It’s tampering time! This means the 2025 NFL Free Agency period has officially begun, and pro football is officially back in our lives for a bit. As a warning, most of these deals are mutually agreed upon, as the new year does not start until Wednesday. Therefore, they aren’t official until then!
But enough of the chit-chat! Let’s look at who won and who lost on Day 1 of NFL Free Agency for fantasy football purposes, listed in alphabetical order.
NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners & Losers (Day 1)
Fantasy Football Winners (Day 1)
Davante Adams (WR, Los Angeles Rams)
The Los Angeles Rams were reportedly looking to replace the 31-year-old Cooper Kupp with some younger talent. So, they signed the 32-year-old Davante Adams to a two-year deal. The veteran finally has a comfortable home after last season’s mid-year move from Las Vegas to New York, now to Los Angeles.
This was more of a logical fit for him, likely sliding in as a WR2 behind Puka Nacua. Matthew Stafford has another star player to throw to, and I expect to see the numbers that we were expecting from Kupp in last year’s preseason. For those wondering, I don’t think it affects Nacua that badly. I still see him as a fringe top-10 wide receiver, just with a lowered ceiling. Also, I know this was technically on Sunday, but it was close enough to Monday and the first day of free agency to count.
Najee Harris (RB, Los Angeles Chargers)
While Najee Harris has haters, I’m not hating this situation, and neither should he be receiving the hate that he has. In every season as a Steeler, he rushed for 1,000+ yards and scored six-plus touchdowns. He also never finished lower than RB23 in a season.
While the last two seasons were rougher for him, Harris is easily plugging in as an RB1 in Los Angeles on a one-year, “prove-it” deal. The Chargers don’t have J.K. Dobbins or Gus Edwards in their backfield. I predict Harris will go for his fifth straight season with 1,000 rushing yards, and the Chargers will look for their first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 with Melvin Gordon.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR, Seattle Seahawks)
The week from hell is finally over for Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN). Something had to go right for him after seeing Seattle release Tyler Lockett and trade Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf! It finally did on Monday, with the Seahawks signing quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold was one of the better passers last year and helped Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison put up top-21 numbers at the wide receiver position. I sense JSN being a target machine for Sam Darnold, and not only because he’ll be more or less forced to. Geno Smith had 4,320 passing yards last season, only one more than Darnold.
Darnold will also be reunited with Klint Kubiak, the 2023 passing game coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. It’s the same one that helped Brock Purdy have his breakout season. The quarterback didn’t go to the greatest of spots for him, but he was the best option for JSN. So, while the Seahawks don’t have the “Big Three” at wide receivers anymore, JSN is in line for being the “Big Me.”
Caleb Williams (QB, Chicago Bears)
Despite not signing anyone at any fantasy football-relevant positions on the first day, Caleb Williams is more than comfortable now. The Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson have been re-working that offensive line for Caleb.
After being sacked a season-high 68 times last season, 16 more than second-place C.J. Stroud, the Bears have since traded for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney and got one of the best free-agent offensive linemen in Drew Dalman. The Bears invested the first-overall pick for Williams, and they are finally taking steps to protect him properly.
Garrett Wilson (WR, New York Jets)
Are the New York Jets listening to Garrett Wilson? What did the Jets do after the Zach Wilson-Wilson connection and Aaron Rodgers and company failed? They reunited Wilson with his Ohio State teammate, Justin Fields!
A recent trend is pairing quarterbacks with college teammates. Some work out, like Joe Burrow-to-Ja’Marr Chase, and others, like Bo Nix and Troy Franklin, do not work out. Although, I think this one will work out! Wilson has not finished lower than WR26 in any season and has seen 83+ receptions, 1,040+ yards and three-plus touchdowns in his three seasons as a Jet.
Going back to that college pairing, in 2020, Wilson had 723 receiving yards at Ohio State, second to only Chris Olave by six yards. Wilson averaged 5.3 receptions for 90.4 yards and 0.7 touchdowns per game with Fields. I love the sound of that for 2025, and he’s one of the biggest winners after the first day of NFL Free Agency.
Fantasy Football Losers (Day 1)
Drake Maye (QB, New England Patriots)
I’m always one to sneak in a reference to the *NSYNC song, “It’s Gonna Be Me” for Drake Maye, but maybe I should’ve realized that the chorus starts with “Every little thing I do never seems enough for you.”
After Tee Higgins was franchise-tagged and Chris Godwin stayed in Tampa Bay, the New England Patriots decided to spend a whole lot of cap space on defense. They only signed three offensive players on Day 1, including offensive lineman Morgan Moses and backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs. They did get Maye a wide receiver, but it was Mack Hollins. No offense to Hollins, but this was not the wide receiver we were expecting.
I suspect they will be looking at drafting a wide receiver. Unfortunately, building through the NFL Draft didn’t help them last season, as both Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker finished with under 100 receiving yards last season. Signing Hollins as the new wide receiver was not enough for me.
Jalen McMillan (WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
I don’t love putting Jalen McMillan on this list, especially after ending the regular season with five straight weeks of scoring a touchdown. However, the rules are rules, and someone has to lose from Chris Godwin staying with the Buccaneers for three more years.
It has to be McMillan. He should be a solid WR3 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it’s not a great outlook for fantasy football. In Weeks 1-7 last year, when Mike Evans and Godwin both played, they were both top-15 wide receivers in that span. No other wide receiver had more than 52 receiving yards or 12 PPR fantasy points in a game. With Evans still under contract for another year, the outlook is not great for McMillan.
D.K. Metcalf & George Pickens (WRs, Pittsburgh Steelers)
What a rollercoaster it has been for D.K. Metcalf. He was granted permission to seek a trade and got traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. All they needed was to grab a quarterback and they didn’t get one. Meanwhile, Darnold got signed to the Seahawks, which was one of the only few pairings I wanted.
Now, Metcalf is reportedly stuck with Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. That sounds great in 2015 but not so great in 2025. The only real quarterback that would be a fantasy upgrade left for Metcalf and fellow WR George Pickens is Jameis Winston. Although, that’s a whole different type of rollercoaster to experience; he’ll get the ball to them, just not as accurately.
Darius Slayton (WR, New York Giants)
It was Monday night, and all I could think to say to Darius Slayton was, “c’mon man!” He could get a solid amount of buzz as a sleeper wide receiver if he went to the right team. The issue here is that he stayed with the New York Giants.
I don’t know whether it was the football fans overhyping his market. Maybe he just wanted to stay with the Giants. Who knows? I can’t blame the man for getting a three-year, $36-million bag. I would’ve just liked a better situation for him. In every season with the Giants, he’s finished with at least 339+ receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Now, he is still stuck with a not-so-great quarterback situation and behind target-hogs Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson. While I had hoped for better, Slayton is, unfortunately, a fantasy football loser after the first day of NFL Free Agency.
Check out all of our articles on the Fantasy Football Impacts of 2025 NFL Free Agency & Trades:
- NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners & Losers (Day 3)
- NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners & Losers (Day 2)
- NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners & Losers (Day 1)
- The Fantasy Football Impact of D.K. Metcalf Traded to the Steelers
- The Fantasy Football Impact of Geno Smith Traded to the Raiders
- The Fantasy Football Impact of Christian Kirk Traded to the Texans
- The Fantasy Football Impact of Deebo Samuel Traded to the Commanders
Thanks for reading “NFL 2025 Free Agency Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (Day 1).” 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: Steven Bisig – USA TODAY Sports*
