First, we hope your Labor Day weekend is safe and enjoyable! Get outside and enjoy the last remnants of summer. It will be Fall before you know it!
The NFL season is less than a week away and we'll be winding down our 2025 fantasy football draft rankings and turning our attention to Week 1. Using our Movers and Shakers application, we're taking a look at players that have shot up or down over the past two weeks. If you're still drafting, these could be players to keep an eye on.
Quarterbacks
Daniel Jones, IND 41.5 spots
Daniel Jones has secured the starting quarterback role for the Indianapolis Colts, edging out Anthony Richardson after a strong preseason showing - a decision confirmed by coach Shane Steichen. In typical single-QB leagues, he remains a deep-leverage option: while his rushing ability adds fantasy appeal, he remains a fringe QB2 or late-round sleeper - particularly in Superflex formats. He's moved up our ranks 41 spots over the past two weeks. Our consensus projections haven't changed much for him though suggesting a steady but unspectacular fantasy ceiling.
Spencer Rattler, NO 34.2 spots
Spencer Rattler has officially been named the Saints' Week 1 starter under new head coach Kellen Moore, but his fantasy outlook remains shaky at best. A fifth-round pick in 2024, Rattler struggled as a rookie, completing just 57% of his passes for 1,317 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions across seven appearances, while adding 146 rushing yards on 18 carries. Despite beating out his limited competition in camp, his inefficiency suggests limited upside. Rattler is unlikely to be on the radar for many fantasy managers, though managers in Superflex or two-quarterback leagues might consider him a low-end flier given the opportunity for volume.
Joe Flacco, CLE 25.7 spots
Joe Flacco has reclaimed the Browns' starting quarterback job for Week 1 after outlasting Kenny Pickett and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in camp, but his fantasy value comes with caveats. Now 40 years old, Flacco remains a non-factor as a rusher, yet he proved in 2023–24 that he can still deliver through the air, averaging 16.7 fantasy points per game across 12 appearances with Cleveland and Indianapolis and tossing multiple touchdowns in 10 of those outings. That consistency makes him an appealing depth piece in Superflex or two-quarterback formats, particularly for managers invested in Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, or David Njoku. Still, with younger options waiting in the wings and a lengthy history of limited durability, Flacco is unlikely to provide long-term stability but could certainly fill in for your bye weeks.
Running Backs
Dameon Pierce, HOU 44.7 spots
This one is all about availability. With Joe Mixon set to miss multiple weeks, Nick Chubb steps up into the lead role of this backfield. Dameon Pierce is a viable backup for him and has been splitting first-team reps with Chubb. Pierce may be viable for NFL purposes, but he remains off the radar for fantasy purposes outside of the deepest of leagues.
Austin Ekeler, WAS 29.5 spots
Austin Ekeler is being drafted at a discounted ADP, but he still offers intriguing fantasy value in Washington's emerging offense. At 30 years old, his days as a top-tier RB1 are likely behind him, yet he proved last season that he can still contribute when healthy, scoring double-digit PPR points in eight of 12 outings and finishing as the RB31 in points per game. His best stretch came when Brian Robinson Jr. was sidelined, as Ekeler tallied 134 total yards and three touchdowns over those two games. While rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt may carve out an early-down role alongside Robinson, Ekeler's pass-catching ability and red-zone usage should keep him relevant as a later-round value pick.
Isaac Guerendo, SF -62.7 spots
You can sum up Guerendo's decline with just two words: Brian Robinson. Isaac Guerendo entered 2025 looking like one of the most appealing handcuff running backs in fantasy, projected to back up the injury-prone Christian McCaffrey after the star destroyed fantasy seasons in 2024. However, San Francisco's late-August trade for former Commander Brian Robinson Jr. has clouded Guerendo's outlook. The rookie did flash upside in limited action last year, racking up 203 total yards and two scores across his first two starts in Weeks 14 and 15, but with Robinson now in the mix, Guerendo's path to meaningful touches has narrowed significantly, leaving him with minimal redraft value this season.
Wide Receivers
Jalen Coker, CAR 68.2 spots
Jalen Coker quickly carved out a role in Carolina's offense last season after joining the team as an undrafted free agent, proving himself as a reliable option for Bryce Young. In six games where he logged at least 68% of the snaps, Coker produced strong underlying metrics, including an 18.3% target share, 55.7 yards per game, 1.89 yards per route run, and a 23.8% first-read share, leading to three top-36 fantasy finishes and an average of 11.4 PPR points per game. With Adam Thielen gone, Coker has a clear path to a starting role and could realistically emerge as Carolina's WR2 behind Tetairoa McMillan once healthy. A quad injury landed him on short-term IR to start the year, delaying his impact, but he remains a high-upside late-round stash who could develop into a steady WR3/flex play in his second season.
