WEEK 12
On the Audio Version Today:
NFL Weekly Schedule Preview
Dane Brugler 2025 Mid-Season Big Board + SF Mock Draft (based on Brugler’s work)
CFB Schedule + Weekly What/Who to Watch?
Make sure to follow the Fantasy for Real Twitter account if you use X/Twitter:
The goal is still to dial back the show a bit, though these Thursday episodes with the schedule may remain just a bit longer. I would anticipate Tuesday’s podcast being a bit shorter again.
Dane Brugler’s Mid-Season 2025 Big Board
I may produce a more detailed write-up later for a social post. If I do so, I’ll try to add those details here (EDIT: details added to bottom of post). If you can listen to the pod and want my thoughts on this Big Board and subsequent Mock Draft, the middle section of the show is dedicated to this breakdown
Fantasy Players in the Top 50
1 Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
5 Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
6 Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise St.
10 Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
13 Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
16 Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
22 Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
23 Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
26 Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
28 Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
30 Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
35 Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio St.
36 Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon
39 Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
40 Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
45 Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
49 Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
Fantasy Big Board / Mock Draft based on Top 50
Ashton Jeanty
Tetairoa McMillan
Luther Burden III
Jalen Milroe
Emeka Egbuka
Omarion Hampton
Kaleb Johnson
Cam Ward
Shedeur Sanders
Evan Stewart
Elic Ayomanor
Isaiah Bond
Garrett Nussmeier
Colston Loveland
Tyler Warren
Mason Taylor
There is one thing I wanted to make clear for the read-only members of the Substack: I am treating this as actual draft capital, not adjusted by position. If we were to adjust say any of the QBs into the 1.01 of the NFL Draft, that would change the situation here significantly. The QBs may seem to many to be going too late, but if the NFL actually did pass on all QBs for 15 Picks given the state of the position, that should be seen as a major indictment against this class. I doubt that happens, and so that inflation will likely bump QBs up as well. In that same vein, RBs listed in the top 40 may be projected to be drafted lower, but if we are assuming that these RBs get drafted in the top 40, that is basically our Gold Standard of RB Draft Capital. Different positions have different ranges, and I consider the equivalent to that top 40 standard at RB to be closer to the top 3-5 picks at QB, so with Kaleb Johnson and Omarion Hampton getting significantly better Draft Capital, this is why I have them ranked above even though there would likely be QB scarcity arguments pushing up Ward & Sanders in particular in a Mock or Real Draft.
Once again, the intention here is to have an exercise and discuss this Big Board, so this may not be the perfect way to do this, but I think it’s given us a new opportunity to look through some theoretical scenarios.
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Times are in Eastern. Players without years are eligible for the NFL Draft. Years are when players are first eligible.
NFL Schedule (Saturday)
BIG GAMES
LSU @ Florida on ABC at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU ; Caden Durham, RB, LSU (2027) ; Kyren Lacy, WR, LSU ; Aaron Anderson, WR, LSU ; Mason Taylor, TE, LSU ; D.J. Lagway, QB, Florida (2027)
Star Freshman QB D.J. Lagway will likely make his return from injury this weekend against LSU. Lagway has excellent mobility that can translate into long term fantasy upside, and his ability to generate Big Time Throws has been elite so far in his early career. Outside of Lagway, we do have to unfortunately mention that Eugene Wilson will miss the remainder of the season. Wilson played only 10 Games in 2023 and has missed time due to knee & hip injuries in 2024, which likely cast a shadow over his profile until he comes back healthy. For LSU, there is still significant buzz that suggests Garrett Nussmeier is still a QB that the NFL is trying to fall in love with; however, it seems very likely at this point that Nussmeier’s inconsistencies will push him into the 2026 class. For the pass catchers, Mason Taylor seems to be the most likely future NFL player, but Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson deserve attention as well.
