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Thunder Dan Palyo's 6 fantasy football bold predictions for the 2025 NFL season, including predictions for Justin Fields, Davante Adams, Bucky Irving, Chase Brown, and others!
With only a few days left before the 2025 NFL season opens, it's time to bring you my annual bold predictions for fantasy football.
I'll be honest, writing a bold predictions piece is always a challenge for me. I don't like making wild claims that have a 1% chance of coming true, but I also know that if you make your predictions too attainable, you'll be accused by readers of not being "bold enough."
So I aim to make my predictions outside the expected range of outcomes, but you also won't see anything here that is intended to be controversial just for the sake of it. These are my bold predictions for the 2025 fantasy football season, and I firmly believe that each one of them can come true (though I also know that it's very likely that only a few will).
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Omarion Hampton Has the Best Fantasy Season of Any Rookie Running Back in 2025
You can get Hampton to win Offensive Rookie of the Year on FanDuel Sportsbook at +750 odds. The favorite is Ashton Jeanty at +250, while Titans' quarterback Cam Ward is +300. The gap between Hampton and Jeanty has closed at least 250 points since I wrote up Hampton's prop last week, and I think more people are coming around on him having a massive season, while also admitting that there is potential for Jeanty to underwhelm compared to expectations.
The team context matters here more than people want to acknowledge. While Jeanty and Ward will surely put up some solid numbers on bad teams this year, it's well within the range of outcomes that they are both outproduced by Hampton on a good Chargers team. TreVeyon Henderson has looked great for the Patriots, too, but we just don't know how good the New England offense is going to be just yet.
We know that Jim Harbaugh wants to run the football, and that the Chargers were able to run it effectively last season. Harbaugh and his staff are anxious to feed their first-round pick, too. Yes, Najee Harris exists in this backfield now, too, but I think many are falling for the trap of thinking that Najee actually poses a threat to Hampton's status as the RB1.
Per @FTNFantasy, Jim Harbaugh's 49ers jumped 27.9 rushing yards per game between his first two seasons, while Stanford and Michigan averaged more than a 70-yard jump.
If you are leaving your fantasy football drafts without RB Omarion Hampton, ask yourself why that is the case pic.twitter.com/2F366rryPB
— The Commish (@CommishFilmRoom) August 26, 2025
There has been nothing but effusive praise for Hampton coming out of camp from coaches and players. He's bigger and faster than Jeanty and should be running behind a better offensive line, too. I think he could run wild for this Chargers team, while also being a threat in the passing game, as we know that has not been a strength of Najee Harris's game.
The buzz around Hampton has pushed him into a third-round ADP, but I have the feeling he just may be able to live up to the hype.
Davante Adams Leads the NFL With 14+ Receiving Touchdowns
I have been snagging Adams in the fourth round of Underdog drafts for the last few weeks with zero second thoughts. There were a few days earlier this preseason when Matthew Stafford's back injury forced me to slow down on my Adams exposure, but as long as Stafford is healthy and running this offense, I think it's going to be one of the better units in the NFC.
Adams has been a touchdown machine during his illustrious NFL career. He led the league in 2020 with 18 touchdowns while in Green Bay and again with 14 touchdowns in 2022 during his first season with the Raiders.
The last two seasons, he's managed to catch eight TDs each year despite less-than-stellar quarterback play on some bad teams. Now he will step into a Rams offense that should be tough to stop with Adams and Puka Nacua forming a formidable duo paired with an always-solid running game featuring Kyren Williams.
I wrote about this once already recently here, but the Rams have 53% of their receiving targets inside the ten-yard line from last season up for grabs with the departures of Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson.
Only one receiver (Ja'Marr Chase) saw more targets inside the ten-yard line last season than Adams. He only caught 41% of those targets last year, but with the QB and offense upgrade, I think have more catchable targets in and around the end zone.
