For most, the 2025 Fantasy Football season has wrapped up, and a champion has been crowned. One of the best parts of fantasy is finding that one mid-round gem that sneaks up the rankings. Finding those players is imperative to winning a championship. So, who were those steals this year?
(All stats are following Week 17 and PPR, courtesy of FantasyPros)
Coming out of the 2024 season, George Pickens was the 42nd-ranked wide receiver in Fantasy. Coming off his final year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had 59 receptions for 900 yards and three touchdowns, totaling 164.4 fantasy points.
Following a trade to the Cowboys, Pickens was expected to be a strong number two receiver to CeeDee Lamb. After an underwhelming year in Pittsburgh, expectations were low, and he fell to the middle rounds in most drafts.
After 16 games in 2025, Pickens had 92 receptions for 1,420 yards and nine touchdowns, totaling 290 fantasy points. He quickly became a league-winner, and even outpaced Lamb, who had his worst career year, and ranked 17th.
The 2024 Jaguars were an overall mess, and that showed in Travis Etienne’s production. He posted 558 rushing yards for two touchdowns and a total of 130.2 fantasy points. Liam Coen was hired as Jacksonville’s new head coach, and the results speak for themselves.
Etienne’s draft stock fell after last season, as did many Jaguars players. In 16 games, he rushed for 1,075 yards and seven touchdowns. He became a bigger threat in the passing game as well, scoring six times in the air.
Etienne is proof that coaching is everything. Jacksonville had one of the worst offenses in 2024. Coen came in, turned the team around, and took over the AFC South.
Drake Maye’s 2024 rookie season was a disappointment, but not necessarily because of him. He started 13 games and looked promising, with 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, along with 421 rushing yards and two more scores.
Maye was entering 2025 with first-year head coach Mike Vrabel. The expectations in New England were low, and the QB was a mid-round pick in 2QB leagues, at best.
In 16 games, Maye threw for 4,203 yards, 30 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He rushed for 409 yards and four scores as well. With 344.2 total points, he sits at second among fantasy QBs. If you took him late, you likely had a good season.
The Los Angeles Rams moved on from Cooper Kupp following the 2024 season, making Puka Nacua the star receiver. They signed Davante Adams to be his number two, and it’s paid off in spades.
Nacua ended 2024 as WR26. In 11 games, he had 79 receptions for 990 yards and three touchdowns. There was hesitation about his taking over as the leader in LA, and he wasn’t a consensus top 10 pick in the draft.
In 15 games, Nacua has 119 receptions for 1,639 yards and nine touchdowns, all career highs. He has 349 fantasy points on the year and was a league-winner for countless squads.
If there’s one thing the Browns know how to get right, it’s drafting great fantasy tight ends. They selected Harold Fannin Jr. 67th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he was expected to be David Njoku’s successor.
As a third-round rookie tight end behind Njoku, Fannin fell far in fantasy redraft leagues. He shattered expectations in 2025, bringing in 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns. He’s the fifth-ranked tight end in fantasy, ahead of names like Brock Bowers, George Kittle, and rookie phenom Tyler Warren.
Fannin has everything fantasy managers look for in a tight end. He’ll skyrocket in drafts next year, so make sure you’ve got him on your big board now.
2025 was a wild year for fantasy football, and it warrants some reminiscing. Every year, these mid to late-round picks take over leagues, and managers kick themselves for not making a move sooner. Let these players be a lesson to never count anyone out in fantasy football.
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