NFL Free Agent Fantasy Football Outlooks For 2025: Davante Adams, Najee Harris, Joshua Palmer

Andrew Ball breaks down the 2025 fantasy football outlooks for WR Davante Adams, RB Najee Harris, and WR Joshua Palmer after they switched teams in free agency.

Old faces in new places. Some of the NFL's big names continue their career in a new city.

Davante Adams landed in Los Angeles after a two-team 2024 campaign. Najee Harris looks to continue his 1,000-yard streak in California as well. Joshua Palmer teams up with the reigning NFL MVP.

How does the shifting free-agency landscape impact the fantasy football prospects for Adams, Harris, and Palmer? The outlooks are a mixed bag.

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Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Aging All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp is being shipped out of Los Angeles for the (slightly) older All-Pro wide receiver, Davante Adams.

Rams signing WR Davante Adams to 2-year, $46M deal with $26M guaranteed. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/PhoZxNCLnU

— NFL (@NFL) March 9, 2025

The latter, however, showed far more juice in 2024 as a member of the New York Jets. Adams was the WR6 in green and white (Week 7 through 18). Granted, much of that production came when the Jets were eliminated from playoff contention, and Aaron Rodgers force-fed his best friend (11.3 targets per game from Week 13 through 18) to achieve personal records.

This will be the first time since early in his career that Adams will be the second option. Puka Nacua missed six games (five with a knee injury and a healthy scratch in Week 18) and still led the Rams in targets (106), averaging 18.8 PPR points (second in the NFL). Now entering Year 3, he's firmly established himself as Matthew Stafford's go-to receiver.

Adams will help Los Angeles in the red zone. Demarcus Robinson (now a 49er) received the most touchdowns (seven) for the Rams last season. Kupp was second with six. Nacua's three was a distant third. The Rams had a below-average red-zone offense, scoring a touchdown on 52 percent of their trips (25th in the NFL). Adams tallied double-digit touchdowns in six of seven seasons from 2016 to 2022 and secured eight apiece in the last two years, despite being stuck on poor offenses.

Stafford has propped up his top receiver since he arrived in Los Angeles. Kupp averaged the most PPR points in 2021 (25.9) and 2022 (22.4). Nacua took the mantle in 2023 (17.6, sixth) and 18.8 points, as mentioned above, last season. Kupp managed to sneak inside the WR2 range.

That's where Adams belongs, although his scoring prowess gives him more upside than the version of Kupp we've watched the last couple of seasons.

Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

You know that exciting feeling you get when you have tickets to see your favorite band in concert? Or a longtime friend is coming to town to celebrate your birthday? Or you strike a great connection on a first date?

Najee Harris is none of these things, and yet he landed in one of the best spots for his fantasy football stock. He's rushed for 1,000 yards in all four of his professional seasons and joins a Los Angeles roster lacking running back talent.

J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards aren't on the team anymore. Nearly 80 percent of the Chargers' running back attempts have been vacated. The current backups are 2024 sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal and perpetual depth piece Hassan Haskins.

Dobbins finished as an RB2 in PPR formats despite average production in the receiving game (32 catches for 153 yards). That's nearly double his previous career-high mark. Justin Herbert has relied on the checkdown throughout his career. Harris is an improvement over Dobbins in that department.

Dobbins scored nine rushing touchdowns behind an improved Chargers offensive line and a coaching staff committed to a dedicated running attack. Nearly every offensive aspect of his new team is an upgrade over his old one. One of the biggest knocks on Dobbins was his health. Harris hasn't missed a professional game in four seasons. Volume and scoring opportunities will be there.

Najee Harris rush yards by season:

2021: 1,200
2022: 1,034
2023: 1,045
2024: 1,043

the only RBs since 2000 to enter the NFL with 4-straight 1k rush seasons:

Najee Harris
Chris Johnson
Adrian Peterson
Clinton Portis
LaDainian Tomlinson

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 11, 2025

There's still plenty of offseason to go that can diminish Harris' outlook. He signed a one-year deal, meaning the Chargers may have a long-term plan in the works. The 22nd overall pick won't land them Ashton Jeanty, but this is a deep running back class. A second- or third-round selection, or the return of Dobbins, could eat into Harris' projected volume.

However, if he's the only real threat in town, Harris could end the season with double-digit touchdowns and 275-300 carries en route to a volume-based RB1 or RB2 finish.

Joshua Palmer, WR, Buffalo Bills

From a new Charger to a former one, Joshua Palmer leaves sunny Southern California for frigid upstate New York.

While the weather patterns may differ, the rosters are similar: a strong-armed quarterback in his prime and a general manager depending on a second-year, second-round wide receiver to become the alpha. Ladd McConkey accomplished that in his rookie season, making Palmer expendable.

Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman trump Palmer on Buffalo's new depth chart. Curtis Samuel will get his fair share of snaps. Palmer is the Mack Hollins (now with the Patriots) replacement (pending the free agency of Amari Cooper).

The fact of the matter is that the fantasy community's view of Palmer has always been rosier than his production. The 2021 third-round pick secured 72 passes in his second season with the Chargers. Keenan Allen (10 games) and Mike Williams (13 games) missed significant time. Increased playing time led to second-place finishes in catches and receiving yards (769).

Throwback to Joshua palmer vs the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, Week 11

Welcome to Buffalo🔥 pic.twitter.com/8gHKI0BwzI

— ShakirMuse (@ShakirMuseee) March 10, 2025

While Palmer's 2022 season didn't quite qualify as a breakout campaign, there were enough reasons to be optimistic about his future with Herbert, especially with Allen and Williams nearing the end of their tenures with Los Angeles. Williams played three games in 2023, and Quentin Johnston floundered in his first year. Yet, Palmer's injury woes and inconsistent play relegated him to waiver wires.

2024 was even more of a disappointment. The Chargers entered the season with the most vacated targets in the NFL. Palmer earned four more in 15 games (65) than in 10 games the season prior (61).

He hasn't paced for a 1,000-yard season or commanded a 20 percent target share. He has fewer than 40 receptions in three of his four professional seasons. Now, he enters a crowded wide receiver room with a coaching staff notorious for rotating personnel. Coleman was the only Buffalo receiver to have a snap share of over 70 percent.

Like Hollins and Samuel last season, Palmer will have his moments in a Bills jersey. He's a decent separator and has shown the ability to come down with deep pass attempts. But it would be a surprise if he's higher than fourth in the pecking order.

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