2025 NFC NORTH DIVISIONAL PREVIEW
WELCOME TO THE FANTASY IN FRAMES’ 2025 NFC NORTH DIVISIONAL PREVIEW!
Possibly the most competitive division in football just got a little more interesting this off-season with Ben Johnson’s move to division rivals, the Chicago Bears. All four teams can boast a good offensive scheme with a host of fantasy options for managers this coming season. So here’s a breakdown of all the fantasy-relevant players to help you dominate your drafts.
And most importantly, Go Pack Go (Yes, I’m biased. Deal with it)!
Now, before we start going position by position, let’s break down the ins and outs of each team from this past season!
***Also, stats & info from all of our divisional previews are sourced from the following outlets: PFF, Fantasy Points Data Suite, FantasyData, FTN, & NFL Next Gen Stats.***
Now that we’ve seen where these teams left off in 2024, let us preview where their players at different positions can either help or hurt your fantasy football teams in 2025!
Quarterback
Caleb Williams (FIF Consensus QB9)
It’s fair to say that Caleb Williams’ rookie campaign was pretty disappointing. Amongst the 47 quarterbacks with at least 100 plays last season, Williams ranked 35th in EPA/play, per SumerSports. His play resulted in a highly fluctuating fantasy season, finishing as the QB16 following nine performances finishing at QB20 or lower in weekly scoring.
The positive, however, is that things are looking up. First and foremost, new head coach Ben Johnson will bring a more coherent offensive strategy – as well as his creative play design. And while Williams deserves some of the blame, his offensive line did him little favors, giving up a league-high 68 sacks. With three new starters along the line, we should expect an increase from the 6.3 yards per attempt last season. We should expect a sizable leap in 2025.
Jared Goff (FIF Consensus QB17)
Goff enjoyed another stellar season in Detroit in 2024. The veteran threw for 4,629 yards and a career-high 37 touchdowns on his way to a top-ten finish. This included five weekly finishes at QB5 or better. The question now is, without Ben Johnson, can he repeat it?
Unfortunately, touchdown regression is almost sure to hit Goff. The former first overall pick had a touchdown percentage of 6.9%, the third-highest mark in the league last year, the highest of his career, and almost two percentage points higher than a year prior. On top of that, Goff is now going into the season without three-time All-Pro centre Frank Ragnow, who retired in early June. All signs point to Goff being closer to a solid QB2, rather than the recent QB1 seasons we have seen in recent years.
Jordan Love (FIF Consensus)
After surging down the stretch in 2023, eventually finishing as the QB5, high expectations were coming into last year. However, injuries and a run-heavy approach behind free agent signing Josh Jacobs stymied Love’s production, finishing with just shy of 3,400 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Now back healthy after his sprained MCL last season, there’s hope of a return to the previous highs. The lack of rushing work, however, is likely to continue to hold Love’s fantasy production back slightly – amassing only 330 rushing yards in total since he became the starter. I’m expecting an improvement on last year’s fantasy production, although repeating the 2023 stretch may be a little out of reach.
JJ McCarthy (FIF Consensus)
After missing the entirety of his rookie season, JJ McCarthy steps in as the clear starter in Minnesota. He enters a favorable environment with a good scheme, excellent weapons, and a decent offensive line. All quarterbacks will have ups and downs in their first season starting, and there’s no reason to expect anything else from the former Michigan quarterback. The ecosystem, however, should allow McCarthy to have some usable fantasy production.
Best Value at QB
If there’s only one quarterback I’m targeting from this group, it’s Caleb Williams. Current FantasyPros ECR places him at QB11, meaning he allows fantasy managers to take a high-upside swing at the position in the later rounds. Yes, this is a bet on Williams improving on last season. Still, it’s equally a bet on Ben Johnson providing an ecosystem that puts the Bears’ best offensive players in advantageous positions and allows Williams to showcase why the Bears took him first overall. I’m willing to largely write off his rookie season due to the offensive environment around him, knowing the opportunity cost is negligible.
