• Tee Higgins links up with Drake Maye: Tee Higgins could join the New England Patriots and give Drake Maye a true No. 1 receiver, propelling him into WR1 territory in fantasy.
• The Los Angeles Chargers get a big-name veteran: The Chargers need to add another receiver and could land a big-name option on the market.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

 Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Playoff football is still in effect, but most NFL teams are now shifting their attention firmly toward free agency. The league’s vacant coaching spots are fast filling up, and front offices are piecing together their visions for the future and evaluating which free agents can help strengthen their rosters. 

Naturally, the free agent landscape also impacts the fantasy football landscape like a delicate ecosystem, as the league’s moves drip-feed into our favorite pastime to change rankings, prospects, and generally just how we view players and their fantasy projections.

The 2025 free agent class has some real gems, especially at the receiver position, where some big-name free agents like Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin will be hitting the open market.

The Patriots have a real player in Drake Maye, who earned a 70.1 grade in his rookie season, at quarterback, and the goal now should be to surround him with all the talent he needs. That means the Patriots have a duty of care to not only upgrade their offensive line — Maye was pressured on 37.4% of his dropbacks — but to also invest in real talent at receiver. The need for a true wide receiver, or a receiver of any kind, was glaringly obvious during the 2024 season. 

The team’s leading receiver in 2024 was Hunter Henry with 66 catches for 674 yards, and no wide receiver earned a receiving grade over 70.0. The answer for the Patriots could be Tee Higgins, PFF’s No. 1 free agent. Higgins caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 12 games, earning a career-high 88.2 grade — seventh-highest among receivers in the NFL.

The Patriots had the fewest explosive passing plays in the NFL in 2024 (61, 12 less than the second-fewest) and should look to build around Maye by giving him the best receiving on the free-agent market. Higgins can be a force multiplier in every portion of the field, and he’s had 71 contested catches since 2020, the fourth-most in the NFL. The Patriots also have the most available cap space in the NFL heading into free agency — if anyone can pay him mega bucks, it’s them. 

From a fantasy lens, Higgins could feasibly vault into WR1 territory. His upside has always been a little hamstrung by playing alongside Ja’Marr Chase, but Higgins will be the de-facto No. 1 receiver in New England and would look to build a solid foundation with Maye, who has the chops to be one of the league’s better quarterbacks with some help. Higgins can be that help.

Najee Harris hits free agency at the right time

Najee Harris impressively crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in 2024 for the fourth straight season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His rushing style hasn’t always been effective, but 2024 might have been his best year in the NFL. Harris had career-highs in missed tackles forced (63) and 10-plus-yard runs (30), and his 77.2 grade ranked 16th among running backs, also a career-high.

Now, heading into his age-27 season, Harris is hitting free agency, arguably, at the perfect time. The free agent running back market in 2025 isn’t strong, as Harris, Aaron Jones, and J.K. Dobbins pose as standout names — and even then, all three possess particular fallbacks. Despite coming off a career-high 1,131 rushing yards, Jones is now 30 years old and suffered a few niggling injuries, while Dobbins has had his own injury struggles in the last few years. 

Harris is the most reliable three-down option for any team looking for a running back on the free-agent market. His 283 receiving yards in 2024 were the highest since his rookie year, and as he’s now teetering on the proverbial age cliff for running backs, Harris might not set any team back too much financially. He’s as safe of an option as possible on the free-agent market. 

And that boosts his fantasy value too. Harris finished 20th in PPR scoring in 2024 and will likely be a prominent feature in whatever offense he lands with. He’s proven over the last four years that he can churn out yards, consistently take 15-20 touches a game, and provide relief as a pass-catcher. One to keep a close eye on in 2025.

The Los Angeles Chargers add a big-name veteran at receiver

The Chargers offense took a step forward in Jim Harbaugh’s first season in charge. The addition of Ladd McConkey, who caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns to earn an 80.5 grade in his rookie season, was a big help. As was the excellent play of Justin Herbert, who earned a career-high 91.7 grade in the regular season, fourth among all quarterbacks. However, despite that step forward, it was clear all season that this wasn’t the finished version of the offense.

