NFL preseason 2025: Teams changing our expectations, fantasy sleepers, and more
Since there are officially more preseason games behind us than ahead, real, authentic football is quickly approaching. People, the good times are here.
However, when it comes to football in whatever form, our perceptions of the NFL are ever-evolving. Hot takes are flying around, new things are being revealed, and old things are being exhibited in slightly different ways.
In order to keep you informed, Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa at The Skinny Post try their best to cut through the clutter and get to the most significant events and happenings in the National Football League.
What have you changed your mind on the most so far?
The Minnesota Vikings have been in a strange place for a while, and I don’t believe that’s a hot take. Although strange isn’t always a bad thing, it was strange nonetheless.
Acting as though losing Sam Darnold was going to be the reason their battleship sank sounds strange (there’s that word again). I’m not sure why, but I had (and still have) some reservations about J.J. McCarthy’s ability to live up to his first-round billing from a year ago.
We are only in the preseason, of course, but I am comfortable and prepared to state that I don’t believe they will make many mistakes.
This may be more of a validation that Kevin O’Connell is among the league’s top coaches than an I really believe in McCarty Now moment. However, the Vikings currently feel extremely secure.
After watching the Rams move the ball between the 20s almost at will during their 23â22 victory over the Chargers on Saturday, I have completely altered my mind about how good that unit can be under Sean McVay.
They accomplished what they set out to do for the majority of the game, including against 80 percent of the Chargers’ starting defense. I’m not sure if it’s the system, the backs, or a combination of the skill players simply playing above themselves to carry an otherwise unimpressive group up front.
I would be concerned that the Rams would be among the league’s most underappreciated teams this season if McVay can get this much more out of his offensive line than it appears to be on paper.
Did the Browns’ rookie QB Dillon Gabriel do enough in his preseason debut to eclipse Shedeur Sandersâ performance?
Gabriel, who was chosen by the Browns in the third round of this year’s draft, finally gave us a look. To the shock of much of the nation, that was infamously two full rounds ahead of where his eventual colleague Sanders went.
Sanders had the opportunity to play the majority of the Browns’ first preseason game due to Gabriel’s injury, and he showed off with two touchdown passes and no interceptions. Gabriel, on the other hand, was 13-for-18 on his pass attempts and had an interception in addition to throwing zero touchdowns.
Has Kevin Stefanski’s opinion on who the superior quarterback is at the moment changed as a result of each rookie receiving one game of action? Will Sanders move up from his position as quarterback number four on the team’s initial unofficial depth chart?
I would be shocked if backup Kenny Pickett, who has been sidelined for the entire preseason, is still ranked higher than Sanders at the end of the day, though perhaps not this week.
I find the entire matter to be quite unimportant because Joe Flacco has already been selected by the Browns as their starter.
Although I’m not sure how Cleveland’s depth chart will finally turn out, I do believe Shedeur has a shot to stay longer. Although it feels inevitable, it can take some time before it is officially reflected.
It is about that time for drafting⌠who is your top fantasy sleeper?
James Conner has long ruled the backfield for the Arizona Cardinals. It seems like a narrative that needs to be repeated more frequently because he is still working at such a high level.
Trey Benson seems to be taking over and becoming a star in the backfield this year, with all due respect to Conner. My choice is him.
In order to increase the depth behind starter running back Aaron Jones and avoid making him touch the ball as often as he did in 2024 at his advanced age, the Vikings acquired veteran 49ers backup Jordan Mason.
As the team’s RB1b, Mason, in my opinion, gets a pretty healthy workload. Therefore, I wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up leading the backfield in touchdowns as a huge Jones vulture once they cross the five-yard line. If so, he might also be a highly unexpected RB1 in fantasy football.
Does anything at all in the preseason actually matter?
The most prevalent belief regarding the preseason is that nothing matters and that it is foolish to become very upset over a performance or result that you did not like. The problem is, I don’t believe it to be totally accurate.
Your team’s real record for the regular season is obviously unaffected by the results and win-loss records of the preseason. It’s a fact. Nonetheless, I believe there are still a lot of preseason events that are significant.
Your second and third-string players continue to play in the exhibition games. In an attempt to retain employment for the upcoming year, these guys are still going out there and trying their hardest to impress their coaching staff. Since these players will be your backups in the event that your starters are injured, their performance is, in fact, important.
Additionally, if your backups outperform those of another team, you most likely have superior backups! Or it indicates that your coaching staff is capable of leading a squad with inferior players to victory over the coaching staff of a rival team.
Therefore, even if the game doesn’t “matter” in terms of winning a Super Bowl or qualifying for the playoffs, there are still many things to be concerned about.
This time of year, in my opinion, is significant and can offer context. We can absorb what occurs, learn from it, and use it as fuel for our imagination.
Having stated that… You are definitely taking preseason football too seriously if you are making harsh judgments about it. I’m attempting to live in the happy medium that exists for all of this.
As always, the most crucial aspect of the preseason is for everyone to make it through and come out of it unscathed. That won’t ever alter.
READ MORE: LAD REPORTING