Running Back
Jahmyr Gibbs (FIF Consensus RB2)
Gibbs improved on an impressive rookie season, finishing 2024 with 250 rushing attempts for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns, adding a further 517 yards and four touchdowns on 52 receptions (63 yards). All this while still splitting work. Montgomery’s absence in the final couple of weeks of the season gave us a glimpse into the sky-high potential Gibbs has with a slight increase in touches. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see that split start to move slightly in Gibb’s direction. And yet because of Gibbs’ explosiveness and efficiency, he continues to provide incredible upside for fantasy managers, even if we don’t end up seeing an increase in workload this year.
Josh Jacobs (FIF Consensus RB10)
Following his move to Wisconsin last offseason, Jacobs immediately hit the ground running, finishing as the RB6 in PPR scoring following a career-high 15 touchdowns. Jacobs saw consistent volume throughout the season, with at least 15 touches in all but one game, with plenty of work both on the ground and through the air.
Volume is likely to remain sky-high, although it is worth noting that second-year back Marshawn Lloyd has been getting some hype. The question is efficiency. With a healthy Jordan Love back in the fray and some inevitable touchdown regression coming, it would not be a surprise to see a slight dip in Jacobs’ fantasy production. He remains a relatively safe pick at his current ADP; don’t expect a repeat from last season.
Aaron Jones Sr. (FIF Consensus RB21)
After a down 2023, Jones enjoyed a bounce-back year after moving to Minnesota – hitting a career high in carries and rushing yards. Jones amassed over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns, finishing as the RB16. With Jones turning 31 later this year, the concern going into 2025 is both his age and whether the team will look to split work with free agent signing Jordan Mason. His efficiency has also, understandably, started to decline with Jones posting his lowest yards per attempt of his career last season. Jones is unlikely to deliver any high upside, since the backfield may be more of a committee approach this year.
David Montgomery (FIF Consensus RB23)
Montgomery has continued to carve out a significant role in the Lions’ offense, despite Gibbs’ production, averaging 15.8 touches per game last season. This, again, turned into RB2 numbers – producing 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns from his 185 rushing attempts and an additional 341 yards through the air on 36 receptions (38 targets). There are a few worries for me in 2025, however.
Firstly, there is the general uncertainty around the offense with the losses of both Ben Johnson and Frank Ragnow. On top of that, after Gibbs’ impressive season and with Montgomery now aged 28, it would not be a surprise to see a fall in touches. At his current ADP, I am looking to steer clear of Montgomery.
D’Andre Swift (FIF Consensus RB25)
Swift reunites with his old offensive coordinator and again looks to be the clear starter in the Chicago backfield. The Bears only added seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai to the running back room. Swift has shown a fair bit of inconsistency, failing to reach double-digit PPR points in all but seven games last season. He ended the year with a career high 253 rushing attempts, which resulted in 959 yards and six touchdowns, adding a further 386 yards through the air on 42 receptions.
The hope now is that the general improvement in the offense through Johnson’s arrival and improvement in Williams’ game should help improve Swift’s opportunities. Now being drafted as a low-end RB2, Swift possesses plenty of upside for fantasy managers in the middle rounds.
Jordan Mason (FIF Consensus RB41)
Mason’s move to Minnesota via trade, and a two-year deal with more than $7m in guarantee,s signals how highly the team views him. With CMC on the sidelines to start 2024, Mason demonstrated his potential with three top-12 finishes in the opening four games. In April O’Connell noted that Jones can be a “total game-changer every time he touches the ball” when he has been in a 1a/1b structure – showcasing how they view Mason. Going into 2025, we should expect a clear split in the workload between Jones and Mason. The new arrival in Minnesota looks to be undervalued in drafts this year and possesses huge upside.
Best Value at RB
In the same interview highlighted above, O’Connell stated that while the Vikings did explore options in the draft, Mason’s skill set was enough. O’Connell said, “We really felt what we were looking for was right before our very eyes”, highlighting Mason’s ability to get into space, his burst and exploding, and his pass-protection, meaning he has “every-down versatility”.
While we should always take what coaches say with a pinch of salt, the fact that the Vikings did not address the position in any other way showcases that they feel Mason is enough. The former 49ers back looks set to handle an increased workload, and with Jones now entering the twilight of his career, Mason has the opportunity to outperform his current ADP significantly.
