As the 2025 fantasy football season approaches, excitement is building among fans and players alike. With draft day on the horizon, it’s crucial to ensure you’re prepared and familiar with the settings of each league you participate in.
To avoid any pitfalls in your planning, The Athletic is offering valuable resources to kick off your season effectively.
The comprehensive draft kit from The Athletic includes essential tools like rankings, player projections, and detailed insights into potential sleepers and dynasty strategies. Furthermore, this year’s kit features training camp updates from our dedicated NFL writers.
A standout feature is the customizable Cheat Sheet, a tool designed to cater to your individual league settings. This tool, crafted by acclaimed analyst Jake Ciely, allows you to input your specific criteria and receive tailored rankings and point projections.
As the 2025 season draws nearer, readers can expect continuous updates to the draft kit. Last year, over 110 fresh articles were published, providing insights and advice that fans have come to rely on. Be sure to return frequently for the latest enhancements and features.
Jake Ciely’s expertise shines in several sections of the draft kit. He offers insights into fantasy breakouts by position, identifying top quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end candidates for 2025.
Additionally, Ciely has put together a series titled “Draft Chasms of Doom,” where he analyzes value drop-offs at various skill positions, helping fantasy managers maximize their draft value. This strategy is further explained by Mike Hume, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning during drafts.
For those interested in dynasty formats, Ciely has updated his rankings following the 2025 NFL Draft, which features the latest rookie evaluation.
In the redraft category, analyses by Michael Salfino highlight potential draft steals, including Trevor Lawrence and Jaylen Warren, who are expected to outperform their average draft positions. Salfino’s strategy focuses on targeting players with significant upside, coining the phrase “shooting for the stars” for a successful draft approach.
However, fantasy managers should be wary of early-round pitfalls as Salfino discusses potential traps surrounding players like Justin Jefferson and Christian McCaffrey.
KC Joyner also provides expert rankings of the top 25 quarterbacks for the 2025 season, evaluating them based on offensive line quality and matchup ratings.
Stacking strategies, which involve drafting players from the same NFL team, are further analyzed by Salfino as he discusses the best quarterback options to consider for maximizing fantasy success.
The draft class for 2025 introduces four notable first-round picks. Salfino assesses Malik Nabers, Ashton Jeanty, Puka Nacua, and Brian Thomas, evaluating their readiness to enter the fantasy arena.
As the draft season heats up, Salfino recommends targeting players like Davante Adams, who shows no signs of decline despite recent team changes, as a prime candidate for fantasy lineups.
In the dynasty section, Jeff Haverlack offers valuable insights into quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end rankings for the 2025 season.
His influential contributions continue with a SuperFlex rookie mock draft, highlighting a consensus among leading fantasy analysts regarding the top rookie picks, particularly focusing on positions of value in dynasty formats.
Two running backs have risen to the top of set rankings, making significant impacts in dynasty leagues. Haverlack emphasizes their potential, especially as the contemporary leagues favor dual-threat players.
In the defensive realm, Ted Nguyen narrows down five defenses poised for breakout seasons, naming the Patriots, Giants, Seahawks, Cardinals, and Buccaneers as teams to watch this year.
Travis Hunter stands out as a unique player in the IDP landscape due to his dual eligibility, offering fantasy managers exciting options in various game formats.
Comprehensive division previews for both the AFC and NFC will also be available, as writers delve into each division, providing insights on team strategies, fantasy sleepers, and other noteworthy outlooks.
Player-specific analysis has identified potential breakout stars for the 2025 season. For example, the Green Bay Packers have high hopes for running back MarShawn Lloyd, following his redshirt rookie season.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson is highlighted as a player with special instincts and physicality, ready to assert himself in Arthur Smith’s offensive schemes.
The excitement also surrounds the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye, who has been tagged as a potential fantasy sleeper. Improved receiver options could make a significant difference in his performance this season.
Lastly, questions persist around Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, who has struggled in recent seasons. Despite his past promise, skepticism remains regarding his ability to finally realize his potential in fantasy play.
With the first snap of the 2025 fantasy football season approaching, these insights and tools will be invaluable for fans looking to gain an edge in their leagues.
image source from：nytimes
