Congratulations to @taylorswift13 and @tkelce on their engagement! pic.twitter.com/78we303YZM
— NHL (@NHL) August 26, 2025
I wanna be your end game ?
Congratulations to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on their engagement! pic.twitter.com/L1gjkO5MoI
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2025
NHL teams join in congratulating Tayvis
looks like we’re not the only ones getting a ring this year ? pic.twitter.com/lHb1N41KwS
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) August 26, 2025
Man in Ducks hat gets engaged. Happy for you, Taylor and Travis ?
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) August 26, 2025
Congrats to Taylor and Travis on their engagement! ? @taylorswift13 @tkelce if you’re looking for a place to celebrate, we throw the best parties here in Smashville! ?
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) August 26, 2025
“Did you hear Tay-…” pic.twitter.com/99JUQksIow
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 26, 2025
Vegas wedding??? ? @tkelce @taylorswift13
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 26, 2025
NBA teams enter the chat
Alright nah ? pic.twitter.com/haF09lGMRs
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 26, 2025
all of us rn pic.twitter.com/WsPNI9Pwtq
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 26, 2025
#it happened
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) August 26, 2025
Days since Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got engaged: 0
Days until The Life of a Showgirl drops: 37
Days until Celtics basketball: 56
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 26, 2025
Kneeled to the ground and pulled out a ring and said… ?? pic.twitter.com/MqxkdFbCtf
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 26, 2025
MLB teams took time out of their schedule release day
Thanks a lot, Taylor Swift. Now no one cares that next year’s schedule is out.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/77SMUdbrl8
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 26, 2025
We heard Taylor Swift is trending…
Seems like a good time to bring this back ? pic.twitter.com/7o4mTVF8H5
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 26, 2025
did someone say Travis and Taylor were trending??? pic.twitter.com/Ue9HJLAUo6
Each year, we at ESPN Fantasy endeavor to help with your fantasy football draft prep, including sleepers lists and cheat sheets. In this column, you will get the best of both worlds, as ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter offers his personal list of early-, mid- and late-round targets in 2025 fantasy leagues.
Below are some players who could be fantasy standouts this season and outperform their current average draft position (ADP). If given a choice at certain junctures in the draft, or in tiebreaker situations, these are players who will receive strong consideration.
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For context, I am in a 12-team league, in which some of these players will not need to be drafted, and a 16-team league, in which some of them might be more valuable. As always, consider the size of your league and your scoring system in any player evaluation, but I believe the players below hold strong value relative to their ADPs and are poised to have productive seasons.
I hope this list is helpful. Good luck this season!
Quarterback
Just as the NFL has elite quarterbacks, so does fantasy. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow have racked up huge numbers for their teams and fantasy managers, but there is plenty of depth this year, and quality quarterbacks can be found in later rounds, if you choose to wait at the position.
Early rounds
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: Coach John Harbaugh believes Jackson is one of the best passers — yes, passers — in NFL history. But Jackson’s running makes him one of the best fantasy quarterbacks in history.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: In the past year, Allen has won an MVP, gotten married and restructured his contract as he looks to duplicate — and even improve upon — his incredible 2024 season.
Middle rounds
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: From the time he turned up in Tampa, Mayfield has exceeded expectations while the Buccaneers have assembled potent offensive options.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos: Nix is a better dual threat than people realize, and can rack up fantasy points with his legs as much as his arm.
Late rounds
Drake Maye, New England Patriots: A bigger version of Bo Nix, in the junior mold of Josh Allen, Maye can score points in the air or on the ground.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons: In his brief stint at the end of last season, Penix proved he belongs. He is the Falcons’ quarterback of the future and will be a fantasy fixture.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: Under new coach Liam Coen, Lawrence has been put in a position to achieve his potential.
Running back
A case can be made to draft either Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 1 pick this season. Coming off a deep running back draft in April, this crop of running backs has been elevated by a number of rookies who have a chance to make meaningful fantasy contributions this season.
Early rounds
Bijan Robinson, Falcons: He would be my No. 1 pick this year.
Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: Gibbs might just be the most dynamic offensive player in the NFL, not to mention a touchdown machine.
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals: On a team that could be involved in high-scoring affairs, Brown can catch as effectively as he runs.
Bucky Irving, Buccaneers: Irving emerged in his rookie year and seized control of the Buccaneers’ No. 1 running back spot.
Middle rounds
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Field Yates: Fantasy managers are likely overlooking Isiah Pacheco
Field Yates explains why Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is likely being undervalued in drafts.
Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers: Few coaches love to run the football as much as Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman, and Hampton is expected to be the lead back.
TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots: Demonstrated speed, elusiveness and big-play ability this preseason and will be used in conjunction with Rhamondre Stevenson.
RJ Harvey, Broncos: Rookie running backs sometimes are brought along slowly in Sean Payton’s offense, but as the season progresses, so should Harvey.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs: An injury derailed a strong start to his 2024 season. Pacheco is healthy this year.
Late rounds
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders: There has been an inordinate amount of hype surrounding this seventh-round pick.
Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns: Cleveland needs, and is expected to have, one of its rookie running backs to be a factor.
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals: It’s time for last year’s third-round draft pick to show he has a place in Arizona’s offense.
Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys: Blue has elite elusiveness and is expected to be a third-down factor.
Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars: The rookie will likely contribute early and be consistent this season. He has too much speed not to.
Will Shipley, Philadelphia Eagles: Shipley is solid insurance for managers who roster running back Saquon Barkley.
Wide receiver
With the NFL’s reliance on the passing game, so many receivers have been developed that this could be the deepest group of wideouts in fantasy history. Catching contributors are available at all levels of the draft, but especially up high.
Early rounds
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals: There is no contract drama this year, and the connection he has with Burrow is next level.
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings: A three-game suspension dings his value, but once he returns, he is expected to be a force.
Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers: Like Pearsall, injuries have impacted the Packers’ wide receivers. Someone has to produce, and their first-round pick is as good a bet as any.
Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers: The team has been pleased and impressed with how its first-round pick has looked in camp.
Keon Coleman, Bills: Coleman has looked good during training camp, like he’s ready to make a second-year jump.
Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos: He began to emerge last season and it should continue this season.
DeMario Douglas, Patriots: New England needs its receivers to step up, and Douglas did at camp.
Dyami Brown, Jaguars: Follow the money. The Jaguars paid him about $10 million per year as a free agent.
Jaylin Noel, Texans: With Tank Dell out indefinitely, Houston needs the type of big plays that Noel can provide.
Troy Franklin, Broncos: The Broncos have a lot of wide receivers, but Franklin — who played with Nix in college — is capable of making plays.
Tight end
This is a top-heavy position, with Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle being the headliners. Once it gets past them, there is uncertainty and some risk.
Early rounds
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: Last year’s first-round pick looked like a star in his rookie season in Vegas.
Trey McBride, Cardinals: There were times last season when he played like a baby Gronk.
Middle rounds
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Sam LaPorta, Lions: Flashed superstar potential as a rookie in 2023, when the Lions featured him.
Evan Engram, Broncos: Sean Payton has been waiting for an effective pass-catching tight end, and now he has one.
Jake Ferguson, Cowboys: Coming off an injury, Ferguson is poised to resume his production in Dallas’ offense.
Later rounds
Isaiah Likely, Ravens: He could be the No. 1 tight end on many teams. Things are tougher in Baltimore with Mark Andrews around, but the Ravens know how talented Likely is.
Theo Johnson, Giants: Johnson was a factor as his rookie season progressed and should be even better this season.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers: He flashed during his rookie season as well, and has a chance to take a meaningful jump in Year 2.
AJ Barner, Seahawks: Seattle needs a tight end to step up, and Barner might be up to the task.
Neil Paine writes about sports using data and analytics. Previously, he was Sports Editor at FiveThirtyEight.
Last year, we led this piece about the most favorable landing spots for new NFL head coaches with a warning that “predicting the future in the NFL is often an exercise in futility.” Well, we clearly didn’t heed our own advice because we’re back here again a year later for another round of punishment.
Sure, the top-two situations we highlighted — the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers — went a combined 21-13, proof of their immediate payoff with new coaches Mike Macdonald and Jim Harbaugh. But the best record of all teams who got new coaches belonged to the Washington Commanders under Dan Quinn, a situation we admittedly said had future potential that was “less tangible, and therefore less predictable” with rookie QB Jayden Daniels. Of course, that was before Daniels went out and had possibly the greatest rookie season in NFL history, taking Washington to the NFC title game in the process.
We can’t rule out another surprise run like that this season, especially since a number of the coaching hires are taking over jobs with either veteran QBs who have a history of success, or young ones still chasing their full potential. For that reason alone, any could prove more transformative than expected. Still, history shows that certain general patterns do tend to separate new coaches who succeed from those who don’t.
