2025 Fantasy football positional rankings: NFL model locks in QB, WR, RB, TE, kicker, defense picks

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Titans quarterback Will Levis has already been ruled out for the season due to shoulder surgery, so No. 1 pick Cam Ward is the clear-cut starting option for the entire year. Ward is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year last season and finished as the QB4 in Fantasy football. Daniels is near the top of the 2025 Fantasy football QB rankings, while Ward is a potential Fantasy football breakout. Tennessee ranked 27th in the NFL in scoring last year, so should you include Ward in your 2025 Fantasy football lineups?

Fantasy football position rankings can help owners feel confident heading into 2025 Fantasy football drafts. With so many players to evaluate, trusted Fantasy football advice is the only way to be fully prepared for your drafts. 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. 

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: Jackson is coming off his second straight first-team All-Pro selection after finishing second in the NFL MVP voting. He’s completely erased a narrative of being just a rushing quarterback off back-to-back seasons with more than 3,600 passing yards, including a career-high 4,172 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns last season. 

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: You could argue there’s no player in the NFL that defenses fear more at the 1-yard line than Allen, regardless of position. The 6-foot-5 QB has rushed for 27 touchdowns over the last two years to boost his Fantasy football scoring. Allen passed for fewer than 4,000 yards last year for the first time since 2019, but he still finished as QB2 in Fantasy football and won the NFL MVP with his dual-threat ability. 

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow is one of the rare pocket passers atop Fantasy football rankings as one of the only quarterbacks who can produce consistent results without needing rushing yards or rushing touchdowns. He led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43) last year with arguably the best wide receiver duo in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside. 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 was the RB2 in Fantasy points per game last season, putting together his best numbers during the final three weeks of the year with teammate David Montgomery sidelined. Even with Montgomery on the field, Gibbs was the RB4 in Fantasy points per game from Weeks 1-15. His efficiency has been on display throughout his young career, and an increase in volume this year is enough to land him atop the Fantasy RB rankings.

2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: Robinson improved drastically in his second season, finishing with 1,887 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. Atlanta finished tenth in rushing yards and ninth in rushing touchdowns as a team last season, and Robinson will remain the workhorse running back. He was the RB1 in Fantasy points per game from Weeks 6-18, and quarterback Michael Penix could take the offense to another level.

3. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles: Barkley is the highest-paid running back in the league after signing a two-year extension following Philadelphia’s Super Bowl victory. He handled a massive workload last year, racking up 2,283 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. The Eagles might want to decrease his usage slightly in the regular season, so he finds himself behind Gibbs and Robinson in the model’s rankings. 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 won the wide receiver Triple Crown last year, leading the NFL in receptions (127), yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17) for one of the most dominant receiver seasons in NFL history. He had the fourth-most Fantasy football points for a wide receiver in PPR formats over the last 10 years, while having 85.5 more Fantasy football points than any WR last year. 

2. Malik Nabers, New York Giants: It’s hard to say anyone had to deal with worse quarterback play than Giants wide receivers last year with four different quarterbacks taking the field, and none having great success. Still, Nabers finished as WR6 in Fantasy football and he’ll go from catching passes from quarterbacks like Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito to Russell Wilson as the likely Week 1 quarterback.

3. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys: Lamb had the second-best WR Fantasy football season in the last 10 years in 2023 with a healthy Dak Prescott. Both Prescott (hamstring) and Lamb (shoulder) dealt with injuries last season, but both should be healthy for the start of this year and they’ve been one of the best QB-WR duos in the NFL when on the field together. 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: A historic rookie season was enough to catapult Bowers to the top of the model’s tight end rankings. He had the most receptions, receiving yards, PPR Fantasy points per game and targets for a rookie tight end in league history. Bowers finished as the TE3 in Fantasy points per game, and he should have improved quarterback play with Geno Smith under center.

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: Kittle is coming off a TE1 finish last season, ranking sixth in target share and first in yards per route run, per Fantasy Points Data. He also ranked fifth in deep targets and second in red-zone targets among tight ends. Deebo Samuel is gone and Brandon Aiyuk’s health is a question mark, so Kittle should have another huge season. 

3. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: Last year’s TE2 in Fantasy points per game is set to have another impressive campaign. He ranked first in target share and second in receiving yards per game among 47 qualified tight ends. McBride only had two receiving touchdowns, so there is a scenario where he improves on his 2024 numbers. 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.

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