Congrats to the 2024 fantasy football champions! You have earned a year of bragging rights and maybe some cash. For the rest of us, it’s time to look forward to next year in this way too early fantasy football outlook for 2025. 

In this article I will give you two players at each position that will lock up the playoffs for you. One player is the no brainer, a top performer of this past season. The other player is a flyer or later pick you can grab that could separate you from the masses. 

First up, the rightful NFL MVP, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. He’s the top fantasy point scorer for 2024 and, in Week 17, put up three touchdowns, 168 passing yards, 87 rushing yards and, in leagues with such things, bonus points for a rushing touchdown more than 40 yards. Jackson is the rare quarterback who can be drafted in the first round without attracting giggles from other team owners. 

That was easy. But who can be a league winning quarterback if someone beats you to Lamar?

Denver’s Bo Nix may still be under the radar in 2025 drafts, and you can probably stack your team in the first few rounds with a top wide receiver, running back, and tight end before drafting him. He performed well in 2024 and will likely finish second to Washington’s Jayden Daniels for NFL Rookie of the Year. Nix has the talent to put up big numbers in his second year in Sean Payton’s offense. This is an evolved version of the offense that helped Drew Brees pass for more than 5,000 yards three straight seasons and 128 touchdowns during that span. 

Running back is perhaps the riskiest position to draft due to injury and shared workloads. Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs would be the first running back I draft next year. He’s young, can explode for mega points any week, catches passes and, despite sharing the backfield with David Montgomery, was the third highest scoring running back for 2024. 

As for a flyer, San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey can likely be had in mid to later rounds after his injury-filled season. Too risky? I don’t blame you. The New York Jet’s Breece Hall had great expectations this past season, so many will consider him a bust. Next year he should have a different quarterback, possibly a rookie; and a young quarterback’s best friend is a running back who both runs well and catches the ball out of the backfield. Hall had nearly 1,300 all purpose yards this year and added seven touchdowns. He’s the cornerstone of the Jets offense moving forward. 

If he wins the triple crown among wide receivers in 2024, how do you not draft Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase as the #1 overall pick in points per reception leagues? Through Week 17, when nearly all fantasy leagues end, Chase has just that: 117 receptions, 1,612 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns. Also keep in mind that Joe Burrow is signed long term at quarterback, so this duo should be able to build on the chemistry they’ve had since college. 

As for a guy you can get after Round 3, I like the strategy of combining quarterbacks and receivers on the same team. Denver’s Courtland Sutton could be in elite status next season for the same reasons Bo Nix could thrive in Denver’s offense. In his best year under Sean Payton, in 2019, Michael Thomas set the single season receptions record at 149 catches in New Orleans. 

Tight end, if anything like this year, is a crapshoot. Gone may be the days when you could draft a tight end worthy of a late first to early second round pick. Best to load up on running backs or receivers and pick up a tight end who emerges as a consistent target for his quarterback. Miami’s Jonnu Smith was that guy in 2024. Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely may emerge as that guy next year unless Mark Andrews remains Lamar Jackson’s preferred tight end. 

Defense is best left to weekly pick ups based on matchups unless you strongly feel a team is elite and/or has a top return game. Save that draft pick to get another wide receiver, like Buffalo’s Keon Coleman, or running back, like the New York Giants’ Tyrone Tracy; or take a risk on a late round flyer who’s lingering on the draft board. 

And then there’s kicker. I chose not to draft a kicker this past year, and I will likely repeat that strategy, picking kickers based on matchup until I get a top guy once one becomes available as a bye week causality. Minnesota has a good one, Will Reichard, and Lions fans can root for him even when facing off against the Vikings. Justify it to your loved ones as rooting for field goals over touchdowns. 

Hope this helps. Store it away and reread in August as draft prep. 

As for why you should listen to my advice, I’ve helped my father-in-law draft his teams the past two years, and he’s the back to back champion of his league. He makes the week to week and important decisions, but I give him two to three options to choose from on draft night. In my league, I’ve finished 2-3-2 the past three years. Not a championship, but in the money if there was cash on the line. 

Again, congrats to this year’s champions. As for the rest of us losers, we’re coming for you next year. 

Godspeed.