From the time he released Les Prophéties in 1555 until his death 11 years later from eating an undercooked Whopper, Nostradamus was known as one of the greatest seers of the future the world has ever known. Since that fateful day at Le Burger King, the legend of Nostradamus has only grown.
Here's a fun fact about Michel de Nostredame--he was a chump.
Sure, Nostradamus allegedly foresaw the Great London Fire, the French Revolution, both World Wars, the moon landing, the September 11 attacks, and the Apocalypse. (No, really--people actually believe that nonsense). But could Nostradumba** tell you in early May who would be the biggest value of 2025 along the defensive line? Which linebacker was going to be the biggest fantasy disappointment?
Well? Neither can I! But that isn't going to stop me from trying.
Kidding aside, there's a lot of time between now and the heart of fantasy draft season, let alone the kickoff of Week 1. But this writer isn't about to let little things like facts and reality get in the way of making definitive declarations that are absolutely 100 percent guaranteed to be totally correct.
If they aren't, blame the French. Or Burger King. Whatever.
RELATED: See Ridiculously Early Offensive Player Predictions here.
Aidan Hutchinson Will Lead the NFL in Sacks and All DL in Fantasy Points
Last year, Detroit Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson was on a tear to open the season, with 7.5 sacks over the first five games of the season. A broken leg cut Hutchinson's third NFL season short, but while speaking to Marty Smith on the Thursday at the Masters podcast, Hutchinson said his rehab from the injury has progressed on schedule.
"It felt pretty long," Hutchinson said. "The early stages were pretty rough, but just being out of that now, like we were talking about earlier, you just have this appreciation for your body, you have appreciation for no pain and running. I'm happy to be done with that. People were loving that sprinting video, too. I didn't think people would love it as much as they did. But I got a lot of text messages, a lot of people DMing me. It was cool, the support has been amazing."
At the time of his injury last season, Hutchinson was leading the NFL in sacks, and no defensive lineman averaged more fantasy points per game in 2024 in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring than the 6-foot-7, 268-pounder. Internet hand-wringing aside, there's been nothing to indicate that Hutchinson won't be ready for Week 1. Use the concerns about his injury to your advantage this summer.
Among DL1s, Trey Hendrickson Will Be the Biggest Disappointment of 2025
The Bengals handed out massive contract extensions to wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason, but so far, 2024 sack king Trey Hendrickson has been left out in the proverbial cold. While speaking to reporters, the 30-year-old most assuredly did not sound like a player who was happy with how contract negotiations are going.
"Through this process, communication, when I say it's been poor, it's been, like, here and there," Hendrickson said. "And respect to Ja'Marr [Chase] and Tee [Higgins]. I don't want to take anything from all the great things they've accomplished in their careers. They deserve everything that they've gotten, and no doubt in my mind they're going to excel in the National Football League. I have a tremendous respect for both of them. But when it comes to my situation, it would have been nice to know in some ways, like, 'Hey we're going to put you in the queue,' no problem with me."
Until Hendrickson signs a new deal, there will be no shortage of trade rumors, but the reality is that he's not going anywhere--the Bengals aren't going to trade him for 60 cents on the dollar, and Hendrickson isn't going to leave over $18 million on the table at his age. With that said, all this nonsense affecting Hendrickson's performance is possible; he has always been a low-floor IDP option because of his lack of tackle numbers, and rookie Shemar Stewart is far from a sure thing as Hendrickson's new batterymate.
Edgerrin Cooper Will Explode Into IDP Stardom as a Top-3 LB This Year
Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper turned it on down the stretch last year, hitting double-digits in total tackles in two of his last three starts of the regular season. Now that Cooper has his first professional season under his belt and knows better how to prepare for Year 2, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst expects the 23-year-old to turn things up a notch in 2025.
"After the guys get through their first year, there's a big exhale," Gutekunst told reporters. "And then there's an understanding of what this is, and what I've got to do to play at my best week in and week out, and get myself the best chance to stay healthy. That's part of it. That's when you're going to see their true talent come out. He hit a stretch there in the middle of the season where he was just really comfortable with what we were doing defensively, with his teammates, and everything around him."
Three games is hardly a big sample size, and even then, Cooper was just a mid-range LB2 over that span. But if you watched Cooper flying to the ball over those final three weeks, you saw a star in the making, and his snap share is absolutely going to be higher in his second season than last year's 55 percent. A breakout season is coming--get in on the ground floor.
Elandon Roberts Will be a League-Winning Steal for IDP Managers in 2025
It was an odd offseason at off-ball linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders. Robert Spillane got a massive payday from the New England Patriots, and even Divine Deablo got $7 million a season from the Atlanta Falcons. However, while addressing the media at his introductory press conference, veteran Elandon Roberts said he's ready to assume the team's No. 1 linebacker role.
"I'm going on Year 10," he said, "so I've been blessed to be able to experience the positive and the negative with it. But you know one thing about me, I'm going to set that tone, so we are going to have some fun out here, Raider Nation. I think it just sends a message of how and what style of ball we want to play. But at the same time, I think being physical and being that type of player, you have to take into account that teams know that."
Roberts has made 105 career starts over nine seasons in New England, Miami, and Pittsburgh--but he has never played 60 percent of a team's defensive snaps in a season. That appears set to change--and with the 31-year-old seemingly slated for a full-time role on what may be the NFL's worst defense this season, there will be boatloads of tackle opportunities.
Rookie Nick Emmanwori Will Be a Top-10 Fantasy Defensive Back
After posting almost 90 total tackles and four interceptions last year at South Carolina, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Emmanwori was the second-round pick of the Seahawks in this year's draft. It's a pick that has been met with near-unanimous approval from pundits, with Jordan O'Malley of Stadium Talk writing that Emmanwori is a perfect fit with the Seahawks.
"Emmanwori plays like a chess piece--smart, fluid, and ready for chaos," he said. "He's built like a linebacker but moves like a corner, which gives Seattle's defense unusual flexibility. Seattle's new defensive wizard, Mike Macdonald, will have a blast with him, moving him all over the back end to confuse quarterbacks and wreck the game plans."
The Seahawks have a safety in Julian Love who was eighth in fantasy points among all defensive backs last season. But it's Emmanwori who is an even better fit playing closer to the line of scrimmage--there are linebackers in the NFL who aren't much bigger than he is. Emmanwori is going to be everyone's favorite kind of hybrid player: one who explodes into IDP prominence right off the bat.
Xavier McKinney Will Be a Big-Time IDP Disappointment in 2025
In his first season with the Green Bay Packers in 2024, safety Xavier McKinney had the best season of his NFL career. In addition to logging 88 total tackles, McKinney grabbed eight interceptions, second only to Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph. In a recent interview with Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, McKinney said that the career year was born in part from being somewhere he truly felt valued.
"I could tell they (the New York Giants) didn't really want me there," McKinney said. "I kind of knew that but for me, it was like I've still got to play well and I still have got to do the best I can for this team right now. I was still with the team and I was still all in but I could kind of tell the direction they were going."
Fantasy managers certainly valued McKinney last year--his DB9 fantasy finish a year ago marked the second straight time he cracked the top-10 at the position. But where McKinney had 116 tackles two years ago, last year's production was heavily dependent on interceptions. Picks are an inherently high-variance stat--cut those picks in half, and McKinney falls outside the top-15 in some scoring systems. McKinney is a great defensive back. But he's an overvalued IDP option.
Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPGodfather.
