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As we inch closer to the start of the NFL preseason, chatter starts to pick up surrounding the upcoming fantasy football season and who should be taken No. 1 overall. That debate will rage on with a seemingly new candidate coming into focus every season, but the real key to fantasy football is the ability to find a breakout star.
Every season, a player no one sees coming outperforms their draft slot. Sometimes those players rise to the occasion after an injury to a teammate above them on the depth chart. Or, in some leagues, the sleepers come from waivers or free agency.
On that note, who are this year’s breakout stars? We’ve broken down the top 10 players to watch for in 2025.
10 breakout fantasy football stars to watch in 2025
Unlike last year, Penix enters the season as the starter, assuming he stays healthy in training camp. That alone is enough to boost him into the must-watch category for 2025. In the three starts he made last season, Penix averaged nearly 250 passing yards per game and had four total touchdowns and three interceptions.
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Receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson (a Sean McVay disciple) figure to help boost Penix’s stock in 2025.
If anyone is going to take a leap this season, it’s Williams. Last year’s first overall draft pick faces high expectations this year, and the Bears have done all they can to invest in the surrounding infrastructure. The team acquired star guard Joe Thuney via a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs and drafted wideout Luther Burden III to help build confidence in the line and add explosiveness from the playmakers.
Even though Williams couldn’t save the Bears from a disappointing 5-12 season, the former Heisman Trophy winner tossed 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions to go along with over 3,500 passing yards as a rookie. He is due for a big season.
Although Bigsby will not enter the year as the starter, he should get plenty of work in the third-down role and to spell Travis Etienne Jr. Bigbsy ended last season with five consecutive games with 10 or more carries, showing the potential is there for him to increase his workload.
Look for Bigsby, who finished with 766 rushing yards and seven rushing scores last season, to earn that extra work this fall.
In Sean Payton’s offense, running backs are crucial. Jaleel McLaughlin is penciled in as the starter as of now, but don’t be surprised to see the rookie Harvey get carries early on and potentially usurp him as the season rolls on.
At UCF, Harvey ran for 100 or more yards in six consecutive games to end last season; he recorded nine such games overall in 2024. Obviously, he’ll be making a major jump from the Big 12 to the NFL, but the ability to break off big games is there.
Coleman is not only poised for a breakout year, but the Bills need him to have a breakout year. The big-bodied receiver will pair with Khalil Shakir to fill the first two receiver spots in Buffalo’s offense.
Coleman rarely saw more than a handful of passes in a game last season, but the biggest leap for receivers often happens between their first and second years. With the Bills WR depth chart lacking, and with Josh Allen throwing him the ball, Coleman is a safe bet to get more targets this season.
After being the last pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the former South Carolina receiver posted just 497 receiving yards and four touchdowns. But look deeper, and you find positive signs for growth this season.
Legette averaged more than six targets over the last six games he played last season. During that stretch, he also averaged over 35 yards per contest. The key to his production will be if QB Bryce Young takes a step forward, and if he does, Legette could have a huge year.
The 2024 season was a miraculous one for Pearsall. It took a while to get him into the games, but by the end of the season, he was flashing serious potential. Next season, with Deebo Samuel no longer in the fold, Pearsall figures to earn a large chunk of those reps in multiple receiver sets.
The last two weeks of his rookie season showed what Pearsall could become when he’s heavily involved in the offense. In those two games, he compiled 14 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
Jeanty was one of the best players in college football last season and is bringing a ton of hype to the Raiders this year.
In his last year at Boise State, he ran the ball 374 times for 2,601 rushing yards — both, by far, the most in the country — for 29 rushing touchdowns. He also averaged 7.0 yards per carry, showcasing power and speed. Teams don’t invest high picks in running backs unless they really intend to use them. Jeanty is in line for a monstrous year.
With Najee Harris officially out in Pittsburgh, the starting job is Warren’s to lose. This will be Warren’s fourth year in the league, and he’s proven to be a weapon as a runner and pass-catcher (894 career receiving yards). After posting a career-high 784 rushing yards in 2023, he took a step back in 2024 with just 511 yards on the ground. Part of that, though, was because he missed two games and got fewer carries as a result.
Especially with an unsettled QB situation, you would expect Warren to be used more in the offense this season and to get upwards of 25 touches per game.
A top-10 pick last year, Odunze had a very solid rookie campaign, putting up 734 yards and three touchdowns. The arrow is pointing up for him, too, after getting a full offseason with Williams and the Bears adding multiple offensive linemen to help protect their franchise QB.
In 2024, Odunze did pop in a couple of games with over 100 yards. With DJ Moore on the other side, Odunze is unlikely to see many doubles, which should help him build off last season.
Honorable mentions:
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