2025 Fantasy Football Creeper Preview

by Michael Nazarek (UPDATED - 8/21/2025)

Editor's Note: Below you will find a portion of our Fantasy Football Creepers for 2025. If you'd like to read about all 18 creepers, please click HERE to order our 2025 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

Were you one of those fantasy owners who drafted QB Kyler Murray, RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Chris Godwin, or TE Sam LaPorta last year? Unfortunately, these players were some of the many disappointments due to injuries or other unfortunate circumstances. Just because they didn't perform last year, doesn't mean they will fail again in 2025, but I want to make sure to point out some of the warning signs which may cause certain players to produce poor fantasy numbers this year. I remind everyone that the players on the forthcoming list may produce good fantasy numbers this coming season, but I recommend you think twice before drafting them for your team this year. Let the buyer beware!

 

Note: The UPDATED ADP mentioned below for all players applies to 12-team PPR leagues.

 

RED - Positive Update

PINK - Neutral Update

BLUE - Negative Update

 

TIGHT ENDS

 

Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh) - Freiermuth was solid last season, after getting off to a slow start. He only scored twice in the team's first eight games, but finished with a 65-653-7 stat line. Unfortunately, the Steelers acquired TE Jonnu Smith from the Dolphins and OC Arthur Smith loves Smith as a player in his system. That means Freiermuth is likely to play more in-line TE and block more in 2025. That will obviously cut down on his overall production, turning a player from a low-end TE1 to a mid-range to lower-range TE2 for fantasy. ADP: Round 16-17. Update 8/21: Freiermuth has looked solid in camp, but the same issues are there... His upside is capped by the presence of Smith and his usage with regard to blocking on many plays.

 

Cade Otten (Tampa Bay) - Otten had a stretch of games in 2024 where he dominated with huge fantasy production, scoring four times in four games. Why? Simply put, WR Chris Godwin (ankle) suffered a season-ending injury and WR Mike Evans missed many games due to a hamstring injury. Thus, QB Baker Mayfield took the passing game primary to Otten with short passes. As a result, Otten ended the year with a solid 59-600-4 stat line. Unfortunately, the Bucs re-signed Godwin and drafted WR Emeka Egbuka in April, meaning they are loaded at wideout. Look for the Bucs to throw downfield more in 2025, meaning less targets for Otten, so he makes this list. ADP: Round 16-17. Update 8/21: Otten has looked solid in camp, but the same issues are there... His upside is capped by the presence of Evans, Egbuka, Godwin, and McMillan (when healthy).

 

Dalton Schultz (Houston) - Schultz did what we expected him to do last season, not much. He only scored twice, and both came after the first 12 weeks of the season. He finished with a 53-532-2 stat line. Do not expect those numbers to go up, since the team added rookies WR Jayden Higgins and WR Jaylin Noal via the draft, even though they lost WR Stefon Diggs (torn ACL) and WR Tank Dell (torn ACL). Bottom Line: Schults was TE20 in 2024 and you can expect him to slide even further down the list in 2025. ADP: Round 19. Update 8/21: Schultz has looked good in camp, but the same issues are there... His upside is capped by the presence of Collins, Kirk, Higgins, and Noel.

 

The Deep-Creeper

 

Kyle Pitts (Atlanta) - Where do I start? The issues with Pitts are well-documented. When he entered the league, his talent stood out and initially he was a productive fantasy player, but then the knee injury hit. Simply put, he is not as explosive as he once was, and the Falcons simply don't look to him to make the big plays anymore. As a result, he finished 2024 with a 47-602-4 stat line, but his stats really took a dive after scoring twice against the Bucs in week #8. Over the final eight weeks, he produced an ugly 18-183-1 stat line for an average of 2-23 per week. Bottom Line: Pitts is nothing but a tease. He will have a big game, then follow it up with pretty much nothing for weeks at a time. AVOID. ADP: Round 11. Update 8/21: Pitts has looked good in camp, but the same issues are there... His upside is capped by a lack of targets and lackluster overall play.

 

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