• Expect C.J. Stroud to hunt for the end zone: The Texans face off with nine teams that finished below the league average in touchdown passes surrendered, including four squads that concluded in the bottom 10 in PFF coverage grade.

• Target Bijan Robinson to reach paydirt: Among the Falcons’ opponents in 2025, 10 finished below the league average in rushing touchdowns allowed to backs, buoyed by divisional matchups with the Panthers and Saints — whom Robinson torched for a combined six scores last season.

• Subscribe to PFF+: It’s quick and easy. You’ll unlock industry-leading rankings, unlimited Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator use, our Live Draft Assistant and the weekly Start/Sit Optimizer. It’s time to win.

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

With the 2025 NFL season nearly here, there’s still time to survey the futures market for value before Week 1. With some help from PFF’s Strength of Schedule Tool, we can identify more opportunities for season-long bets for players with lighter schedules and easier matchups.

Here are two players at each position to target in the player futures market.

Editor’s note: Lines sourced from DraftKings Sportsbook

Quarterback

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: Over 21.5 passing touchdowns 

Although Stroud took a step back in year two, the future is bright for the young passer. With more weapons and a revamped offensive line, the Texans signal caller faces more favorable circumstances that will put his numbers much more in line with his rookie campaign, in which he threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Houston sits around the middle of the pack in overall strength of schedule yet faces a much easier road in terms of the quarterback position. Stroud will handle the easiest projected schedule at the position, thanks to numerous matchups with secondaries that struggled last season. 

The Texans clash with nine teams that finished below the league average in touchdown passes surrendered, including four squads that concluded in the bottom 10 in PFF coverage grade.

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: Over 3,400.5 passing yards

While Murray hasn’t quite lived up to being the dominant force many had projected when he went No. 1 overall in 2019, he isn’t a slouch, either. When healthy, Murray is a productive passer, evidenced by his five seasons of eclipsing 3,700 yards when taking at least 400 attempts. That includes this past season, when he threw for more than 3,850 yards — the most since his 2020 campaign. 

As a whole, the Cardinals face the ninth-easiest strength of schedule. That rises to the second-easiest slate when looking at just the quarterback’s matchup. Murray can play on time and in rhythm but also has the athletic ability to extend plays and nullify strong rushes, posting a 2.84-second average time to throw last season.

When plays get extended, coverage tends to break down. Of the teams on Arizona’s schedule, many struggled mightily in that department, including the Saints and Panthers — the Cardinals’ first two matchups — who finished in the bottom eight in PFF coverage grade when time to pass exceeded 2.8 seconds.

Running Back

James Conner, Arizona Cardinals: Over 875.5 rushing yards

Conner has been one of the most effective backs in the NFL over the past two seasons. His 92.2 PFF rushing grade since the start of 2023 ranks third in the league, above players like Jahmyr Gibbs and Josh Jacobs. 

That production comes due in large part to his ability to break tackles and keep trucking. Conner’s 122 missed tackles forced over the past two seasons rank second only to Derrick Henry, while his 3.5 yards after contact per attempt stands in the top five among qualifiers.

The Cardinals face the most favorable schedule for backs this season, highlighted by some plus matchups early on. That includes a Week 2 battle against the Panthers, who finished well below any other unit in PFF run-defense grade (37.4) a season ago.

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons: Over 10.5 rushing touchdowns

After posting over 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground in his second season, Robinson is geared up for even more in heading into 2025. Despite sharing the backfield with another talented back in Tyler Allgeier, Robinson is clearly valued by the Falcons’ staff. That led to an increased workload in 2024, and he should take another leap this season.

While increased volume is a strong indicator of production, it’s the Falcons’ penchant for feeding the running game when they smell paydirt. Last season, Atlanta ranked in the top five in red-zone rushing percentage (54.2%) and goal-to-go rushing percentage (59.1%).

Among the Falcons’ opponents in 2025, 10 finished below the league average in rushing touchdowns allowed to backs, buoyed by divisional matchups with the Panthers and Saints — who Robinson torched for a combined six scores.

Wide Receiver

Although the cast around Smith-Njigba looks a bit different than during his breakout sophomore season, the talented, young receiver is slated for another strong showing in 2025 with Sam Darnold under center.

Smith-Njigba did a majority of his damage in 2024 out of the slot, where he earned the sixth-highest PFF receiving grade (84.9). His 520 pass play snaps from a slot alignment led the NFL and accounted for more than 83% of his total snaps.

The young receiver creates matchup problems for defenses that struggle in the slot, which are prevalent in Seattle’s schedule. The Seahawks will battle five of the 10 teams that ranked at the bottom in PFF coverage grade on slot targets last season.

Calvin Ridley, TennesseeTitans: Over 5.5 receiving touchdowns

Now that the Titans have found their new franchise passer in Cam Ward, Ridley holds his best opportunity to recapture the potential he showcased in Atlanta many seasons ago. That connection has already started to take root in camp, with numerous clips and stories highlighting Ward and Ridley’s chemistry. 

Although Ridley’s performance last season resulted in just four touchdowns — his lowest total for a full season in his career — much of that can be attributed to subpar play at the quarterback position. In fact, Ridley has well established himself as a threat to score throughout his career, having totaled seven or more scores in four of his five full seasons.

The Titans’ 2025 schedule should allow Ridley to get back to that level of production. Tennessee faces five of the eight teams that allowed the most touchdowns to receivers last season.

Access Player Prop Tool

Tight End

Brenton Strange, JacksonvilleJaguars: Over 475.5 receiving yards

Strange may not be a household name, but after a solid 2024 and a strong showing in camp so far, he’s primed to break out in 2025. While preseason metrics have to be taken with a grain of salt, Strange’s 85.9 PFF receiving grade ranks fifth among all tight ends with at least 10 routes run in the preseason.

The Jaguars’ tight ends face one of the easiest projected schedules in the NFL, and Strange should benefit right out of the gate. Jacksonville’s tight ends match up with a pair of defenses in Carolina and Cincinnati that each allowed more than 900 receiving yards to the position last season. 

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: Over 4.5 receiving touchdowns

McBride continues to elevate his profile. He posted career highs in receiving yardage (1,146), receptions (111) and PFF receiving grade (89.8) in 2024 — all the second-best marks among tight ends. The next step is to reach his dominant potential in the red zone and convert his work into points. His 5.83-touchdown projection will put him well within range to go over this number.

Like his teammates who are heavily featured on this list, McBride will also benefit from a light schedule. Of the teams that ranked in the bottom 10 in PFF coverage grade against tight ends a season ago, the Cardinals will encounter six of them in 2025.