Hot Take Jake's Fantasy Football Players that will outplay their average draft positions in 2025.

 What is up From the Stands Readers. This is Hot Take Jake here to provide you with some fantasy football players that I think will out play their average draft position and provide league winning potential. Let's be honest, fantasy drafts aren't one in the early rounds but in the mid to late rounds where you can find diamonds in the rough. I hope this helps you dominate your fantasy football league this upcoming season.

1. Drake London, WR Atlanta Falcons- The first player on this list is Drake London, who saw a fantasy breakout last season finishing as the wide receiver 5 in PPR formats. In his first two seasons London was hindered by a run-heavy scheme and poor quarterback play. However, last season changes to both became pivotal to London’s success. First let’s talk about the scheme. Last season the Falcons hired offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, a disciple of Rams head coach Sean McVay. There are three things I really like about how wide receivers are used in a McVay style offense. First, there is normally one wide receiver who is the focal point of the offense. Two examples are Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Both have seen tremendous success as the main focus in Sean McVay’s offense in Los Angeles. Another example is in Minnesota where head coach Kevin O'Connell was hired after spending time with the Rams under McVay. O’Connell has built his offense around Justin Jefferson, who is arguably the league's top receiver and is someone defenses must plan for. We saw last season that London can be that receiver for an NFL offense I think Drake London has the ability and talent to join this elite group of receivers for years to come. Second, a McVay style offense utilizes a lot of motion, specifically with the top receiver who the offense is built around. This constant motion creates mismatches and forces defenses to adjust pre snap. This could create scenarios where London is matched up against linebackers or safeties that can be suspect in coverage. If London does have a mismatch, I think he's winning the matchup every time. The final piece of a McVay style offense that I really like is how much the top receiver plays out of the slot. Over the last few years it seems that the slot has become the most versatile receiving position in football. Lining up in the slot allows the receiver to do much more because they are not limited by the sideline which is the case when a receiver lines up outside. London saw much more time in the slot last season on his way to his best season and I think that's where he will be lining up in Atlanta for many seasons to come. Finally I am really excited to see year 2 of Michael Penix for a full season (it pains me to write this as an Oregon Ducks fan). Penix, in my opinion, is the perfect quarterback for Drake London because of his accuracy. Penix can put the ball anywhere he wants on the field and London is elite and uses his 6’4 frame to shield off defenders and eliminate them from the play. I think Penix is very good at putting the football where only his receiver can get the football, and London more times than not will come down with the reception. I truly believe that London has the skillset to become a combination of Mike Evans and Amon Ra St. Brown. Right now London is hovering around the mid to late second round of fantasy drafts but I think he has late first round upside. I really like London over guys like Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, AJ Brown, and Ashton Jeanty. 

2. Kenneth Walker, RB Seattle Seahawks- Take away injuries and Kenneth Walker is an elite fantasy running back. However, injuries are a part of football and Kenneth Walker has missed significant time on the injured reserve. The first reason that I like Walker is because of his contract situation. Walker is entering the final year of his rookie contract with no extension looming. I don’t think Walker will be back with Seattle next season. They have Zach Charbonet who is one of the league's best backups. Seattle also took a late round flier on Miami running back Damien Martinez who I believe is underrated and will out play his draft position. I don’t think Seattle re-signs an injury prone Walker when they have two guys behind on the depth chart still on their rookie contracts. Long story short, I think Kenneth Walker is playing for his next opportunity and contract this season. This incentivizes Walker greatly to stay on the field and produce. He has everything you look for in a fantasy running back. Capable of a three down role, tough running with speed and athleticism, and last year he showed he can be just as lethal as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Right now Walker is going off draft boards in the fourth round, and I think this is fair given his history of not staying healthy. However, if Walker can stay on the field all season, or even for 15 to 16 games, he will most likely provide first or second round upside. Let's be honest, a fourth round pick with an early round upside has league winner written all over it. It's a risky pick no doubt, but the potential reward is too much for me to pass up. I'm taking Walker over guys like Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, and Omarion Hampton, who are all being drafted around the same time as Walker.

3. Tucker Kraft, TE Green Bay Packers- Tucker Kraft is a guy I’m very high on this season as a breakout candidate. This is his third season in the league and he has everything needed to have tremendous fantasy success. He has a great play caller in Matt Lefleur who runs a high powered passing offense. He also is catching passes from Jordan Love, a young signal caller with a live arm and a guy who clearly has a strong connection with Kraft. What I loved most about Kraft last season was his fantasy floor from week to week. He was a tad streaky last year but oftentimes he could get you a solid 7 to 10 points any given week, which I will gladly take from a tight end who isn’t drafted highly. Kraft did show last season how high his ceiling can be. Kraft had 6 games last season scoring more than 10 points. This included two weekly finishes as tight end 1 and a 25 point avalanche against the LA Rams. The final reason I am so high on Kraft is the man’s pure skill and athleticism. Kraft is a massive 6’5 and about 250 pounds, but turn on film and he moves like a receiver that is  6’0 and 180 pounds (go watch his highlights against the Rams and Texans if you don’t believe me). I’m banking on Kraft to raise his floor and to have more games at his ceiling this year, and there's a good shot this happens. If I miss out on guys like Brock Bowers, Trey Mcbride, and George Kittle I would feel fine waiting to draft a tight end like Kraft in the later rounds and address running back and receiver depth in the mid rounds. I'm willing to pass on older guys like Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews due to their obvious regression these last two seasons. I'm taking Kraft over other tight ends going in the later rounds like Dalton Kincaid, Colston Loveland, and Tyler Warren, the last two being unproven rookies. I also believe that in a year from now we are talking about Tucker Kraft as a 4th or 5th round pick in fantasy drafts, maybe even higher. 