Wide Receiver
Justin Jefferson (FIF Consensus WR2)
Any nervousness around Justin Jefferson with Sam Darnold under center quickly dissipated last season. JJ finished as the WR2 with 1,500 yards and a joint-career high ten touchdowns from his 154 targets and 103 receptions. Jefferson is one of the safest picks in fantasy after hitting at least 100 targets and 1,000 yards in each of his five seasons. So, despite an unproven quarterback in McCarthy starting this season, there should be no worries over Jefferson, who has shown himself to be ‘quarterback-proof’ so far. He remains a worthy top-5 pick.
Amon-Ra St.Brown (FIF Consensus WR6)
It was another stellar season for the Lions’ primary wide receiver, scoring a career-high 12 touchdowns. In total, he saw 141 targets, resulting in 115 receptions and 1,263 yards, finishing as WR3. St.Brown has now been in the top 10 in targets for three seasons in a row. In 2025, he is again likely to dominate target share – the question is whether the offense can withstand the loss of Ben Johnson. While Jameson Williams’ emergence may limit St.Brown’s upside a little, he remains an incredibly safe pick in fantasy again this year.
DJ Moore (FIF Consensus WR17)
Moore regressed after a career year in 2023, failing to reach the 1,000 receiving yard mark for only the third time in his career. In total, Moore saw 140 targets, which resulted in 98 receptions for 966 yards and six touchdowns, while his yards per route run hit a career low 1.44. With Ben Johnson calling plays, a bounceback looks to be on the cards, but whether he can return to 2023 levels is tough to call. With Odunze entering his second year, plus the introduction of rookies Burden and Loveland, there is much more competition. As the most expensive skill player, there may be a case to look elsewhere to get a piece of this offense in drafts.
Jameson Williams (FIF Consensus WR31)
Williams enjoyed his best year to date in 2024, eclipsing the 1,000 receiving yard mark from his 58 receptions and 91 targets. His yards per reception jumped to 17.3 while his yards per route run jumped to 2.1, per PFF. My concern with Williams is whether he can garner more opportunities in an offense with plenty of weapons. As discussed above, we should expect Goff’s touchdown rate to decrease – meaning it may be harder to rely on the boom weeks we saw from Williams last season. He presents fantasy managers with tremendous upside, but plenty of risk alongside it.
Rome Odunze (FIF Consensus WR32)
At a time when we’ve regularly seen rookie wide receivers hit the ground running, Odunze’s rookie campaign was undeniably disappointing. There were high hopes when the 9th pick in the NFL draft joined Caleb Williams last season, yet the offense cratered, leaving Odunze with just 54 receptions, 734 yards, and three touchdowns from his 101 targets. Yet there are plenty of reasons for optimism. As mentioned, Ben Johnson is likely to bring a coherent offensive strategy – making the most of his most skilled players. Odunze will be in a much more conducive environment to succeed and brings huge upside to fantasy managers this season at his cost.
Jordan Addison (FIF Consensus WR33)
Firstly, it is worth stating that I’m writing this section before knowing how Addison’s legal troubles will play out, and the suspension he may be looking at. Addison has now provided low WR2 output and plenty of upside in each of his first two years in the league, scoring a total of 19 touchdowns across that time. Across his 15 games last season, Addison finished with 99 targets, resulting in 63 receptions for 875 yards and nine touchdowns. The ranking at WR37, pushed down by the looming suspension and the fact he will be playing with an untested quarterback, appears low. Addison presents plenty of upside for those willing to take the risk.
Jayden Reed (FIF Consensus WR44)
After a stellar rookie season, there was hope of a true breakout campaign last season from Jayden Reed. However, the offense’s struggles and a lack of consistency held Reed back, finishing with 55 receptions, 857 yards, and six touchdowns from his 75 targets and a further 163 yards and a touchdown from 20 rushing attempts. With a plethora of mouths to feed, Reed scored fewer than 10 PPR points in seven games last season. The issue is that given the number of weapons, Reed is likely to struggle to garner a significant enough target share, which means we’ll need to continue to rely on him being hyper-efficient with his touches.
