8 NFL Players Trending Up & Down (2025 Fantasy Football)

With the first wave of free agency in the rearview mirror, along with the NFL Scouting Combine, it’s time to take a look at players who are trending up and down after the recent headlines and consider the ramifications for 2025 fantasy football leagues.

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Fantasy Football Players Trending Up

Chris Godwin (WR – TB)

Once again, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their core together with the re-signing of Chris Godwin, a year after locking in Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield. Despite the loss of offensive coordinator Liam Coen, there are plenty of reasons to consider this a good offseason for the Buccaneers.

Godwin was in excellent form before he dislocated his ankle in Week 8, with the second-most receiving yards and averaging 8.9 targets per game. The 7.1 catches per game Godwin was boasting were a career-high and his five touchdowns in seven games were as many as he’d combined for in the previous two seasons.

Jalen McMillan earned a role in Godwin’s absence, but he’s unlikely to displace a player the Bucs saw as a priority to re-sign. Godwin’s fortunes are much more favorable in Tampa than if he’d chased money in New England or elsewhere.

Davante Adams WR – LAR)

It spoke volumes the L.A. Rams wanted to pay Davante Adams the same amount as they were on the hook for with Cooper Kupp. While that amount was palatable for Adams, it was a non-starter with Kupp.

Adams averaged 2.2 yards per route run in 2024 once he got out of Las Vegas and landed in New York with the Jets. Adams was force-fed the ball by Aaron Rodgers, but 2.2 yards per route run is hard to ignore. His 76.6 yards per game reflected the fact Adams still has gas left in the tank, while Kupp might not be able to say the same.

The Rams are crying out for a red-zone threat, with Puka Nacua scoring only nine touchdowns in two seasons despite seeing 266 targets. Adams has been elite in the red zone throughout his career and could with Matthew Stafford consistently force-feeding receivers throughout his career.

Najee Harris (RB – LAC)

Throughout Greg Roman’s NFL tenure, it’s been hard for more than one pass-catching option to succeed at any one time. However, running backs have always found it a fruitful situation thanks to Roman’s ability to scheme the offensive line into favorable shifts and movements opening up large lanes for backs to run through.

Najee Harris has been playing with poor quarterbacks his entire NFL career, from late-stage Ben Roethlisberger to Kenny Pickett and then a mish-mash of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, all the while with average to bad offensive coordinators and, frankly, awful offensive line play.

Harris hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft stock but he now finds himself playing with Justin Herbert behind an offensive line with some real upside and for a coordinator who knows how to create lanes. With only Kimani Vidal behind Harris, there is a good chance Harris could beat his career-high of 307 rushing attempts.

Brock Bowers (TE – LV)

Raiders ownership, including Tom Brady, took a look at the incoming rookie class and reflected upon the fact that over the last two years Aidan O’Connell, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer, Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder have started games for them and said no more.

A conclusion was necessary and if it wasn’t to be found in the draft, it would be found elsewhere. Time is precious when you have a generational talent, and that is truly what the Raiders found in Brock Bowers, who became the third rookie tight end to ever surpass 1,000 receiving yards along with breaking the record for receptions in a rookie season.

Geno Smith might never have leaned into targeting a tight end, but at what point has he ever had a truly elite talent at the position? The Noah Fant love is fun, but come on, Bowers is beyond even Mrs. Fant’s wildest dreams. Bowers suffered through an inefficient offense that struggled to move the ball and stay on the field. If the Raiders keep trending positively, Bowers may distance himself even more in 2025.

Fantasy Football Players Trending Down

DK Metcalf (WR – PIT) & George Pickens (WR – PIT)

Many hopes have been pinned on DK Metcalf and George Pickens over the last few years, in no small part because they’re immensely entertaining players to watch and root for, but 2024 was a disappointment for both players and 2025 isn’t off to a to a great start.

Metcalf finished as the WR35 in PPR points per game last season, with Pickens one spot behind him at WR36. Perhaps it’s a sign of a change of ideas in Pittsburgh, but more likely it feels like this volatile pairing could struggle to co-exist.

No wide receiver has ever seen more than 119 targets in a season under Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. That represents a dip in volume for Metcalf, who has surpassed that number in four of his five seasons, only missing out because of injuries in 2024. Pickens is coming off 103 targets, but that was when his competition included the likes of Van Jefferson and other forgettable names at the wide receiver position.

There is also the small matter of a complete lack of quarterback for the Steelers, which seems noteworthy. Even in what now seems like the best-case scenario with the Steelers signing Aaron Rodgers, does his play style suit the physical and contested catch methods both Pickens and Metcalf lean towards? It feels inevitable these two receivers aren’t set up for great fantasy seasons.

Rico Dowdle (RB – CAR)

It was always going to be a tough market for running backs to thrive in, with the rookie class widely held up as one of the best running back classes we’ve seen in years. However, all the same, Rico Dowdle has to be disappointed.

Dowdle hit the free agency market after being the clear best back in Dallas, rushing for the fifth-most yards from Week 10 onwards and finishing as a top-24 RB in half of his games across the entire season. The Cowboys however opted to sign Javonte Williams, who performed worse than Dowdle in many metrics, and gave him a very similar deal to what Dowdle landed with the Panthers.

Dowdle now finds himself behind Chuba Hubbard, who the Panthers seem to be locked in on as their No. 1 RB. If Jonathon Brooks can return from injury you have to imagine Dowdle will be competing for touches with him.

C.J. Stroud (QB – HOU)

The addition of Christian Kirk was helpful for C.J. Stroud, with Stefon Diggs a free agent and Tank Dell potentially missing the entirety of the upcoming season, but Kirk’s addition isn’t enough to offset the changes on the offensive line.

The Texans had the 29th-ranked offensive line in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) end-of-season grades. They have gone back to the drawing board by trading Laremy Tunsil and releasing Shaq Mason. Mason isn’t as big of a loss as Tunsil, but it’s still noteworthy. Reports suggest Tunsil was moved due to his fit within the building, above all else.

While it’s a coach’s prerogative to build a culture and team as they see fit, Tunsil has been a Pro Bowl player in five of the last six seasons and remained one of the best pass-blocking offensive linemen in the NFL last year with his 88.6 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked fifth among offensive tackles in 2024.

Stroud seems to need his offensive line to be at its best to perform well. Without Dell and the offensive line in flux, it’s hard to be overly positive for Stroud as he enters his third year in the league.