It’s August! NFL Preseason has begun and you may have or will begin to start drafting for your fantasy football leagues. That’s not the only thing happening in August, though! On August 8th, “Freakier Friday”, the sequel to “Freaky Friday”, was released. For those who don’t know, the non-spoiler premise of the movie is that a mother and daughter inadvertently switch bodies and must find a way to switch back. That gave me the idea of putting a “Freaky Friday” twist on these fantasy football players’ Average Draft Position, or ADP.
I examined the top 15 quarterbacks and tight ends, alongside the running backs and wide receivers being drafted within the top 100 as of August 1.
Enough with the introduction, now it’s time to “make good choices,” as Jamie Lee Curtis once famously said.
2025 “Freaky Friday” Fantasy Football ADP: Which Players Should Swap ADPs?
Quarterbacks
Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears, QB14 ADP) & Justin Fields (New York Jets, QB10 ADP)
To preface, I would prefer Caleb Williams right outside the top ten, ideally in the QB11-13 range, but I have soured on Justin Fields and feel like QB14 is perfect for him. All you have to do is look at what Ben Johnson did when he started getting play-calling duties with a healthy Jared Goff. From Weeks 12-15 in the 2021 season, Goff was the QB8! Goff, led by Johnson’s play-calling, went on to finish as a top ten quarterback and didn’t average fewer than 17 fantasy points per game for three straight seasons. I think Williams and the Bears’ offense may start out struggling, but once they get rolling, it’s smooth sailing from there.
Meanwhile, the Jets are pairing the ex-Ohio State Buckeye Justin Fields with college teammate Garrett Wilson. He is coming off a season for the Steelers where he finished as QB7 in points per game (PPG) from Weeks 1-6. So, why do I not love him at his ADP? It’s the unknown of offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. His only experience as an offensive coordinator within his coaching career was the shortened 2020 XFL season. After that, he joined the Lions as an offensive assistant, quietly climbing up the ranks to passing game coordinator in 2023 and 2024. Inconsistency in Fields’ passing game is already a concern, so one would hope Engstrand can help with that.
Then, I looked at Engstrand’s 2020 DC Defenders offense. Granted, it was with Cardale Jones, but they averaged the fewest passing yards per game with 133.8. While they had the third-most rushing yards per game (130.2) of the eight teams, it came more from the running back. Justin Fields is a mobile quarterback and his ADP includes that upside, but expectations might need to be tempered. While the XFL and NFL are different, I think the warning signs are there for someone being drafted as a potential league-winner.
Running Backs
Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, RB10 ADP) & Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers, RB4 ADP)
Yes, I just put Bucky Irving as RB4. I’m a “Buckyroo,” and I’m not being talked down from it either. Irving finished as RB13 last season, but as a rookie, he had a slow start. From Weeks 1-10, he was RB23 and averaged 40.5% of the snaps. After his bye in Week 11, that went up to 55.6% (excluding his injury-shortened Week 14 game) and was RB7 in that span. He was in the top ten among running backs for rushing yards and receiving yards last season, and he was either last or next-to-last in attempts and receptions within the top ten. Granted, he did lose his offensive coordinator to Jacksonville, but I do believe that it won’t affect Irving, especially playing a full season as a starter compared to half.
For Christian McCaffrey, on the other hand, it’s the issue that’s been lingering his whole career: his health. If we turned the injury slider off, then this wouldn’t even be in consideration. But it’s hard not to have injury concerns for someone who hasn’t played in double-digit games in three of his last five seasons. His points per game blow everybody out of the water, and the 2024 season was the lowest we’ll likely ever see it as RB25 with 12 PPG. He gets you the points when he plays, but it’s frankly concerning that he’s played in only 37 of the 84 possible regular-season games in his last five seasons. That’s only 44% games played and I don’t feel comfortable investing in a top-five pick at that position to start that few games. That being said, RB10 is the floor for McCaffrey, as I see him more in the RB6-10 range and flirting around RB7-8.
R.J. Harvey (Denver Broncos, RB23 ADP) & Joe Mixon (Houston Texans, RB20 ADP)
In Denver, the big question is how much the J.K. Dobbins signing impacts the rookie R.J. Harvey. Personally, I think the Dobbins signing said more about the depth of their other running backs, Jaleel McLaughlin or Audric Estime, neither of whom really found their footing in Sean Payton‘s offense last year. Knowing how much Payton loves to use his running backs, this seems like a home run pick for Harvey. In his last two seasons at UCF, he scored 16+ rushing touchdowns and averaged 108.9 rushing yards per game. He also scored a receiving touchdown and averaged 18.3+ receiving yards per game in those seasons. The Broncos passed on Omarion Hampton in the 2025 NFL Draft, despite high hopes, but why are we not expecting the same thing for Harvey in Denver? He should not be RB23; he should be at least RB20.
