NFL Free Agency every offseason is highly anticipated in the Fantasy Football world. Why? Look at some of the Fantasy Football free agents from this past season with the likes of Saquon Barkley to the Eagles, Derrick Henry to the Ravens, Joe Mixon to the Texans, and Josh Jacobs to the Packers. This offseason, we have had a series of big signings that will have direct Fantasy Football impacts in 2025, with examples of:
- Sam Darnold to the Seahawks
- Stefon Diggs to the Patriots
- Cooper Kupp to the Seahawks
- Justin Fields to the Jets
- Evan Engram to the Broncos
- Russell Wilson to the Giants
Along with a series of other names. There is still a list of players who are still floating in Free Agency, that can have big impacts on Fantasy Football for 2025. I have five players I want to touch on for this piece, who can make direct impacts to the players around them on top of their own values for Fantasy Football in 2025. I will give you some quick notes about those players, and then give you the landing spot I would love to see them in for 2025.
5 NFL Free Agent Landing Spot Hopes for Fantasy Football
Aaron Rodgers (QB)
Aaron Rodgers had a short spell with the Jets, before we are again wondering what his next move will actually be. Rodgers tore his achilles in the opener back in 2023, after a ton of hype taking over the QB1 role for New York. Rodgers returned in 2024 to play a full 17 games, finishing with 584 passing attempts (#2), 3,897 passing yards (#8), 28 passing touchdowns (#7), and 15.7 Fantasy points per game (PPG). The flat passing numbers were respectable with the duo of Garrett Wilson and former Packers teammate Davante Adams, but the Jets went in a different direction for 2025. Rodgers is still pondering what he wants to do with his future at 41 years old, but last season did still show he has some juice left in the tank.
Landing Spot Hope:Â Pittsburgh Steelers
Part of me wanted to say the Cleveland Browns, but I think Joe Flacco is the Aaron Rodgers already on the roster there. The Steelers currently have Mason Rudolph and rookie Will Howard as the two quarterbacks who would fight for a starting job, so this is a spot Rodgers can come in and play. The Steelers signed DK Metcalf this offseason and then traded away George Pickens to the Cowboys. DK and tight end Pat Freiermuth would get the direct Fantasy Football boosts, and rookie running back Kaleb Johnson may also get a slight boost with the team operating more effectively under Rodgers than the other two quarterbacks.
Keenan Allen (WR)
At 33 years old, Keenan Allen has not shown major signs of slowing down when healthy as a reliable slot wide receiver who continues to produce. In 2023 with the Chargers, through 13 games played Allen still managed 150 targets, 108 receptions, 1,243 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. Then, in Chicago for 2024, Allen earned 121 targets, caught 70 of them for 744 yards, and scored seven touchdowns through 15 games. Solid season with the likes of a rookie quarterback, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet to compete with. The knock for Keenan may be that he has played 15, 13, and 10 games the last three seasons, but when he is on the field, he continues to produce at a high level.
Landing Spot Hope:Â New York Jets
The Jets signed Justin Fields this offseason to a two-year contract, let Davante Adams walk, added some offensive line help, and drafted tight end Mason Taylor in the second round. Fields reunites with his former college teammate from Ohio State, Garrett Wilson and will also have a solid pass-catching back in Breece Hall. The Jets can definitely use a WR2 to support Fields, and Allen is a very reliable one to operate as the second target to Wilson. Having Allen on the roster would be a huge difference for Fields and the Jets for 2025.
Amari Cooper (WR)
In 2023, Amari Cooper earned 128 targets, caught 72 of them for 1,250 receiving yards, scored five touchdowns, and averaged 15.1 (#17) Fantasy PPG for the Browns. In 2024, Cooper played six games for the Browns before being moved to the Bills for his final eight games. You would think this would be huge for Fantasy Football being tied to Josh Allen, but Cooper was very disappointing. With five seasons over 1,100 receiving yards and seven over 1,000 receiving yards, Coopers resume speaks for a better career. At 30 years old, I doubt this man is completely “cooked”.
Landing Spot Hope:Â New England Patriots
The Patriots brought in (former Patriot) Mike Vrabel as their new Head Coach, signed Stefon Diggs off of an injury from 2024, drafted tackle Will Campbell with the fourth pick, drafted running back TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th pick, and drafted wide receiver Kyle Williams with the 69th pick. This team is building around their franchise quarterback Drake Maye, who will have his first full season starting in 2025. The receiving core is still questionable, even with the added pieces, and Cooper could be another veteran add to support Maye having a big first season for New England.
JK Dobbins (RB)
Many people were writing JK Dobbins’ career off, after a series of major injuries in the NFL stacked up over time. Dobbins did not play in 2021, played eight games in 2022, and played just one game in 2023. The bounce-back was amazing to see in 2024 with the Chargers. Dobbins rushed 195 times for 905 yards and scored nine touchdowns. Dobbins rushed for 135 and 131 yards Weeks 1-2, 96 yards in Week 6, 85 yards in Week 9, and 76 yards Week 17. While the injuries may have taken a step away from Dobbins, he definitely showed rushing yard and touchdown upside is still there for him. I am actually surprised that he is not yet signed after his big games last season, but it may have been smart on his end to wait with such a strong 2025 rookie running back class.
Landing Spot Hope:Â Chicago Bears
The Bears were a team that many thought would make a first or second-round move for in the NFL Draft this year, but Chicago waited until the seventh round to select Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers. The Bears current running back room now consistent of their rookie behind D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson. Head Coach Ben Johnson enters his first season with Chicago, after implementing a two-back system with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit. Swift has familiarity and has qualities that align with Gibbs. Johnson’s “Motngomery” could be Dobbins for 2025. This offense looks great with the likes of Caleb Williams at quarterback, wide receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and rookie Luther Burden III along with tight ends rookie Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. Dobbins could make this team better.
Nick Chubb (RB)
In Week 2 of the 2023 NFL Season, Nick Chubb suffered a horrific knee injury that many thought he would not be able to come back from. Chubb did appear in eight games the next season after a long recovery, rushing 102 times for 332 yards and four total touchdowns. We could not have expected much in what would be his final season with the Browns, coming off of that knee injury. The last time Chubb was fully healthy was in 2022 when he rushed 302 times for 1,525 yards, scored 13 total touchdowns, and averaged 16.6 Fantasy PPG (#6). Chubb finished four straight seasons from 2019-2022 with over 1,000 rushing yards, with three of those seasons over 1,200 yards. Chubb has historically been one of the league’s elite rushers and is a well-known “freak athlete”. Videos have surfaced this offseason of Chubb lifting heavily in the gym, looking healthy and hungry.
Landing Spot Hope:Â New Orleans Saints
In 2024, Alvin Kamara rushed the ball 228 times while the next total was just 48 on the roster. Kamara has historically been a great talent, but has been the most effective as a pass-catcher. Kendre Miller has done nothing to impress since entering the league, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a bust vs. his draft capital and opportunity back with the Chiefs, and rookie Devin Neal has promise but sixth-round capital. The Saints currently have rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and young quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener as their 2025 quarterbacks. This team could be rough through the air, or need time to progress through the season. Potential solution? One-two punch between two veterans in Alvin Kamara and Nick Chubb to pound the rock as much as possible on the ground.
