If you're reading this, I can only imagine you've advanced to the second round of your fantasy playoffs. Congratulations! But you probably got lucky.
Of course, we know the old idiom. "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." At some point, you increased your chances of getting lucky. You still got lucky.
Over the course of a season, the aggregate becomes more apparent. Outliers prove to live outside of the median range. Unexpected variance is smoothed out over a sufficiently long timeline.
In the playoffs, you can't hide behind excuses. It doesn't matter how tight the margins your losses came in. No one cares if you should have had a bye but got hosed by injuries. It's your best lineup against your leaguemates' best in a sudden-death matchup.
You may have snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. You've been starting Trevor Lawrence, the season-long QB15, and Kyle Pitts Sr., the season-long TE12. Both were fringe starters going into the week, but you got 84.8 points between the two of them.
Maybe your opponent started Patrick Mahomes II, the QB2 on the season, and Jake Ferguson, the TE5. Both were plug-and-play starters going into the week, and they combined for 16.7 points.
Between your two solo positions, you've already locked in a 68.1-point advantage for the week.
In a single-game sample like this, outliers stand out like a sore thumb.
George Pickens was the WR3 coming into Week 15. His 4.8 points in Week 15 scored as the WR58. Jahmyr Gibbs, the per-game RB3 and hottest running back in football coming into the game, finished the week outside of the top 30 running backs.
Superstars faceplant, and sleepers awaken in single-game samples.
In the same way I jokingly said winners got lucky, losers should find solace in knowing that luck does play a huge factor in the playoffs. An undefeated team with the most points scored didn't matter when facing a Week 15 juggernaut with Trevor Lawrence, James Cook, Travis Etienne Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Kyle Pitts Sr. starting.
What makes this part of fantasy football so fun is how it mimics what's happening in the league. The Falcons had no business going into Tampa Bay and beating the Buccaneers. The Bengals, fighting for a playoff spot, were embarrassingly shut out by the Ravens. The Chargers, with a hobbled Justin Herbert, ended the Chiefs' season in an Arrowhead upset. The Bills took down the top-seeded Patriots. The Saints hung 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to upset the Panthers.
This is why we love football. "On any given Sunday, you're gonna win, or you're gonna lose."
So when you win, don't minimize it. Don't chalk it up to luck. Enjoy the win. Relish the taste of winning's sweet fruit. Let your leaguemates know of your dominant prowess.
And when you lose, just maintain a healthy perspective and tell yourself that you got unlucky. It happens to the best of us.
This will be the final edition of 2025's Rest-of-Season Rankings. This series has been a privilege to write this season, and I wish you the best of luck in the season's final two games.
Please come back next week to check out our Week 17 rankings, which are fully customizable to your league's roster and scoring settings.
In this article, I will rank every player by their rest-of-season value. With just two weeks left in the fantasy football regular season, shifts will be dramatic and future schedules will be considered. Next to each name will be a "+" or "-" indicating the movement from last week's rankings. Considerable movers will have added context. New players will be marked as "New."
Let's dive in, starting with the quarterbacks.
Quarterbacks
Quarterbacks have been the steadiest of all positions throughout this season. After the discovery phase during the first month of the season, just minor tweaks are required on a week-to-week basis. Patrick Mahomes II's season-ending injury moves everyone but Josh Allen and whoever is starting for the Jets up a spot.
- QB1 - Josh Allen
- QB2 - Lamar Jackson (+1)
- QB3 - Jalen Hurts (+1)
- QB4 - Drake Maye (+1)
- QB5 - Jaxson Dart (+5) - There is always some fear that Dart will leave a game early due to his reckless playstyle. However, since taking over as the starter in Week 4, only Josh Allen is averaging more than Dart's 22.2 fantasy points per game. His 36.2 rushing yards per game rank behind only Allen, Jayden Daniels, and Justin Fields. He has proven to be a reliable fantasy quarterback and someone you can comfortably start through the playoffs.
- QB6 - Dak Prescott (+1)
- QB7 - Matthew Stafford (+1)
- QB8 - Joe Burrow (-2)
- QB9 - Jacoby Brissett
- QB10 - Trevor Lawrence (+7) - After logging one of the best games in NFL history, Lawrence is an obvious riser. He became the first player ever to pass for 300 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 50 yards and another score. He single-handedly helped plenty of fantasy managers advance to Round 2 of the playoffs. He has quietly been a steady fantasy quarterback since Week 5, averaging 21.9 fantasy points per game, which ranks third behind only Josh Allen and Jaxson Dart. Lawrence looked overwhelmed in the new offense early in the season, as receivers were shuffled into different roles while the team learned a new system. Since the first month of the year, the offense has been humming, and Lawrence has been productive as the straw that stirs the drink. Tough remaining matchups against the Broncos and Colts create some concern, but he can be relied on as a low-end QB1 in both games.
- QB11 - Caleb Williams
- QB12 - Bo Nix (+1)
- QB13 - Brock Purdy (-1)
- QB14 - Baker Mayfield
- QB15 - Jordan Love
- QB16 - C.J. Stroud (+4)
- QB17 - Jared Goff (+1)
- QB18 - Justin Herbert (-2)
- QB19 - Bryce Young (+2)
- QB20 - Sam Darnold (-1)
- QB21 - Marcus Mariota (+1)
- QB22 - J.J. McCarthy (+4)
- QB23 - Shedeur Sanders
- QB24 - Tyler Shough (+3)
- QB25 - Tua Tagovailoa (-1)
- QB26 - Aaron Rodgers (-1)
- QB27 - Cameron Ward (+1)
- QB28 - Kirk Cousins (+4)
- QB29 - Philip Rivers (New)
- QB30 - Gardner Minshew II (New)
- QB31 - Brady Cook (+8)
- QB32 - Tyrod Taylor (-3)
- QB33 - Geno Smith (+1)
- QB34 - Riley Leonard (-3)
- QB35 - Justin Fields (-2)
- QB36 - Trey Lance
- QB37 - Dillon Gabriel
- QB38 - Kenny Pickett (-3)
- QB39 - Teddy Bridgewater (-1)
- QB40 - Anthony Richardson Sr.
- QB41 - Mason Rudolph
- QB42 - Mac Jones
- QB43 - Jameis Winston
- QB44 - Davis Mills
- QB45 - Malik Willis
- QB46 - Max Brosmer
- QB47 - Spencer Rattler
- QB48 - Joe Milton III
- QB49 - Jalen Milroe
- QB50 - Joe Flacco
- QB51 - Andy Dalton
- QB52 - Jake Browning
- QB53 - Russell Wilson
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