The NFL combine is just around the corner, which means we aren’t far from free agency. Teams have had time to analyze their rosters to try and figure out how to best utilize the offseason to fill any holes on their roster.

We have already broken down the top 75 free agents this offseason as well as the desperation rankings for each team in the NFL at each fantasy-relevant position. This article will look at the available free agents and tier them into groups of potential difference makers, potential waiver claims and players who are unlikely to matter in 2025.

Quarterback

Tier 1: Potential Fantasy Difference Maker

Sam Darnold, Justin Fields

Sam Darnold is going to be a starter in 2024 thanks to a high number of QB-needy teams and a lack of quarterback options in the draft. Darnold was the QB9 in fantasy points per game in 2024 (18.8) but a weak finish to the year will lead to plenty of doubters.

Justin Fields may seem like an odd name to top this list, but his fantasy impact remains undeniable even though he was benched after Russell Wilson got healthy and never got the job back. Through Week 6, Fields was the QB7 in fantasy points per game (19.1) and had a week where he finished as the QB1 overall. He’s still very young and could be a good lottery ticket bridge QB for many teams next year.

Tier 2: Potential Waiver Claim

Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones

Russell Wilson is far from what he used to be but showed enough to get another shot as a starter in 2025 thanks to a weak quarterback market. However, his landing spot will be pretty essential since he will need his weapons to elevate him. Wilson was the QB22 in points per game (16.1) and had just five games with 16.0 or more points in 11 games.

Daniel Jones didn’t do anything to inspire confidence before getting cut in 2024 (2,070 passing yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions). However, there’s a very real possibility he’s the Sam Darnold replacement (due to his lack of cost) in Minnesota since they signed him to end the season.

If Minnesota uses Jones to buy them time to let J.J. McCarthy get healthy and ready for the speed of the NFL after his lost rookie season, then Jones will be fantasy-relevant. Just remember, we all laughed about Sam Darnold in Minnesota before 2024, and he nearly won an MVP. Don’t doubt Minnesota’s ability to get the most out of a quarterback.

Tier 3: Unlikely to Matter

Mac Jones, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota

Jameis Winston is fantasy gold thanks to his aggressiveness as a volume passer. However, he’s likely to wind up a backup again in 2025 and hasn’t shown the ability to hold down a starting job with Tampa Bay, New Orleans or Cleveland when given a chance. Mac Jones had some good moments during his eight starts with Jacksonville, including two games with 20-plus fantasy points. However, he was also wildly inconsistent and didn’t do much to warrant another shot as a starter.

Running Back

Tier 1: Potential Fantasy Difference Maker

Aaron Jones Sr., Rico Dowdle

Aaron Jones Sr. proved he could be a three-down back with the Vikings after spending most of his career in a timeshare with the Packers. Jones carried the ball 255 times for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns while adding 51 receptions for 408 yards and two receiving scores. More importantly, he played 17 games after a history of minor injuries. His age (30) and injury history are concerning, but he could have another excellent fantasy season in 2025 even in a timeshare.

Rico Dowdle was efficient with a limited workload in 2023 and showed that he could remain efficient with a much greater workload in 2024. Dowdle averaged 4.7 yards per carry from Week 12 to Week 18 while averaging 20.3 carries and 2.1 targets per game. He’s just 26 years old and hasn’t handled many touches at this point, so he has a chance to land a good role in 2025 despite a strong draft class.

Tier 2: Potential Waiver Claim

Nick Chubb, Cam Akers, Raheem Mostert, Najee Harris, Javonte Williams, J.K. Dobbins

Tier 2 consists of two established elder running backs (Nick Chubb and Raheem Mostert) and a slew of running backs that failed to hit from the 2020 (Cam Akers and J.K. Dobbins) and 2021 (Najee Harris and Javonte Williams) draft classes. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get to see enough from Nick Chubb (102 carries for 332 yards and three touchdowns) in his return from a major knee injury to know how healthy he is. The most interesting name at this level is probably Dobbins, who looked good in his lone season with the Chargers (195 carries for 905 yards and nine touchdowns) despite a history of major lower-body injuries.

A good landing spot would certainly elevate a few names on the list (Harris and Mostert) for 2025, but any level of timeshare could cripple the fantasy upside for the whole group.

Tier 3: Unlikely to Matter

Ty Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell, Alexander Mattison, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason

Over the years, this group has shown flashes of strong play when given a role or opportunity. However, they’ve rarely had an opportunity to escape a time-share situation for an extended period (in terms of years, not individual seasons).

Naturally, a lot of the names on this list have been viewed as underrated prospects or deep sleepers over the years, so you’ll see a whole lot of noise from fantasy analysts when they inevitably find a new home and get a new opportunity. Unfortunately, a majority of this group will continue to be what they’ve always been: a role player.

The name in this tier that has the greatest chance to “break the mold” in 2025 and move up the tiers is likely Jordan Mason. He’s still young (25) and got to show that he can remain an efficient runner in an expanded workload without Christian McCaffrey by averaging 5.2 yards per carries on 18.3 carries per game the first seven weeks of the season. (It is worth noting that he’s a restricted free agent and the 49ers can choose to retain his rights.)

Wide Receiver

Tier 1: Potential Fantasy Difference Maker

Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, Marquise Brown, Stefon Diggs

The writing is on the wall for Tee Higgins to return to the Cincinnati Bengals on the franchise tag (and potentially a long-term deal). Interestingly enough, the other three names on the list had injuries that robbed them of most of the 2025 season, which could hinder their market.

Chris Godwin was putting together the best season of his career through seven games (43 receptions for 520 yards and five touchdowns) and led all wide receivers in EPA (33.8) before a season-ending ankle injury. Marquise Brown hurt his shoulder on his first reception of the preseason — while he did return, he couldn’t establish a consistent role on the Chiefs offense during their Super Bowl run. Stefon Diggs had four top-15 fantasy scoring weeks with the Texans before suffering a torn ACL.

Brown is the most interesting player in this tier. He went to the Chiefs on a one-year deal to secure a bigger payday but will likely need to do that again after missing the season with an injury. It’s in his best interest to take another short-term deal, which means he could land on another team with a really good offense to maximize his skill set.

Tier 2: Potential Waiver Claim

Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Brandin Cooks, DeAndre Hopkins, Darius Slayton, Elijah Moore

Tier 2 is made up of a handful of old wide receivers who struggled to produce in 2024 plus two names with interesting upside depending on their landing spot. It is far more likely that Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Brandin Cooks and DeAndre Hopkins follow up subpar 2024 seasons with more subpar play in 2025 because of their age, but they could still find a soft landing spot to make them fantasy relevant.

Both Darius Slayton and Elijah Moore have shown flashes of fantasy relevance to start their careers, but neither player has been able to consistently be relevant from a fantasy position.

Tier 3: Unlikely to Matter

Mike Williams, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Joshua Palmer, Olamide Zaccheaus

Everybody in this group has had some sort of fantasy value over the last two seasons. Mike Williams had a productive career as a downfield and red zone threat with the Chargers before suffering an ACL tear in 2023. He struggled to gain traction with the Steelers and Jets in 2024. Joshua Palmer was a good role player with the Chargers in his first four seasons but failed to evolve into a reliable option in the passing attack despite a lack of competition. Olamide Zaccheaus looked to have a role with Washington in 2024 but ultimately lost his job to Dyami Brown down the stretch. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had nine touchdown receptions in 2024, but his 28% touchdown rate is unsustainable.

Mike Williams is the most talented player in this group and has the greatest chance to break out of this tier with a good landing spot. He is 30 years old and didn’t show much after his knee injury, but he’s at least shown the ability to command targets throughout his career.

Tight End

Tier 1: Wild Card with Upside

Juwan Johnson, Mike Gesicki, Taysom Hill (release pending)

Notice the change in the tier titles at this position group. Calling any of the free agent tight ends a “difference maker” would be disingenuous. However, there are players here who would have an upside in the right situation.

Juwan Johnson had some bright spots (and relevant fantasy weeks) over his last three seasons with the Saints. He also was moved to tight end when he was signed by the Saints as a UDFA in 2020. Tight ends generally take time to develop, so he could still have a lot of good football ahead of him and is only 28 years old. Mike Gesicki had a respectable season with the Bengals (65 receptions for 665 yards and two touchdowns), but most of his production came in games where Tee Higgins was ruled out. He’s still interesting, especially with a team that needs a slot receiver.

The ultimate wild card is Taysom Hill, who has remained relevant on the fantasy radar due to his utilization as a quarterback, rusher and receiver during his tenure with the Saints. While he isn’t a free agent yet, there are plenty of signs pointing to him being cut. He’s been a fantasy-relevant tight end since 2020. He’s scored at least five touchdowns in each of the last six seasons. He will turn 36 during the 2025 season, but the natural connection to Denver thanks to Sean Payton will make him intriguing again in 2025.

Tier 2: Potential Waiver Claim

Tyler Conklin, Zach Ertz

Tyler Conklin and Zach Ertz are elder statesmen at the tight end position who can have fantasy-relevant weeks in the right landing spots. Conklin averaged 82 targets, 57 receptions and 541 receiving yards in his three years with the Jets while scoring seven receiving touchdowns. Ertz showed that he still has something in the tank serving as the secondary pass catcher for Jayden Daniels in Washington. The veteran had his highest receptions (66) and receiving yards (654) since 2019. His seven touchdowns were the most he’s scored in a season since 2018.

Neither is somebody we can rely on week in and week out regardless of landing spot, but both can become intriguing dart throws at the position if they land in a spot that is willing to feed them the ball.

Tier 3: Unlikely to Matter

Kylen Granson, Harrison Bryant, Tommy Tremble, Mo Alie-Cox

The players in Tier 3 have been touted throughout their careers as tight ends with breakout ability thanks to their athleticism. At this point, none of them have done anything to warrant that hype going forward.

The player to monitor in this group is Tommy Tremble, who is hitting free agency at just 24 years old. The 2021 third-round pick has never surpassed 35 targets, 23 receptions or 250 receiving yards in his career, but is a good athlete who was replaced in the draft thanks to a coaching regime change. He could bump up into a waiver claim if he’s signed by a team that feels like he can take on an expanded role in the passing attack.