Now, while we’re still asking questions, what in the world is going on with Joe Mixon? During OTAs, Mixon was in a walking boot, which immediately caused concerns. But don’t worry, he’ll be ready “at some point in training camp.” We’re three weeks into training camp and Mixon is still not activated off the NFI list for this foot injury. Then, we get the dreaded news that Joe Mixon is expected to miss an extended period of time with a “frustrating foot injury.” There are many questions regarding this foot injury, with next-to-no answers and no clear timetable. With the Texans signing Nick Chubb and drafting Woody Marks, plus giving them valuable training camp time with the first-team offense, Mixon should be downgraded.
Wide Receivers
Tetairoa McMillan (Carolina Panthers, WR30 ADP) & Rashee Rice (Kansas City Chiefs, WR20 ADP)
I’m stuck on why Tetairoa McMillan is down here at WR30. Bryce Young needed a young wide receiver in Carolina, so the Panthers used the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft to get him one. These are the facts are from the 2023-2024 seasons: McMillan had the third most receptions in the NCAA with 174, the most receiving yards with 2,721 and was fourth in receiving yards per game with 108.8, behind names like Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.
Are we assuming that because Adam Thielen finished WR27 from this Week 8-18 span, that means we are plugging McMillan there? We saw a different Bryce Young when he was the starter again in Week 8 and through Week 18, the Panthers had four wide receivers with 300+ receiving yards and two-plus touchdowns. I don’t expect a mostly even split between their receivers; Young should be hyper-focused on his new rookie star wide receiver.
I see why people are high on Rashee Rice. He was WR2 from Weeks 1-3, averaging eight receptions on 9.6 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown, equating to 21.6 fantasy PPG in that span. I’ll be one of the first to jump off this hype train, though. Why? First off, it’s the pending suspension. We don’t know how long or when it will take place, but based on rumors, it could mean missing four to six games at the beginning of the season. Also looking back at those electric first three weeks, Xavier Worthy was still a rookie and getting his feet wet in the NFL and Marquise Brown was injured in preseason. It’s a new season, Worthy has proven that he should see targets in this offense and Brown is still a viable threat too. I don’t see a stat line like 8-96-1 happening weekly again for Rice, especially not for a sustained period.
Calvin Ridley (Tennessee Titans, WR31 ADP) & Travis Hunter (Jacksonville Jaguars, WR28 ADP)
It comes down to one word: targets. Last season, in this same offense, Calvin Ridley finished 18th in targets for wide receivers with 120, averaging seven per game. The issue is that he only caught 64 of those targets, thanks to the inaccurate passes of Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. Ironically enough, Ridley finished as WR28 last year with these numbers. However, the Titans presumably upgraded at quarterback when they drafted Cam Ward first overall. If those numbers were good to get him to WR28 last season, Ridley should be in consideration for his third-straight season with a top 30 finish.
I understand the name value that Travis Hunter brings. I also understand that Hunter can bring in some extra fantasy points when he is on defense. The one thing I am struggling with is what his snap count split will be. The only clue that we have is Liam Coen saying he will play “80% of the snaps on offense or so.” That’s still fewer than what Ridley has done, with back-to-back seasons of at least 81% snaps played. While the versatility of playing offense and defense is appealing, with that split, I don’t see him getting anywhere near the same number of targets that Ridley got. I do think 64 receptions are easily in his range this season, but last season, only six wide receivers in the top 31 had 64+ receptions and only two of them finished higher than WR22. Ridley brings in the targets but needs to catch them. Hunter brings in the flashiness but not the target expectancy.
Tight Ends
Tucker Kraft (Green Bay Packers, TE13 ADP) & Tyler Warren (Indianapolis Colts, TE12 ADP)
I really tried to avoid these one-spot ADP flips. With that being said, I still do think Tucker Kraft will be a fringe top ten tight end, with Tyler Warren being in the TE13-15 range. So, that’s how we got here. Kraft finished last season as TE10 and when Jordan Love played the majority of the snaps from Weeks 4-17, he was TE8. Yes, Kraft didn’t see as many receptions or targets as other tight ends did. What he did do, however, was finish seventh in receiving yards with 707 and tied for fourth with seven receiving touchdowns. Just like Kraft and cheese get along, Kraft and Love do too.
I am always one to say that a tight end is a quarterback’s best friend or safety blanket. But with this Colts offense and either Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson at the helm, I’ll likely need the blanket to cover my eyes from watching. The Colts’ tight end group as a whole was bad last year, only gaining 39 receptions for 467 yards and two receiving touchdowns, averaging 5.7 PPR fantasy points per game. Granted, Tyler Warren will do better than that, but I don’t think this will be the Sam LaPorta or Brock Bowers rookie breakout that we have been spoiled by in the last two seasons. It’s also hard to see him getting a lot of targets when he has Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Jonathan Taylor to compete with, and all of that will really depend on the quarterback.
Which ADPs do you think should swap players? Do you agree with my list? Let me know, as I’m always curious about your thoughts!
Thanks for reading “2025 “Freaky Friday” Fantasy Football ADP: Which Players Should Swap ADPs?” If you’re looking for more fantasy content like this or need help with the last-minute fantasy football start/sit decisions for your roster, you can find me on Facebook at “Fantasy Sports Start or Sit’Em Questions,” Twitter/X @FSSOSEQ or on BlueSky!
*Photo Credit: Brad Rempel — USA TODAY Sports*
