This is the last weekend without NFL football until mid-February, so it’s time to make some bold fantasy football predictions ahead of the season. The goal of this exercise is not to get every prediction right, but to analyze what could happen in a reasonable number of outcomes, based on statistics that are reliable and predictive.
These 2025 NFC bold predictions vary in how bold they are. Some of them are extra spicy (like Puka Nacua being a supreme disappointment), while others may look like they were obvious at the end of the season. The purpose of each bold prediction is to help you decide in those tough moments when you’re choosing between players in a last-minute fantasy draft and deciding whether or not to reach past ADP.
Whiffing on a bold prediction isn’t going to lose you your league, but hitting on one could mean the difference between missing the playoffs and making the championship week.
Bold predictions for the AFC can be found here.
What!? Your fantasy football league wasn’t hosted on Fantrax last season!? Once you see how Fantrax stacks up to the competition, we think you’ll be singing a different tune in the 2025 season.
Fantasy Football Bold Predictions for Each NFC Team
Arizona Cardinals
Trey Benson Rushes for 800 Yards
Last season, James Conner was the paragon of food health and efficient production among running backs. He missed Week 18, but otherwise was healthy all season, and produced 1,094 yards and nine total touchdowns. But that health and production were an outlier for a 30-year-old running back, and whether by injury or inefficiency, he concedes a lot of work to Trey Benson this season. Benson had 5.1 yards per touch as a rookie and would become a must-start if he had the role to himself.
Atlanta Falcons
Drake London Leads the NFL in Receiving Yards
Yes, it’s a small sample, but in the three games London played with Michael Penix Jr., they looked like league-winners together. London amassed 39 targets, 22 receptions, 352 yards, and two touchdowns with his new quarterback. It looks like London is going to approach a 28%-30% target share in this Atlanta offense, and since Penix likes to throw long (10.2 air yards per attempt), London could pile up the yards this year.
Carolina Panthers
Jalen Coker Wins a Lot of People A Fantasy Championship
The big winner of the Adam Thielen trade is not necessarily going to be Tetairoa McMillan. He was already going to be the WR1 in Carolina and might see a slight tick up, but what the trade really shows is how much faith the team has in Jalen Coker as a slot receiver. In Weeks 15-17 this season, the Panthers face the Saints, Buccaneers, and Seahawks in the fantasy playoffs. Those teams were 28th, 30th, and 13th in opponents’ passing yards allowed last season.
Chicago Bears
Rome Odunze Scores Twice as Many Fantasy Points as D.J. Moore
Despite D.J. Moore having 39 more targets than Rome Odunze in 2024, Odunze had 350 more air yards. Moore’s average depth of target (aDOT) was just 7.4 yards, one of the lowest among top-30 wide receivers. Odunze’s number was 13.8 as he was the clear downfield target for Caleb Williams. Williams wasn’t exactly accurate on those throws and took way too many sacks. But if Ben Johnson can fix that in 2025, Odunze has the potential to explode. Moore just doesn’t compare with the explosive, downfield ability.
Dallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens Each Score 12 Touchdowns
What more really needs to be said at this point about the Cowboys’ passing offense? Their running game stinks and is led by Javonte Williams. They just traded away the one great part of their defense. And the target tree is going to be funneled to two primary players: CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Lamb already has a 12-touchdown season on his resume. Pickens has averaged 1,000 yards receiving the last two years with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields throwing passes his way.
Detroit Lions
The Lions Have Three WRs in the Top 30 in Fantasy Points Per Game
Two wide receivers in the top 30? That’s easy. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams can do that in their sleep. Adding a third is going to be the tricky part. But with the trading away of Tim Patrick this week, the road is paved for Isaac TeSlaa to get real work in an offense that has been one of the best in the league the past three years. With a tougher schedule and a defense that has had some injury issues, some shootouts could be in their future. Last season, the WR30 averaged just over 11 points per game in half-PPR. That’s possible for someone with TeSlaa’s skills.
Green Bay Packers
Tucker Kraft Has the Third-Most Receiving Yards Among Tight Ends
Between 2023 and 2024, Tucker Kraft made a leap literally everywhere. He went from 40 targets to 70. He went from 31 receptions to 50. His yards jumped from 355 to 707. And his touchdowns rose from two to seven. I’m predicting he makes another similar leap as one of the primary weapons in a Green Bay offense that should lean more on the pass this year. He was seventh in receiving yards at the position. He was fifth in yards after the catch. His 86% snap share was sixth. Only Brock Bowers and Trey McBride outgain him, and you could convince me he might pass one of those guys.
