NFL NationOct 7, 2025, 06:20 AM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play1:19McAfee wonders if Bucs are a ‘team of destiny’Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk discuss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ electric win over the Seahawks.
play1:22Daniel Dopp: Deebo Samuel a must-start fantasy WRDaniel Dopp breaks down his fantasy optimism for Deebo Samuel, even after Terry McLaurin returns.
play1:08Rex Ryan: Mike Vrabel is the difference-maker for PatsRex Ryan and Adam Schefter explain why the Patriots’ win over the Bills proves they are a team to be reckoned with.
play1:09Why Javonte Williams is the top fantasy bargain this seasonTristan Cockcroft breaks down why Javonte Williams is a weekly reliable RB for fantasy managers.
Stephen A.: Eagles don’t instill fear in opponents (1:58)Stephen A. Smith says that despite being defending champs, the Eagles aren’t scaring anyone. (1:58)
McAfee wonders if Bucs are a ‘team of destiny’Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk discuss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ electric win over the Seahawks.
Daniel Dopp: Deebo Samuel a must-start fantasy WRDaniel Dopp breaks down his fantasy optimism for Deebo Samuel, even after Terry McLaurin returns.
Rex Ryan: Mike Vrabel is the difference-maker for PatsRex Ryan and Adam Schefter explain why the Patriots’ win over the Bills proves they are a team to be reckoned with.
Rex Ryan and Adam Schefter explain why the Patriots’ win over the Bills proves they are a team to be reckoned with.
Why Javonte Williams is the top fantasy bargain this seasonTristan Cockcroft breaks down why Javonte Williams is a weekly reliable RB for fantasy managers.
Welcome to Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season. There are no undefeated teams after the Eagles and Bills suffered one-score losses to the Broncos and Patriots, respectively. Meanwhile, the Jets are the only winless team after getting trounced by the Cowboys.
How do all of these teams fit in our Power Rankings? We restacked the NFL heading into Week 6, which includes byes for the Vikings and Texans. In addition to our 1-32 rankings, our NFL Nation reporters are looking at every team’s fantasy football surprise (good or bad) this season. They went off ESPN Fantasy’s preseason projections and current scoring leaders in PPR leagues.
Let’s get into it with our No. 1-ranked team. Our power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluated how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.
After his first 1,000-yard season in 2024, Williams has started slowly in 2025. He hasn’t logged more than 50 receiving yards in four of the Lions’ five games, as he works to get in sync with veteran quarterback Jared Goff and overcome dropped passes. Williams is viewed as a risky option because he’s averaging only 7.9 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues. He hasn’t turned limited targets into production or delivered consistently this season — but he can still make big plays. — Eric Woodyard
Brown is ranked 40th among receivers in total fantasy points (44.4), a world away from his preseason projection as the No. 9 wideout. He eclipsed 100 yards receiving in Week 3 against the Rams but has averaged just 21 yards in the other four games. It appears the Eagles are making more of an effort to put Brown in opportunistic situations, and he’ll have better matchups after facing the Broncos’ Pat Surtain II. — Tim McManus
Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk discuss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ electric win over the Seahawks.
With tight end George Kittle out (right hamstring injury), Tonges has emerged as a legitimate receiving option with a knack for scoring touchdowns. The third-year tight end has 19 receptions for 166 yards with three touchdowns. Those numbers will likely tumble dramatically when Kittle returns, but Tonges has proved he can be a solid No. 2 tight end in the passing game — something the Niners have lacked for most of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. — Nick Wagoner
This is only a slight surprise. No one doubted that Smith-Njigba would be the focal point of the Seahawks’ passing game, as he entered the season as the team’s unquestioned WR1. But he might be producing slightly above some fantasy expectations. Smith-Njigba was 24th in average draft position in ESPN snake drafts and 31st in average value in salary cap drafts. With 34 catches for 534 yards and 2 touchdowns, he’s 11th overall in fantasy points scored through five weeks. — Brady Henderson
Thomas finished with 284 fantasy points as a rookie in 2024, catching 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 TDs. This season, he has just 48 fantasy points, with 16 catches for 244 yards and no receiving touchdowns (he has a touchdown run, though). He also has three drops, all coming in a Week 2 loss to the Bengals (one on a fourth down). Thomas is one of the main reasons the Jaguars’ passing offense has been inconsistent to start the season. — Mike DiRocco
The Steelers’ defense was the top unit during fantasy drafts (around the 90th-overall pick in snake drafts). Through the first two weeks, that pick didn’t quite pan out, as the Steelers gave up at least 30 points in back-to-back weeks and nearly 400 yards in each game. But in their next two games, they had seven takeaways and held opponents to 17.5 points. It appears the tide might be turning for fantasy managers who stuck with the Steelers after a rocky start. — Brooke Pryor
Samuel ranks seventh among all receivers in fantasy points (88.6). Some of that stems from receiver Terry McLaurin missing two games because of a quad injury. Samuel has 30 catches for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he also has seven carries for 46 yards. Washington wants to use him a lot, so his productivity shouldn’t diminish too much when McLaurin returns. In the three games they played together, Samuel caught 16 passes. — John Keim
Daniel Dopp breaks down his fantasy optimism for Deebo Samuel, even after Terry McLaurin returns.
