Hitting on breakouts is key to a successful fantasy football season. 2025 is no different. Here, Justin Boone, Matt Harmon, Scott Pianowski and Ray Garvin reveal the players — one at each position — they expect will be unleashed this season.
Quarterback
Scott: The Falcons have the look of a possible carnival team in 2025. Indoor schedule, questionable defense, fun skill talent, a narrow target tree. Of course, for it to all smash, Michael Penix Jr. has to be the real deal, too. But he looked comfortable in his three-game trial late last season, and he has a first-round pedigree. Even if Penix has a bumpy onboarding at times, working with Bijan Robinsin and Drake London should smooth some of the edges. I’m investing in this offense proactively.
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Ray: Caleb Williams is my breakout quarterback for 2025. The No. 1 pick in 2024 has everything you want: raw talent, legit weapons like DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, D’Andre Swift and Cole Kmet, and most importantly, Ben Johnson calling the shots. Johnson didn’t leave Detroit to babysit another Bears rebuild. He came to maximize Caleb’s ceiling, and if there’s a coach I trust to get it done, it’s him. This offense will move the ball and Williams is going to be asked to do it all. With his skill set and Johnson’s scheme, the floor is solid and the ceiling is special.
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Justin: J.J. McCarthy was the 10th overall pick a year ago who lost out on a chance to start as a rookie due to a meniscus tear that ended his season before it began. Now he’s healthy and stepping into a Kevin O’Connell offense that has made fantasy starters out of every quarterback he’s had under center, including Sam Darnold (QB11 in 2024), Kirk Cousins (QB7 in 2023), Joshua Dobbs (QB10 during his five-game starting stint in 2023), Nick Mullens (QB14 over the final month in 2023) and Cousins again (QB13 in 2022). McCarthy is an upgrade on Darnold and will have an even better supporting cast given the additions of running back Jordan Mason, as well as new offensive linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. McCarthy is an extremely late pick who could turn into a fantasy QB1 sooner rather than later in this system.
Matt: Bryce Young led a successful Panthers offense down the stretch last season. From Week 10 on, the Panthers were a top-12 offense in EPA per play. Young was the QB11 during that stretch, both because he was a confident downfield passer and thanks to his 211 yards added on scrambles, fifth-most during that span. The Panthers offense should be improved with Tetarioa McMillan added at the X-receiver spot to help slot second-year players Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker into comfortable supporting roles. Young’s breakout was real last year, and I don’t think his fantasy ceiling is getting enough credit in the community.
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Running Back
Justin: Tyrone Tracy Jr. already had a minor breakout as a rookie last year with 839 rushing yards and 284 receiving yards. However, the vast majority of that production came after he moved into a more prominent role in Week 5. From that point on, Tracy played the majority of the Giants’ snaps and was the RB21 in fantasy points per game. We haven’t seen his ceiling over the course of a full season yet. Fourth-rounder Cam Skattebo made some highlight plays early in camp, but a hamstring injury caused him to miss multiple weeks of practice. In the meantime, beat writers have made it clear that this is Tracy’s backfield with a likely 70-30 split in his favor, with Skattebo and Devin Singletary making up the rest. That makes Tracy a very enticing option as an upside RB2 with excellent pass-catching skills who’s available in the middle rounds.
Matt: Jordan Mason has been labeled the 1B back to Aaron Jones Sr. this offseason. He averaged a whopping 5.65 yards per carry on gap runs in 2024, per Fantasy Points Data, and it’s clear that the Vikings want to add more of those runs based on the hefty offensive line additions. Mason could be a goal-line option with massive contingency upside if Jones missed games. There’s also a real path to Mason becoming the lead back in this backfield. Jones can still play but might be best in a low-volume slasher role while Mason operates as the innings-eater. The Vikings needed to get a more sustaining version of offense after being too reliant on deep shots last season under Sam Darnold. A more consistent ground game can be the answer and Mason could be the leading man in that pursuit.
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Ray: Braelon Allen is my breakout running back for 2025. Forget the 334 rushing yards as a rookie — he was only 20 years old. Now at 6’1” 230-pounds, Allen looks like a different back this preseason. In Week 2 of exhibition play he split touches evenly with Breece Hall but the real takeaway was usage. Allen was on the field for every third down and converted on a few gotta-have-it third- and fourth-down situations. That was not Hall — it was Allen. That is trust from a new head coach who came from Detroit and knows how to ride a one-two backfield punch. In an offense unlikely to be high volume through the air, Allen has the opportunity to cement himself as a breakout star.
Scott: Are we sure Kenneth Walker III is better than Zach Charbonnet? Last year, Charbonnet beat Walker in most of the efficiency and per-touch stats (he also had more touchdowns on fewer touches). It looks like Walker and Charbonnet will both have meaty roles to open the year, perhaps making this a hot-hand situation. I would not be surprised if Charbonnet ascends to the top of Seattle’s depth chart at some point this season.