Los Angeles Rams
Puka Nacua Scores Two Touchdowns All Season
Puka Nacua only scoring two touchdowns in 2025 assumes a couple of things. It assumes Matthew Stafford (a 37-year-old quarterback with noodles where his back muscles should be) doesn’t make it through the season. And it assumes Davante Adams and Kyren Williams continue their red zone dominance and soak up the scores. Nacua will still gain 1,200+ yards, but the Rams have shown they prefer other options in the red zone.
Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Mason is a Top 15 Running Back
Aaron Jones will be 31 years old in three months. He has more than 1,750 touches in the NFL over the last eight seasons. He is still a capable third-down back and has more than 50 receptions in three of the last four years. But at this point, Jordan Mason is just a better runner and a better option at the goal line. I don’t see the Vikings exposing J.J. McCarthy to injury by rushing him at the goal line, so Mason should get all of those works. If you have a running back who gets 80 yards and a touchdown almost every game, that’s a top-15 player.
New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson is a Top 10 Tight End in Fantasy Points Per Game
All Juwan Johnson needs is a repeat of his 2022 season to be a top ten tight end in 2025. That year, he had 508 yards and seven touchdowns and was one of the primary red zone options for the Saints. We know Alvin Kamara is a red zone threat. But both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed were outside the top 80 wide receivers in red zone looks last season. This really depends on how bad the quarterback play is in New Orleans, but being among the top 10 tight ends is not a high bar (8.3 half-PPR points per game last year).
New York Giants
Jaxson Dart Starts by Week 5 and Finishes Second in Offensive Rookie of the Year
You’re either a believer in what Jaxson Dart did during the preseason or you’re not. After putting up 32-for-47 with 372 yards passing, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown, I’m all in. The New York Giants have a brutal schedule, and the fans will be clamoring for Dart by the time October comes. They get their wish, and the Giants realize they have their quarterback of the future.
Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley has 600 Fewer Yards but Five More Touchdowns
Repeating a 2,005-yard rushing season is simply not sustainable, but that’s not a hot take. Barkley touched the ball 378 times last season, so some natural regression and or time missed to injury is to be expected. He could still be absolutely awesome and only rush for 1,400 yards. However, I see a path where Barkley’s rushing touchdowns get closer to 18 in 2025. He was tackled 11 times at the one-yard line. If some of those end up being scores and Jalen Hurts regresses to just 10 rushing touchdowns, Barkley’s spikes could go way up.
San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle Leads ALL Pass-Catchers in Red Zone Targets
Last season, George Kittle was second among all tight ends with 21 red zone targets. He scored eight touchdowns on those in what became a rather dysfunctional season for San Francisco. Now, with a much easier schedule and a healthy Christian McCaffrey, trips to the red zone will be much more frequent for the 49ers. Kittle, with all the wide receiver turmoil, becomes the big beneficiary.
Seattle Seahawks
Zach Charbonnet Finishes as a Top 12 Running Back
The Seattle Seahawks really trust Zach Charbonnet inside the red zone, and he finished 2024 with nine total touchdowns. Despite being a backup to Kenneth Walker, Charbonnet had 25 red zone touches and was second among running backs in routes run. Walker isn’t someone we can rely on to play 17 games, and I believe it will just take one high-ankle sprain or soft-tissue injury to elevate Charbonnet to must-start status each week. We don’t want Walker to get injured to lose effectiveness, but there is a realistic probability that it happens.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sean Tucker Has Three Top-Five Weekly Finishes in 2025
Sean Tucker did this once last year, so why not three times in 2025 as Rachaad White continues to be marginalized and the coaching staff raves about Tucker’s all-around ability? In a limited sample, Tucker was number one among running backs in true yards per carry and sixth in fantasy points per opportunity. If he takes over as Bucky Irving’s primary backup, we could see some big games.
Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels Improves, but the Commanders Only Win Eight Games
The Washington Commanders had so much luck and outlier performances on their side last year that it will be hard for them to repeat a 12-5 record with that level of offensive efficiency. Jayden Daniels’ punishing rushing style didn’t end with him being injured. Terry McLaurin scored 13 touchdowns on just 82 receptions. The running back room is a bit of a mess. And the Commanders are the oldest team in the league by a wide margin. Now with a second-place schedule and a target on their back, Washington won’t reach last season’s success, even as Daniels matures.
For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2025 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!
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