As the 2025 fantasy season officially comes to a close, results in most leagues can often be boiled down to a select few draft picks that provided massive advantages - these things defined the season! 

These were the 3 Truths that we identified as defining last season: 

1. Veteran RBs Dominated

2. QB Concerns Were Largely Overblown

3. The 49ers Were A Mess

Off of these truths, we predicted that there would be more balance in drafts between WRs and RBs (the first 18 picks in most drafts were nine RBs and nine WRs), WR rankings would rely less on QBs (RIP to QB proof Justin Jefferson), and that taking players in Kyle Shannan’s offense (look at Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings) would be a worthy gambit in 2025.

Read last year's article here!

With the 2025 fantasy season in the books, we can now look at what truths defined the 2025 fantasy season and look ahead to how that could influence 2026 drafts.

What happened in 2025:

The hype for the rookie RB class this season was CRAZY. Ashton Jeanty had a late Round 1 ADP, Omarion Hampton was being taken in Round 3, TreVeyon Henderson was picked in Round 4, RJ Harvey had a Round 5 ADP, and even Kaleb Johnson was being drafted in Round 8 or Round 9 in most leagues.

Jeanty finished as a top-12 RB in just five of 17 weeks. Hampton missed multiple weeks due to injury before splitting work with Kimani Vidal upon his return. Henderson scored above 13 PPR fantasy points in just three contests (not counting Week 18). Harvey needed a JK Dobbins’ injury to become a viable play, which did not happen until Week 11. And Johnson totaled just 8.8 PPR fantasy points in the entire 2025 season!

So, it’s fair to say that all fantasy managers were a bit too high on those rookie RBs entering the season. Despite some big games, nobody in the group developed into a consistently reliable fantasy option, and there was not a single league winner in the bunch.

What it means for 2026: Increased Skepticism For Preseason Hype

Henderson saw his ADP rise all the way up to the fourth round because he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the preseason. It usually takes time for these rookies to carve out a role on offense, and they are often splitting work with a veteran for most of the season. Jeremiah Love is the most exciting RB coming out of the 2026 class. Expectations for him are likely to be more measured than for the guys last season.

What happened in 2025:

Five quarterbacks went in the first four rounds of fantasy drafts in 2025. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts all had an ADP inside the top-45 in drafts.

Those quarterbacks finished as follows:

Josh Allen --> Preseason ADP = QB1

QB Finish = QB1 

Lamar Jackson --> Preseason ADP = QB2

QB Finish = QB20

Jayden Daniels --> Preseason ADP = QB3

QB Finish = QB34

Joe Burrow --> Preseason ADP = QB4

QB Finish = QB29

Jalen Hurts --> Preseason ADP = QB5

QB Finish = QB9

Allen remains the safest quarterback selection in drafts each year. He has finished as the QB1 or QB2 in six consecutive seasons, and finished as the overall QB1 for the fourth time in his career in 2025.

His high ceiling and floor make him one of the most consistent fantasy QBs. He averaged 23.4 fantasy points per game this season and finished as a QB1 in 11 of his 16 games.

What it means for 2026: A High Allen ADP Followed by a QB Cliff

Allen will be the No. 1 quarterback selected in fantasy drafts next year. Drafting him late in the second round or early in the third round could be a smart strategy since you know he will finish as the QB1 or QB2.

But many missing out on Allen may wait to grab their QB later in the draft. This year, Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, and Dak Prescott all finished as top-5 fantasy QBs despite going outside the top-100 in drafts.

What happened in 2025:

Teams getting new play callers in the offseason make a major difference. Teams like the Bears, Saints, Jaguars, Patriots, and Seahawks all hired well-established offensive minds to lead their offenses in 2025.

All five of those offenses saw huge leaps in offensive output and, for the most part, improved throughout the season.

Ben Johnson’s arrival helped Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, and Colston Loveland emerge as reliable options. Kellen Moore helped Chris Olave blossom into a dominant WR1. Both Lawrence and Travis Etienne Jr. finished top-10 at their respective positions, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a career year in Klint Kubiak’s scheme.

What it means for 2026: Landing Spots for Stefanski, Kubiak, and Kingsbury will be Hyped Up

Both Kevin Stefanski and Kliff Kingsbury were relieved of their duties this week. And Kubiak is expected to be one of the most sought-after coaches in this cycle. All three have experience leading top offenses in their careers, and could potentially make a massive difference wherever they land. With such strong recent examples of play callers changing scoring environments for fantasy, these hirings could result in huge positive ADP swings for players on their teams.