Wide Receiver
Matt: Ricky Pearsall is one of, if not my favorite, breakout wide receiver pick this season. Pearsall came back from offseason injuries and being shot in the chest to just get on the field. You could see when watching him he was ticketed for a singular role in the 49ers offense. The 49ers haven’t had a player like this before in that room and it’s critical he’s in place now that they’re transitioning to more of a true dropback offense. In the final four games of last season, Pearsall was smoking man coverage from various alignments. He was a prospect I loved, put up good film late in his rookie year and plays for one of the best offensive minds in the sport. That’s a fantastic breakout bet at wide receiver who still goes outside the top 90 picks in Yahoo drafts. The fantasy community just doesn’t realize how high of a ceiling this player has because they’re overly obsessed with per route metrics that don’t tell the story on this particular wideout.
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Justin: If you’re searching for receivers on the verge of taking their game to the next level, sophomore wideouts are a good place to start. After being drafted ninth overall last year, Rome Odunze was stuck behind two capable veterans in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, while being forced to play for a coaching staff that was swirling the drain. Enter Ben Johnson. Things are already looking up in Chicago as Caleb Williams develops under Johnson’s tutelage, which offers promise for this passing attack. Johnson will scheme his players up and his playcalling will result in more success downfield. There are also signs that Moore is in decline, potentially opening the door for Odunze to become the Bears’ No. 1 receiver in 2025. We still have a ways to go before that happens, but there are enough signs pointing in Odunze’s favor that I’m drafting him as a borderline fantasy WR2 ahead of Moore.
Scott: Marvin Mims Jr. has made plenty of splash plays in his first two seasons. He’s also been dynamic in the return game. Maybe Year 3 is the year he grows as a technical receiver. If Sean Payton is ready to admit Mims into the Circle of Trust, Mims has a ceiling of 800-1,000 yards and perhaps 8-10 touchdowns. The Denver receiver room doesn’t have an obvious No. 2 option at the moment.
Ray: George Pickens is my breakout wide receiver for 2025. He flashed WR1 ability throughout his time in Pittsburgh but inconsistency and shaky quarterback play held him back. Now he steps into an offense tailor-made for his vertical skill set. With CeeDee Lamb operating all over the field, Pickens is set to rip off chunk plays down the sideline. It is a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation for defenses deciding who to double. This could look a lot like Cincinnati with Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins. The setup is there for Pickens to explode.
Tight End
Ray: Brenton Strange is lined up for a Year 3 breakout. Last season, he showed growth with 40 catches, 411 yards and 2 touchdowns, proving he could handle a bigger role. Enter new head coach Liam Coen, the same play caller who turned Cade Otton into a fantasy factor. Otton saw his targets jump from 67 in 2023 to 87 in 2024, which ranked top 12 among tight ends while playing over 92% of snaps and running 425 routes. That is the kind of usage Strange could inherit in Jacksonville. With Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter and Dyami Brown pulling coverage, Strange will live in one-on-one matchups. Add Trevor Lawrence’s ability to extend plays and the runway is clear for Strange to be this year’s Cade Otton.
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Matt: Tucker Kraft is a stone-cold baller at the tight end position, who is both a strong blocker and explosive receiver. That’s a big reason why he makes perfect sense as a breakout tight end; don’t expect to see him be a rotational player, which so often ruins the hopes of breakout tight ends. We want guys who are on the field often at this position and play in strong offensive environments for touchdown equity and with a bonus if they have the upside to he a top-two target on their team. Tucker Kraft checks every box. Only four tight ends ran a route on over 80% of their team’s dropbacks in 2024: Trey McBride (87.1%), Brock Bowers (84.5%), Travis Kelce (83.9%) and Tucker Kraft (83.5%). The Packers are projected to be an excellent offense again this season and Kraft is a proven touchdown threat with a 10% touchdown rate. He ranked third among tight ends with 50-plus targets in touchdown rate.
Scott: Tucker Kraft is my favorite wait-for-it tight end on the board this year, but when I lose the race to Kraft (such as in this article), Jake Ferguson is my consolation prize. I suspect the Cowboys will have a meaty pass rate this year, pushed by a mediocre running game and a defense that has collapse risk. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are the primary beneficiaries if that frame comes to life, but there’s room for Ferguson to smash his ADP. Ferguson has given us meaty volume seasons before, but it’s been a low touchdown count that kept his fantasy value muted. But we’re also talking about a player who caught three touchdowns against the Packers in a playoff loss. Ferguson offers plenty of plausible upside entering his fourth pro season.
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Justin: Many fantasy managers are out on Dalton Kincaid after the young tight end failed to meet expectations in his first two NFL seasons. That might end up being a mistake. Kincaid has finished second on the Bills in targets each of the past two years, despite dealing with injuries along the way. Through the first nine weeks of the 2024 campaign, before injuries struck, he was on pace for 102 targets. Only four tight ends topped 100 targets last year — Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Travis Kelce and Jonnu Smith. As a rookie, Kincaid saw 91 targets but dealt with a slow ramp-up in the opening month and missed a game due to injury. However, over the final 12 weeks that year, Kincaid was the TE11 in fantasy points per contest. So what happens if he stays healthy in 2025? There’s still a path to fantasy TE1 status for the 25-year-old. With Khalil Shakir dealing with a high-ankle sprain, we might get to see Kincaid take on a bigger role beginning in Week 1.
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