>>>>GAME OF THE WEEK>>>> Tennessee @ Georgia on ABC at 7:30 PM
Key Players: Carson Beck, QB, Georgia ; Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia ; Nate Frazier, RB, Georgia (2027) ; Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee (2026) ; Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
Another game with massive playoff implications, Georgia in particular will look to bounce back from potentially the most humiliating defeat for the Bulldogs in the last several years. Clearly the sports books believe they will roar back, as Georgia is a ten point favorite. I mention this to also include the fact that this could indicate some skepticism on if Nico Iamaleava, who left the previous game around halftime, is actually healthy enough to play. Dylan Sampson has been nursing an injury and left temporarily as well. Hopefully for our sake as fans and evaluators we get to see Iamaleava & Sampson take on this Georgia defense, but the spread alone makes me skeptical of what we will see. On the Georgia side of things, Carson Beck could still theoretically rebuild his stock to the 1st Round simply because he has the theoretical schedule of opponents in front of him that could make that enticing, but it seems almost impossible to believe at this point. True freshman Nate Frazier saw a surprising percentage of the workload against Ole Miss, though Trevor Etienne continued to function as an effective receiving back, which is very intriguing at his size.
TIER 2 GAMES
Clemson @ Pittsburgh on ESPN @ Noon
Key Players: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson ; Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson ; Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson ; T.J. Moore, WR, Clemson (2027) ; Bryant Wesco, WR, Clemson (2027) ; Eli Holstein, QB, Pittsburgh (2026) ; Desmond Reid, RB, Pittsburgh
Despite being only a freshman, T.J. Moore has begun to outproduce the rest of the Clemson WRs, or at least keep pace as the top option alongside junior Antonio Williams. In the last four weeks, Moore has 15 Receptions, 245 Yards, and 2 TDs, which are fine numbers for a young freshman. Facilitating the ball is Cade Klubnik, who I’m still quite fond of, though I do believe is far more likely to be a member of the 2026 class at this point. Speaking of future QBs, Eli Holstein has done a lot to improve his standing for College Football going from a third stringer (or worse) at Alabama to a starter at Pittsburgh, but the Will-Levis-esque QB does not appear to be on an early declare trajectory. Even with a strong TD:INT ratio early in the season, there were some signs that Holstein’s production was a bit flukey. That fluke has come crashing down a bit the last few weeks. The most dynamic player for Pittsburgh is Dez Reid, who leads all non-service-academy RBs in Receiving Yards.
Nebraska @ USC on FOX @ 4:00 PM
Key Players: Makai Lemon, WR, USC (2026) ; Zachariah Branch, WR, USC (2026) ; Duce Robinson, WR, USC (2026) ; Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC (2026) ; Woody Marks, RB, USC ; Quinten Joyner, RB, USC (2026)
There are still reasons to be encouraged with Nebraska Freshman QB Dylan Raiola, though it is fair to say at this point he has aggressively run into a “freshman/rookie wall.” Nebraska has fired their OC, and so hopefully this will be a sign of a turnaround for the rest of the season. Particularly if we’re looking towards the 2026 early declares, USC has maybe the most WR/RB talent in the FBS. Makai Lemon was disappointing for the first year and a half of his career, but the most recent four games in a class this desperate for breakout players has vaulted Lemon near and possibly to my WR1 in the 2026 class. The original WR1 of that class, Zachariah Branch, still has ample talent. Last week, Branch had his second impressive performance as a receiver this season.
Missouri @ South Carolina on SEC Network @ 4:15 PM
Key Players: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri ; LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina (2026) ; Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, RB, South Carolina
TIER 3 GAMES
Texas @ Arkansas on ABC at Noon
Key Players: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas ; Arch Manning, QB, Texas (2026) ; Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas ; Ryan Wingo, WR, Texas (2027) ; Luke Hasz, TE, Arkansas (2026)
Michigan State @ Illinois on Fox Sports 1 at 2:30 PM
Key Players: Aidan Chiles, QB, Michigan St. (2026) ; Nick Marsh, WR, Michigan St. (2027) ; Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois
Rutgers @ Maryland on Fox Sports 1 at 6:00 PM
Key Players: Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers ; Tai Felton, WR, Maryland ; Kaden Prather, WR, Maryland
Boise State @ San Jose State on CBS Sports at 7:00 PM
Key Players: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise St. ; Nick Nash, WR, San Jose St.
