All 32 NFL teams are preparing to open their training camps in preparation for the 2025 season. This means fantasy football drafts are on the horizon.
The team at USA TODAY Sports is conducting a virtual tour of each division in preparation for the upcoming draft season. This will highlight the most critical issues or questions that impact fantasy football for every team.
While mock drafts are a helpful tool this time of year, sometimes gathering information on position battles and depth charts can be just as useful.
Whether it’s a new arrival or departure that opens the door for an important position battle or a potential breakout, we have the fantasy insights to help shape your draft strategy.
It’s never too early to start preparing for the fantasy football season. In this edition, we take a closer look at the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
Will Todd Monken and the offense begin to lean on Isaiah Likely over Mark Andrews?
Tight end Mark Andrews has been a fantasy stalwart for seven seasons, but fantasy owners will remember his slow start and gut-wrenching finish in 2024.
He has been a consensus top-5 tight end for the last six seasons but finds himself ranked ninth overall at the position. This could be due to the emergence of Isaiah Likely, who posted career-highs across the board in 2024. Andrews, who will be 30 this season, saw his yards per route run drop for the third consecutive year.
Likely is just 25 years old and averaged 6.1 yards after the catch (tied for sixth among TEs) compared to Andrews’ 3.7, which was tied for 41st. Likely amassed 111 yards on nine catches and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Chiefs last year, displaying his abilities, but Todd Monken’s offense still featured Andrews as the season progressed.
While speaking to the media at OTAs, head coach John Harbaugh said he’s setting a goal for Likely to be an All-Pro by the end of the 2025 season.
‘I want to see [Likely] be an All-Pro. That would be my goal for him, and he’s capable of it.’
A strong connection was established with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, as he posted a 131.2 passer rating when targeting Likely in 2024. There is legitimate TE1 upside if Andrews were to be phased out or even traded.
Top players (Fantasy Pros ADP)
Derrick Henry (RB7, overall: 21)
Lamar Jackson (QB2, overall: 25)
Zay Flowers (WR25, overall: 50)
Mark Andrews (TE9, overall: 90)
Rashod Bateman (WR57, overall: 62)
Isaiah Likely (TE22)
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Will DK Metcalf deliver a top-10 finish among WRs?
In 2024, Garrett Wilson finished as WR10 in PPR (points per reception) formats, and Davante Adams was on pace for a top-10 finish at the position, posting 854 yards and seven TDs in just 11 games alongside Aaron Rodgers in New York.
Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf in a trade from Seattle earlier in the offseason and is poised to receive the lion’s share of targets in the new-look Steelers offense.
Metcalf leads the NFL with 96 end-zone targets since entering the league and brings rare physical traits to the field.
He’s finished between 967 and 1,114 yards in the past four seasons. His best season was in 2020, when he finished as the 10th overall wide receiver in fantasy points per game. He hasn’t demanded an elite target share, but perhaps Rodgers can unlock some of the promise he displayed during the 2020 season.
Adams and Rodgers had one of the best connections in NFL history. In 2020, Adams led the league with 18 touchdowns and 98.1 receiving yards per game in arguably the best season of the pairing. It’s unlikely Metcalf can replicate those numbers in the Steelers’ run-first environment, but he’s capable of finishing inside the top 10 at the position.
They’ll have a full training camp to get on the same page. As things currently stand, there’s little target competition in the receiver room. George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys. Calvin Austin, Robert Woods and Roman Wilson will compete for snaps and targets but the Steelers lack a true No. 2 option. They may add another veteran to the room as the offseason progresses but Metcalf is primed for the highest target share of his career.
Top players (Fantasy Pros ADP)
DK Metcalf (WR24, overall: 47)
Kaleb Johnson (RB28, overall: 81)
Jaylen Warren (RB30, overall: 87)
Jonnu Smith (TE15)
Pat Freiermuth (TE20)
Aaron Rodgers (QB28)
Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
Is Chase Brown a breakout candidate?
Everyone is aware of Bengals’ receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but Chase Brown is a sneaky option in the offense who burst onto the scene in the second half of 2024. He’s currently being drafted as the ninth overall running back and could be a massive steal in drafts.
Cincinnati’s offense is set up to score points at a high clip again (27.8 points per game in 2024) with Joe Burrow leading the way. All of those points can’t come through the air.
Brown took on a massive role, playing an elite 85% of snaps from Week 9 on and averaged 20.6 fantasy points per game (RB4 in PPR in that span). In his last eight games, Brown averaged 116.25 scrimmage yards, projecting to 1,976 over 17 games, which would have ranked third in the NFL last year.
The Bengals have veterans Zack Moss and Samaje Perine, but it’s more likely they fill a change-of-pace back role. Cincinnati drafted sixth-rounder Tahj Brooks, signaling they are expecting Brown to carry the load in 2025.
Brown has the pedigree to be an elite back. He led all RBs in the vertical jump, broad jump and bench press at the 2023 NFL Combine. He’s at a prime age (25) at the RB position and even displayed elite receiving abilities (54 receptions on 65 targets) in 2024.
Top players (Fantasy Pros ADP)
Ja’Marr Chase (WR1, overall: 1)
Tee Higgins (WR14, overall: 24)
Chase Brown (RB9, overall: 29)
Joe Burrow (QB5, overall: 48)
Mike Gesicki (TE21)
Cleveland Browns (3-14)
Does it matter who’s playing QB for Jerry Jeudy?
The Browns’ offense has question marks all over it. There’s a massive quarterback competition heading into training camp between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Cleveland’s second-round pick, running back Quinshon Judkins was arrested on July 12. The receiver room consists of Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and much-maligned Diontae Johnson.
The lack of depth at receiver is concerning, but this means the door is wide open again for Jeudy to build off of his 2024 success (WR12 in PPR). The uncertainty at QB is leading Jeudy to fall in drafts.
Jeudy posted 1,229 receiving yards last year and after Cleveland traded Amari Cooper in Week 7, he had 981 of those yards on 109 targets in 11 games. The Browns are expected to play from behind often, which will lead to more passing opportunities, as the game script suggests when trailing. Volume is king and Jeudy is set up for another massive target share in 2025 (145 targets – seventh among WRs in 2024).
Top players (Fantasy Pros ADP)
Jerry Jeudy (WR33, overall: 67)
Quinshon Judkins (RB29, overall: 83)
David Njoku (TE8, overall: 86)
Cedric Tillman (WR56)