Our loaded Nerds App League is full of your favorite talent and analysts from the Dynasty Nerds staff. Recently, we polled the league for their 2025 Fantasy Predictions, and we knew we’d get some bold calls and spicy takes. From breakout stars to plummeting fallers, here’s what the managers in the Nerds App League gave as their 2025 Fantasy Predictions for the upcoming NFL season.
Nerds App League | 2025 Predictions
2025 Fantasy Predictions for Biggest Non-Rookie Breakout Star
Who will be the biggest non-rookie breakout star of the 2025 fantasy football season?
The 2024 NFL season gave us breakout fantasy stars like Chuba Hubbard and Jerry Jeudy, but who will take that title this upcoming season? The responses from our managers were all over the board, but a few themes and specific names kept surfacing.
Rome Odunze and Ricky Pearsall drew multiple votes, signaling confidence that the sophomore wideouts will make an expected leap into fantasy stardom. Another second-year receiver, Keon Coleman found his way onto the list. Interestingly, the only quarterback chosen was J.J. McCarthy. A handful of others, like Dalton Kincaid, Tank Bigsby, and Chris Olave rounded out the predictions.
Consensus: Whether it be Odunze, Pearsall, Pickens, or Coleman, the majority of the managers in the Nerds App League see young wide receivers becoming weekly lineup staples.
| Rich Dotson | Dalton Kincaid |
| Garret Price | Rome Odunze |
| Jared Wackerly | Ricky Pearsall |
| John Hammersmith | Zay Flowers |
| Taylor Christianson | Chris Olave |
| Matt Cooper | Ricky Pearsall |
| Keith Ensminger | J.J. McCarthy |
| Jon Glosser | Keon Coleman |
| Doc Mitchell | D’Andre Swift |
| Peter Monahan | Chase Brown or George Pickens |
| Nick Piovano | Tank Bigsby |
| Mike Warno | Rome Odunze |
2025 Fantasy Predictions for Rookie to Score the Most Fantasy Points
Which rookie (not including quarterbacks) will score the most fantasy points in the 2025 fantasy football season?
This one was nearly unanimous: Ashton Jeanty was the overwhelming favorite. The Boise State standout has the Raiders backfield to himself and the skillset to make an instant impact. A few contrarians went with TreVeyon Henderson, Tetairoa McMillan, or Omarion Hampton, but Jeanty was clearly the league’s pick.
Consensus: Jeanty is the guy if you want immediate rookie points in 2025. Will the chalky pick prove to be the right one, or will Keith, Jon, or Nick earn some bragging rights over their peers?
| Rich Dotson | Ashton Jeanty |
| Garret Price | Ashton Jeanty |
| Taylor Christianson | Ashton Jeanty |
| Matt Cooper | Ashton Jeanty |
| Keith Ensminger | Omarion Hampton |
| Jon Glosser | TreVeyon Henderson |
| Doc Mitchell | Ashton Jeanty |
| Peter Monahan | Ashton Jeanty |
| Nick Piovano | Tetairoa McMillan |
| Mike Warno | Ashton Jeanty |
2025 Fantasy Predictions for Dynasty Asset Most Likely to Disappoint
Which highly-ranked dynasty asset will disappoint the most this season?
Tough question, but the managers in the Nerds App League weren’t shy. Bucky Irving and Jahmyr Gibbs were mentioned with concerns that they won’t sustain elite efficiency. Nico Collins and Brian Thomas Jr. also received votes, possibly over worries of decreased targets. No matter the choice, the common theme was that even elite names can come with risk.
Consensus: Jahmyr Gibbs was the most popular “fade” call among our league’s managers. Trouble in Detroit?
| Rich Dotson | Tee Higgins |
| Garret Price | Drake Maye |
| Jared Wackerly | Bucky Irving |
| John Hammersmith | Puka Nacua |
| Taylor Christianson | Jahmyr Gibbs |
| Matt Cooper | Nico Collins |
| Keith Ensminger | Jahmyr Gibbs |
| Jon Glosser | Jalen Hurts |
| Doc Mitchell | De’Von Achane |
| Peter Monahan | Sam LaPorta |
| Nick Piovano | Saquon Barkley |
| Mike Warno | Brian Thomas Jr |
2025 Selection for Favorite Late-Round Sleeper
Who is your favorite late-round non-rookie sleeper that could become a weekly starter this season?
Our Nerds App League managers dug deep here. As you can see, the answers were all over the place, which makes sense. If the choices were obvious, they wouldn’t be on this list! Jaylen Wright and Christian Kirk were the only players to earn multiple votes. Jon is hoping Stefon Diggs can return to form while John thinks his teammate Demario Douglas deserves some love. Garret and Mike are hoping Trey Benson and Marvin Mims can break out.
