QB Breakout Candidates for 2025 🏈

Late round QB breakouts are one of the biggest advantages in fantasy football. Last season guys like Jayden Daniels and Sam Darnold propelled fantasy owners into deep playoff runs. Here are four candidates Walter has identified for potential breakouts in 2025.

🏈 4 QBs with Fantasy Football BREAKOUT Potential

1. Caleb Williams (QB - Bears)

In 2024, Caleb Williams finished with the 16th-most fantasy points among quarterbacks while dealing with an incompetent coaching staff. This season, Williams will have an offensive-minded head coach in Ben Johnson, who is certain to do everything in his power to set his quarterback up for success. The Bears spent their offseason revamping the offensive line, while also spending high-end draft capital on pass-catchers (tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III). Better personnel and Johnson's creativity infusion is expected to give Williams all he needs for a sophomore breakout.

Surprisingly, Williams ran for nearly 500 yards in his rookie campaign. With the aforementioned better offensive line and smarter playbook, it is logical to assume Williams will likely run less this season. But his rookie-year total does inspire some confidence in fantasy managers to anticipate some massive fantasy performances on any given week. We have him hovering around 30 rushing yards on a weekly basis as of right now. A 2024 Baker Mayfield-esque season is within the range of outcomes for the former Trojan, so he is worth a flyer in the middle-to-late rounds of your drafts.

Walter’s Rank: QB8
Walter's Projected Ceiling: QB3

2. Drake Maye (QB - Patriots)

Drake Maye demonstrated tremendous rushing upside in 2024. He only played 80 percent or more snaps in 10 games, but finished the year with 421 rushing yards. He is clearly a very effective runner, and that is a key factor in identifying a late-round breakout quarterback like Jayden Daniels in 2024.

With the additions of new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, Maye projects to be better in his sophomore season than he was in his rookie season.

Walter's Rank: QB14
Walter's Projected Ceiling: QB9

3. J.J. McCarthy (QB - Vikings)

J.J. McCarthy is one of the most intriguing breakout candidates at the quarterback position. He has yet to play a snap during an NFL regular season, but he showed promise in the 2024 preseason, prior to his injury.

McCarthy has one of the top offensive-minded head coaches in the NFL in Kevin O'Connell. Additionally, the Vikings have a solid offensive line as well as three elite weapons in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson.

Another under-the-radar aspect of McCarthy's game is his rushing ability. If O'Connell can optimize the Minnesota offense to fit that sector of their quarterback's game, McCarthy has the potential of offering an excellent weekly ceiling. At the moment, we do not have the QB projected for a ton of weekly rushing, but with more data that could quickly change.

Walter's Rank: QB17
Walter's Projected Ceiling: QB10

4. Bryce Young (QB - Panthers)

Bryce Young showed improvement to end last season and now has an alpha wide receiver, an improved offensive line, and an easy schedule.

To end 2024, Young scored 23+ fantasy points in three of his final seven games, including a 36-point explosion in the final week of the season. It is also worth noting that he ran for five touchdowns over this span.

The drafting of Tet McMillan should benefit Young greatly, considering he has never had a true WR1. Another year in head coach Dave Canales' effective offensive scheme is also expected to enhance the Carolina quarterback's odds of success.

He is going to be practically free in fantasy drafts, and offers an intriguing ceiling.

Walter’s Rank: QB22
Walter's Projected Ceiling: QB12

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