Caleb Williams, Bounceback Quarterback?
The Bears' signal caller is one of several notable QBs who could deliver an elite 2025 to make up for their less-than-elite 2024.
HEY, EVEN DAN MARINO once had a lousy season.
Admittedly, he was 38-year-old in 1999, and it was his 17th NFL campaign, but 17 interceptions in 11 games doth not a good year make.
We bring this up because none of the six below signal callers hit their potential in 2024. But unlike the then-soon-to-be-retired Marino in ’99, they’ll have the opportunity to erase the memory of a meh season and turbo-charge your fantasy team.
And from where we’re sitting, these six might do just that.
(Note: All Average Draft Positions [ADP] courtesy of Fantasy Pros.)
Justin Fields, New York Jets
2024 Fantasy Ranking: QB40
Current ADP: 13
The Skinny: There was a brief, shining moment when Fields was an elite fantasy option, that being his 2022 sophomore season in Chicago, when he averaged 20.5 fantasy points per game, finishing the season as QB6. The following campaign, he clocked in at QB9 with an 18.4-point average, still impressive, but not quite as top-shelf-y. Now consider that he pulled off those digits saddled with a yucky offensive line and a rotating cast of less-than-good play callers, so imagine what he’ll do with a line that PFF ranks as ninth in the league, and Tanner Engstrand, an O-coordinator who spent the previous two seasons in Detroit, assistant coaching under the wing of offensive wiz, Ben Johnson. Slot Fields among the top candidates to wildly outplay his ADP—at any position.
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
2024 Fantasy Ranking: QB28
Current ADP: 31
The Skinny: Give Indy credit for patience. A majority of the league’s franchises would’ve glued 2022’s fourth-overall-pick Anthony Richardson to the bench after his injury-filled, interception-filled two years in the league—but not the Colts. Assuming Richardson rolls into training camp fully healthy (doubtful), we’ll see a quarterback battle between the Florida product and Jones…a battle that Jones should win handily. And before you roll your eyes, sure, Jones was a lousy option with the New York Giants—his career record as a starter is 24-45—but in 2022, he finished the year as QB9, proving he his legit fantasy chops. Since outside of Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis is hurting for high-end skill players, Jones will have to use his legs a whole bunch, something that’ll get fantasy owners all warm and fuzzy.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
2024 Fantasy Ranking: QB26:
Current ADP: 19
The Skinny: Coming out of Clemson, Lawrence was believed to be a generational quarterback, the second coming of peak Andrew Luck. While the flaxen-haired field general hasn’t been anything close to generational, he’s had his statistical moments, racking up a 95.2 QBR in 2022, good for tenth in the league. Lawrence’s 2024 QBR was 85.2, his worst since his 2021 rookie season, but here in 2025, he boasts one of the scarier wide receiving trios in the league: Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, and Dyami Brown, a group that could make even today’s 63-year-old Dan Marino look good.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
2024 Fantasy Ranking: QB19
Current ADP: 22
The Skinny: Stafford is likely headed to Canton, so it might be incongruous to cite him as a bounceback candidate, but when you average the third-fewest fantasy points of your career (11.7, good—or bad—for QB19), you have some bouncing to do. Luckily for Matt, he has one of the NFL’s top WR twosomes in Puca Nacua and Davante Adams, as well as a pair of decent receiving running backs in Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Stafford’s fantasy downside—and, for that matter, his reality downside—is his legs, which don’t do a great job of, y’know, getting yards. But Stafford will share the field with studs galore, so he has the potential to be your team’s killer QB2.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
2024 Fantasy Ranking: QB18
Current ADP: 17
The Skinny: After a sterling rookie season, Stroud crashed back to Earth in 2024. This isn’t to say he wasn’t a quality player—he dragged his Texans to the second round of the playoffs, despite a mind-boggling rash of wide receiver injuries—but, at least as compared to his freshman year, the numbers just weren’t there. This season, Stroud was gifted a couple of nifty new weapons in downfield threat Christian Kirk and once-elite running back Nick Chubb, so if Nico Collins and Tank Dell can stay out of the hospital ward, you might be looking at a top-eight fantasy option.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
2024 Fantasy Ranking: QB16
Current ADP: 11
The Skinny: This summer, the general consensus around the league was, “Caleb Williams equals bust.” Sure, when you compare his 2024 season to that of fellow rookie Jayden Daniels, the former Heisman Trophy winner—and number one overall pick—was a disappointment. But check out who he topped in fantasyland: Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, and C.J. Stroud. In 2025, the sophomore will be working from a Ben Johnson playbook behind a retooled offensive line that PFF cites as the league’s fourth-best. The fact that his running back room is led by D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson (ugh) means he’ll have plenty of opportunity to use his legs, something that will likely turn him into a top-seven fantasy quarterback.