The official start of the 2025 NFL season is quickly approaching. The league year and free agency will open at 4 p.m. on March 12. Teams will begin signing free agents, and any trades agreed to before the new league year will become official on that date.
Before the league year officially kicks off, there are a couple of other key dates to remember. Teams must designate franchise players by March 4. The NFL also has a legal negotiating window from March 10 to 12, during which teams can begin contacting and negotiating with the agents of unrestricted free agents. We’ll hear deals breaking during that window, even though they can’t become official until March 12.
It’s time to start breaking down the 2025 free agency class, which includes Tee Higgins, Keenan Allen, and Hollywood Brown at the wide receiver position. This year’s free agents are loosely ordered based on talent, age, plus previous and expected future fantasy relevance. Be sure to follow Fantasy Points throughout free agency for in-depth breakdowns of every major (and minor) move. We’ll track every off-season transaction from a fantasy perspective through our “Free Agency Tracker” articles and Graham Barfield’s “Fantasy Fallout” pieces.
Be sure to check out the Free Agency Previews for Quarterbacks, Running Backs, and Tight Ends…This article is powered by Fantasy Points Data. Subscribe now to get our to take your research to the next level.
Unrestricted Free Agents
An unrestricted free agent is a player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract who is free to negotiate and sign with any team. The age for each player is the age he’ll turn in the 2024 calendar year.
Fantasy Starter
Stefon Diggs (Hou, 32)
The Texans stunned the league when they acquired Diggs from the Bills last April. They restructured the final three years on his contract into a one-year, $22.5 million deal, which set up his first trip to free agency this off-season. He’ll do it under unfortunate circumstances after tearing his ACL eight games into his first season with C.J. Stroud. He moved into a different role as the #2 receiver behind Nico Collins and as the team's primary inside receiver with a 52.8% slot rate.
Diggs posted 47/496/31 receiving (10.6 YPR) on 64 targets (22.1% share) to finish as the WR17 with 15.2 FPG. He played on 78% of the snaps, ran 252 routes (31.5 per game), and averaged 1.97 YPRR in eight contests. He ranked 22nd in A.S.S. (.113) among 113 WRs with 200+ routes. Diggs has won as a route runner with lateral agility throughout his career, so we’ll see how he fares as a 32-year-old receiver returning from an ACL injury. The Texans would love to keep Diggs around after investing a second-round pick in him last season, but they allowed him to hit free agency early by restructuring his contract. He’ll be on the WR3 radar in PPR formats next season, but drafting a 32-year-old receiver coming back from an ACL injury has fantasy disappointment written all over it.
Amari Cooper (Buf, 31)
Cooper enters free agency off of his worst campaign since entering the league a decade ago in 2015. He got off to a disappointing season with Deshaun Watson taking the entire Browns offense. He then failed to make an impact with Josh Allen after the Bills traded for him before Week 7. Cooper posted 4/66/1 receiving in his first game with Buffalo, and he wouldn’t top the 16.6 FP he scored against the Titans in his final 10 games (postseason included). He found himself stuck in a rotation with Keon Coleman, Mack Hollins, and Curtis Samuel as he battled through a wrist injury in the second half of the season.
Cooper posted 44/547/4 receiving (12.4 YPR) on 85 targets (18.8% share) to finish as the WR59 with 8.8 FPG. He ran 352 routes (25.1 per game) and averaged 1.55 YPRR in 15 contests. He ran 81.3% of his route out wide and ranked 81st in catch rate (51.8%) and 79th in catchable target rate (67.1%) among 85 WRs who saw 50+ targets. Cooper ran into some bad luck playing with Watson and getting stuck in a rotation with the Bills, but he just went for a career-high 1250 receiving yards playing with a hodgepodge of Browns QBs in 2023. Cooper should see his ADP significantly fall this off-season, and he could go down as a fantasy value if he’s able to land a #1 or #2 WR role after a frustrating campaign.
Keenan Allen (Chi, 33)
The Chargers traded Allen for some much-needed cap relief last off-season, which ended his 11-year run with the franchise that dated back to when the Chargers still played in San Diego. The Bears landed a one-year rental for one of the NFL’s best route-runners, but he proved to be a poor fit with Caleb Williams, who struggled to play in rhythm. He ended with his fewest yards in a season (744) since he played one game in 2016, and he finished with career lows in receiving YPG (49.6), YPT (6.1), receptions per game (4.7), and catch rate (57.9%).
