2025 Fantasy football positional rankings: Model unveils best NFL QB, WR, RB, TE, kicker, defense picks

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Ravens running back Derrick Henry has been near the top of the Fantasy football RB rankings for most of his career, and he has shown no signs of slowing down heading into the 2025 NFL season. Henry nearly finished with 2,000 rushing yards last year, racking up 18 total touchdowns en route to a RB4 finish in Fantasy points per game. He ranked third in explosive run rate among 46 qualified running backs and eighth in missed tackles forced per attempt. His age still has to be a factor though, as an injury could turn him into one of the 2025 Fantasy football busts. 

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finished as the QB1 in Fantasy points per game last year for the first time since 2019. He had a career-high 4,172 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns, so where does he land in the 2025 Fantasy football QB rankings? According to the latest 2025 Fantasy football ADP, Henry is being drafted in the first round on average, while Jackson is being selected in the second. Before crafting your 2025 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2025 Fantasy football positional rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, the model accurately predicted that Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert’s disappointing follow-up to a breakout 2023 season. It also called C.J. Stroud’s down year, predicted Jayden Daniels’ breakout campaign and projected James Cook to become one of Fantasy football’s elite running backs in 2024.

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. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy Football sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The 2025 Fantasy football PPR rankings and 2025 Fantasy football standard rankings update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football positional rankings 2025, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts at every position. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top 2025 Fantasy football QB rankings

Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top 2025 Fantasy football QB picks: 

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: It’s easy to say Jackson can’t repeat the All-Pro season he had last year with a career-high 4,172 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns while still rushing for 915 yards to finish as QB1 in Fantasy football, but Jackson has made a habit of making others regret placing limitations on him. When Jackson entered the NFL, many questioned his passing ability, yet he was one of only six quarterbacks to throw for more than 4,000 yards last season. Add his rushing ability and Jackson has a strong case to finish as the QB1 in Fantasy football yet again this year.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Allen may be the safest pick in Fantasy football as he’s finished as a top-two scoring Fantasy football quarterback in each of the last five seasons. The 29-year-old is coming off his first MVP season despite being a top-scoring Fantasy football quarterback in multiple years. He was QB2 in Fantasy football last year with 12 rushing touchdowns to boost his output. Given his consistency, you can’t be upset leaving 2025 Fantasy football drafts with Allen as your quarterback.

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow led the NFL in completions and attempts last year, and the Bengals needed every single one of those with how poor their defense played. Although the Bengals fired their defensive coordinator, that likely won’t be enough to completely turn the unit around, leading to Burrow needing to win games via offensive shootouts. A poor defense and pass-heavy game plans are what Fantasy football players love for their QB1, and after leading the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43), the 28-year-old could be poised for another huge Fantasy football season. See more top QBs here.

Top 2025 Fantasy football RB rankings

Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top 2025 Fantasy football RB picks: 

1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: Gibbs is coming off an RB2 finish in Fantasy points per game, even though he had to split time with teammate David Montgomery. He was at his best with Montgomery out during the final three weeks of the season, averaging 32.6 Fantasy points per game. His workload could be even larger this year after what he displayed with Montgomery sidelined, so he is the model’s top pick at this position.

2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: Robinson was just the RB24 in Fantasy points per game from Weeks 1-5, but he saw a massive uptick in usage after that and finished as the RB3 overall. He ranked 12th in missed tackles forced per attempt and should benefit from another year in the offense. Robinson offers a ton of versatility as a receiver and is in line for a huge campaign.

3. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles: Barkley was the top running back in Fantasy football last year, racking up 2,283 total yards and 15 total touchdowns. He benefited from an elite offensive line, averaging nearly four yards per carry before contact. There is not much room for improvement this season, especially since the Eagles will likely try to manage his playing time in the regular season, which is why the model has him ranked behind Gibbs and Robinson. See more top RBs here.

Top 2025 Fantasy football WR rankings

Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top 2025 Fantasy football WR picks: 

1. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: Chase accomplished the Receiving Triple Crown last year, becoming just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to do so. He’s upped his receptions in each of the last three years, saw his 17 receiving touchdowns from 2024 ranking as the sixth-most in a single season in NFL history, and he’s a big-play threat as his 13.4 yards per touch led the league.

