Big Blue View
Big unknowns that could make or break fantasy seasons
The 2025 NFL schedule was released last week, and while it was easy to get distracted with some of the schedule release videos and get caught up in the analysis of each team’s slate, it was also a reminder that the 2025 season will be here before you know it. For those who play fantasy football, the gears are starting to turn.
Drafts for most season-long fantasy football leagues are still about three months away, but plenty of other leagues are already holding drafts – for example, rookie and start-up drafts in dynasty leagues, and best ball drafts. If you’re drafting now, plenty of speculation is necessary in a lot of cases, with training camps not yet underway and opening week still so distant. Free agency, trades and the draft did a lot to solidify NFL depth charts, but big questions remain.
Today I’m presenting seven burning fantasy questions about the upcoming season. Some of these will be answered before the season starts, while others will linger right through fantasy draft season for redraft leagues. All of them are going to matter in terms of fantasy fortunes.
All fantasy point totals and rankings given are for Half PPR scoring, and are on a points per game basis unless otherwise specified. Here we go!
1. Will the Lions’ offense continue to steamroll without OC Ben Johnson?
Detroit has restored the roar, and the team has been an offensive juggernaut the last two seasons. In 2024 the Lions led the NFL in scoring at 33.2 points per game, and they and the league-leading Ravens were the only teams to average more than 400 yards of offense per game. This wasn’t a fluke; in 2023 Detroit was fifth in points and third in yards per game. This is an explosive unit that’s stocked with playmakers at multiple positions, working behind a great offensive line. Detroit’s defense was extremely banged up last season, and if it can stay healthy the team might find itself in fewer shootouts. Ben Johnson has been given a lot of credit for this unit, and we’ll see if it can stay as potent under new coordinator John Morton, who returns to the Lions’ coaching staff after two years in Denver. Between the coordinator change and an expectation of a more reliable defense, I’m not quite as high as I was last season on the Lions’ key pieces for fantasy, but I’m hardly fading them.
2. QB Questions: Who is going to be the main quarterback for the Browns, Steelers, and Saints, and will any of those teams get anything close to competent QB play?
I’m asking that on behalf of their skill position players, and the brave souls who’ll be drafting them. There are 32 teams in the NFL, and 29 of them appear to have a pretty clear picture at quarterback. Sure, Cam Ward still has to “officially” beat out Will Levis (trust me, he will), and if the...
