Five Burning Fantasy Football Questions Ahead of 2025: The Bears Resurgence, Sam Darnold, and More

The 2025 fantasy football season is around the corner, and there are still a handful of burning questions that fantasy managers are asking.

So today, Adam Ronis and I are doing our best to answer them all. Let's dive in.

Will Sam Darnold continue his fantasy dominance in Seattle?

Adam: He will not be close to what he was in Minnesota coming off a career year. It was the perfect marriage with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson. While Darnold has a top target in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he needs more help, and the offensive line needs to be improved. Cooper Kupp was added, but he couldn’t get open as easily last season, and injuries have impacted his game. Darnold needs a clean pocket to succeed. Darnold played with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak when he was the passing game coordinator with San Francisco in 2023, and the offense is similar to what he ran in Minnesota.

Kendall: As a Seahawks fan, damn, I hope so! Unfortunately, I think between having the quarterback whisperer in Kevin O'Connell, elite offensive weapons, and a (better than the Seahawks) offensive line that everything aligned for Darnold last year. But we have to give him credit for what he was able to do! He was sixth in yards per attempt (7.9), sixth in passer rating (102.5), and had the ninth-best PFF pass grade (80.3). Jaxon Smith-Njigba is not Jefferson, Seattle shipped out DK Metcalf, and said goodbye to Tyler Lockett. They need to fix the offensive line because Darnold is a pressure-sensitive quarterback, and now he joins PFF's reigning 31st-ranked unit. I believe he's closer to QB20 than he is to a top-10 finish again. 

Can Ben Johnson turn the Bears around?

Adam: Johnson can turn around the Bears. A lot will depend on the development of Caleb Williams. He showed some positive traits last season, but took too many sacks, and some were Williams’ fault. The Bears made a point to bolster the offensive line, adding center Drew Dalman and guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. Building in the trenches will also help the running game. The coaching staff wasn’t ideal last season, and Williams will be in a system with more play-action leading to more explosive plays.

Kendall: Let's just say that the Bears won the offseason again, so that's something! I think Ben Johnson is the coach to turn Caleb Williams and Chicago around. Last season, while Williams was dubbed a "generational talent", there were more lows than highs, specifically getting sacked a league-high 68 times (the third most in NFL history). The Bears were third in pressure rate allowed and 25th in rushing. The weapons are also there for Williams to do some damage. Now let's see if he can rise to the occasion. I like him as a low-end QB1 heading into the 2025 season.

Will it be a boom-or-bust season for Justin Fields?

Adam: From a fantasy perspective, it will be a boom. Fields has his flaws as a quarterback and takes too many sacks, but he’s always been a borderline QB1 when he started due to his elite rushing. In his last two years with the Bears, he finished 6th and 13th in points per game. He started six games with the Steelers in 2024 and would have been 11th in points per game over a full season. Fields has averaged 50.2 rushing yards in 50 games with 19 rushing TDs. He is reunited with Garrett Wilson, with whom he played at Ohio State.

Kendall: This will be a fun Thanksgiving discussion with your distant relatives who tell you Justin Fields stinks in real-life football, but in fantasy football, he's totally different. Because of the rushing upside, how can we not say it will be a boom season for Fields? I like new head coach Aaron Glenn, and we did see flashes in those six games with the Steelers last season—he was QB7 in PPG (18.9). Now he gets to reunite with his BFF in Garrett Wilson and we can hopefully see some improvement in his passing game, too. The other big thing here is that he won't be looking over his shoulder like he did with Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh. Sign me up for a boom fantasy season from Fields.

Should we prioritize running backs early after the success last season?

Adam: Just because something happened last season, doesn’t mean it will repeat. Many fantasy players do what worked last season, and it’s a mistake. Last year was a rare situation where most of the top running backs missed little time due to injuries. Going running back-heavy in the early rounds paid dividends and more of the top receivers were hit with significant injuries. The likelihood of this repeating is slim. Several running backs are coming off massive workloads and it won’t be easy to thwart the injuries again. Six running backs had at least 300 rushing attempts and 23 had at least 200. In 2023, the highest number of attempts was 280. Three had 300 attempts in 2022 and two in 2021. Getting one bell-cow running back early is ideal, but drafting the position heavily based on last season is a mistake.

Kendall: I admit I was jealous of those early running back drafters after the 2024 fantasy season ended. Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Jahmyr Gibbs, etc., all showed out, and it felt like everyone stayed relatively healthy. I'm with Adam on this one. Recency bias is going to be hard to block out when drafting this year, but the receiver tiers really drop off quickly, and I think it's more important to get that firepower quickly. You're still going to want to target one elite running back, but guys like Bucky Irving, James Conner, and Chase Brown (just to name a few) prove that there are gems that can help your fantasy team if you wait for a running back in the later rounds.

Is drafting one of the top quarterbacks early the best strategy?

Adam: There are a multitude of ways to draft quarterbacks. Many of the top players at the position also provide a lot of rushing yards and provide a high floor each week. Fantasy managers who selected Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen last season had a set-it-and-forget-it quarterback every week. It provides a great comfort level. Every year, there are always values late or players who emerge off the waiver wire. Being able to discern them quickly is the key. Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Bo Nix were the examples last season. In general, it’s best to wait on quarterbacks. The goal is to find the value quarterback, even if you draft two. There is no set strategy on the position. Taking an elite QB in rounds 3-5 can also work.

Kendall: Drafting a quarterback early gives you some peace of mind for the entirety of the fantasy season—especially if you get a top-four player who has the rushing ability to put your team over the top. There are always going to be quarterbacks who slip down draft boards because the path to a top fantasy finish isn't as clear, and your leaguemates don't want to take the risk—sometimes we do! Like Adam said, there is no single strategy here. In some leagues I want to have the luxury of knowing I have my quarterback and can fill my other roster spots, but usually I like to wait and focus on other positions early. Finding later-round gems isn't a science, but it's one that pays off when you get it right.

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