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5 quarterbacks on the rise and 5 quarterbacks falling post-NFL Draft. Which quarterbacks saw an increase in fantasy football value from the 2025 NFL Draft?
The 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and after a slew of trades, surprise picks, and draft-day free-falls, the fantasy football landscape for the upcoming season is now a lot clearer.
No position was affected more than quarterback, and now we have a picture of how each signal caller’s arsenal is shaping up for the upcoming season.
Which quarterbacks should see their ADP rise for the 2025 fantasy football season, and which could see their stock take a hit after the NFL Draft? RotoBaller’s Brant Henson pegs five signal callers on the rise, and five that are on the fall.
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Fantasy Football Quarterback ADP Risers
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It came as a shock to many when the Buccaneers picked Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in Round 1, given that they appear to be set at the position on paper. But for Baker Mayfield? The Day 1 pick was an absolute win, giving him another sure-handed receiver with elite route-running ability.
The Bucs have a strong WR room 👀
- Mike Evans
- Chris Godwin
- Jalen McMillan
- Emeka Egbuka (drafted)
- Tez Johnson (drafted) pic.twitter.com/cR857yYS4q— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 26, 2025
Mayfield is no longer banking on the health of 29-year-old Chris Godwin coming off a significant knee injury. He has one of the most explosive receiver rooms in the entire league in Mike Evans, Godwin, Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, and seventh-rounder Tez Johnson.
Add in the chain-moving Cade Otton at tight end and a strong running back trio in Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker - it is a guarantee that this offense will continue to hum on all cylinders.
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams’ stock was already on the rise in a major way ahead of Year 2 in the league with Ben Johnson calling the shots in Chicago, but he took even more of a rise with the addition of two key weapons.
Tight end Colston Loveland joins Cole Kmet to form a formidable tight end duo. Luther Burden III will fill Keenan Allen’s role from last season, offering a similar skill set but with more juice than Allen at this point in his career. Williams has a number of mouths to feed, a dynamic playcaller as his head coach, and nowhere to go but up in his second year.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville’s shocking draft day trade to move up and select WR/CB Travis Hunter gives Trevor Lawrence one of the best young receiver duos in the league, pairing last season’s breakout star Brian Thomas Jr. with the two-way star rookie.
The addition of fourth-round rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten is also not to be slept on, as he adds a dimension of speed to the backfield that was previously lacking. Lawrence will make the most of his two new shiny weapons and should see his ADP rise in return.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
It took Bryce Young nearly two seasons to show any sort of flash, but entering his third season, he finally has a real WR1 in rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan. The 6-foot-5 beast will be Young’s go-to receiver, and his presence should help create more open looks for last year’s first-rounder Xavier Legette, along with veteran Adam Thielen.
#Panthers first round pick Tetairoa McMillan says he met and caught passes from QB Bryce Young in California last month.
“I guess you can say we got a head start on our lil chemistry.” pic.twitter.com/ch8UbTqb6E
— Travon Miles (@TrayABC11) April 25, 2025
Young undoubtedly has the best receiving corps he has had in the NFL entering Year 3, and in turn, should be moving up fantasy draft boards.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud had a disappointing season from a fantasy standpoint in his second professional season, but after losing Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs to season-ending injuries, he had a real lack of supporting weapons behind Nico Collins.
Houston made sure that the same thing would not happen to their franchise quarterback in year three. With Dell expected to miss the entire season, they traded for Christian Kirk before the draft. They were not done adding to the receiver room, though, and selected Iowa State products Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in Rounds 2 and 3.
Both receivers cleared 1,000 yards while playing alongside each other last season, and will continue to complement each other in 2025 in Houston. Stroud now has a new offensive coordinator, a new offensive line, and a revamped receiving room that should allow him to take a step forward in his third year.
Fantasy Football Quarterback ADP Fallers
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
It was widely expected that Dallas would add an offensive weapon in Round 1. After opting for Alabama guard Tyler Booker to backfill Zack Martin’s vacated spot on the offensive line, draft pundits tabbed them as a near lock to add a weapon in Round 2.
The Cowboys not only didn’t draft a running back or receiver in Round 2, but they went the entirety of Day 2 without addressing that hole on the roster. Prescott appears set to head into 2025 with an even worse group of pass catchers behind CeeDee Lamb than he had a season ago.
Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo, Parris Campbell, and Jalen Brooks will compete for the WR2 and WR3 jobs, leaving Prescott with a pretty clear lack of weapons.
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Cleveland Browns
The obvious pick here, no quarterback’s stock took more of a hit than that of Shedeur Sanders. The Colorado product infamously dove down the draft board after being widely regarded as a first-round pick throughout much of the pre-draft process and was not scooped up until Round 5 by a team that had already addressed the position earlier in the draft.
Sanders has his work cut out for him, sitting on a roster with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Deshaun Watson, who is unlikely to be on the team come Week 1. He is far from a guarantee to ever get a chance to take an NFL snap after being drafted in Round 5, which is far off from where we all thought he would stand post-draft.
Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
The Jets now have a wall of an offensive line after selecting Missouri product Armand Membou seventh overall. It is pretty clear that Aaron Glenn wants to pound the rock between Fields and Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis.
They did add tight end Mason Taylor in Round 2, but did not add any noteworthy receivers. Fields’ rushing ability will carry him per usual in fantasy, but the front office left him with Allen Lazard, Josh Reynolds, Malachi Corley, and Xavier Gipson behind Garrett Wilson.
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Nearly every mock draft had Denver adding a weapon for Bo Nix, whether as a running back or a receiver, in Round 1, but the team opted for Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron instead.
While they did add a dynamic running back in RJ Harvey in Round 2 and a gritty receiver in Pat Bryant in Round 3, the lack of an elite Round 1 weapon is not what fantasy managers wanted to see for Bo Nix.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Perhaps the biggest loser from a fantasy perspective of the 2025 NFL Draft was Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Arizona had a good draft, but they used their first five picks on the defensive side of the ball. Jonathan Gannon is a defensive-minded coach, so this does not come as a surprise, especially with nearly every spot on defense being a glaring weakness on the roster.
However, this leaves Murray with a receiver room that includes Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Zay Jones, Greg Dortch, and several unproven players. This should again be a heavily concentrated target share on tight end Trey McBride, which could hurt Murray’s stock.
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