Allen posted 70/744/7 receiving (10.6 YPR) on 121 targets (23.5% share) to finish as the WR34 with 12.4 FPG. He played on 87% of the snaps, ran 489 routes (32.6 per game), and averaged 1.52 YPRR in 15 contests — he missed two games for a heel injury. He ran 52.6% of his routes from the slot and ranked 80th in drop rate (9.8%) with 11 drops among 85 WRs who saw 50+ targets. Allen owned 6 drops on 239 targets (2.5%) in 23 games in 2022-23. Allen was the model of consistency when he was available from 2017 to 2023, and it’s fair to wonder if he had a down performance in 2024 because of Chicago’s dysfunctional offense, his age, or a combination of both. Allen could still be useful in PPR formats if he lands in a pass-heavy offense, but he’ll be a WR3 in PPR formats if everything breaks right.
Fantasy Relevant
Diontae Johnson (Bal, 29)
Johnson is coming off one of the most bizarre, drama-filled seasons where he burned so many bridges that his NFL career is at least a little bit up in the air. He spent time on four rosters in 2024 between the Steelers, Panthers, Ravens, and Texans, and each of those teams either traded or released him from their rosters. The cherry on top of the sh*t sundae was his release from the Texans after he complained about his role in Houston’s Wild Card Round victory. The Ravens claimed him in January after releasing him earlier in the season because he would factor into their compensatory pick formula if he signs somewhere this off-season.
Overall, Johnson posted 33/375/3 receiving (11.4 YPR) on 67 targets (18% share) to average 7.4 FPG in 12 appearances. He ran 240 routes (20.0 per game) and averaged 1.56 YPRR while running 78.3% of his routes out wide. He ranked 84th in catch rate (50.8%) and 81st in YPT (5.77) among 85 WRs who saw 50+ targets. A lesser player would have no chance of playing again in the NFL, but Johnson will be one of the best route runners available in free agency. He showed just how dominant he can be when he finished as a top-10 WR in back-to-back games when he posted 15/205/2 receiving for 47.5 FP in Weeks 3-4. Diontae is an interesting player for a team to buy low on after his disastrous 2024. He won’t be offered much in guaranteed money, and he’ll have to prove he can avoid being a distraction wherever he lands.
Tyler Lockett (Sea, 33)
The Seahawks owed Lockett $30.9 million for 2025, and they saved $17 million by releasing him this off-season. The longtime Seahawk saw his production fall off a cliff in his first season under HC Mike Macdonald as he slipped to the #3 option behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and D.K. Metcalf. Lockett’s fantasy production fell for the fifth straight season to a career-low 7.1 FPG, failing to reach 894+ receiving yards for the first time since 2017. Lockett posted 49/600/2 receiving (12.2 YPR) on 74 targets (11.5% share). He played on 70% of the snaps, ran 500 routes (29.4 per game), and averaged 1.20 YPRR in 17 contests. He finished 82nd in TPRR (.14) and last in YACO/REC (.31) among 85 WRs who saw 50+ targets. Lockett is likely to be off the fantasy radar next season as he searches for work as, at best, a #3 WR.
Elijah Moore (Cle, 25)
Moore’s career failed to take off in the last two seasons, even with a change of scenery from New York to Cleveland. He’s dealt with miserable quarterback play throughout his career, including for seven games with Deshaun Watson at the start of last season. Moore had a few fantasy moments when Jameis Winston entered the lineup, which corresponded with Amari Cooper being traded to Buffalo, but he still topped 11+ FP just three times overall. Moore posted 61/538/1 receiving (8.8 YPR) on 102 targets (14.8% share) to average 7.1 FPG. He played on 76% of the snaps and ran 564 routes (33.2 per game) with a 56% slot rate in 17 contests. He ranked 83rd in YPRR (.95), 83rd in YPT (5.49), and 81st in YAC/REC (2.21) among 85 WRs who saw 50+ targets. Moore has failed to make much of a fantasy impact in the last two seasons despite seeing 100+ targets, and it’s difficult to see him getting a better opportunity for targets this off-season. He’ll at least have an excellent chance of seeing higher-quality targets at his next stop after dealing with the likes of Zach Wilson and Watson to start his career.
Brandin Cooks (Dal, 32)
Cooks’ production tailed off for a fifth straight year, and he’s coming off by far a career-worst campaign at 31 years old. It didn’t help that he played just four games with Dak Prescott. Cook landed on the injured reserve before Week 5 and missed seven games for a knee injury before returning to play with Cooper Rush the rest of the way. Cooks posted receiving (10.0 YPR) on targets (14.7% share) to average 7.0 FPG. He played on 70% of the snaps and ran 265 routes (26.5 per game) in 10 contests. He ranked 83rd in catch rate (51%), 81st in YPRR (.98), and last in YPTOE (-3.6) among 85 WRs who saw 50+ targets. Cooks owns six 1000-yard receiving seasons in 11 years, but he hasn’t topped 700 receiving yards in three consecutive campaigns. Cooks will be forced to latch on as a #3 WR, at best, after his production continued to tail off another year into his 30s.
