading in the wrong direction. He came into this season as the Broncos’ theoretical lead back, but he exited it as arguably the worst member of a hugely inefficient committee. Getting out of Denver, where running back fantasy points go to die, could be good for Williams’ stock. But it’s very unlikely that any team will make him their Week 1 starter (on purpose, anyway), and he hasn’t shown the talent to be exciting as a backup since his rookie year.
Nick Chubb
I hate to say it, but we may have seen the last of Nick Chubb as a fantasy-relevant running back. The four-time Pro Bowler returned in Week 7 from a devastating knee injury that ended his 2023 campaign, but he never looked like his old self. His season then ended early with a broken foot. Given that he was never much of a factor in the passing game, Chubb always relied on outlier efficiency and massive volume to be a fantasy stud. That efficiency seems to be gone, and it’s hard to see a team wanting to give him that volume at this point. Unless he makes a return to form with another offseason to recover from the knee injury, Chubb is likely to be nothing more than a TD-dependent flex, at best, in his new home.
Jordan Mason
On the one hand, Jordan Mason was one of just seven qualified backs to average over 5.0 yards per carry this season. On the other hand, a lot of Mason’s success can be attributed to Kyle Shanahan, and he dealt with multiple injuries before a high-ankle sprain ended his season. He is almost certainly going to find himself as the RB2 or even RB3 on a depth chart somewhere, reliant on an injury or two to find fantasy relevance.
Honorable Mentions: Ameer Abdullah, Ty Johnson, Cam Akers, Samaje Perine, Kenneth Gainwell, Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, Elijah Mitchell, A.J. Dillon, Jeff Wilson, Emanuel Wilson, Jeremy McNichols, Dare Ogunbowale, Alexander Mattison, Kareem Hunt
Top 2025 Free Agent Wide Receivers
Normally, true alpha wide receivers don’t make it to free agency. This year, there’s one exception to that rule: Tee Higgins. Behind him, however, this class is mostly guys whose names may outpace their production at this point.
Tee Higgins
As mentioned, Higgins is far and away the prize of this free agent receiver class. The 25-year-old (he turns 26 in 10 days) actually ranked as the WR3 overall in Half-PPR points per game this season. He trailed only Justin Jefferson and his teammate Ja’Marr Chase. Joe Burrow has made it clear that he wants Higgins to remain a Bengal. However, it’s unclear whether Cincinnati will be able to make that happen. They also have to pay Chase and spending that much money on two receivers would make team-building an absolute nightmare.
From a fantasy perspective, there is no truly bad outcome from this saga. Either Higgins remains in Cincy, where he just put up an elite season, or he heads to a new team where he will be the undisputed WR1. Either way, he is set up to be an elite fantasy option for 2025.
Chris Godwin
Across the first seven weeks of the season, Godwin was one of the best fantasy stories of the year. He ranked as the WR2 with an elite 16.1 points per game, absolutely racking up targets in his return to a slot-first role. Unfortunately, his 2024 campaign ended with a dislocated ankle, which now casts doubt over his status among the 2025 NFL Free Agents. Godwin’s landing spot (and contract size) will hopefully tell us a lot about his health. If he lands in a favorable situation and appears to be healthy, he could return to form with another productive season. But tread carefully — the combination of age (he will be 29 in February), injury, and a potentially new team is not an auspicious one for Godwin’s fantasy outlook.
Marquise Brown
I genuinely believe we would have seen a big season from “Hollywood” if he had not missed 15 weeks with a shoulder injury. The speedy former first-rounder was a focal point in the Chiefs’ offense immediately upon his return, posting an absolutely absurd 43-percent target per route run rate in his two regular season appearances. If he keeps that up while Kansas City makes a deep run in the playoffs, expect Hollywood to land a big contract to serve as a key part of an offense in 2025. If his playoff performance is more muted, Brown might end up signing another one-year prove-it deal, perhaps even back in Kansas City. Like Godwin, this makes Brown another player whose real-life deal should influence our fantasy expectations.
Diontae Johnson
I have always loved Diontae Johnson. Clearly, the NFL doesn’t agree. After signing a surprisingly cheap one-year deal with the Panthers in the offseason, Johnson was traded to the Ravens for pennies halfway through the year. Baltimore proceeded to hardly use Johnson for a few weeks, at which point he managed to complain his way off the roster. He was claimed off waivers by the Texans, so he will get at least once chance to rehab his image in the playoffs. But it’s clear that, partially because of off-the-field issues, Johnson is not viewed as a top-tier receiver by the NFL.
With that in mind, we once again have to look closely at his landing spot before investing in him for fantasy football. If Diontae gets a decent deal for a team without much WR talent, I will be willing to bet that his elite separation ability will make him a solid fantasy option. Otherwise, there’s a chance the 28-year-old simply fades into obscurity.
