Bryce Young was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and nearly everybody agreed on that selection, yet after ranking 20th in passing yards and throwing for fewer than 3,000 yards as a rookie, many were ready to label him a bust after just 16 games. But Young had a strong finish to Year 2, throwing for seven touchdowns over his final three games. He was the QB6 in Fantasy football after Week 12, so how should he factor into your 2025 Fantasy football strategy?
The Panthers selected Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 overall pick as the first wide receiver selected in the 2025 NFL Draft to give Young another playmaker, which boosts his appeal for the 2025 Fantasy football season. One year doesn’t make a career, but neither does a solid two-month stretch to end another season, so is Young a QB2 option you should feel confident in when leaving 2025 Fantasy football drafts? Before finalizing your 2025 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2025 Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert would fall well short of his ADP (RB23). The result: A season after rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 21 total touchdowns despite sharing time with De’Von Achane, Mostert fell out of favor in Miami and finished as RB60 after managing only 439 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020, nailing Jonathan Taylor’s monstrous season in 2021 and correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017.Â
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2025, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.Â
Top 2025 Fantasy football busts
One of the 2025 Fantasy football busts the model is predicting: Jets receiver Garrett Wilson. Playing with a four-time MVP, Wilson set career highs across the board last season with 101 grabs for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns. However, the Jets downgraded at the quarterback position in going from Aaron Rodgers to Justin Fields, with the latter known more for his legs than his precision passing. In Fields’ four NFL seasons, his teams have ranked 27th in passing twice, 30th and 32nd.
Then there’s the fact that the Jets overhauled their coaching staff, with Tanner Engstrand now the offensive coordinator. His only play-calling experience came in the XFL and at the FCS level, having never done so in the NFL or at the FBS level. With that, plus Fields’ rushing ability, and New York having good depth at running back, the Jets have the look of a conservative, run-first offense, which won’t help Wilson pile up stats. He’s being selected as the 20th receiver and picks No. 41 overall, per 2025 Fantasy football ADP, but the SportsLine model barely has Wilson ranking amongst the top 30 Fantasy wideouts.
Another bust that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2025 have identified: Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving. The fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was a rookie sensation last year as the top-scoring rookie running back, finishing as RB14 overall in Fantasy football last year. However, given his substantial rise in ADP after his breakout rookie campaign, Irving has the risk of going from a top Fantasy football sleeper to a Fantasy football bust in one year with the larger expectations. Irving is being selected as a top 10 running back in Fantasy football this season, but the SportsLine model views better options that high in 2025 Fantasy football drafts.
Tampa Bay had the No. 4 scoring offense in the NFL last season, and that production could be difficult for the Buccaneers to repeat. Baker Mayfield had a career-high 4,500 passing yards, which helped the entire Tampa Bay offense but also resulted in the loss of offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who is now the Jaguars’ head coach. Irving rushed for 1,122 yards last season, but Tampa Bay still has Rachaad White, who had 1,539 total yards in 2023. Given backfield competition and the seemingly probable outcome that the offense takes a step back this season, the model doesn’t like Irving’s chances to go from RB14 to a top-10 running back in Fantasy football this season. See which other Fantasy football busts 2025 to pick here.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings
SportsLine is also fading one of the first five running backs off the board in early 2025 Fantasy football drafts. The model ranks this player falling outside the top 10 entirely and failing to live up to his first-round price tag. You can only see who it is, and the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2025 Fantasy Football busts should you be steering clear of? And which first-round RB shockingly falls out of the top 10 of the positional rankings? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that helped managers avoid a disastrous Raheem Mostert season in 2024.
2025 Fantasy football ADP
(PPR, via CBS)
1. Ja’Marr Chase (1.60)
2. Bijan Robinson (2.50)
3. Saquon Barkley (3.00)
4. Jahmyr Gibbs (4.73)
5. Justin Jefferson (6.33)
6. CeeDee Lamb (7.07)
7. Derrick Henry (9.53)
8. Christian McCaffrey (10.30)
9. De’Von Achane (11.27)
10. Ashton Jeanty (11.57)