Arizona State @ Kansas State on ESPN at 7:00 PM
Key Players: Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona St. ; Avery Johnson, QB, Kansas St. (2026) ; D.J. Giddens, RB, Kansas St. ; Jayce Brown, WR, Kansas St. (2026)
QB GAMES
(Shedeur Sanders) Utah @ Colorado on Fox at Noon
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(EDIT: Thursday 9:40 AM)
BRUGLER-BIG-BOARD PART 2
While I have consistently ranked Tetairoa McMillan as my 1.01, I have also consistently said that with Draft Capital, Ashton Jeanty would likely surpass McMillan. Obviously I do not expect Jeanty to go 6th overall, but taking this exercise at face value, Jeanty's confirmed draft capital anywhere in the first round would elevate him to my 1.01. With that in mind, the rest of my top 3 is relatively simple: Tetairoa McMillan and Luther Burden are my next two highest rated players, and each have received elite draft capital relative to their position.
Cam Ward may be the first QB selected in this exercise and the highest on Brugler's board, but in the event that this is the draft capital, all three of these players are in the same, low-floor tier in that perspective. Given the fact that all three players are in the same, low-floor tier, my expectation would be that the highest upside player would be ranked substantially above the rest. Due to his rushing ability, that would clearly be Jalen Milroe. Not only that, there is a bit of a divide here. As I mentioned above, if we are taking these draft capitals on face value, Kaleb Johnson and Omarion Hampton are going to be very, very highly regarded overall. Johnson & Hampton are closer to my RB5/7, but they're certainly ranked highly enough and have significant tools (including size) to be high-end fantasy impact RBs at the next level. Some will likely argue I should have just bumped Cam Ward & Shedeur Sanders to the top, but I think there is at least a value in considering things this way, and we don't know which of these 1-4 QBs will hit the top of the draft. That individual QB, or multiple QBs, will move nearer to Jalen Milroe and potentially even above. To some extent, Emeka Egbuka may stick out here, but while he is not the most highly drafted player, he is a great blend of many things that I am looking for. Egbuka has solid traits and film to my eye, significant production metrics that support his profile, and in this exercise, nearly 1st-Round Draft Capital. As Egbuka is being drafted in the same tier as the rest of these WRs that are in a lower tier pre-draft, that tier gap remains post-draft.
On a personal note, I was not sure how much I would align compared to previous years with Dane Brugler considering there is no longer Prospects to Pros to constantly hear his advice, but I was pleasantly surprised that the next 3 WRs up (alongside Egbuka) were Elic Ayomanor, Evan Stewart, and Isaiah Bond. These are the next three clear players on my list as well, and so that is why despite not having the draft capital of other players on this list, all three of these profiles are actually quite strong here. There are some questions and I highly doubt each of these players transitions into a fantasy success, but they have strong enough profiles, are early declares, and are being drafted early at their first opportunity. I'm splitting hairs here, but I did rank Stewart the highest as I see him as having the highest "star" potential.
Arguably, Garrett Nussmeier should be ranked nearer to the other QBs as he is still technically a 1st Round Pick in a similar range, but Nussmeier has shown significant warts over the past couple of weeks. The NFL Buzz that I've been seeing is still actually fairly strong, but it is also more and more strongly suggesting that Nussmeier should not declare for the 2025 class. Nussmeier is by far the least likely player on this list to be a member of the 2025 NFL Draft by my current estimation. I'm not saying he will return or that no one else will, but if you asked me to bet on one player on this list to return, it would be Garrett Nussmeier quite easily.
Finally, when it comes to the TE position, that's going to change a lot depending on who is doing the drafting and the TEP in the league. I would expect Colston Loveland to go higher than this in particular with a 13th overall pick, but TE is still a low-expectations position so to speak, so with my board aligning so well with the Brugler Board here, these 3 WRs all manage to sneak up above the TEs. I have the TEs in the same order they are ranked here, though I was a bit surprised by the gap between Loveland and Tyler Warren. The only exception is that I am still keeping an eye on Harold Fannin Jr.
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Thanks all,
C.J.
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