Keenan Allen
Speaking of fading into obscurity, that might be what is next for Keenan Allen. The former Charger will be 33 by the beginning of next season and was clearly not his old self during his first year in Chicago. With that said, Allen still racked up 117 targets this year, the 17th-most in the league. That ability to earn targets will keep him on the fantasy radar if he can land a spot as a WR2 or WR3 on a team.
DeAndre Hopkins
It’s tough to know what to make of DeAndre Hopkins‘ 2024. On the one hand, he is one of the best receivers of the last decade and played the whole year on a torn MCL. With that context in mind, his good-not-great stats get much more impressive. On the other hand, he never broke even a 65-percent route participation rate this season, either before or after being traded to the Chiefs. It’s essentially impossible to be a fantasy-relevant receiver on usage that part-time, and his 7.4 points per game reflect that. Especially given that he will be 33 by the start of next season, I struggle to imagine the landing spot where I will be back in on Hopkins as more than a flex option.
Amari Cooper
Cooper is very comparable to Hopkins. After being traded to play with an elite quarterback, he never managed to play a full-time role. As a result, his fantasy production in Buffalo has been very marginal. Cooper was easily outperformed by Hopkins in both PFF Receiving Grade and yards per route run, as he posted unimpressive marks in both. On the other hand, Amari is younger than Hopkins at “just” 30 (soon to be 31) and at least managed to play a full-time role prior to his departure from Cleveland. Hopkins might be the better player at this point, but I have slightly more hope that a team will sign Cooper to be a focal point of their offense. If that doesn’t happen, though, Cooper’s fantasy value will immediately plummet as he trends in the wrong direction.
Stefon Diggs
Despite concerns that he was washed coming into the season, Diggs was solid in his Houston debut. He ranked as the WR22 in PFF Receiving Grade and the WR19 in Half-PPR points per game, although he was much worse in terms of yards per route run at WR40. Unfortunately, his season was cut short after just seven games by a torn ACL. Injuries like that can often take a full year to recover from, and Diggs doesn’t have many years left at 31. NFL teams will be cautious of investing too much in the former All-Pro, and I recommend fantasy managers take the same approach.
Honorable Mentions: Elijah Moore, Darius Slayton, Demarcus Robinson, Mack Hollins, Justin Watson, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Josh Palmer, Tim Patrick, Mike Williams, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, Nelson Agholor,
Top 2025 Free Agent Tight Ends
There simply aren’t that many quality fantasy tight ends in the NFL, and it’s rare that any of the few that exist reach free agency. This year is no exception, as the only free-agent tight end who ranked as a top-12 fantasy option in 2024 is just as likely to retire as he is to repeat the feat in 2025.
Zach Ertz
Once a truly elite fantasy option, Ertz is no longer the player he once was. However, he is still capable of getting open and racking up targets, ranking eighth among tight ends with 87 targets this season. He also excelled as a red zone threat, finishing tied for fourth with seven TDs, which had a whopping average length of 6.0 yards. This points to the big flaw in Ertz’s fantasy profile at this point, which is that he is arguably the least threatening YAC receiver in the league.
That means that unless he lands in a spot where he can be one of his team’s top targets, he is unlikely to repeat as a TE1. But if he does land in a favorable situation (honestly, staying in Washington is probably the best possible spot for him), Ertz can probably continue falling down in the soft spot in zones for at least one more year.
Juwan Johnson
That’s right, the second most appealing free agent tight end is Juwan Johnson. Johnson finished as the TE24 with an unimpressive 5.8 Half-PPR points per game. But he did finish relatively strong with an expanded role in the Saints’ injury-decimated offense, and he has always been an impressive athlete and receiver for the position. Perhaps a change of scenery could be what he needs to unlock some upside (think Jonnu Smith).
Mike Gesicki
In some ways, Gesicki is what we hope Johnson will become. The former Dolphin and Patriot has always been essentially a big slot receiver. Cincinnati fully committed to using him in that role this season, as he had just 12 pass-blocking snaps and ran only 8.4-percent of his routes from in line, by far the lowest of any qualified TE (Mark Andrews was second at 19.6-percent). Unfortunately, it’s hard to see much upside for Gesicki beyond his TE14 finish this year (TE19 in PPG). Not being asked to block is good for fantasy value, but not being able to block limits your snap share (Gesicki averaged a 57-percent route participation rate). Unless we have reason to believe his new team plans to use him as a full-time slot receiver, Gesicki is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant in 2025.
Honorable Mentions: Tyler Conklin, Austin Hooper, Tommy Tremble, Mo Alie-Cox
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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.