2. Malik Nabers, New York Giants: No rookie in NFL history caught more passes than the 109 Nabers had a year ago, despite playing on a team that ranked 28th in passing offense. It’s easy to forget that Nabers missed two full games, so with better health and improved quarterback play for New York, he’s a worthy challenger to topping the Fantasy football WR rankings.

3. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys: Lamb has ranked among the top 10 in positional Fantasy points each of the last three seasons. That’s despite not having a legitimate No. 2 wideout in Dallas to take pressure off him. George Pickens’ arrival should change that, and Lamb is averaging over 100 receiving yards per game over his last 17 full games with Dak Prescott under center. See more top WRs here.

Top 2025 Fantasy football TE rankings

Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top 2025 Fantasy football TE picks:

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: For the second straight year, a rookie tight end finished as TE1, as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft had a record-breaking rookie season. Bowers broke Puka Nacua’s rookie record for receptions (112). He also led all tight ends with 1,194 yards. The Raiders didn’t make any significant additions at wide receiver or tight end, but they did acquire Geno Smith at quarterback, which should be an upgrade, as Bowers has a strong chance to repeat at TE1 again this year.

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: Kittle had the second-most yards (1,106) and touchdowns (eight) of his eight-year NFL career last season as the veteran tight end remains one of the most consistent pass-catchers in the league. He’s coming off his second straight 1,000-yard season and has more than 900 yards in five of his last seven years. The 49ers traded Deebo Samuel, which could signal even more targets Kittle’s way from Brock Purdy in one of the top offenses in the NFL.

3. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: McBride had the second-most receiving yards (1,146) among tight ends last year and finished as the TE2 despite only two receiving touchdowns. The 25-year-old tight end was fourth in the NFL with 111 receptions, so only having two touchdowns with that heavy of a usage is an anomaly. McBride will still generate a massive target share in Arizona, which is running back a similar offensive playmaking group from last season, and he’s almost guaranteed to have a better touchdown total given his importance to the offense. See more top TEs here.

Top 2025 Fantasy football defense rankings 

Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top three 2025 Fantasy football D/ST picks:

1. Philadelphia Eagles D/ST: Howie Roseman is one of the NFL’s best executives but his turnaround of the Philadelphia pass defense from 2023 to 2024 was masterful. They went from ranking 30th in points allowed and 26th in yards allowed to ranking second in scoring defense and first in total defense in just one offseason. Now most of the key pieces from that unit return.

2. Baltimore Ravens D/ST: Baltimore had the best run defense in football last season and should have an improved secondary after drafting Malaki Starks in the first round and signing Jaire Alexander. They’ve got high-level playmakers at every level in Kyle Van Noy, Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton.

3. Minnesota Vikings D/ST: They were the No. 5 scoring defense in the NFL last season and they led the NFL with 33 takeaways. Minnesota also scored three defensive touchdowns, and even if the takeaway numbers can’t be relied on, the boom potential here is too high to ignore. See more top D/ST here. 

Top 2025 Fantasy football kicker rankings

Here’s a look at SportsLine’s top 2025 Fantasy football K picks: 

1. Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys: Aubrey has the biggest leg in the league and he tied for second in the NFL in points (150) last season. He’s 76-of-85 on field goals the last two seasons and he’s a staggering 24-of-27 from 50 yards or more.

2. Matt Gay, Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels is the rising tide that lifts all boats and this offense looks primed to be even better in 2025 after the offseason additions of Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. Gay was perfect from inside of 50 yards last season and closed the year strong, with 24 points in the final two games of the regular season.

3. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills: Despite only making 82.8% of his field goal attempts, Bass finished tied for ninth in scoring (131 points). He was perfect on field goals of more than 50 yards and also locked in during the 2025 NFL playoffs, going 6-for-6 overall.

How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings

SportsLine has ranked almost every Fantasy-relevant player at every position and you can see their entire 2025 Fantasy football positional rankings now. You can only see their top sleepers, breakouts and busts at every position at SportsLine.

So who are the top players at every position and who is being underrated? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that regularly outperforms human rankings.

This news was originally published on this post .

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