Matthew Golden (FIF Consensus WR54)
Green Bay surprised us all with the selection of Matthew Golden in the first round of the NFL draft earlier this year. The move demonstrated the team’s desire to have a clear number one option for Jordan Love. In a similar vein to Reed, there is likely to be inconsistency with Golden’s fantasy production, with plenty of huge plays and spike weeks sprinkled in. And although there are plenty of weapons to feed, there are clear opportunities for someone to emerge – who’s to say it can’t be Golden? The rookie is someone I’m willing to take a risk on in the later rounds of my drafts.
Best Value at Wide Receiver
In a similar vein to Caleb Williams, I’m willing to look past Odunze’s rookie campaign and invest in a key piece of a Ben Johnson offense. While the offense as a whole should get better, Odunze should also improve with another off-season together with Caleb Williams, and there are now around 15 wide receivers in ADP between Moore and Odunze. In the middle and later rounds of drafts, we should always look to bet on upside and always bet on talent. At WR37 in FantasyPros PPR ECR, Odunze should be a clear target in drafts.
Tight End
Sam LaPorta (FIF Consensus TE4)
Coming into his second season, there was plenty of hope LaPorta would build on his stellar rookie campaign. LaPorta, however, struggled with injury for much of the season before exploding down the stretch. Before week 13, he had hit double-digit PPR points just three times – a feat he then hit in each of his last five games. The big issue was targets, which reduced from 120 in 2023 to 83 last year. Yet the improvement in the back half of the year, and the fact that he is returning to full fitness, gives me optimism. LaPorta is worth drafting aggressively, and it would not be a surprise to see a big bounce-back campaign from LaPorta in his third season.
TJ Hockenson (FIF Consensus TE5)
After returning from injury halfway through last season, Hockenson had a solid, if unspectacular campaign. The veteran failed to score a touchdown in any of his nine games during the fantasy season, only reaching 50 receiving yards four times. With further time removed from his knee injury towards the end of the 2023 season, there should be natural improvement, but significant questions remain. He, firstly, continues to compete with Jefferson and Addison for targets, while there remains heightened uncertainty over how McCarthy will perform as the team’s starter. At his current ADP, Hockenson is someone I’m avoiding in drafts this year.
Tucker Kraft (FIF Consensus TE14)
Luke Musgrave’s injury-riddled season allowed Tucker Kraft to cement himself as the Packers’ TE1 in 2024. Kraft’s role and efficiency both grew, ending the year with 70 targets, 50 receptions, 707 yards, and seven touchdowns. Kraft ranked fourth in targets for the Packers, only six behind the leader Dontayvion Wicks. The fact that the leader in targets for the Packers had only 76 showcases the clear opportunities for the team’s young weapons. I’m expecting to see another steady uptick in fantasy production from Kraft in 2025.
Colston Loveland (FIF Consensus TE20)
The fact that Loveland was the first tight end off the board in the NFL draft this year, into a Ben Johnson offense, should fill us with plenty of hope. The number 10 pick in the draft has already received some rave reviews from the first few days of camp. It’s essential, however, not to get too ahead of ourselves. Rookie tight ends have been much more viable options for fantasy in the last couple of years, but it’s not something we should expect. Loveland may see some spike weeks, but consistency may be tough with the number of viable weapons now in Chicago.
Best Value at Tight End
With no clear hierarchy, there are huge opportunities for the Packers’ skill position players this season. Going into his third season, Kraft is well placed to take another step forward. During the first week of training camp, Le Fleur said that Kraft was “just scratching the surface of what he’s going to become”. With Jordan Love back to full health and further improvement from Kraft, the tight end may be in line for a nice bump in targets. Kraft is a worthy late-round selection.
Thanks for taking the time to read the FANTASY IN FRAMES’ 2025 NFC NORTH DIVISIONAL PREVIEW! You can follow me at @JKlonowskiNFL on Twitter/X. Feel free to reach out for any fantasy football questions you might have!
***For more 2025 Fantasy Football Divisional Previews, click here.***