JUMP TO:
- 2025 Fantasy Football MVP
- Best Value Pick from 2025 drafts
- Biggest Draft Bust of 2025
- All-Fantasy First & Second Teams
If you're still playing your fantasy football championship in Week 18... Change that.
Week 17 -- or whatever the second-to-last week will become if the NFL keeps adding games -- marks the ideal time to end the fantasy playoffs.
Now that the traditional fantasy season has ended, hopefully by securing a league trophy with your name on it, our crew at AllSportsPeople wanted to recap the eventful year by handing out some hardware.
Fantasy Football MVP 2025
Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49e rs
Vinnie Iyer: CMC has rewarded his managers who drafted him high and didn’t worry one bit about his previous injury attrition. He has been consistent in his usage and scoring in a season where many 49ers offensive skill players have been injured. He is providing one more big year with his production, carrying a high floor and massive ceiling every week.
Griffin Missant: During draft season, fantasy football managers were plagued with the decision whether to draft Christian McCaffrey. The injury history, age, and drop-off in ADP screamed to stay away. However, for those brave managers who selected CMC, congratulations, you probably did well. In PPR formats, CMC outscored everyone not named Josh Allen. Yes, even Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba did not score more fantasy points than a RB in a scoring format that rewards catches. CMC’s ADP was 1.10, which is the lowest of his career. He averaged the most fantasy points per game, and was the best overall fantasy weapon in 2025.
Tim Heaney: I considered several later picks for this honor, but CMC just did his job every week to live up to his Round 1/2 foundation. Though Jonathan Taylor finished second, everyone else finished at least 46 points behind McCaffrey's 356.9 total half-PPR points, playing all 16 fantasy games. Sometimes, the risk pays off. The draft-day discount for a running back who almost had his second 100-reception season needs to be honored.
MORE FANTASY FOOTBALL 2025 IN REVIEW:
- Who has the most points in a fantasy game? See where 2025's Jahmyr Gibbs, Trevor Lawrence, Kyle Pitts, Brock Bowers performances rank
Best value pick from 2025 fantasy drafts
Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
Griffin Missant: There were 22 quarterbacks taken ahead of Matthew Stafford in 2025 fantasy football drafts, and the only one to score more points than him was Josh Allen. Every season the choice of spending high on a QB or waiting until the later rounds has to be made by drafters. Year after year quarterbacks at the end of drafts end up being league winners based on their production. To go a step further, 160 players were taken before Stafford, just seven of them finished ahead of him in fantasy points.
Vinnie Iyer: Stafford could have been had in the very late rounds of most fantasy drafts if he was even drafted at all. His value has been tied plenty to big overall combined years from Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, but the biggest asset of Stafford’s big arm has been well protected and he hasn’t had any lingering issues with back, shoulder or otherwise. Stafford is headed to finish as the QB2 in average scoring behind Josh Allen, despite not having a running “cheat code.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks
Tim Heaney: Yes, obviously waiting on a quarterback can pay off, as it did with Stafford. However, I'm going to recognize the supreme value that JSN presented when many top wideouts either suffered a major injury or underperformed.
Thriving as the alpha in Klint Kubiak's offense catching passes from a resurgent Sam Darnold, JSN posted only one weekly finish below WR25 (half-PPR), providing a difference-making foundation in a tough year overall for wide receiver.
Waiting to land him in Round 3 or 4 allowed drafters to land a top running back and likely build a top-contending team.
MORE: Done playing fantasy? Bet on the NFL playoffs
Biggest Fantasy Draft Bust of the Year 2025
Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
Tim Heaney: Maybe Jefferson, like other top receivers, isn't immune to quarterback uncertainty. J.J. McCarthy's injuries and struggles in what was essentially his rookie season, plus stints with Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer under center, didn't help Jettas get going. This will be the true case study this offseason as we consider drafting early-rounds wideouts with shaky QB positions.
Vinnie Iyer: Jettas faced a lot of quarterback turbulence with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer, leading to his disappearance as a top target in the offense. He was the on-average WR38 in half-point PPR after Week 16. He has scored more than 15 points in that format only twice and not since the team’s early Week 6 bye. The connection with him and McCarthy was off and never got chance to develop a rhythm, with terrible return on investment for a wide receiver taken high in the first round.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars
Griffin Missant: This was by far the easiest section to fill out for the awards. Brian Thomas Jr. Was the 14th overall player drafted back in August. Through Week 16, he ranked as the WR44 on the season.
After last year's breakout rookie campaign, BTJ convinced managers to draft him over players such as Jonathan Taylor, JSN, and Trey McBride. Anyone who took BTJ anywhere near his ADP regrets that pick, regardless of if they’re in the playoffs or not.
MORE: NFL standings and playoff picture
2025 All-Fantasy Teams
Selected by Iyer, Heaney, and Missant, based on a combination of the top scorers and the best preseason draft value or waiver wire help.
First Team
QB: Drake Maye, Patriots
RB: Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
RB: Jonathan Taylor, Colts
WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks
WR: Puka Nacua, Rams
WR: George Pickens, Cowboys
TE: Trey McBride, Cardinals
FLEX: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
D/ST: Seattle Seahawks
PK: Jason Myers, Seahawks
Second Team
QB: Matthew Stafford, Rams
RB: Bijan Robinson, Falcons
RB: James Cook, Bills
WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions
WR: Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals
WR: Chris Olave, Saints
TE: Harold Fannin Jr., Browns
FLEX: De'Von Achane, Dolphins
D/ST: Houston Texans
PK: Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys