2025 Fantasy Football Hot Takes

Every fantasy football season needs a few bold calls that cut against consensus. Safe picks win you a playoff berth, but it is the right hot takes that deliver championships. This year’s wide receiver debates are as sharp as ever. From Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s second-year leap to Stefon Diggs’ new role in the New England Patriots and Nico Collins’ rise with C.J. Stroud, here are three 2025 fantasy football hot takes that could define the season’s landscape.

2025 Fantasy Football Hot Takes

Hot Take 1: JSN Outscores Amon-Ra St. Brown

This hot take is simple: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) will outscore Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2025.

• Opportunity tilt: With DK Metcalf gone, Smith-Njigba steps into Seattle’s true WR1 role. St. Brown, who finished as the WR3 overall in 2024, remains a high-end fantasy option, but Seattle’s passing offense now runs directly through JSN.

• Kupp and age regression open the lane: Cooper Kupp, entering his age-32 season, is no longer positioned to threaten JSN’s target dominance. Wide receivers historically hit a decline at this point: Julio Jones dropped from WR3 in 2019 to WR15 in 2020 at age 31 and was outside the top 30 by age 32. Adam Thielen went from WR7 in 2018 to WR29 by his age-32 season. Kupp’s dip in efficiency and health last year suggests he follows that same pattern, leaving JSN uncontested as the Seattle Seahawks alpha.

• Second-year breakout trend: Wide receivers commonly make their leap in Year 2. CeeDee Lamb and Garrett Wilson both flashed elite usage by their sophomore seasons, part of a well-established breakout curve. JSN’s rookie flashes line him up to follow the same trajectory in 2025.

• Pressure on St. Brown: The Detroit Lions offense remains intact, but there are signs of redistribution. Detroit has spoken about giving Jameson Williams more slot work. The 2022 12th overall pick already saw about 18% of team targets in 2024, while St. Brown handled 28%. If Williams’ usage continues to climb, St. Brown’s volume edge could narrow. Even a small dip in targets could matter at his current WR4 draft cost.

Taken together, JSN’s ascending role, the natural decline of Kupp, and the chance of St. Brown losing a slice of his dominant target share all support the call: JSN outscores Amon-Ra.

Hot Take 2: Stefon Diggs Outdoes Zay Flowers in TD Upside

• Clear WR1 role: Stefon Diggs signed a 3-year, $69 million deal with the Patriots, cementing himself as their top option. Zay Flowers is the Baltimore Ravens WR1, but the context is different.

• End-zone competition: In 2024, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews scored 11 touchdowns, while Flowers managed only 3. Baltimore’s scheme consistently funnels red-zone work to tight ends and the running game, limiting Flowers’ TD ceiling.

Even if volume is similar, Diggs’ touchdown potential makes him the safer bet to finish ahead of Flowers—despite the later ADP (42 vs. 28).

Hot Take 3: Nico Collins Could Be a WR Top-3

• Efficiency meets opportunity: Excluding his mid-season injury (weeks 5–11), Nico Collins averaged 17.4 half-PPR points per game in 2024, which would’ve ranked top-5 among WRs.

• Lighter competition: With Diggs gone and Tank Dell sidelined, the Houston Texans WR room is thinner than last year. Collins already showed elite chemistry with Stroud, and his role only grows.

• Comparative risk at the top: Justin Jefferson adjusts to a new quarterback, while CeeDee Lamb may be held back by Dallas’ scheme. Collins’ continuity and usage give him a realistic path into the top-3 WR conversation.

At a current ADP of WR7, that’s league-winning upside.