4. Year 2 quarterbacks not named Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix- 

             Last year we saw Jayden Daniels have one of the most exciting rookie seasons for a quarterback we've witnessed in a long time. We also saw Oregon quarterback Bo Nix start every game for the Broncos and finish as QB 7 in fantasy. These great rookie seasons took the spotlight away from guys like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Michael Penix, all first round selections last year. Heres why you should be looking at Williams, Maye, and Penix to take some Year 2 leaps in fantasy football.

               Let’s first discuss Maye and Williams because they found themselves in similar situations in year 1. Both were victims of incompetent coaching staff who hindered their early development and growth. Last season the Bears looked dysfunctional on the field. Rookie franchise quarterback Caleb Williams looked lost and confused at times, a stark contrast from the confident gun slinger we saw at USC. Even veterans like DJ Moore could not hide his disdain for the poor coaching job done by the Chicago staff last season. I love the hiring of Ben Johnson for Williams. Johnson will implement a better offense and will play to Caleb’s strength and make William’s job easier as a quarterback. I think Johnson will establish the run to open up play action and will allow Williams to work more on the move and outside the pocket, where Williams thrives. I really like how Chicago went out and got more playmakers in the draft. They took Colston Loveland, the tight end from Michigan, in the first round and also grabbed a stud receiver in Luther Burden out of Missouri in the second round. This adds to an already strong group including Dj Moore, Deandre Swift, Cole Kmet and Rome Odunze. I think the combination of Ben Johnson running the offense and an increase in playmakers means Williams is in for a much better football season in fantasy and real life. 

            Last season the Patriots took Drake Maye third overall and  found himself in perhaps the worst situation a rookie could find themselves in. The offensive line was as porous as a sponge, leaving Maye sacked in the backfield or running for his life to keep the play alive. Maye’s cast of pass catchers were not better. Maye’s “help” included Rhomondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Kendrick Bourne. In all honesty this is probably the worst receiver room in NFL history. The first major change the Patriots made was when they canned Jerod Mayo and hired former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker under Bill Belichick, will implement a strong team culture that has been nonexistent in Foxborough for quite some time. Vrabel also went out and hired Josh McDaniels at OC which is a move I like a lot for Maye. McDaniels is known to run a complicated offense but Maye has the mental capability to pick it up quickly and run it to perfection ( the Pats also had a ton of success when they had a defensive minded head coach, a gunslinger at QB, and a Josh McDaniels led offense.) The Pats drafted running back Treveyon Henderson and receiver Kyle Williams in the draft. Both have the chance to contribute immediately but I love the long term fit both have in the franchise. Both are around the same age as Maye and both have the chance to establish themselves as long term pieces around Drake Maye. The Pats also signed receiver Steffon Diggs in free agency. Diggs is now on the wrong side of 30 and is due for regression soon because of his age. However, he still has the talent to be a relevant wide receiver and provides veteran leadership this team and offense was desperately missing. Finally I love the defensive additions the Patriots made in the offseason. I think the Pats will have a top 10 defense and this will greatly benefit Maye. The defense will keep this team in games and allow Maye and the Patriots offense to run a more balanced and controlled gameplan. Last season the Pats found themselves down by a wide margin early in games, forcing the team to throw and play desperately to stay in games. I don’t think New England finds themselves in this position nearly as much this year, benefiting Maye greatly. Maye’s talent is undeniable and the Patriots have done everything right in the off season to showcase that, take a chance on Drake Maye. He also adds strong rushing upside for a fantasy quarterback.

                  I talked about Michael Penix Jr. earlier when discussing Drake London. I love his accuracy and willingness to push the ball downfield and be aggressive. I think Penix will be safe and smart with the football and will have an excellent touchdown to interception ratio. I love the scenario where he finds himself sharing a backfield with Bijan Robsison. I believe Bijan will be the focal point of the offense, but this will force defenses to respect the run and will create opportunities for the Falcons offense to open up the passing game and take shots down the field. I also think Bijan will be a great safety valve for Penix and will allow Penix to take check downs to the running back and not force turnovers. Penix does have injury concerns from college but he's managed to stay healthy his last year of college at Washington and his first year in Atlanta (though he only started 3 games.) Another concern I have is the depth at pass catcher for Atlanta. Along with Bijan Robinson and Drake London, the Falcons have Ray Ray Mcloud, Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts at tight end, and Tyler Algier as the complementary back to Robinson. I think outside of Robisnon and London, the falcons lack dynamic offensive weapons that will hinder Penix’s ceiling. Penix also doesn’t offer the rushing upside that Williams or Maye can provide. 

           Let me be clear, I am only taking a chance on one of these guys if I miss out on an elite quarterback in the early to mid rounds. If I’m forced to take a guy like Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, or even Patrick Mahomes, I would love to take a flier on one of these guys who could realistically make year 2 leaps and also add more rushing upside then the 3 veterans mentioned earlier. I know it's not ideal to roster two quarterbacks, especially in leagues with less bench spots, but I’d rather be patient with a young guy with talent, then risk missing out on him on waivers in weeks 1 or 2.