Fantasy Football: Matthew Stafford, Jaxon Smith-Njigba among players we're thankful for this season

Thanksgiving lands in Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season and here are the players (and one coach) that fantasy football analyst Matt Harmon is thankful for so far.

Matthew Stafford, Rams

Perhaps I should list the Ammortal Chamber that Matthew Stafford spent time in to rehab the back injury that haunted training camp reports all August. Regardless, Stafford is in the middle of the best season of his career on the back of 30 touchdowns through 11 games as we enter Week 13. He threw 44 touchdowns in the previous two years combined. His 8.36 adjusted net yards per attempt is the best mark of his 17-year career.

Stafford playing at this level has given us a QB1 performance from the Rams starter, despite sitting on -9 rushing yards on the year. It’s also lifted Puka Nacua to a high-end WR1 campaign and a revival year for Davante Adams. The veteran receiver leads all pass catchers with eight touchdowns against man coverage this season and 22 end-zone targets. No other receiver has more than 16. Their connection near the goal line has been special.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been one of my favorite players to watch in the NFL this season. He’s outlined how you want a great receiver prospect to develop into an elite wideout through their first three seasons almost perfectly.

Elite doesn’t even do it justice. What Smith-Njigba is doing right now is closer to historic. The Seahawks wide receiver is averaging 4.5 yards per route run this year, which would be the most for any receiver in a season in the last decade. He’s gained a first down on 20.2% of his routes, again ranking first in this span.

George Pickens, Cowboys

For starters, Pickens was the player I labeled as my “guy I want in every draft” in my annual Draft Day Blueprint article back in August. Pickens is the WR3 in points per game and second in yards per game this season. So, I’m thankful he’s making me look smart.

Beyond that, Pickens has been a joy to watch. Not only has he taken another step in his development, after making significant strides in isolation last year, but he’s also been a picture-perfect fit with Dak Prescott in this offense. We see so many talented receivers waste away in bad situations, so I’ll always celebrate a guy getting out of the muck and into an ideal setting right as he’s hitting his prime.

Drake London, Falcons

Just because Drake London is hurt right now doesn’t mean I’m not thankful for the dynamic season he was having in 2025. Some folks questioned London’s ceiling relative to other young wideouts in the league and this season should have squashed that nonsense.

London is the WR6 in fantasy points per game despite playing on a shaky Falcons offense and missing a few games. He did it on the back of three weeks where he finished as a top-two overall scorer at the position. London is pushing hard to be considered one of the elite players at the position as a do-it-all threat who can play all three positions. Let’s hope we see him log some more strong weeks this year and play in a better environment in 2026.

Chris Olave, Saints

One thing I learned this offseason while working on receivers is that people didn’t just think Chris Olave was a risky pick because of his concussion history. Folks thought he was an actively bad wide receiver. What nonsense!

Olave has been a serious ADP-beater so far this season after being drafted as a fringe top-30 option. He currently sits at WR14 in points per game and has handled the role of featured receiver in Kellen Moore’s offense quite well. Olave’s 29% target share ranks fifth among wide receivers and he’s been able to win at all levels of the field. It’s been great to see him put the production in the box score that’s more commensurate with his talent.

Tucker Kraft, Packers

It still hurts to write about Tucker Kraft, considering he’s been lost for the season for weeks now. When he was on the field, there was no more impactful player at his position. Not only did he lead all tight ends in points per game (14.03) in the first eight weeks of the season but he’s an elite blocker who helps weaponize the Packers’ running game. His absence has been sorely felt in both phases since he went down.

We won’t see Kraft the rest of this season, as you know. We’ll channel all this thankfulness into manifesting a healthy 2026 campaign for the excellent tight end.

Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals

The Cardinals have been a source of frustration for me offensively the last two seasons, so while no one outside of fantasy players will care, seeing Jacoby Brissett under center for this offense has been a breath of fresh air.

Ever since Brissett took over for Kyler Murray, we’ve instantly seen there was much more talent in Arizona all along. Marvin Harrison Jr. had the best game of his season with Brissett under center against the Cowboys in Week 9. Trey McBride has scored touchdowns at a clip previously unheard of for him and is now tied with Smith-Njigba and Nacua for second in the NFL in receptions (80). We’ve even seen in the last two weeks that Michael Wilson is a grossly-underutilized player.

As for Murray, he just doesn’t fit this offense. It was an arranged marriage as the holdover quarterback from the old regime. I don’t know if this coaching staff will be back next year but Murray almost certainly won’t return. He can still find success in another system and some of these pass-catchers can work with a quarterback who suits their skills better than he did.

Shane Steichen, Colts

Daniel Jones could be listed here in the same vein of the Brissett pick, as he’s helped uncover just how good the skill position talent has been for years in Indianapolis. Quarterback play has just kept it under-discussed. However, I think we should give the title to head coach Shane Steichen for helping revive Jones’ career. Steichen has presented the NFL world with one of the most beautifully designed offenses this season. There’s always an answer available for Jones on every play and they know how to weaponize their pass-catchers to take advantage of matchups.

The Colts offense is not likely to finish the year as one of the best offenses in NFL history but they held that air for most of the season. It’s a massive testament to Steichen and I’ll celebrate anyone able to get the most out of talented and crowded pass-catcher groups.

Christian McCaffrey, 49ers

Christian McCaffrey leads all players in touches this season by a significant gap. McCaffrey cleared 280 touches on the first drive of the 49ers’ Week 12 game, while Jonathan Taylor ranks second with 237. It’s been an insane season for an all-time great player at the position.

The 49ers have been smoked by injuries all season long and yet, it’s been the health of McCaffrey that’s kept the ship afloat on offense. We should be so thankful that the star back has stayed healthy and he’s paid off for all of the folks who fade injury-prone narratives. Let’s also knock on every piece of available wood that continues to hold true.

Rico Dowdle, Panthers

There are three backs this season with multiple games over 30 fantasy points: Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs and Rico Dowdle.

The receipts are on the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast; I could not believe this offseason, how little interest there was in Dowdle on the free-agent market. He’s a good sustaining rusher who has some big juice. He’s technically sound and runs with ferocity. I don’t know, sounds like a nice combination. The league missed out on this one and the Panthers reaped the reward after Chuba Hubbard’s injury. I’m thankful Dowdle got a chance to shine.

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