As the 2025 NFL season kicks off, who are the underrated or still unproven players that may swing the course of the season? We’ve watched the preseason tape and scoured the depth charts to identify 10 players who can make a big impact for their respective teams and your fantasy lineups, and help shape this season from Week 1 and beyond. These are the X factors.
X Factors on the Contenders
Jameson Williams chats with Amon-Ra St. Brown before the Lions-Falcons preseason game
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Williams arrived in Detroit as a first-round pick in 2022 and a promising deep-threat receiver. He has flashed that ability several times in his first three seasons, and broken a few games open with deep receptions, but we have yet to see him be the type of consistent downfield force that defenses have to account for on every single snap.
The infrastructure the Lions have built heading into this season should make it easier for Williams to finally have that breakthrough. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta do the bulk of the work when it comes to creating yards after the catch and working the middle of the field, while running back Jahmyr Gibbs is an explosive play waiting to happen on every touch. With so much defensive attention being paid to those players between the hashes, Williams figures to get plenty of one-on-one matchups this year. If he reaches his potential, Detroit’s passing offense could remain at the top of the league, even after the departure of former OC Ben Johnson.
Jayden Reed catches a pass during Packers minicamp
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Of all our X factors, Reed’s situation feels the most tenuous, as he attempts to play through a Jones fracture in his foot. Reed seems resolute in his decision to fight through the injury in order to contribute to Green Bay’s passing game, but he’s already had to miss a practice this week after aggravating the injury. We should anticipate this being an ongoing pain management issue for him throughout the year.
Reed is the most consistent of Green Bay’s young receivers, and he’s received the bulk of the targets over the last couple of seasons. If he can truly gut it out and play through this fracture, his presence in the lineup keeps pressure off of rookie Matthew Golden from having to become the WR1 right away, and will buy the Packers time for deep threat Christian Watson to return from the knee injury he suffered last season. If Reed has to miss time, though, that puts the passing game in the hands of Golden, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks, the latter two of whom have struggled with consistency and don’t have as much down-to-down value for quarterback Jordan Love.
Odafe Oweh warms up before the Ravens-Colts preseason game
Odafe Oweh, Edge, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore didn’t necessarily need to trade for someone as good as Micah Parsons to be a serious Super Bowl threat, but there’s still a pretty clear need for one of its young edge rushers to take a big step forward this season. The best candidate to make that leap is Oweh, who is coming off a 10-sack season and still has significant room to grow.
Oweh’s sack numbers look great, but the Ravens haven’t yet gotten to a point where they feel his impact as a rusher on an every-down basis. His 48 pressures tied for 41st among all defensive players last year, and his paltry seven quick pressures (those within 2.5 seconds) tied for 79th. Those numbers suggest that his production when it comes to sacks and quarterback hits could be subject to regression. That’s what makes him such a wild card for the Ravens defense this season.
Oweh added weight during the offseason in hopes of improving as a run stopper and a power rusher. If he’s able to accomplish both and take a step forward and not backward, opposing quarterbacks should be worried.
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X Factors on Fringe Playoff Teams
Jonathan Taylor runs a drill during Colts training camp
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
It isn’t Taylor’s fault that Indianapolis’s offense has been so inconsistent since the arrival of head coach Shane Steichen and quarterback Anthony Richardson, nor should it be Taylor’s responsibility to lift the team out of the hole it’s in. Realistically, though, if the Colts offense is going to turn a corner this season, it will have to lean heavily on its star tailback. The degree of difficulty to successfully do so will be unreasonably high.
Because Indianapolis has run the majority of its spread offense with the quarterback lined up in the shotgun, there haven't been many schemed-up chances for Taylor to be a featured back like you might expect for a former first-round pick. Over the last two seasons, Taylor has just 88 rushing attempts from under-center looks, which ranks 39th at his position. But running plays when the quarterback is under center are often the best way to get a player moving downhill, and the Colts could be sacrificing Taylor’s big-play potential by using so much shotgun. And without a dynamic passing game to keep defenses from loading the box, Taylor has had to create his own yards on a majority of his carries.
All of this creates an intriguing dynamic for Indianapolis’s offense this season as the Colts move away from Richardson and go to Daniel Jones at quarterback. Will Steichen’s scheme shift in a way that will feature Taylor more prominently? If not, we may have to talk about what sort of trade value Taylor would have by midseason.
Marvin Harrison Jr. warms up before the Cardinals’ preseason game vs. the Broncos
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
Harrison had an underwhelming rookie season, and he needs a huuuuuuggggeee breakthrough in year two to justify his high draft position and his role in the Cardinals offense going forward. I wanted to give Harrison the benefit of the doubt because it’s a big ask for a rookie, even one who enters the league as polished as Harrison did, to step into the role of a WR1 on day one. But it’s difficult to find encouraging signs when you dive deeper into his rookie numbers.
