Biggest Overreactions from Fantasy Football Managers After 2025 NFL Preseason

Fantasy football draft season is in full swing with the 2025 NFL preseason complete and the Week 1 still over a week out. While the preseason unquestionably altered depth charts, projections and rankings, it's also important to not put too much stock into the meaningless slew of exhibition contests that were held over the past month.

There's been plenty of overreactions based on the outcome of preseason games in recent weeks. Shrewd fantasy managers will ignore the noise and focus on the future, discounting middling preseason showings from the limited number of veterans who even saw the field in those matchups.

Managers should be wary of suspect outliers as well. Several under-the-radar players put up eye-popping stat lines during the preseason, but their projected placement on the depth chart and lack of first-team usage will keep them from repeating those performances when the results count.

Underwhelming rookie debuts also don't mean much. These first-year talents are still finding their footing at this point of the offseason and poor exhibition outings certainly don't guarantee a disappointing regular season.

With that in mind, let's highlight some of the biggest overreactions from the preseason and set some realistic expectations for fantasy managers.

Fantasy points, rankings and ADP courtesy of FantasyPros.com using PPR data.

Detroit Lions Aren't Ready for New Season

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The Detroit Lions are coming into Week 1 on the heels of a trying preseason schedule that saw them lose three times in four tries. While this might be troubling for some teams, fantasy managers shouldn't hesitate to raid Detroit's bountiful squad to stock their lineups.

The potential panic started when the team mustered just a single win—a 17-10 slog against the Atlanta Falcons—and suffered two double-digit blowouts while being outscored by nearly 50 points across the four-game exhibition slate.

Even head coach Dan Campbell seemed mildly concerned about his side's poor performances in these games.

"All four of these games have not been good," Campbell said (per Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith). "That's an issue. Because all of a sudden the lights are on and we're in real games, and the coach isn't behind you, and there's no scripts. That's a little bit concerning."

Although Detroit's offense looked lackluster while averaging a mere 12 points per game this preseason, there's no reason to shy away from this unit on draft day.

When he acknowledged the poor preseason contests, Campbell spoke about how Detroit's practices featuring the starters (who rested throughout the preseason) "looked really good".

The Lions boast six players with an ADP of 57 or better, including a pair of consensus top-10 picks in RB3 Jahmyr Gibbs and WR4 Amon-Ra St. Brown. Those two, as well as TE4 Sam LaPorta, RB22 David Montgomery and WR25 Jameson Williams, are on trending towards the same type of strong seasons fans have become accustomed to during their respective stints in the Motor City.

The team's veteran-laden nucleus is coming off a 2024 campaign in which it ranked No. 1 in scoring, No. 2 in both total and passing offense, as well as No. 6 in rushing offense. With all of QB Jared Goff's top targets returning for another run—while being further augmented by third-round rookie Isaac TeSlaa—the Lions won't stumble out the gate this season.

Managers shouldn't fret about the lackluster preseason, this is still the same high-level contender poised to run up the score on a near-weekly basis.

Jaxson Dart Poised to Take Russell Wilson's Job

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The New York Giants have real hope for the future thanks their selection of Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. While the young quarterback has looked sharp throughout the preseason, it's unlikely we'll see him take the field on Sundays anytime soon.

The rookie's rapid development allowed the Giants to feel comfortable moving on from Tommy DeVito earlier in the week, leaving Big Blue with a three-man quarterbacks room consisting of starter Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Dart.

Although Dart is clearly the future of this organization, he's effectively going to be stuck in a "break glass in case of emergency" situation in 2025. The current regime has too much riding on the outcome of the upcoming campaign to entrust it to an unproven rookie, one who may was a bit of a reach when the Giants traded back into Round 1 to get him at No. 25 overall.

Although he's third on New York's depth chart, some fantasy managers believe Dart will defy the odds and wind up starting soon. He's been drafted in approximately five percent of leagues, a relatively lofty figure for a third-stringer with little hope of seeing the field barring a slew of injuries ahead of him.

Head coach Brian Daboll has tried to temper expectations for Dart, stating "Being a rookie quarterback is not easy. Being a quarterback is not easy. So, he knows he's got a lot of things to work on" following the youngster's final look of the preseason.

With ownership bringing back Daboll and GM Joe Schoen with expectations of a rapid turnaround, it's unlikely they'll be willing to take the ball out of the hands of Wilson—a ten-time Pro Bowler with a proven track record of success—and entrust their jobs to Dart anytime soon.

That could change down the line if the season looks lost, but don't expect Dart to hit the fantasy radar until the midpoint of campaign at the earliest—and only then if New York is truly out of contention with no hopes of getting back into the race.

