It’s time to do the newbie registration! As we head into the fantasy football playoffs, let’s take a look at recent performances, outlooks for the rest of the season, and 2025 outlooks for key rookies.
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
After a hot start to the season, Daniels cooled off, leading fantasy managers to worry that Daniels’ early season production was a fluke of easier matchups. A few weeks ago I discussed Daniels’ outlook for the rest of the season on “Fantasy Football Live” and defended Daniels’ decline in production as a bit of an overreaction on the part of fantasy managers.
Fantasy managers understandably panicked after Daniels had two disappointing performances against Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. While those matchups were troubling, Daniels finished outside the top 12 at quarterback just three times this season (excluding the rib injury game). For perspective, Daniels’ production isn’t all that dissimilar to a player like Joe Burrow, who finished outside the top 12 four times, but offers a week of winning growth with a typical borderline QB1 floor.
Pulse check: Is Daniels ROS a set-it-and-forget-it type?
Daniels had another top performance in Week 13 with an incredibly efficient day of 25 completions on 30 attempts for 206 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a rushing touchdown — back-to-back QB1 totals.
Looking at his schedule for the rest of the season after the bye week, two of the Commanders last fantasy games are very favorable with only one tough game against Philadelphia. Daniels has maintained his top five and is a luxury starter for fantasy managers.
Bonus Pulse Check – Daniels’ Outlook for 2025!
Looking beyond this season and into 2024, given his meteoric rise and a locked-in elite WR1 in Terry McLaurin, Daniels will likely be a top-five draft pick at the position in 2025.
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears were a tale of two halves in their Thanksgiving Day game against Detroit. After a disastrous first half, Caleb Williams departed and finished with 256 yards passing, three touchdowns (two to Keenan Allen) and 39 rushing yards.
Williams now has two performances at QB1, which is very impressive considering Williams has been through a lot over the past few weeks. The Bears are riding a six-game losing streak and it’s been a tough stretch defensively against some of the best defenses in the league. Despite all these challenges, Williams has done about as well as you could wish for. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 6. His accuracy has been a bit suspect, but understandable given the struggles on offense, and he’s finally gotten back on track with five touchdown passes over the last two games while adding some rushing.
Pulse check: Can we finally trust Caleb Williams?
Williams’ outlook for the rest of the season is interesting. He faces a San Francisco defense that has typically been strong against the pass but has struggled with injuries. He will then face Minnesota and Detroit — two teams he has performed well against — before finishing with a Week 17 friendly against Seattle. Looking at Williams’ season as a whole, coaching issues aside, there weren’t any major or alarming red flags. He excelled in the easy matchups, struggled in the tough ones and showed improvement and resilience in the tougher matchups, providing bulk in the air and some unexpected upside upside. Looks like a solid streaming option for the rest of the season.
Bonus Pulse Check – Williams’ 2025 Outlook!
Looking at Williams in 2025 is a little tough because he will have a new head coach and offensive coordinator and could change the surrounding weapons, especially with Keenan Allen in the final year of his current contract. Unlike Daniels, who will likely lean toward this aggressive draft trajectory, Williams will likely remain in a similar spot to 2024 as a borderline QB1 with upside.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams isn’t the only Bears rookie whose trajectory we’re watching at the end of the season. Regardless of Williams’ performances, Odunze has remained fairly inconsistent in a crowded receiving corps.
He has just one touchdown all year with fluctuating targets and inconsistent yardage. Just when we think Odunze is on the verge of a potential breakthrough in the back half, he drops back to the third option in a receiving corps with limited growth.
Pulse check: Can Odunze step up to WR1 in Bears offense?
It is difficult to trust Odunze until the end of the season. There have been subtle hints that he might move forward, but DJ Moore remains the only truly reliable option and Allen remains a critical part of the Bears offense. Odunze simply has no upside and remains a volatile, flexible lower-end option.
Bonus Pulse Check – Odunze Outlook for 2025!
As previously mentioned, the Bears could move on from Keenan Allen, which would allow Odunze to step into a more prominent role. While Williams’ outlook for the rest of the season remains fairly positive, it’s hard to see where Odunze offers breakout potential. Look at 2025 as a real turning point for him.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Like the Bears, the Giants are in constant flux, but much more drastically, as we don’t really know the future of their quarterback, which leaves a lot of questions.