In the past 10 seasons, there have been 42 rookies to log at least 250 snaps at outside receiver. Harrison ranks second to last in reception rate on targets (at just 49 percent—yikes), 39th in expected points added per route run, and 30th in success rate when targeted. A receiver picked in the top five of the draft can never perform at that level and not draw criticism. Part of the problem was a disconnect in his and quarterback Kyler Murray’s playing styles, and perhaps that’s something that can be ironed out over time. But part of the struggles could be inherent to his game—he simply lacks the speed to consistently gain separation from defenders. Harrison bulked up his frame this offseason in order to play with more strength against physical corners, and right now he looks as jacked as Eagles receiver A.J. Brown. Harrison, though, can’t yet match Brown’s skill set as a crafty route runner who is dangerous once the ball is in his hands. We’ll need to see Harrison not just look better but actually play better in 2025 if Arizona’s passing game is to take the next step.
Ricky Pearsall runs through passing drills during 49ers training camp
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Pearsall flashed potential in the second half of his rookie season, and the combination of his playing style and the way head coach Kyle Shanahan typically uses receivers suggests Pearsall will continue to grow in year two. Pearsall is tough over the middle of the field, will make catches away from his body, and has enough burst to both separate and create yards after the catch.
There should be ample opportunities for Pearsall to be an impact player in San Francisco’s offense thanks to his skill set and a lack of depth at the position. Brandon Aiyuk is starting the season on the PUP list, Demarcus Robinson is suspended for the first three games, and it’s unclear whether Jauan Jennings will be game ready after missing a month of practice to deal with a calf injury and/or contract dispute. It’s possible San Francisco will run through an easy schedule and make a push for a playoff return this season, and Pearsall can be one of the leading young contributors to that charge.
X Factors on Rebuilding Rosters
Malik Nabers and Paulson Adebo practice during Giants training camp
Paulson Adebo, CB, New York Giants
Adebo is sort of a stand-in for the entire Giants secondary here, but he’s the defensive back most likely to be in the spotlight after New York paid him $54 million over the next three years to be its no. 1 corner. Adebo was a promising playmaker during his time with New Orleans, with 43 passes defended over four years, 10 of which were interceptions. But he’s coming back from a broken femur, and there will be questions about his athleticism after such a significant injury. If he’s healthy and back to his usual form, he could be exactly what the Giants secondary needs—an individual playmaker who can help young defensive backs like Andru Phillips and Deonte Banks grow into their roles.
Last season, New York ranked among the league’s bottom 10 teams in success rate against the pass. This is partially because the back seven couldn’t hold up in coverage and partially because the defensive line wasn’t affecting the quarterback in the pocket. Now that they have a healthy and supercharged defensive front featuring All-Pro Dexter Lawrence and promising rookie Abdul Carter, opposing quarterbacks will likely have to get the ball out quickly, and Adebo should have opportunities to get his hands on passes. This could be one of the NFL’s best defenses if Adebo is who the Giants paid him to be, and that would significantly speed up New York’s rebuilding process.
Dre’Mont Jones rushes the passer during the Vikings-Titans preseason game
Dre’Mont Jones, edge, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee has to be crossing its fingers that the $8.5 million it spent to sign edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones pays huge dividends. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson (somehow) kept a subpar roster afloat last season, but now this defense needs Jones to put up a career year in pass rushing production to speed up Tennessee’s rebuilding process and take the stress off of a thin defensive backfield.
Jones was a productive and reliable piece when he played in Denver and Seattle, but the big-bodied defensive lineman has never had double-digit sacks or tackles for a loss in a single season. The comparisons to now-Patriots edge rusher Harold Landry III will be unavoidable since Jones is his replacement, and Jones will be harshly judged if he can’t match Landry’s production. This is just a one-year prove-it deal for Jones, and I’m unsure that there’s more to his game than what Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald coaxed out of him last season.
Chuba Hubbard takes the ball from Bryce Young in a preseason game against the Texans
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
Hubbard has been relatively anonymous throughout his career in Carolina, and the franchise even tried to draft an eventual replacement for him in 2024 with Jonathan Brooks. But all Hubbard has done is give the offense reliable production, and his performance in 2024, with 10 rushing touchdowns and nearly 1,200 yards, should finally have him on the cusp of stardom.
Carolina made major investments in its interior offensive line in the two drafts since it selected quarterback Bryce Young in 2023, but Hubbard has been the real beneficiary of those moves. His 40 percent success rate over the past two years ranks just outside of the top 15—and with 3.17 average yards after contact, he ranks ahead of his more athletic peers like Bijan Robinson, James Cook, and Saquon Barkley. I don’t think Hubbard will ever produce explosive runs at the same rate as those guys, but he’ll almost certainly be a good enough engine for Carolina to build its offense around. If he does manage to produce some more big runs in 2025, maybe the Panthers will take the next step toward becoming a legitimately frisky team, even against top contenders in the NFC.