Ashton Jeanty Will Struggle in the NFL

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Ashton Jeanty entered the 2025 NFL preseason with a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding him. That hype is now being contrasted by a puzzling lack of preseason production, an issue giving fantasy managers fits as they try to determine if he's still worth taking at his current mid-first round ADP.

The Las Vegas Raiders back garnered a pedestrian 37 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries and caught just a single pass for two yards across three preseason games.

Jeanty's first look was arguably the most concerning, as he finished the preseason opener with minus-one yard on three carries. While the Boise State product did bounce back with a decent showing in Vegas' second matchup, his uninspiring two-yard, two-tote showing on Saturday left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers.

These preseason stat lines are a far cry from the type of numbers Jeanty put up in college during an outstanding career that culminated with a magnificent 374-carry, 2,601-yard, 29-touchdown rushing season in 2024.

As poor as his latest efforts have been, Jeanty isn't the first and certainly won't be the last high-profile draft pick to struggle in their preseason debut. Many others before him, including notables such as 2025 consensus No. 1 overall fantasy pick Ja'Marr Chase, went on to have breakout rookie seasons despite exhibition shortcomings leading up to them.

The Raiders are still planning to build their offense around the do-it-all back. It's not unprecedented, as each of the previous six teams to select a running back within the top-10 of a draft class also leaned heavily on their prized rookie. In all of those instances, the rookie went on to post a top-10 fantasy season.

Jeanty may not have looked like a star in his first glimpse wearing the silver and black, but he's far too talented and too important to the Raiders to not generate a spark. Even if he gets off to a slow start in the regular season opener, it won't be long before he finds his footing and starts putting up huge numbers worthy of his ADP for the majority of the campaign.

Mitchell Tinsley Is a Legitimate Sleeper

Mitchell Tinsley has been one of the best stories of the preseason. The 2023 undrafted free agent receiver went from an unheralded camp body to locking up a coveted spot in Cincinnati Bengals' loaded receiving corps, although that impressive arc likely won't end in fantasy relevance.

After showing out with 88 yards and two scores on six catches in just two games, the first-year talent got to rest in the finale along with the rest of the players off the fringes of the team's roster. Head coach Zac Taylor has consistently heaped praise on Tinsley, opening the door for discussion regarding his potential to contribute meaningfully on fantasy rosters.

Although Tinsley has proven he might have what it takes to become a productive NFL receiver with this stellar offseason performance, it's going to be tough for the 25-year-old to climb high enough up the depth chart to move the needle.

After agreeing to new deals with both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason, Cincinnati's brass effectively closed the door on any of their other receivers becoming fantasy assets barring injury. Even if one of the stars ahead of Tinsley gets sidelined for a stretch, there still won't be enough looks for the breakout talent to become roster-worthy in most formats.

Not only are Chase and Higgins set to account for the lion's share of Burrow's looks, but he'll also need to contend with Andre Iosivas, Jermaine Burton and Charlie Jones all a good bit ahead in Burrow's pecking order.

While Tinsley might emerge as a desperation flex play should Chase or Higgins sit out, drafting him at this point would be foolish and that capital would be far better spent elsewhere.

Travis Hunter Will Be a Limited Receiver

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Travis Hunter is one of the most intriguing fantasy pickups a manager can make this year. While his shutdown corner talents won't be too lucrative in most formats, his upside as an elite receiver has him being drafted in the late fifth or early sixth round of 12-team leagues.

Despite a sky-high ceiling and unlimited potential, Hunter's WR31 status may be worrying some fantasy managers following a relatively underwhelming preseason showing. He appeared in just one of the Jacksonville Jaguars' three exhibition contests, playing a meager 10 offensive snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hunter saw just two targets in the contest, catching both for a total of nine yards.

Hunter's lack of playing time in the preseason won't be more than a blip on the radar. His practice usage has been far more useful for projecting how his unique talents will be leveraged by the Jags in 2025.

Per ESPN's Michael DiRocco, Hunter participated in a higher percentage of offensive snaps (140) than defensive (116) during 11-on-11 drills over the first 12 practices.  During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, head coach Liam Coen revealed that Hunter's primary role early on will be at receiver while he's brought along more slowly on the defensive side.

Although Hunter hasn't had as much time to establish a rapport with QB Trevor Lawrence due to a combination of nagging injuries and defensive obligations, there's no reason to believe Hunter will truly struggle once the regular season begins.

Lawrence certainly didn't sound concerned about Hunter's lack of offensive reps when speaking to the media last week:

"Hopefully we'll get him back out there, running around really soon, and we can make up ground we might have missed. When it comes to man coverage, and him going and winning and making a play, I'm not as worried about that. I just have to give him a good throw

With that said, fantasy managers shouldn't hesitate to lock Hunter up anywhere near his current ADP.