‘The New-QB Club’ — Fantasy Pass-Catchers with New Signal Callers in 2025

The 2025 offseason reshuffled the NFL quarterback landscape again, and with it, a new wave of fantasy uncertainty. Some teams finally made the upgrade we were all begging for. Others? Let’s just say chaos is back on the menu.

When QB changes happen, everything can shift: target share, passing volume, efficiency, red zone looks. That means it’s time to reevaluate the pass catchers who suddenly find themselves with a new QB under center. Some are stepping into better situations. Others might need a prayer. Let’s break it down.

The New QB Club for 2025

Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants

In 2024, the Giants started an uninspiring conglomerate of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito This bottom-of-the-barrel platoon funneled 170 targets to Malik Nabers, which he turned into a 109/1,204/7 stat line, good enough for a WR7 finish as a rookie.

The QB situation is still unsettled, but it’s hard to argue that Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart aren’t a considerable upgrade. Today, I’d peg Wilson as the most likely starter, and he’s the least inspiring of the trio from a fantasy perspective. But even that’s not a deal-breaker. Last year, Wilson and George Pickens played together from Weeks 7 to 13. Small sample size, but Pickens was a top-10 wideout over that stretch. Russ may be fading, but he can still get the ball to his WR1.

And Nabers? He’s not Pickens. He’s tiers above him as a separator, technician and overall weapon. I’ve got Nabers aggressively ranked as my WR3 overall, and I’m not backing down. 

Winston is a YOLO-ball savant — he’ll feed his guy without hesitation. And Dart might just be the best quarterback in this class. The uncertainty at QB might scare some folks off, but I beg you to lean into it. No matter who wins the job, they’re better than what Nabers dealt with last year. This setup is only getting better.

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Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

Justin Fields played 13 games in 2023 and had a significant role in DJ Moore‘s finish as the WR6 overall. That’s not a typo. Even in a dysfunctional Bears offense, with Fields widely viewed as a run-first quarterback, Moore hit career highs across the board. So if Fields can support that level of production in Chicago, there’s no reason Garrett Wilson can’t do the same or more in New York. 

Wilson is the unquestioned alpha in this offense. And while Fields isn’t a precision timing passer, he can be lethal when his first read is open. Expect that first read to be Wilson early and often. Fields also brings mobility and playmaking chaos, meaning more broken plays, YAC chances and boom-bust volatility.

You might be sacrificing some weekly floor, but the ceiling is intact. Fields gives Wilson a real shot to finish as a top ten wide receiver, and it’s easy to buy into talent and volume. Don’t overthink it. Fields has already shown us that he can fuel a WR1, and Garrett Wilson has already demonstrated that he can be a WR1, and now, there is less target competition in New York. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Let’s be clear: Sam Darnold has the potential to be solid. He’s got a decent arm, can move when needed, and now has a starting shot in Seattle. But make no mistake, this is a quarterback downgrade for JSN. 

Geno Smith didn’t just hold the Seahawks offense together last year; he elevated it. He was efficient and accurate and made the most of an uninspiring offense. On the other hand, Darnold had the keys to arguably the most QB-friendly offense in Minnesota. He did well with it, but that table in Minnesota was set for Darnold to succeed. Seattle’s not giving him that same friendly setup. This is a less quarterback-friendly system, and we’ve never seen Darnold consistently thrive without training wheels.

That said, JSN’s path to fantasy relevance is still alive and well. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are gone. There’s no real target competition here. JSN should lead the team in volume by a wide margin, and that alone keeps him very viable in fantasy. The concern isn’t talent or opportunity, it’s volatility. If Darnold flounders, the floor drops out fast. You’re drafting JSN with a real quarterback-related asterisk now, and no one seems to be talking about it. 

I’m not out on JSN. People just have a short memory when recalling Sam Darnold’s career. The breakout for JSN could and should continue. But I’m approaching it with more caution. He’s a bet on talent and volume, hoping Darnold doesn’t wreck the party, and sees some ghosts of his past. 

Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans

I’ve always questioned Cam Ward’s consistency. The tools are obvious, with the arm talent and quick release. The issue is that the polish hasn’t been there. He deserves the shot to start in Tennessee, but I’ll be watching this one with caution.

Still, Ridley is the clear WR1 and that alone keeps him in play. He finished 2024 as WR27 with Will Levis delivering some of the worst quarterback play in the league. His catch rate was rough. Only four touchdowns. The tape showed a lot of missed opportunities and poor ball placement. Despite that, Ridley still held his own.

Now he gets Ward. Even if Ward is raw, it’s hard not to call this a step forward. The bar is so low from last year that even a slight upgrade in accuracy and timing could unlock better efficiency. Ridley still gets open and still profiles as the target leader in this offense.

I’m not going all in, but I’m warming up to Ridley as a solid value. There’s definitely risk if Ward struggles out of the gate, but Ridley doesn’t need elite QB play to return WR2 value. Just give him someone who can keep the offense on schedule, and we might finally get the version of Ridley people have been chasing since Atlanta.

Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

This setup could absolutely smash.

Jakobi Meyers already saw 129 targets last year and now enters 2025 with no other wide receiver of note on the roster and a quarterback upgrade in Geno Smith. It’s not wild to project Meyers for 130 or more targets. This time, they’re coming with better timing and accuracy. Geno isn’t elite, but he’s miles better than what Vegas trotted out last year. That’s a big deal for a technician like Meyers, who thrives on precision. He’s been undervalued for two years straight and could finish as a WR2 in PPR formats with the bump in volume and efficiency.

Then there’s Brock Bowers.

He can break fantasy football. Bowers steps into an offense where the path to top-two target status is basically wide open. He’s a dynamic threat after the catch and can line up anywhere. Bowers is just different. The upside is undeniable. If Vegas leans into using Bowers creatively and Geno keeps the offense afloat, you’re looking at a potential league-winner.

DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

This still isn’t great, but it’s slightly less of a disaster than it looked before. The Steelers stuck with Mason Rudolph and added DK Metcalf, who now becomes the clear-cut WR1 in a likely low-volume, run-heavy offense. That’s the issue. Metcalf is going from Geno Smith, a sneaky-good deep-ball thrower who fits him perfectly, to a guy who might not even keep the job all year. Rudolph is fine in stretches, but he’s not lifting anyone up. 

As of Wednesday morning, there’s no longer target competition from George Pickens, which helps, but the passing volume and efficiency just aren’t going to be there most weeks. You’re hoping for red-zone looks and splash plays, and that’s a tough weekly bet in this setup. Metcalf has the name value and talent to stay fantasy-relevant, but it’s hard to call him anything more than a volatile WR2 right now. I am in if his price stays fixed, but I am expecting a bump in ADP.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

This might be one of the better scenarios for Pickens. He gets out of the quarterback purgatory in Pittsburgh and lands in a pass-heavy offense with a very good quarterback. Yes, CeeDee Lamb is still the top dog, and that caps Pickens’ volume upside. But he doesn’t need 150 targets to be effective; he needs a quarterback who can hit him when he’s open. Dak Prescott can do that.

Pickens is now positioned to thrive as a No. 2 option in an offense that throws it a ton and creates space underneath and downfield. He’ll sometimes be inconsistent, as big-play receivers usually are, but this is a major upgrade across the board. The floor and ceiling both get a bump here. I’m treating Pickens as a high-upside WR3 who could spike into weekly WR2 range in the right matchups. Pickens gets a bigger bump than Metcalf due to the team and quarterback upgrade.