Don't be surprised if Matthew Stafford falls in love with targeting the big-bodied Adams when it matters most. Nacua might finish with more receiving yards, but my money is on Adams finishing with more touchdowns, and if he stays healthy, he might just lead the league once again.
Justin Fields Finishes as a Top-5 Fantasy Quarterback
When I'm not able to snag Jalen Hurts in the early rounds, I find myself drafting Justin Fields in the late-middle rounds. When I pull up my best-ball exposures on Underdog, sure enough, there's Justin Fields as one of my most highly-rostered players for the season.
I know there are a lot of Justin Fields haters out there. And there is still a small contingent of Fields believers, too. Personally, I found myself among the haters until I got a chance to watch Fields start the first six games for my beloved Steelers (who are now dead to me after the Aaron Rodgers signing).
I am not going to argue that Fields is an excellent NFL quarterback. I'm not sure I can even make the case that he's an above-average NFL quarterback, though I do think it's a bit premature to make that declaration yet after only a few years' worth of starts in the league.
However, what people continue to fail to realize is that Fields doesn't have to be all that good in real life to still be a very good fantasy asset. The Steelers forced him to play an ultra-conservative game plan as a passer, allowing him to maintain a high level of efficiency but also limiting his ceiling in terms of passing yards and touchdowns. He still managed to throw five touchdowns to only one pick while completing nearly 66% of his throws.
Justin Fields is special pic.twitter.com/h71zdHBJLY
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) August 27, 2025
His true value comes from his legs. He's a truly gifted runner and has the same type of game-breaking potential for big runs as Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Jalen Hurts. He ran for over 200 yards and five touchdowns in those six starts, boosting his production to 19.06 fantasy points per game as a starter.
He now has a franchise that has invested in him with the Jets, and while they're not likely to turn him loose entirely, he is also not going to be looking over his shoulder at Russell Wilson this season. New York's offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand has already said he's going to take advantage of Fields' running ability with RPOs, and the Jets have some solid weapons for Fields to work with between their stable of running backs (as pass catchers), Garrett Wilson, and rookie tight end Mason Taylor.
What if Engstand has the exact scheme needed to unlock Fields' ceiling, and he plays at a high level for much of this season? His ceiling is much higher than anyone wants to admit, so if everything goes well, then I think we are looking at a top-five finish for Fields and possibly eight or nine wins for the Jets.
Daniel Jones Is Competent Enough To Sustain the Colts' Players' Values
Let me reiterate the same point that I just made with Justin Fields, if I may. Daniel Jones does not need to throw for 300+ yards every week to be helpful to us in fantasy football. And I am not endorsing taking Jones in drafts (though I wouldn't be surprised if he's a hot waiver pickup early in the season after a good game or two).
All we need is for Jones to be a stabilizing force for the Colts' offense. Anthony Richardson was the exact opposite during his time under center. You never knew what to expect with Richardson at QB. Would he vulture some rushing touchdowns from Jonathan Taylor? Would he complete 50% of his throws? Which receivers would he target from week to week? We rarely had answers to these questions.
Daniel Jones NFL records: 🔥 🔥
⚪️ 5 passing TDs in a game as a rookie (tied record)
⚪️ 1st rookie with 3 games of 4 TDs & 0 INTs
⚪️ 1st QB w/ 300+ pass yds, 2+ TDs & 70+ rush yds in a playoff gameHow many NFL records will he break with the Colts? 🤔 ⬇️ ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Dvh0Wqehwf
— SleeperColts (@SleeperColts) August 27, 2025
Daniel Jones can make quality throws when he has protection in the pocket. Much of his struggles in New York came from constantly being under pressure and having to scramble for his life. At some point, he lost confidence and also failed to make easier throws as he started second-guessing himself.
But NFL coaches have not given up on Daniel Jones or his talent. The Vikings traded for him last year as a Darnold insurance policy, and the Colts went out and got him this offseason, knowing full well that he could win their starting job.
