Fantasy Football: 4 Biggest Preseason Winners and Losers

It's really hard to "win" a preseason in the modern NFL where everything is vanilla and some teams just don't try at all.

However, it's still doable. We've had risers surging up the boards because of camp performance or amazing preseason games. We've also had players get injured or lose their opportunity with too many mistakes.

Who won (and lost) the 2025 NFL preseason? These are my votes.

Note: A player's ADP data comes from FantasyPros' half-PPR data. The basis for rounds used in this piece is from 12-player leagues.

Fantasy Football Winners and Losers from the 2025 Preseason

Winner: Ricky Pearsall

A year after Ricky Pearsall was nearly a tragedy, he's amazingly come back fully to be poised for a full-fledged breakout with the San Francisco 49ers this season.

Early in the process, I wasn't super high on Pearsall separating from a deep wide receiving corps, but it's entirely thinned out. Brandon Aiyuk (knee)'s optimistic timeline sounds like Week 6, Jauan Jennings' calf injury and displeasure with his contract both seem likely to keep him out in Week 1, and Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and rookie Jordan Watkins are all suspended or injured to start the year, too.

It's really just Pearsall, who also closed with 20.3 fantasy points per game (FPPG) on a 26.9% target share in the final two games of 2024.

It appears the connection with Brock Purdy is developing nicely, and Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are still around. This will be a good offense, and "Slick Rick" could have an interestingly large chunk of work inside it.

Loser: Ja'Lynn Polk

Some might have buried Ja'Lynn Polk a bit ago. That's fine. I was holding out hope for the 2024 second-round pick, but it seems it'll likely come in a new place.

After a decent preseason, Polk was perhaps the worst victim of the New England Patriots' incompetence under Jerod Mayo last season. He was the team's primary "X" receiver after never playing there in college, and what followed was a historically awful season where he averaged 0.35 yards per route (YPRR), the worst for any wideout since 2014 drawing at least 30 targets.

This year, any hopes of a bounce back have been dashed by injury. He entered camp with a shoulder issue that, as fate would have it, was immediately re-injured with a hard fall on his first preseason drive.

Polk might just need an exorcism, but heading for season-ending injured reserve, he's as close to an indisputable bust as you can be less than 18 months from getting drafted.

Winner: Emeka Egbuka

Camp reports can be insane, but the drum beat on Emeka Egbuka might be the loudest I've ever heard for an incoming rookie.

Between Baker Mayfield's consistent praise and a highlight catch in the preseason, it is full speed ahead for the wideout that was a bit of a surprising choice at No. 19 overall in April's draft considering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Jalen McMillan under contract.

About that. Jason Licht might be able to see the future.

In addition to Egbuka's rise, Godwin will likely miss the start of the season recovering from his 2024 leg injury, and McMillan is likely out through the team's Week 9 bye after a scary preseason collision.

Especially with a history in the slot even when Godwin returns, the former Ohio State Buckeyes wideout has a path to playing time in all 17 games. That was the concern on draft day, but it's wheels up on his rookie season at the moment.

Loser: Tre' Harris

"Liftoff" is the exact opposite sentiment for fellow rookie wide receiver Tre' Harris.

This one is far more difficult to explain than Polk. On Harris' own merit in live reps, he saw just three uncatchable targets in the Los Angeles Chargers' two preseason games before the team signed Keenan Allen to a one-year contract. That all but waxed Harris' shot of starting as a rookie, sitting behind Allen and Ladd McConkey on the depth chart.

However, when given actual targets to catch after the Allen's signing, Harris was phenomenal in Week 2. I'm not particularly surprised when the guy enters the NFL after posting the highest YPRR ever among Power 4 receivers (5.12) to run at least 200 routes.

Allen and McConkey both have injury histories, so the second-round pick might get his chance at some point. For now, though, he's got to be off the radar in redraft leagues -- especially nursing some general "tightness" the past few days himself.

Winner: RJ Harvey

RJ Harvey bagholders are not out of the woods yet -- or potentially ever -- with Sean Payton pulling the strings, but it looks good now.

Harvey's fifth-place standing on the initial depth chart didn't mean much with awesome preseason usage next to the Denver Broncos' starters. It was sort of always a bluff, no? He was a second-round pick in April for a backfield that returned several underwhelming pieces along with a J.K. Dobbins union in June.

Denver funneled the fourth-most targets to running backs last year (117), and Harvey's 39 combined receptions in college the last two seasons in conjunction with Dobbins' so-so career-high for catches in a season (32 in 2024) really open the door to a three-down workload. J.K.'s ability to stay on the field is also fully in question.

After the Audric Estime divorce yesterday, the rookie now has significantly fewer questions at the goal line, too. Payton usually finds a way to frustrate us, but it's hard not to see Harvey taking over the backfield in 2025.

Loser: Kaleb Johnson

The Pittsburgh Steelers had just two picks in the first two days of the draft. One of them was Kaleb Johnson. I'm stunned his progression has been so muted thus far.

Based on draft capital, size (224 pounds), and college resumé (53.6% rush share), it seemed like a pretty fair assumption that Johnson would step right into Najee Harris' vacated 299 touches.

That seems it won't be the case. Jaylen Warren getting just two carries this preseason is a good sign he'll be the early starter, and Kenneth Gainwell played ahead of Johnson in all preseason contests. Kaleb didn't break 100 rushing yards on 24 preseason totes, either.

Under Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh is always involved in these gritty, cold weather games in which Warren (5'8") and Gainwell just don't seem equipped to handle 30 carries, and that thinking also translates to the goal line. I think Johnson will still eventually be relevant in fantasy this season, but he may spend the first part of the year on your bench.

Winner: Geno Smith

You'll get a few different opinions on Geno Smith's ability level. Some were surprised the Seattle Seahawks got a third for him. Others were stunned the Las Vegas Raiders plucked him away for such a low cost.

It appears Las Vegas is loading up the cupboard for Smith's initial year in Sin City. A year after the Raiders lacked much skill talent outside of Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers in 2024, their plan to retool seems to be going well. Ashton Jeanty is a bowling ball, an uber-athletic Dont'e Thornton Jr. is a surprise breakout as a deep threat, and the team signed Amari Cooper to bolster their weaponry on Monday.

It doesn't sound like Meyers' trade request will be fulfilled, either.

The ceiling for the Raiders is a bit ambiguous because all of this came together so quickly. Smith, who averaged a poor -0.02 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db; per NFL's NextGenStats), has a decent offensive line and what seems to be good weaponry.

This is a tough division, but he's got a chance at a career year if he can reduce the turnover count (15 in 2024).

Loser: Russell Wilson

Anyone notice a quarterback missing from the iconic postgame photos the New York Giants took after Week 3's preseason tilt?

Russell Wilson isn't always a jovial guy like a Jameis Winston, but he always can't be pleased with the way things have developed for his longevity with Big Blue. Frankly, rookie Jaxson Dart looks like a star. He went 37-for-47 passing with 392 yards and 3 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. The film was even better.

At this point, Wilson seems like he'll just be biding the team's time through the first seven weeks -- and the Giants' pair of trips through Vic Fangio and the Philadelphia Eagles. In a pivotal year for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll's future, they are going test drive Dart, the first-round quarterback who also serves as the duo's last chance.

If you have Wilson -- but not Dart -- in superflex formats, I'd start coming up with a "Plan B" now.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.