We set out to quantify what kind of situation each of 2025’s new head coaches is walking into. Specifically, we created a regression model that looks at last season’s team quality (using a mix of Elo ratings and SRS ratings); average roster age across offense, defense and special teams; and the age and track record of their quarterbacks (using a QB’s established level of Approximate Value, or AV, per season from the past three years).
For all seven hires — Ben Johnson (Bears), Pete Carroll (Raiders), Mike Vrabel (Patriots), Liam Coen (Jaguars), Brian Schottenheimer (Cowboys), Aaron Glenn (Jets) and Kellen Moore (Saints) — we fed the numbers into the model to estimate expected wins over the next five seasons.
Of course, each coach will change the trajectory of the franchise from here on out in his own way. Think of these rankings less as predictions and more as snapshots of the foundations they’re starting from.
So which sideline boss landed in the cushiest spot, and who drew the short straw?
Expected 5-year wins: 41.1 Starting QB: Dak Prescott (9.8 weighted AV per season; age 32) 2024 Elo: 19th | Offense: 21st | Defense: 30th 2024 average age: 26.7 (18th youngest)
Key stat: Out of the 18 NFL teams who missed the playoffs last season, Dallas had the most total wins over the three seasons prior to that (36).
Fans and analysts might have disagreed with the choice of Schottenheimer — a longtime coordinator who has never been a head coach before — as Mike McCarthy’s replacement. But there’s no question that he is walking into a situation ripe with possibilities. Dallas went 7-10 in 2024, even in a nightmare season with Prescott sidelined for more than half the schedule. Plus, they are just a season removed from a 12-5 campaign in which they ranked fifth on defense and led the league in scoring, breaking 500 points for just the second time in franchise history. Much depends on the availability of the team’s high-end talent, which is perpetually in question due to factors ranging from injuries (Prescott) to contract disputes (Micah Parsons). Still, Schottenheimer inherits a team with a proven track record of winning ballgames, and it has the potential to make the playoffs again right away.
Expected 5-year wins: 40.7 Starting QB: Caleb Williams (9.0 weighted AV per season; age 24) 2024 Elo: 24th | Offense: 29th | Defense: 9th 2024 average age: 26.4 (10th youngest)
Key stat: With an AV of 12 last year, Williams is coming off the best rookie season by a Bears QB ever, topping the previous mark of 8 co-owned by Jim McMahon (1982) and Mitchell Trubisky (2017).
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Expected 5-year wins: 39.5 Starting QB: Trevor Lawrence (9.2 weighted AV per season; age 26) 2024 Elo: 26th | Offense: 27th | Defense: 28th 2024 average age: 25.8 (2nd youngest)
Key stat: No Jaguars head coach has a winning record with the franchise, except for Tom Coughlin (at 68-60).
The latest product of the Sean McVay NFL coaching tree, Coen will go from helping the career rehabilitation of Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay to helping Lawrence salvage his reputation as a generational quarterback prospect in Jacksonville. There are worse tasks to be assigned to, and Lawrence was tied for the 16th-most AV by a QB ever at ages 23-24 before a miserable, injury-marred mess of a 2024 season. Despite the shine coming off a bit, his potential is far from squandered. And then there’s the game-changing ceiling of 2025’s No. 2 overall pick, Travis Hunter, whose possible impact on both sides of the ball is nearly unparalleled in NFL history. You could have made hay betting against new Jags coaches since Coughlin (see above), so nothing is guaranteed, but Coen has the key players who might finally turn the franchise around.
Expected 5-year wins: 39.2 Starting QB: Justin Fields (9.1 weighted AV per season; age 26) 2024 Elo: 22nd | Offense: 23rd | Defense: 21st 2024 average age: 27.7 (31st youngest)
Key stat: The Jets’ current playoff drought of 14 seasons is not only the longest active skid in the league, but it’s also double the next-longest drought (Carolina and Atlanta at seven seasons apiece).
In addition to his résumé leading the Lions to the league’s seventh-best scoring defense a year ago, Glenn was hired in part to bring a culture of toughness and professionalism to the Jets, in the mold of the Bill Parcells teams he played for in New York. If you squint, you can see the resemblance in what Glenn has to work with here, from the reclamation project quarterback (Fields as Vinny Testaverde) to the outspoken wide receiver (Garrett Wilson as Keyshawn Johnson), the multipurpose running back (Breece Hall as Curtis Martin), the star pass rusher (Quinnen Williams as Mo Lewis) and the Pro Bowl cornerback (Sauce Gardner as Glenn himself). OK, fine, so maybe that’s all a bit of a stretch — but the point is that Glenn has the blueprint for a turnaround, if not the full foundation.
Expected 5-year wins: 39.0 Starting QB: Geno Smith (12.3 weighted AV per season; age 35) 2024 Elo: 27th | Offense: 26th | Defense: 26th 2024 average age: 26.4 (9th youngest)
Key stat: Carroll has finished below .500 just four times in his 18-year NFL coaching career. The Raiders have finished above .500 just twice in the past 22 years. Something’s gotta give!
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The Raiders are an interesting case here, because Las Vegas had one of the 10 youngest rosters in the league last season, with all but two of their 13 best players by AV sitting under age 30 — highlighted by 22-year-old tight end Brock Bowers, who ranked third in the NFL with 1,194 receiving yards. Long-term projection models love young talent like that, but the signature Raider moves of the offseason were bringing in a coach who will turn 74 in Week 2 and a quarterback who will turn 35 just before Week 6. Both have an established track record of success — including their work together in 2022-23 — and thus offer Vegas a chance to improve right away. But the need to find another new coach/quarterback combo sooner rather than later is a drag on their projection.
Expected 5-year wins: 38.8 Starting QB: Drake Maye (6.0 weighted AV per season; age 23) 2024 Elo: 28th | Offense: 30th | Defense: 22nd 2024 average age: 26.4 (8th youngest)
Key stat: New England has lost more games in the past five years (51) than in the 14 seasons prior to that (50).
Everyone agreed that Vrabel’s reunion with the Patriots made far too much sense to not happen. With it, there will be an infusion of that familiar Belichickian ethos of no-nonsense grit, plus the experience of a coach who went 54-45 with three playoff appearances in five years with the Tennessee Titans. (And he brought back one of the great offensive coordinators in Josh McDaniels.) Still, expecting a true revival of the Pats’ dynasty is a bit premature. Maye’s passing efficiency remains a work in progress, though his mobility propped up his QBR. The team was one of just seven with an SRS rating of -1.9 or worse on both sides of the ball, which was a sign of how much renovation was needed. However, an offseason spending spree has locked them into a bunch of big bets right away — a risk when we consider how unpredictable the outcomes of offseason moves can be. All of this explains why the Patriots rank lower than their fit with Vrabel would seem to indicate.
Expected 5-year wins: 38.0 Starting QB: Spencer Rattler (1.5 weighted AV per season; age 25) 2024 Elo: 25th | Offense: 25th | Defense: 18th 2024 average age: 27.6 (27th youngest)
Key stat: No matter whether Rattler or Tyler Shough starts at QB, 2025 will feature the most inexperienced Saints primary QB by previous career AV since at least Steve Walsh — who had 2 previous AV — in 1990.
The drop-off from the situations above to what Moore is inheriting in New Orleans is steep, reflecting a team that just posted its worst record since 2005 and then abruptly lost starting QB Derek Carr, who retired from the NFL. (Safety Tyrann Mathieu followed him into retirement in July.) What’s left is a full-scale rebuild, with only Cam Jordan, Demario Davis, Alvin Kamara, Carl Granderson, Davon Godchaux and Brandin Cooks offering proven production from their careers or recent seasons. At 36, Moore is the league’s youngest head coach — which lines up with the long-term timetable for New Orleans to contend again, if he can endure the losses likely to pile up in the meantime.
Brooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Derrick Harmon said Saturday he initially feared the MCL sprain that took him out of the preseason finale was “serious.”
“Most definitely,” Harmon said, asked if he was relieved at the diagnosis. “I thought it was serious, but it wasn’t as serious. But still something [to] get rehab on and that’s what my main focus is right now, is just to attack rehab and do what I’ve got to to get back on the field and help the team.”
Harmon, selected No. 21 overall in April, echoed coach Mike Tomlin’s earlier timeline that the defensive tackle is “week-to-week.” Depending on the degree of severity, MCL sprains can take from several weeks to a month to heal. With the season opener still two weeks away, Harmon could avoid landing on short-term injured reserve.
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Harmon, who added he doesn’t need surgery, said the injury happened when he was hit in the knee in a play before he left the field. He said he tried to play through it but decided he needed to get it checked out. That’s when he exited to the locker room on a cart with a towel over his head and a forlorn look on his face.
“I didn’t know what it was at the time, that’s why I was so in that mood, in that head space,” he said.
Harmon returned to the sideline by the fourth quarter and was laughing alongside teammates
