Latest news with #Pianowski
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
3 NFL players set to excel with new teams — and for fantasy football managers — this season
Hello Yahoo Fantasy! Let me kick things off by saying how exciting it is to have my words featured on this site. It's an absolute honor to join the long line of amazing analysts (past and present) who have helped make Yahoo one of the premier fantasy destinations — and I look forward to doing everything in my power to continue that tradition. If you've followed my work over the years, thank you. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for your support. You're the reason I dedicate so much time and effort to my fantasy content and I can't wait to experience this next chapter of my career with you at Yahoo. Advertisement [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] For everyone else, I'm eager to share my rankings, trade value charts and overall analysis with you. My focus is always producing the most accurate content possible and the best is yet to come. Starting a new job is always an adventure and comes with a fresh set of challenges. Can my hair ever look as good as Matt Harmon's? Will I misspell "Pianowski" when sending emails? Are my friends going to kick me out of our fantasy leagues now that I'm employed by the platform we play on? I promise to keep you updated on all those storylines, in addition to keeping you informed with everything you'll need to be an annual contender for your fantasy championships. Advertisement On that note, I'm not the only one making a move to a new team this offseason. Plenty of NFL players have found themselves on an unfamiliar roster and are hoping to have success in a different jersey. So, in the interest of giving you some actionable information in my first Yahoo article, here are three players who are going to excel with a new club this season. Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams Normally, I wouldn't advise investing in a receiver who'll turn 33 before the end of the year, but Adams isn't a typical wideout. He bounced back last season to average 14.2 fantasy points per game (half PPR), which was his eighth top-10 finish in the last nine campaigns: Year Result 2024 WR10 2023 WR18 2022 WR3 2021 WR4 2020 WR1 2019 WR6 2018 WR1 2017 WR6 2016 WR9 Adams' worst result in that stretch came when he was forced to catch passes from Aidan O'Connell and Jimmy Garoppolo. Sure, he won't have his BFF Aaron Rodgers under center, but Matthew Stafford is a more capable passer at this stage of their careers. And there's no denying Sean McVay is operating on a different plane of existence as an offensive play-caller, versus the coordinators Adams dealt with in New York. Advertisement McVay's ability to scheme players open will be a huge plus and the presence of Puka Nacua is guaranteed to attract defensive attention away from Adams. While we don't want to put too much stock in OTA quotes, McVay recently highlighted Adams as someone who stood out in the spring and Rams' OC Mike LaFleur believes the veteran has a lot of juice left in the tank. Stafford has already shown the ability to support multiple star fantasy wideouts in the same season, so don't be surprised when Adams finishes as a top-15 fantasy receiver in 2025 with a chance to post low-end WR1 numbers. Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets We all know there's a difference between real-life success and fantasy output. One of the most obvious examples of that has been Justin Fields. Advertisement His rushing skills alone put him in the fantasy QB1 conversation whenever he's in the starting lineup. In the first six weeks of last season — before the Steelers turned to Russell Wilson — Fields was the QB7 (19.1 fppg), finishing as a top-12 fantasy option in 50% of those outings. That came after the former first-round pick posted QB12 fantasy stats (18.4 fppg) in 2023 and QB6 results (20.5 fppg) in 2022. Aaron Glenn and the Jets have committed to Fields as their starter for 2025 and maybe beyond if he can prove himself worthy. While it might not be pretty to watch, fantasy managers should be jumping at the chance to draft a potential top-10 fantasy quarterback just inside the first 100 picks (95.3 ADP on Yahoo). Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings Mason is coming off a career year filling in for Christian McCaffrey and now heads to Minnesota where he'll assume the No. 2 role behind another older back who's dealt with plenty of injuries during his career: Aaron Jones. Advertisement However, don't confuse my interest in Mason for Jones' slander. The 30-year-old back is an extremely likable player who's been a high-end fantasy RB more years than not during his career. It's just important to recognize Jones' age and injury history: Year Injuries 2024 Quad, ribs, hip 2023 MCL sprain, thigh, hamstring 2022 Ankle, knee 2021 MCL sprain, thigh, hamstring, ribs While Jones has only missed seven games during that span, it's fair to question his durability moving forward — especially since the Vikings made a point to trade for help at the position. Mason dealt with ailments of his own last season, but before getting banged up, he averaged 108 yards from scrimmage per contest through the first seven weeks. Earlier in the offseason, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell referred to Jones and Mason as a 1A/1B backfield and referenced Mason's ability around the goal line, an area where Minnesota struggled in 2024. Advertisement In that role, Mason will be a weekly fantasy RB3/flex option in one of the better offenses in football, with the chance to vault into RB1 territory if Jones misses time at any point. It's going to be a big year for people on new teams and, fantasy-wise, Adams, Fields and Mason should be priority targets in your drafts.