2025 Underdog Best Ball Risers

We are less than a week into the offseason, but best ball fantasy football drafts are in full swing with multiple different tournaments already taking place before the actual NFL draft.

Rookies and free agents are often the most mispriced in these “way too early” drafts with no knowledge of their draft capital and/or landing spots. However, another way to gain an edge over the field is figuring out which veteran players’ stocks are on the rise entering the 2025-2026 season that may not necessarily be fully baked into their current ADP.

Below, I’m going to highlight a handful of risers that could be stepping into a better situation this year.

2025 Fantasy Football Best Ball Risers

Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams was disappointing in his first season, especially when compared to Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, who was selected immediately after him. It didn’t help that the bar was set sky high for Williams, who was pegged as a generational prospect entering the draft and was stepping into one of the best situations ever by a No. 1 overall pick. Although Williams didn’t live up to his lofty expectations, he flashed in spurts, scoring over 22 fantasy points (and finishing as a top-10 quarterback) five times. Even with one of the better supporting casts in the league, Williams was still held back by the offense that lacked creativity, making it difficult for anyone to succeed. With a year under his belt, Williams is set up much better in his second season, now playing under new head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson has been one of the most sought-after coaches for the last several seasons, helping complete the turnaround in Detroit and revitalizing Jared Goff’s career.

Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Since entering the league, Drake London has suffered from playing in a run-centric offense while catching passes from quarterbacks who had no business starting for an NFL team. Although his overall production had been disappointing, his underlying peripherals stood out among some of the best wide receivers in the league. Last offseason there was a lot of hype behind London and the entire Falcons offense, finally letting go of Arthur Smith and trading for a competent quarterback in Kirk Cousins. London was a plug-and-play, locked in WR1 with Cousins under center, however, he took his game to another level the last three weeks of the season once Michael Penix Jr. got the nod as the starter. From Week 16 on, London saw a significant uptick in volume, averaging 7.3 receptions on 13.0 targets for 117.3 yards and 0.7 touchdowns, leading the Falcons’ and the entire NFL with a 37.9% target share and 48.3% air-yard share during that stretch.

Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Xavier Worthy made history at last year’s NFL combine, breaking John Ross’ record and setting the fastest-ever recorded 40-yard dash (4.21 seconds). Once he was selected by the Chiefs, who moved up to secure the product out of Texas at 28th overall, Worthy immediately drew the Tyreek Hill comparisons, finally giving Patrick Mahomes a new depth threat, capable of stretching the field. Any player attached to Mahomes always garners steam, but Worthy’s stock continued to rise throughout the offseason, especially after Hollywood Brown was placed on the IR after suffering a shoulder injury. Worthy opened the season as the starter, but didn’t start hitting his stride until late in the year and coming up pig in the playoffs. Worthy took over as Mahomes’ No. 1 target in the postseason, leading Kansas City with a 22.3% target share and 28.7% air-yard share, averaging 6.3 receptions on 7.0 targets for 95.7 yards and a touchdown. Although the Chiefs came up short, Worthy ended the season on a high note, catching all eight of his targets for 157 yards and two touchdowns, recording the most receiving yards ever by a rookie in the Super Bowl.