Through Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito and Drew Locke, one thing remains constant: Nabers is a target hog and has a solid floor based on sheer volume. He’s averaging over 10 targets per game this season, and quarterback changes have had zero impact on that baseline. The problem is that Nabers hasn’t had a touchdown since Week 3, and while his targets remain excellent, his base yardage remains around 50-70. Matchup has zero effect on this stat. It’s a real shame because Nabers’ schedule for the rest of the season is excellent.
Pulse check: Should we be panicking about Nabers’ rest of the season?
Based on pure volume, we’ll continue to start Nabers because we know he won’t ruin our week and the matchups are excellent. Unfortunately, it’s hard to see much improvement given the team and quarterback situation.
Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants
Running backs often suffer from a quarterback downgrade, and Tracy is a prime example of that trajectory. But that wasn’t the only challenge Tracy faced. Starting in Week 10, Tracy started to have a bit of a clumsiness problem and the tolerance level from head coach Brian Daboll was pretty low and we started to see Devin Singletary with a slight increase in workload.
Pulse check: Is it time to save Tracy?
Tracy managed to hold onto the ball in Week 13, but there are still volume concerns and has had just nine carries in each of the last two games. Because Tracy is still leading and seems to favor the goal line, he remains a borderline RB2. However, while the upcoming scheme favors more pass-friendly matchups, it’s a bit shaky against the run.
Bonus Pulse Check – Nabers and Tracy’s Outlook for 2025!
Looking ahead to 2025, there is no question surrounding Nabers and his upside with what should be a brand new rookie like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.
The Giants’ moves in the offseason will likely dictate Tracy’s future in 2025. Tracy was a fifth-round draft pick, and fantasy managers are well aware of the volatility that comes with late-season running backs and job security. Tracy has an opportunity to secure his role in 2025 by finishing the 2024 season strongly; however, he faces an uphill battle given the situation of the team and the quarterback.
Marvin Harrison Jr. WR, Arizona Cardinals
Week 13 was interesting — five receptions on 12 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in a tough game. With Kyler Murray having another confusing day, it’s easy to make excuses for Harrison Jr.’s performance. this season, but the numbers are pretty clear.
If it doesn’t happen late in the season, we’re looking at a sub-60 reception season bolstered by big plays and touchdowns. Trey McBride continues to dominate in receptions, targets and volume in this offense, and there is a clear definition with volume shifting to McBride and touchdowns shifting to Harrison Jr.
Pulse check: What is the level of confidence as MHJ moves forward?
The schedule may be Harrison Jr.’s only saving grace. It’s hard to envision any change in offensive philosophy from the Cardinals, but given the friendly nature of the upcoming schedule, we remain optimistic about Harrison Jr.’s potential upside.
Bonus pulse check – MHJ outlook for 2025!
The outlook for 2025 is strange. On one hand, the market will have an aggressive reaction to the hyped 2024 ADP and will likely see an increase in drop value, which would make Harrison Jr. made for an attractive draft pick. On the other hand, we’re probably not looking at any major changes to the Cardinals offense. Murray is under contract and there should be no coaching changes. Maybe the Cardinals will learn to use Harrison Jr. better. in the future. It remains to be seen if this is the right coaching staff and quarterback to really help him thrive.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
Ranking Drake Maye’s performances, the outlook for the rest of the season and the outlook for 2025 is actually incredibly fun! Make no mistake – Maye was messy. Ten touchdowns, seven interceptions and five fumbles are absolute proof of that.
however a Patriots they are more chaotic.
They’re young, they don’t have a built-up receiving corps, their offensive line is extremely shaky, and their defense is dealing with significant injuries. Not much was expected, but what we’ve seen from Drake so far has been very impressive.
Pulse check: Should we trust Maye as a QB1 moving forward?
Maye is the perfect mix of fantasy upside down. He’s got a big arm and high-volume potential, plus a strong rush — on track to set the NFL record for rushing average by a QB. Maye has a bye in Week 14 and unfortunately ends the season with a tough schedule where he will have to rely on his legs for any fantasy. As such, Maye doesn’t have much relevance outside of Superflex leagues.
Bonus Pulse Check – Maye’s Outlook for 2025!
Unlike Caleb Williams, who will navigate the challenges of a new coaching system, Maye remains in the same system. It’s simply a matter of surrounding him with talent that can help him thrive. The Patriots will likely spend their offseason and draft season investing in pieces around Maya, improving the offense and finding a true WR1. If the Patriots manage to have a strong offseason, fantasy managers may look at Maye as a QB2 pick with extremely high upside and late-round draft potential for those willing to wait for a quarterback.
Watch Maye as one of the potential league-winning picks of 2025.