-2025 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2025 Draft Kit
Isaiah Likely's path to fantasy relevance has been blocked by fellow Raven TE Mark Andrews for most of Likely's three NFL seasons. But Likely has had his moments, particularly when Andrews has been sidelined. In the nine games Andrews has missed over the last three years, Likely has averaged 3.4 catches, 50.3 yards and 0.7 touchdowns. Prorated, that would work out to 58 catches, 855 yards and 11 touchdowns over a full season. Likely and Andrews are both in the final years of their contracts with the Ravens. Likely has intriguing upside, but we might not get to see it until he and Andrews have been decoupled.
After an injury-marred 2024 season in which he lost eight games to hamstring and shoulder ailments, Evan Engram could be poised for a rebound fantasy season in 2025. After the Jaguars released Engram in March, Denver signed him to a two-year, $23 million deal in free agency. Broncos head coach Sean Payton has said he plans to make Engram the "joker" in his offense. That's been a key role in Payton's offenses over the years, filled by players such as Jimmy Graham, Reggie Bush and Alvin Kamara. It's a role that emphasizes run-after-the-catch ability -- an area where Engram shines. In 2023, Engram had a career-high 114 catches and 963 receiving yards. Expecting him to duplicate those numbers in his age-31 season is a stretch, but the prospect of an amplified role could make Engram a value pick in 2025 fantasy drafts.
A lot of people were expecting big things from Dalton Kincaid in 2024 after his promising rookie season. But Kincaid failed to build on his 2023 numbers and experienced slippage in a number of areas. He went from 42.1 receiving yards per game as a rookie to 34.5 yards per game last year. His catch rate fell from 80.2% to 58.7%. His yards per target slipped from 7.4 to 6.0. On the bright side, Kincaid is a talented former first round pick with a good athletic profile. Josh Allen is one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, but the Bills don't have an abundance of firepower at wide receiver. It's possible Dalton delivers a breakout season in 2025 and establishes himself as an upper-echelon tight end.
Now that Evan Engram has gone from Jacksonville to Denver via free agency, former second-round draft pick Brenton Strange sits atop the Jaguars' TE depth chart. Strange had 40 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns last season. In the eight games that Engram missed, Strange averaged 3.6 receptions and 34.4 receiving yards. The possibility of an enhanced role makes the 24-year-old Strange an intriguing TE sleeper.
The Jets addressed an offseason need at tight end by spending a second-round pick on LSU's Mason Taylor, the son of former Dolphins sack artist Jason Taylor. The younger Taylor has good size (6-5, 250) and athleticism, and he'll have a chance to contribute immediately. Yes, it is true that Taylor never had more than 546 receiving yards or three TD catches in any of his three college seasons, but that was a LOADED LSU team with Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabors. He's worth a speculative dart-throw in the final round of your draft.
Most people expected Penn State's Tyler Warren to be the first tight end selected in this year's draft, but the Bears took Loveland 10th overall, while Warren went 14th to the Colts. The 21-year-old Loveland is a talented young prospect who joins a Chicago offense that appears to be on the rise. Loveland will be playing for new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who helped coax a TE1 overall finish out of rookie TE Sam LaPorta in Detroit in 2023. But Loveland faces stiff target competition in his rookie year, since the Bears have D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden at wide receiver, plus veteran TE Cole Kmet. Look for Loveland to eventually phase out Kmet and evolve into a worthy starting fantasy TE by mid-season.