Fantasy Football 2025 Players Generating Buzz Entering Preseason Week 1

The football world is collectively marching toward the opening of the 2025 NFL season.

The fantasy football world should be in lockstep with that procession.

One preseason game is already in the books, and a full slate of contests will take place over the coming week. By this point, fantasy managers should be knee-deep in their predraft research, part of which should include taking notes of what's taking place in training camps.

Speaking of which, we're here to break down some of the latest buzz among need-to-know fantasy players for the upcoming campaign.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks

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Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III might be looking over his shoulder. That's because Zach Charbonnet, a second-round pick in 2023, could be pushing for more opportunities behind Seattle's talented, but often injured starter.

Walker dealt with an ankle injury in spring and recently missed some training camp time with a foot injury. Charbonnet, meanwhile, has elicited some almost hyperbolic-sounding praise from the coaching staff.

"Zach, he's just a stud," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald told reporters. "He's just everything you want in a person and a football player, that's him. He just does it every day. Same person, great spirit, strong as an ox, does everything right. I mean, what do you want from a football player? Zach Charbonnet."

Charbonnet's 2024 season wasn't quite a total breakout, but it was the kind of campaign that should've elevated his stock. He tallied 177 touches (135 carries and 42 catches) and turned them into 909 scrimmage yards and nine scores. If nothing else, he may have earned himself more field time when Walker is healthy and could go berserk if he ever isn't.

Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

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While the Arizona Cardinals spent a 2024 third-round pick on running back Trey Benson, that selection really didn't alter their ground-game approach. Just about everything still ran through veteran James Conner, who handled more than half of the team's 463 carries.

Expect that to change this season. And not just because we're saying it, but because Conner himself touched on the topic.

"It's the situation we are in and we can't shy away from it," Conner said of splitting time with Benson, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official website. "We've got to talk about it and understand what's expected. We want to be the best rushing team in football. We need that from (Benson). ... Just with the talent that he has and what he is capable of doing. It's not always like that, but in this situation it is."

While an ankle sprain limited Benson to 13 contests as a rookie, he did match Conner in yards per carry (4.6) and nearly mirrored him in yards per touch (5.3 to 5.1). Benson appears, at worst, to be one of the best insurance policies at running back in fantasy and could become a viable weekly option even if Conner avoids any injury issues.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans

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First-year receivers don't always hit the ground running, but it sure feels like the Houston Texans are steering Jayden Higgins toward a successful debut season.

They drafted him 34th overall and immediately gave him a historic, fully guaranteed contract. They then perhaps helped his comfort level by spending a third-round pick on Jaylin Noel, another receiver who played with Higgins at Iowa State. Speaking of the Cyclones, both have managed to impress at training camp already.

"The Texans need one, or preferably both, of them to make an impact this season, with the team finishing last year with a massively depleted wide receiver room," HoustonPress's Sean Pendergast wrote. "Both have flashed noticeably in camp, a good sign that Nick Caserio may have found his next set of second- and third-round receiver gems in the draft."

While Nico Collins sits atop Houston's pass-catching hierarchy, the depth chart feels fluid behind him, with Tank Dell recovering from a devastating knee injury and Christian Kirk returning from a season-ending collarbone injury. Opportunity should be knocking for Higgins, and with his size, catch radius and ability to make plays in the red zone, he might have everything he needs to take advantage of that.