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is the fantasy football hype around Chase Brown warranted? Let's investigate
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.) If you were underweight on Chase Brown in 2024 fantasy football, you weren't alone, and you probably felt it by midseason. But with 2025 drafts heating up, a surprising consensus has emerged across the fantasy community: Brown is not only a locked-in RB1, but his profile in the Bengals offense looks rock-solid for another top-tier season. Advertisement Let's dig into Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski's conversation from the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast for a nuanced breakdown of Brown's outlook. Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. Brown finished last season as the RB12 overall, emerging as one of the rare true hits for zero-RB drafters. When Zack Moss missed time, Brown 'was the only game in town,' as Harmon put it, regularly dominating not just the early-down work but also the hurry-up and high-scoring packages — a holy grail scenario for fantasy running backs. Pianowski put it bluntly: 'Chase Brown was a screaming right answer … He never came off the field. He was good in all packages … [and] a running back who never comes off the field in that situation is fantasy gold.' Advertisement Perhaps the most important note for Brown's fantasy managers is how little has changed in Cincinnati. Burrow, Chase, Higgins — everyone's back, and the system remains in place. The only real additions in the RB room? Taj Brooks (a Day 3 rookie) and some veteran insurance in Samaje Perine. Neither is expected to cut deeply into Brown's role; the Bengals' lack of a splashy running back addition speaks volumes about their trust in Brown. Even the oft-circulated Zack Moss 'threat' doesn't move the needle. Pianowski is firm: 'Zach Moss? Last year, what, 3.3 yards a carry? Give me a break … He really should be like an RB3 on a decent team and he might ultimately be that on this team.' What are the positives and negatives for Brown in 2025? Brown fits the traits fantasy managers crave: Advertisement Three-down role: He handled 90%+ snaps in multiple games last year — a pace that, even if dialed back, still lands him in RB1 territory. Concentrated offense: As Harmon notes, the Bengals have 'a very highly concentrated nature of this offense.' You don't have to squint to see the targets for Brown (alongside Chase and Higgins) being safely locked in. Game-script-proof: Even in negative scripts — likely with Cincinnati's defense still projected to struggle — Brown will continue to see playing time and pass-catching work. The Yahoo Fantasy Forecast episode highlights that the industry consensus is to rank Brown right around RB12-13, and that's roughly where his best ball ADP is landing — yet Pianowski went as far as to call him flat-out mispriced: 'People who are getting Brown in the third round right now, enjoy it while it lasts. He'll be a locked-in second-round pick, I think, when the major part of draft season kicks in.' There's a broader fantasy team-building angle here, too. If you love building out dominant receiver rooms and going 'Hero RB,' Brown is a prime candidate. Pianowski says it best: 'Is Chase Brown good enough for a Hero RB build? And my answer is, absolutely. If I left the draft where the only signature back I had was Brown and I had that wide receiver … I was winning the flex. I was winning the wide receiver room. That's a roster I'd go to war with.' Of course, every player has risks. With Brown, it comes down to: Advertisement Pedigree concerns: As a former Day 3 pick, some 'what if?' always lingers until a player receives massive team investment. Volume adjustment: The coaching staff has hinted they don't want every game 90%+ snap shares, but even a dip to 70-75% would be plenty. Bengals defense improvement: If the defense outperforms expectations, there could be fewer shootouts — but the unit is projected to remain bottom-10. Summing up the takeaways from Harmon and Pianowski, Chase Brown is one of the best RB picks you can make at the 2/3 turn. Opportunity, team trust and fantasy-friendly game environment — all the ingredients are there. Don't overthink it, don't get sidetracked by backup chatter, and be comfortable making him the hoss of your RB room. When the Bengals' carnival kicks into high gear, you'll be glad Brown is riding shotgun.
