Drake Maye’s Fantasy Football Team Needs Receivers Following Free Agency

Most of the main dominoes have fallen in free agency at this time, but NFL teams of all sizes still have plenty of roster openings to fill before the 2025 season begins.

In the spirit of determining what each club still need ahead of the draft, let’s break down the most pressing fantasy-relevant team requirements around the league!

As always, this is a wonderful day to be awesome.

Quarterback
Four clubs do not appear to have their Week 1 starters on the roster at the moment:

The Pittsburgh Steelers currently employ just Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.

Cleveland Browns: Looks like he’ll be riding with Kenny Pickett as Deshaun Watson recovers from an Achilles injury.

Tennessee Titans: Will Levis is the starter, but this might change with the first pick in the draft.

New York Giants: Tommy DeVito is currently the final one standing.
Of course, among of the most well-known remaining free agents are at quarterback: Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson appear to be the front-runners for two of these starting spots, with Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, and Carson Wentz serving as preferred consolation prizes. There is also ongoing speculation that Kirk Cousins may be dealt at some point.

Still, it appears like rookie quarterbacks will be able to compete for these positions sooner rather than later. Fantasy Life’s Thor Nystrom ranks the incoming class as…

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado’s quarterback (compare to Drew Brees).
Cam Ward, Miami’s quarterback (comparable to Jordan Love)
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart (Comp: Gardner Minshew)
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (Comp: Malik Willis)
Kyle McCord, Syracuse quarterback (comparable to Kirk Cousins)
Running Back
It would be very surprising if any of the following four offenses did not make a strong effort to add a starting-caliber talent at the position by April:

Denver Broncos: Didn’t bother bringing back Javonte Williams, leaving Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime as Sean Payton’s current leading candidates.

Raheem Mostert, a free agency signee, joins an uninspiring roster that includes Zamir White, Sincere McCormick, and Dylan Laube.

Dallas Cowboys: Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders’ small one-year contracts should not prohibit the Cowboys from adding to their backfield early in the draft (maybe even in the first round!).

Cleveland Browns have not re-signed Nick Chubb or D’Onta Foreman, leaving Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as the sole running backs on the roster for the time being.
While the aforementioned clubs are the front-runners to spend some of their surplus draft cash on the position, the depth of this incoming rookie class may result in increased competition in apparently stable backfields. Several possible surprise candidates:

Bills: What if they don’t want to give James Cook the type of extension he wants?

Dolphins: Does Miami really want to give pint-sized speedster De’Von Achane more than 280 touches each year?

Steelers: While Jaylen Warren RB1 szn would be borderline sexy, does Pittsburgh still want to make a more substantial attempt to replace Najee Harris?

Bengals: Chase Brown is now the clear-cut starter, but Zack Moss (neck) is a cut candidate, so may additional investments be on the way beyond merely bringing back old pal Samaje Perine?

49ers: Jordan Mason (traded to Minnesota) and Elijah Mitchell (signed with the Chiefs) are no longer in the picture. Do you really believe Kyle Shanahan wants to lose out on this RB class?
Hell, new coaching staffs in New Orleans, Chicago, Jacksonville, and New England may want to change up their present choices at the position. Among all fantasy-relevant positions, running back appears to be the least set in stone heading into draft season.

Wide Receiver
Every club could benefit from more depth at wide receiver, but the three offenses listed below might look to acquire a legitimate No. 1 option with the goal of leading the team in targets. As a result, it would make sense for them to attempt to fill the post sooner rather than later in April.

New England Patriots: With all due respect to famed soup and shoe critic Mack Hollins: Much more firepower is required within a passing game that ranked 31st in average “Open Score” and dead last in receiving yards (1,723) last season.

Carolina Panthers: The current combination of Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coker isn’t inherently horrible, but it’s possible that someone like Tet McMillan or Matthew Golden could come in and battle to be the genuine alpha from the start.

Green Bay Packers’ RB Josh Jacobs has spoken out in favor of a proven No. 1 wide receiver, Christian Watson (knee) is a PUP possibility, and the WR room is expected to make the fourth-lowest amount of money in the league in 2025.
Additional teams (Chargers, Broncos, Jets, Browns, Titans, and Cowboys) might potentially add a WR with the possibility to serve as the No. 2 option behind their current alpha.

Even the Bills, Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Commanders, Vikings, Bears, Falcons, Saints, Cardinals, and Raiders may try to add at the position, despite already having two top-tier pass-catchers and/or having done so during free agency.

Tight End
Seven distinct incoming rookies have a current consensus mock draft ranking among the top 105 overall players. That is a lot! As a result, there’s a good probability that a few clubs will make a splash at the position on the first or second day of the selection.

The next four teams all have bottom-12 TE rooms in terms of 2025 expenditure and look like the most fantasy-friendly probable landing locations, at least in terms of target upside.

New York Jets: They currently have Jeremy Ruckert and Stone Smartt as their top two choices, with 2022-24 starter Tyler Conklin still available in free agency. Matthew Freedman’s most recent mock draft has star Penn State TE Tyler Warren as their savior.

Indianapolis Colts: Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson have yet to be re-signed, and it is doubtful that the Colts will start next season with a three-deep of Drew Ogletree, Jelani Woods, and Will Mallory.

Los Angeles Chargers: Will Dissly, the team’s top-2024 target, has returned, but Hayden Hurst remains a free agency, and Stone Smartt has signed with the Jets. It’s easy to picture Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh pursuing excellent TE Colston Loveland at pick 22.

The New York Giants are currently fielding previous fourth-round picks Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger. The previous emerging second-year star has the athleticism to keep betting on, but more firepower is still required in the aftermath of the Darren Waller “era”.
More teams, such as the Jaguars, Titans, and Panthers, don’t have the type of depth charts that would surprise you if they used a day two choice on the position. There have also been trade rumors concerning Eagles TE Dallas Goedert and Ravens TE Mark Andrews, which might force both teams to dip their toes into the position’s early-round waters—though Baltimore may do so to a lesser level due to the availability of Isaiah Likely.

Keep up to current on any more free agency news by using the Fantasy Life free agency tracker! What about the other options? Just have a fantastic cooking day. Why not!