2025 Fantasy Football Rankings And Projections Update (August 26)
Over the past week, there have been multiple NFL trades, and two players (Terry McLaurin and Amari Cooper) received new contracts. The player pool remains fluid, with some hidden gems still not getting enough respect. Here’s my latest roster adjustments:
Editor's Note: Scroll all the way to the bottom to view the updated projections.
Arizona Cardinals
No Changes.
Atlanta Falcons
Darnell Mooney remains with no timetable to return. I downgraded him by two more games (six total), with Ray-Ray McCloud picking up his lost targets.
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson (foot) and Mark Andrews (unknown) are battling injuries, but they appear ready to go for Week 1.
Buffalo Bills
Khalil Shakir (high-ankle sprain) remains on track to play in Week 1. I added about 20 more pass attempts and two touchdowns to the Bills’ passing game due to the higher expectations of Keon Coleman (my sleeper of the year).
Carolina Panthers
No update since last week on Tetairoa McMillan’s hamstring issue. The Panthers still expect him to suit up for Week 1.
Chicago Bears
No Changes.
Cincinnati Bengals
No changes.
Cleveland Browns
Quinshon Judkins still hasn’t signed. I moved Dillon Gabriel to QB2, with Shedeur Sanders dropping a spot on the depth chart. Cleveland shipped Kenny Pickett to the Raiders after their backup quarterback, Aidan O’Connell, suffered a lengthy injury. Cedric Tillman has been battling a thumb injury while trending toward playing in Week 1. I should adjust the running back projections, but I need more info on Judkins' availability before I can make a better judgment of each player’s usage.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas placed Phil Mafah on the injured list. Miles Sanders (shoulder) and Jaydon Blue (ankle) have questionable tags. Blue should be ready for Week 1. No Changes.
Denver Broncos
With Denver trading Devaughn Vele over the past week, the top three wideouts for the Broncos get a bump in chances. The big winner was Troy Franklin, my deep sleeper of the year.
Detroit Lions
I’ve seen enough of Isaac TeSlaa in the preseason to move his projections higher at WR3. He will make this offense better, but I don’t see enough chances to make him a value fantasy starter. He should be their fifth option in the passing game, a win for Jared Goff.
Green Bay Packers
Jayden Reed still hasn’t practiced after losing his walking boot more than 10 days ago. Dontayvion Wick (calf) remains in question for Week 1. No changes.
Houston Texans
Joe Mixon’s projections were downgraded by five games after the Texans placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list. Nick Chubb looks poised for an RB1 opportunity in this offense out of the gate. All running backs were adjusted.
Indianapolis Colts
No changes.
Jacksonville Jaguars
No changes.
Kansas City Chiefs
No changes.
Miami Dolphins
Jaylen Wright should miss Week 1 and possibly more games. I adjusted the Dolphins’ RB2 and RB3 projections this week. De’Von Achane (calf) should return to practice next week and play in Miami’s first game.
Minnesota Vikings
No changes.
New England Patriots
No changes.
New Orleans Saints
No changes.
New York Giants
No changes.
New York Jets
No changes.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders signed Amari Cooper, giving him WR2 status in their offense. It should take him a couple of games to get up to speed. Jakobi Meyers, Jack Bech, and Dont’e Thornton get downgraded this week. Kenny Pickett moves to QB2 for Las Vegas. Geno Smith gets a bump in touchdowns (2).
Philadelphia Eagles
No changes.
Pittsburgh Steelers
No changes.
Los Angeles Chargers
No changes.
San Francisco 49ers
The NFL suspended Demarcus Robinson for three games, opening up more targets for another wideout. The 49ers traded for Skyy Moore over the past week, and he looks poised to have a WR3, possibly WR2 opportunity early in the year. Jauan Jennings (calf) is trending in the wrong direction. Ricky Pearsall is the winner in San Francisco’s wide receiver projections update this week, but his outlook still isn’t high enough to support an impact WR2 or better season.
Brian Robinson takes over the 49ers’ RB2 role after being acquired this week.
Seattle Seahawks
No changes.
Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford turned in a full practice on Monday, restoring high hopes for the Rams’ top two wideouts. No changes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No changes.
Tennessee Titans
I bumped Elic Ayomanor to WR3 in the Titans’ offense, at the expense of Chimere Dike.
Washington Commanders
Harmony has been restored to the Commanders’ offensive depth chart. They finally signed Terry McLaurin while shipping out Brian Robinson. This is how I projected this backfield:
Jacory Croskey-Merritt – a change of pace back with a limited role expected catching the ball.
Chris Rodriguez – goal line and short-yardage back with a chance at more touches in some games if showing a hot hand.
Austin Ekeler – Washington should give him 10 to 12 carries a game, with more of the work on passing downs. His experience and three-down ability should make him the top fantasy running back for the Commanders this year.
CLICK HERE to view our 2025 Updated Projections.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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