Tim Patrick, JAC -163.9 spots
The Jaguars have added veteran wideout Tim Patrick in a trade with the Lions, sending a sixth-round pick to Detroit in return. While Patrick has been a dependable presence throughout his career, he's unlikely to command a major role in Jacksonville's passing attack. Instead, he'll serve as a depth option for Trevor Lawrence and provide the Jaguars with a reliable insurance piece should injuries strike their receiving corps.
Adam Thielen, MIN -31.7 spots
Adam Thielen showed in 2024 that he's far from finished, delivering steady production whenever he saw significant playing time. In nine games with at least a 58% snap share, he commanded a 19.7% target share, averaged 63.9 yards per game, and posted efficient metrics such as 2.08 yards per route run and a 25.8% first-read rate. From Weeks 12–18, as Bryce Young found his rhythm, Thielen ranked as the WR21 in fantasy points per game, highlighting his continued relevance. Advanced data backs it up too - he finished 26th in separation and 53rd in route win rate among 112 receivers. Now back in Minnesota, his overall ceiling is lower as the likely third or fourth option in the passing game, but he carries short-term value. With Jordan Addison sidelined to start the year, Thielen projects as a useful flex fill-in, especially for managers rostering Addison or Rashee Rice, and he should settle into a reliable depth piece and bye-week streamer once the Vikings are at full strength.
Brandin Cooks, NO -54.4 spots
Brandin Cooks enters the 2025 season with limited fantasy appeal, carrying a late-round ADP near pick 308 and projecting more as a deep-league stash than a reliable starter. Now with the Saints, he could benefit from a thin target landscape, but questions at quarterback and his noticeable decline in production last year make him a risky bet. At this stage, Cooks profiles more as a depth piece for fantasy benches than someone to count on for weekly value.
Tight Ends
Tyler Warren, IND 13.4 spots
Tyler Warren has risen a full round in most drafts over the past two weeks. He put together a monster season at Penn State in 2024, hauling in 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns while also showcasing rare toughness after the catch, drawing comparisons to George Kittle with his aggressive style. The Colts selected him 14th overall in the draft, though the fit raises concerns given the team's unsettled quarterback situation. Warren's versatility could still help his fantasy stock - he chipped in 218 rushing yards and four scores on the ground last year - but managers should keep expectations in check for his rookie campaign despite his impressive college resume.
Brenton Strange, JAC 10.7 spots
With Evan Engram departing Jacksonville for Denver in free agency, Brenton Strange now takes over as the Jaguars' top tight end. The former second-round pick produced 40 catches for 411 yards and two scores last season, and he showed promise when given extra opportunities - averaging 3.6 receptions and 34.4 yards across eight games without Engram. At just 24 years old, Strange is positioned for a bigger role in the passing attack, making him a sneaky sleeper candidate at the tight end position for 2025.
Cade Otton, TB -12.8 spots
Cade Otton has dropped a full round in drafts over the past two weeks. He flashed upside in 2024 when injuries struck Tampa Bay's receiving corps, stepping up after Mike Evans and Chris Godwin went down in Week 7. Over the next four games, he delivered 30 receptions on 39 targets for 293 yards and three touchdowns. Outside of that stretch, however, he managed just 29 catches for 307 yards and one score across 10 other outings. Now 26, Otton faces an uphill battle for consistent fantasy relevance with Evans healthy, Chris Godwin (somewhat) back, and rookie first-rounder Emeka Egbuka added to the mix. To make matters tougher, he's dealing with a leg injury that could cost him time early in the season.
Pat Freiermuth, PIT -8.4 spots
Pat Freiermuth is coming off a solid 2024 campaign in which he hauled in 65 passes for 653 yards and seven touchdowns, finishing as the TE10 in half-PPR formats. However, his 2025 outlook is clouded by Pittsburgh's late-June trade for Jonnu Smith, who arrives from Miami after a productive season of his own. With Arthur Smith taking over as offensive coordinator - a coach known for featuring tight ends but also favoring multi-TE sets - Freiermuth's target share could be squeezed. While the Steelers lack proven depth at wide receiver outside of new addition D.K. Metcalf, the presence of Jonnu Smith makes Freiermuth's path to another strong fantasy finish less secure.