With Jones under center, we know that the Colts are going to establish the run with Taylor and that Jones will likely be asked to manage the game with a heavy dose of play-action passes and high percentage throws. That means that Tyler Warren and slot receiver Josh Downs should get fed on short throws, with Michael Pittman Jr. also being in the mix for plenty of targets in the intermediate passing game. Jones fed his slot receivers in New York and is only a few years removed from a playoff season with the Giants, when they went on the road and won a playoff game in Minnesota.
The Colts have talent on offense, and they could be a sneaky good source of fantasy value this season. They simply need Jones to be good, NOT GREAT, to keep the chains moving, and I am in the minority of folks who think that Jones can deliver this year.
Chase Brown and Bucky Irving Both Finish As Top-5 Running Backs in PPR Leagues
I think I have managed to draft one of these two running backs on every team this season. I think I even snagged them both in one league where Bucky fell to the third round (which is criminal!). I am extremely bullish on both guys going into this year, and I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't be based on what they did on a per-game basis last year.
Neither Brown nor Irving started the season as the bell-cow backs for their teams, and I guess based on their ADP, there are still those out there who have doubts as to whether or not these are true 20+ touch players this season.
Brown needed an injury to Zack Moss last year to take over as the lead back, but he made the most of his opportunities. While he eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark just once, it was his invaluable receiving stats that led to a huge year - especially in PPR formats.
The Bengals were faced with a lot of pass-heavy game scripts due to their porous defense, and Brown was relied on just as much as a receiver as he was a runner. It's easy to project more of the same for Cincy this season as they failed to upgrade their defense in the offseason and could easily find themselves in shootouts weekly again in 2025.
Chase Brown played two drives before taking a seat in second CIN preseason game.
- 89% snap rate
- two goal line attempts, one TD
- touched the ball on 5 of 9 playsLooking like the near every-down RB we saw last year https://t.co/FZYC5zwpfn pic.twitter.com/OnyNLbyuxK
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 20, 2025
Irving's path to RB1 status on his own team was much more difficult. He had to win more touches without the benefit of an injury. Eventually, he did earn more opportunities than Rachaad White, but still had to contend with Sean Tucker taking away some snaps, too. It's pretty crazy to think, but Irving finished with nearly 90 yards from scrimmage per game despite only a 45% snap share on the season.
In his final regular-season game, we saw Bucky get over 70% of the snaps. That's where I expect him to be this year, as he's simply too good as both a runner and receiver (only one of two backs with a 90+ grade in both running and receiving in 2025) to keep off the field.
Irving was so productive on a per-touch basis that it's hard not to get massively excited at his potential if he sees those touches increase this year as the primary back in this offseason.
Draft both backs with confidence in the second round. Their dual-threat abilities in good offenses give them a massive ceiling for fantasy in 2025.
Kyle Williams Finishes the Season as the Patriots' WR1
I saved my sauciest prediction for last. I am not usually one to hype up rookies, but I do realize that I already did that once in this article with the Omarion Hampton hype.
There are a lot of really talented rookie wideouts in this draft class. A lot of buzz is surrounding guys like Tetairoa McMillan, Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbuka, and Travis Hunter, but some studly receivers are going in the late rounds of drafts, like Williams, too.
Kyle Williams route-em-up thread pic.twitter.com/iDgyelckYF
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 9, 2025
Williams won't make an impact at the start of the season. He was injured for part of the preseason, and there were reports that he was a bit slow to catch on to the concepts of the Patriots' passing game. However, I am enamored with what I have seen of Williams on tape. He looks every bit the part of an NFL receiver with his ability to get open against man coverage. While the Patriots have two very steady receivers in Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas, what they don't have is an explosive downfield threat like Williams.
I expect Williams to beat out Mack Hollins and company for the WR3 job in no time. And over the course of this season, he's going to continue to improve to where the Patriots won't be able to keep him off the field. To think that he could, at one point, overtake the veteran Diggs for the WR1 spot doesn't seem like all that much of a stretch, especially with Diggs coming off a major injury and entering the latter stages of his career.