After an inconsistent first two seasons, Johnston is becoming the player the Chargers expected when they selected him in the first round of the 2023 draft. He leads the Chargers in receiving yards (377) and receiving touchdowns (four). Johnston was roughly the 38th wide receiver taken in ESPN Fantasy drafts. But he is eighth among receivers in fantasy points (86.4) this season, the most among Chargers pass catchers. — Kris Rhim
Diggs became the first Patriots receiver to record consecutive 100-yard games since Julian Edelman in 2019, showing that he can still get down the field and make explosive plays — despite being ranked 41st in preseason fantasy rankings. Diggs has 16 catches for 247 yards and 40.7 fantasy points over the past two weeks. One of the knocks on him was that his yards after catch have decreased in recent seasons, but he has 131 so far in 2025. — Mike Reiss
Rex Ryan: Mike Vrabel is the difference-maker for Pats
Why Javonte Williams is the top fantasy bargain this season
Tristan Cockcroft breaks down why Javonte Williams is a weekly reliable RB for fantasy managers.
Murray was ranked as the ninth-best fantasy QB in the preseason, but he’s 17th in total points (77.8) — a product of a Cardinals offense that hasn’t found its footing this season. He ranks 31st in air yards per attempt and 29th in yards per dropback, though his saving grace is his rushing. Murray is ranked fourth in rushing yards among quarterbacks, seventh in rushing yards per play and fifth in rushing yards per game. However, he has just one rushing touchdown. — Josh Weinfuss
The focus was on first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan having a big year, and he has been solid. But Legette was expected to flourish with McMillan getting extra attention from opposing defenses — and he hasn’t. After missing Weeks 3 and 4 because of a hamstring injury, Legette scored a touchdown against Miami. But he has only six catches on 18 targets for 39 yards this season. He has a success catch rate of only 16.7%. — David Newton
Uncertainty around Judkins’ status — he missed training camp because of a legal situation — landed him at RB29 in ESPN Fantasy drafts. Since making his debut in Week 2, the 36th pick in this year’s NFL draft has stepped into the lead-back role. He ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (347) during that time span and is RB14 in PPR leagues. — Daniel Oyefusi
Johnson was the 30th-ranked tight end in ESPN’s PPR positional fantasy rankings. Through five weeks, he has been ninth in scoring among tight ends and had double-digit points in PPR leagues in the first three games. Johnson’s usage might change with tight ends Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill back in the lineup, but Johnson has been one of quarterback Spencer Rattler’s most frequent targets this season. — Katherine Terrell
The Giants don’t really have a fantasy standout without star receiver Malik Nabers (torn ACL) in the lineup. But with rookie Jaxson Dart at quarterback, Johnson has become more of a factor. He had three touchdowns in Dart’s first two starts and had a career-high seven targets in Week 5. Johnson is not a fantasy starter, but he’s a sneaky potential riser with Dart’s ability to see the middle of the field and fit the ball into tight windows. — Jordan Raanan
This could also be running back James Cook, but Kincaid has been the bigger eye-opener. He has a more significant role and the second-most fantasy points among tight ends (66.7 so far this season) after being ranked No. 15 at the position in ESPN Fantasy’s preseason projections. In his third season, Kincaid already has a career high in receiving touchdowns (three) and was targeted six times in three of the five games. A healthy Kincaid and a growing relationship with quarterback Josh Allen are positives for fantasy managers — even in an offense that spreads around the ball. — Alaina Getzenberg
It’s not a big surprise that Mayfield is No. 2 among quarterbacks in fantasy. It is surprising that he’s averaging 21.1 points per game without two key wide receivers. Mayfield hasn’t had franchise-leading scorer Mike Evans and was without Chris Godwin Jr. for the first three games. Without Evans and Godwin in three games last season, Mayfield averaged 16.4 fantasy points per game. The explosion of rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who has five touchdowns this season, is a big reason Mayfield has been on such a tear. He has also made it work with Sterling Shepard, Ryan Miller, Tez Johnson and Cade Otton — and now Godwin is back. — Jenna Laine