The running game struggled in stretches, and though the Chargers earned a 90.3 team passing grade, their 73.6 receiving grade was 18th in the NFL. McConkey was excellent in the slot, but options outside of him are limited. Quentin Johnston had a better sophomore year than expected, but he’ll need to improve a considerable amount before he can be fully reliable — his five drops from Week 12 onwards were the second-most in the NFL. Beyond those two receivers, the Chargers are discernibly thin at receiver and need to make a splash. 

The veteran free-agent market for receivers is strong in 2025, and the Chargers can dip into that market, pick up a reliable option for Herbert, and move forward. That receiver could be Amari Cooper. The former first-round pick will be 31 years old by the time the 2025 season rolls around, but he’s a smooth route-runner and has the flexibility to play inside or outside. The 2024 season has been quiet, and Cooper was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Bills prior to the trade deadline, but Cooper still has a lot to offer to an NFL team, especially with a full offseason with a quarterback like Herbert under his belt. His 68.3 grade in 2024 is his lowest since 2017, and Cooper finished as the WR63 in PPR scoring, but a bounce-back year could be on the cards.

Aaron Jones helps improve the Denver Broncos‘ running game

The Broncos offense is ascending. Bo Nix had a strong rookie season, earning a 76.4 grade in the regular season and leading the Broncos to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. The passing game, led by Nix and one of the best pass-blocking offensive lines in the NFL showed promise, but the Broncos’ rushing attack has to be better in 2025 if they want to take the next step forward. 

Their 65.1 team rushing grade was 25th in the NFL, and the Broncos’ trio of running backs, Javonte Williams, Audric Estime, and Jaleel McLaughlin had 34 rushes over 10 yards in the regular season. The need for explosiveness in the backfield is dire in Denver. Javonte Williams is a free agent in the offseason, and the Broncos might look further afield for salvation. The draft presents a plausible option — the 2025 class is incredibly deep and loaded with excellent running back talent, but Aaron Jones as a veteran free agent could also be of use. 

Jones had a career-high 1,138 rushing yards in his one season in Minnesota, and though he’s now 30 years old, the veteran running back is still explosive. He had 25 rushes of over 10 yards in 2024, the 17th-most among running backs, and he forced 46 missed tackles, the 12th-most at the position. The Broncos could likely still draft a running back, but bringing in a veteran with the ability and experience of Jones to lead the rushing attack would be a smart move on all counts. Jones would earn the bulk of the carries early on and is reliable as a pass-catcher too. His fantasy value, especially in redraft, could remain relevant across all scoring platforms.

Chris Godwin ends up on the Kansas City Chiefs

Chris Godwin had a booming start to the 2024 season. In the first seven games of the season, Godwin caught 50 passes, the most in the NFL, for 576 yards and five touchdowns, earning an 86.3 grade, the third-highest among wide receivers. Unfortunately, Godwin’s excellent season was cut short by a bad ankle injury, and now, he heads into free agency following a season-ending injury for the second time in his career.

The Buccaneers could move to keep Godwin. He had an excellent rapport with Baker Mayfield and was a big part of Liam Coen’s offense; however, Jalen McMillan‘s breakout in the second half of the season might give the Buccaneers pause on spending potentially big money on Godwin, who will be in his age-29 season. They’ll be left with a big decision. One team that’ll also be left with a big decision in the offseason is the Kansas City Chiefs. They signed Hollywood Brown in the offseason, but he missed most of the season and debuted toward the end of the season, and traded for DeAndre Hopkins before the trade deadline. Both receivers are also free agents in the offseason. 

The Chiefs could strike a deal for Godwin, who would upgrade an offense that flattered to deceive at times in 2024. Travis Kelce, if he sticks around for another year, will be 36 in October, and Rashee Rice is also recovering from a devastating leg injury of his own. As it stands, the future of the receiving room is up in the air. If, and when Godwin, is healthy, he could be an excellent option in the slot, or outside, for Patrick Mahomes.