Fortune favors the bold. While it’s hard to predict the upcoming season, don’t spend too much time waffling on whether players will break out or not. Luck favors the prepared, and in fantasy football, you can’t predict with 100% certainty, but you can be as prepared as possible.
If you’re looking for someone to convince you, here are three bold predictions I’m taking into my drafts.
Can You Draft and Stack Any Combination of Raiders This Season?
It’s going to feel strange, but have faith. The Raiders have not been a shining beacon of fantasy success over the last 10 to 20 years. But in 2025, there’s a new head coach, a new quarterback, and even a new part-owner. Don’t fret about taking any combination of the draftable Las Vegas prospects.
I realized this in a recent mock draft when I came away with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers at the turn without hesitation. This offense isn’t loaded at any one position, but it has a fantasy-relevant QB, RB, TE, and WR that you can stack together. One of my favorite sleepers, Jakobi Meyers, is such a value that it doesn’t hurt to take him even if you already grabbed Jeanty and Bowers earlier.
If you’re drafting those guys, you may as well take Geno Smith late, too. His ADP around QB26 is shocking, just ahead of Anthony Richardson and Aaron Rodgers. Yes, he has burned people the last couple of years if drafted highly, but his upside as a top-10 fantasy QB, like he was in 2022, still exists.
This offensive line should be at least slightly improved from last season, and the gravity of Bowers and Jeanty should open up plenty of space for each to operate. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is an exciting addition in his second NFL stint. While he won’t run the insane tempo he once was known for, I’d still expect a quicker pace of play and the best setup for Smith since his days with Dave Canales.
Finally, the defense will likely be terrible. Pete Carroll hasn’t had his magic touch for defense in some time, and Patrick Graham returns as coordinator. He’s a good coach, but this unit lacks investment, with most of the offseason focused on offense: Smith, Jeanty, Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton, and two third-round linemen.
I’m betting big on the Raiders in 2025 fantasy. If I come out of a draft with Smith, Jeanty, Bowers, and Meyers, I won’t have much regret until their Week 8 bye.
Should You Draft Both RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins Together?
I cannot understate how bad the Denver Broncos’ running backs were last year. Sean Payton knows how to get the best out of his skill players, but this rotation simply could not get it done. Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for 1,009 yards on 252 attempts with five touchdowns, effectively sinking the run game.
Dobbins nearly matched that on his own — 905 yards on 195 carries, in just 13 games. The Chargers wanted to run heavily, but abandoned that after Dobbins’ injury because he wasn’t effective enough. He lacked explosiveness, which is why pairing him with Harvey makes sense. They have different skill sets and can complement each other.
The Broncos’ offensive line is elite, which makes last year’s struggles even sadder. Their offense ranked 10th in scoring despite being 17th in rushing, and that was inflated by Bo Nix’s 430 yards, eighth among QBs. All of this to say, the opportunity for both Dobbins and Harvey is excellent.
last year, the Denver Broncos had the NFL’s #1 ranked blocking offensive line:
#1 in run block win rate (ESPN)
#1 in pass block win rate (ESPN)on non-Javonte Williams runs, they ranked:
#1 in short yardage conversion rate
#3 in 3+ yards before contact rate
#5 in yards before… pic.twitter.com/OBiZxekPm2— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 11, 2025
Harvey at RB21 is appealing because of his big-play ability, something Denver lacked last year. He has a safe floor in receiving work, plus the upside of explosive plays.
Dobbins at RB41, though, is the real value. The veteran doesn’t turn 27 until late in the season and was efficient behind a worse Chargers line. With Harvey’s small stature limiting him as a pass protector, Dobbins could get the bulk of early work and the goal-line role. Broncos RBs scored just seven touchdowns last year, a number that could rise with this new backfield.
Most importantly, Payton loves targeting his backs. Williams had 70 targets last year, second most on the team, and Denver RBs combined for 107 total. Both Harvey and Dobbins could turn those into real production.
The savvy play is to bet on Dobbins early and Harvey late, but I believe you can draft both and even start them in a pinch. Ideally, one emerges as the clear starter, but I’m not shying away from either.
Bengals About To Light It Up Like 2013 Broncos?
No one is doubting the Bengals. Joe Burrow is being drafted around QB4-5, and Tee Higgins is slipping to the mid-third round. The offense is stacked and the defense is bad — a perfect recipe for fantasy. I’ll go a step further: this offense will rival the 2013 Denver Broncos statistically.
Burrow is the closest thing we’ve seen to Peyton Manning in some time. Their styles are similar: hyper-accurate processors who spread the ball around. Burrow threw for 4,900 yards and 43 touchdowns last season, already close to Manning’s 2013 marks.
Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins can exceed the production of Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. Jermaine Burton could fill a Wes Welker-like role if he keeps focused, and Mike Gesicki fits as a Julius Thomas-style receiving tight end.
Even Chase Brown is a strong parallel to Knowshon Moreno. Moreno ran for 1,038 yards in 2013 and added 60 receptions for 548 yards. Brown last year: 990 rushing yards, 54 receptions, 360 yards receiving.
The similarities go deeper. The 2013 Broncos lacked a strong offensive line after losing All-Pro LT Ryan Clady, but Manning neutralized defenses with his quick processing. Likewise, Cincinnati’s line is not elite, but Burrow can operate the same way with enough weapons to score at will.
The 2013 Broncos defense ranked 22nd in scoring, partly from a lack of talent, partly from opponents constantly passing. If the 2025 Bengals can even reach that level, it would be a huge improvement. Either way, this team will win or lose by scoring as much as possible.
Grab as many pieces of this offense as you can.