Consensus: While Jaylen Wright and Christian Kirk may be intriguing stash candidates, the only way we’ll know the answer to this question is to check back in a few months.
| Rich Dotson | Jaylen Wright |
| Garret Price | Trey Benson |
| Jared Wackerly | Jerome Ford |
| John Hammersmith | Demario Douglas |
| Taylor Christianson | Hunter Henry |
| Matt Cooper | Cedric Tillman |
| Keith Ensminger | Jaylen Wright |
| Jon Glosser | Stefon Diggs |
| Doc Mitchell | Christian Kirk |
| Peter Monahan | Christian Kirk |
| Nick Piovano | Braelon Allen |
| Mike Warno | Marvin Mims |
2025 Selection for Rookie to Gain the Most Dynasty Value
Which rookie will gain the most dynasty value between the start and the end of the season?
Dynasty fantasy football players love their rookies, and our crew in the Nerds App League is no different. Much like our list of sleepers, the answers to this question varied greatly. Kaleb Johnson could climb the rankings quickly if he hits his stride early in Pittsburgh. Jared and Doc chose late round picks in Kyle Monangai and Tahj Brooks, while Nick and Mike went with Cam Ward and Omarion Hampton.
Consensus: Give each of us a flag, and we’ll plant it. Is your favorite rookie on this list?
| Rich Dotson | Emeka Egbuka |
| Garret Price | Dylan Sampson |
| Jared Wackerly | Kyle Monangai |
| John Hammersmith | Jaylin Noel |
| Taylor Christianson | Mason Taylor |
| Matt Cooper | Cam Skattebo |
| Keith Ensminger | Jalen Royals |
| Jon Glosser | Oronde Gadsden II |
| Doc Mitchell | Tahj Brooks |
| Peter Monahan | Kaleb Johnson |
| Nick Piovano | Cam Ward |
| Mike Warno | Omarion Hampton |
2025 Selection for Rookie to Lose the Most Dynasty Value
Which rookie will lose the most dynasty value between the start and the end of the season?
If your favorite rookie is on this list, then I’ve got some bad news for you. Here’s where the pessimism came out. Colston Loveland appears the most often, likely due to concerns that his year-one production won’t live up to the current value. Jared chose Loveland’s teammate Luther Burden as his choice, while Cam Skattebo also earned a vote.
Consensus: Tight end prospects often take time to acclimate to the NFL. Between that and the crowded receiver room in Chicago, Colston Loveland may struggle to hold his value into the offseason.
| Rich Dotson | Matthew Golden |
| Garret Price | Bhayshul Tuten |
| Jared Wackerly | Luther Burden |
| John Hammersmith | Matthew Golden |
| Taylor Christianson | RJ Harvey |
| Matt Cooper | Kaleb Johnson |
| Keith Ensminger | Colston Loveland |
| Jon Glosser | Jaxson Dart |
| Doc Mitchell | Colston Loveland |
| Peter Monahan | Colston Loveland |
| Nick Piovano | Cam Skattebo |
| Mike Warno | Travis Hunter |
2025 Selection for Dark Horse Overall Fantasy Leader
Name one dark horse to finish as either the overall QB1, RB1, WR, or TE1 in 2025
To wrap up our 2025 Fantasy Predictions, we asked the Nerds App League to pick a true dark horse candidate to finish as the top overall player at their position. As usual, some of the answers got spicy. At quarterback, the answers ranged from the very mild (sorry, Taylor) Lamar Jackson to the ghost pepper selection of Justin Fields. For running back, Jon thinks De’Von Achane will climb to the top while Jared sees an Ashton Jeanty rookie campaign for the ages. How about John’s call of Chase Brown? He would be quite the dark horse! Drake London and Nico Collins also seem like relatively mild picks to finish as the top wide receiver, but Doc’s choice of Deebo Samuel is giving me heartburn just reading it through the computer screen. Finally, Keith and Mike went with Mark Andrews and David Njoku as sleeper picks to finish as the top tight end.
Consensus: Every NFL season has its surprises. We’ll know who looks wise and who looks foolish soon enough.
| Rich Dotson | Drake London |
| Garret Price | Bucky Irving |
| Jared Wackerly | Ashton Jeanty |
| John Hammersmith | Chase Brown |
| Taylor Christianson | Lamar Jackson |
| Matt Cooper | Devon Achane |
| Keith Ensminger | Mark Andrews |
| Jon Glosser | De’Von Achane |
| Doc Mitchell | Deebo Samuel |
| Peter Monahan | Nico Collins |
| Nick Piovano | Justin Fields |
| Mike Warno | David Njoku |
Nerds App League Update
As with many of your dynasty startup drafts, our Nerds App League draft took place months ago. What has changed since then? Let’s take a look at the updated dynasty and contender rankings using the Nerds App League Analyzer. On the left, you’ll see the Nerds App Dynasty Mode, showing the dynasty value of each team. On the right? Contender mode, based more on redraft rankings of how we see the team doing this season.
Blockbusters Incoming!
The Nerds App League is about to kick off Week 1 of the NFL season and our managers are furiously trading their teams into shape. Check our next Nerds App League update to see what deals went down and who now sits firmly atop the Contender and Dynasty rankings.
