For those of you who needed to complicate your decision more, here are my KEEPER PROJECTIONS with last year's end-of-year projections listed for fun.
1. Eric Keeper Projections (2024): Josh Jacobs ($29), Lamar Jackson ($27) Keeper Projections (2025): Bijan Robinson ($62), Lamar Jackson ($29) Eric would be getting pretty good deals with Ladd McConkey at $20 or Josh Jacobs at $35, but who am I kidding? Eric is too much of a loyalist to not keep Bijan and Lamar. He paid $63 to keep Bijan last year, so what’s stopping him from paying $62 this year for the projected top RB? Add to that the explosive playmaking ability of projected top-2 QB Lamar Jackson at $29 and Eric has an elite duo to build from, even if it means he only has $109 to build with.
2. Andrew
Keeper Projections (2024): Bo Nix ($5), Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($3)
Keeper Projections (2025): Bo Nix ($4), Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($15)
Andrew’s bigger names (AJ Brown, Derrick Henry, Davante Adams) might be trending in the wrong direction with injury, age, and tenuous QB situation, which means they probably won’t be great keeper values. JSN probably has the best keeper value at $15 for Andrew, and I think Bo Nix did enough to end the season to convince Andrew to keep him. Spending less on keepers will give Andrew the money he needs to draft the studs he wants.
3. Jeff Lin
Keeper Projections (2024): Breece Hall ($43), Malik Nabers ($26)
Keeper Projections (2025): Malik Nabers ($39), Josh Allen ($27)
Nabers should be a lock at $39 - a big value keeper pick even if he will likely have random QBs throwing to him throughout the season. So that leaves Josh Allen, Breece Hall, or Hockenson at the other positions for Jeff to consider keeping. Breece Hall’s future appears a bit cloudy right now, so the once-promising rising star could be descending if he is still hampered by his ACL and bad team / offense situation. I was tempted to go with Hockenson, but if Jeff really wanted him, I’m sure he could still end up drafting him for around the same price. So that leaves Josh Allen, whose value at $27 is not bad for a top-tier QB. $66 for a top-2 QB and a top-8 WR is great value.
4. Tim
Keeper Projections (2024): Jayden Daniels ($5), Trey McBride ($11)
Keeper Projections (2025): Jayden Daniels ($16), Trey McBride ($22)
Even though their keeper values have increased due to their rising stocks, it’s hard for me not to go with a projected top-3 QB in Jayden Daniels and projected top-2 TE in Trey McBride for the cool price of $38 total. Locking up those onesie positions will hopefully give me some more flexibility to spend on RBs and WRs in the draft.
5. Luke
Keeper Projections (2024): Saquon Barkley ($50), Puka Nacua ($25)
Keeper Projections (2025): Saquon Barkley ($55), Puka Nacua ($34)
Puka at $34 should be a no-brainer, even if Stafford starts the season injured. Whether Luke wants to take another chance on Saquon will be up to him. $55 is not bad, considering how dominant Saquon was last year, but the question remains whether he can continue that dominance into 2025. His projected draft value says yes, but we all know how misleading those values can be sometimes. He’ll also have to take into consideration that keeping those two players will leave him with only $111 left for AI Agent MiCah Parsons to use for roster building / trolling purposes.
6. Laura
Keeper Projections (2024): Chase Brown ($6)
Keeper Projections (2025): Chase Brown ($20)
Chase Brown should be a pretty easy decision for Laura. A young, up-and-coming starting RB in a high-powered offense ought to return many dividends. The question then becomes whether there is another player worth keeping. Kelce at $14 is overpriced. Brock Purdy at $4 is ok, but Laura could probably get similar results with $4 on draft day. Perhaps Zay Flowers will have a chance to ascend this season, and $15 isn’t a terrible price to pay for some security at WR. But I think she might be better off conserving her money to spend on better players in the draft.
7. Jeff Chen
Keeper Projections (2024): Nico Collins ($18), JK Dobbins ($11)
Keeper Projections (2025): Nico Collins ($38), George Kittle ($19)
Jeff has made it clear that Nico is his boy, so he’s a lock as keeper. Now the question is will Jeff want to keep a QB, RB, or TE? Had Jeff Chen spent the $1 (or even $2) needed to draft Drake Maye instead of the $36 he actually spent, Maye might be a decent keeper option. But alas, Joe Burrow at $9 isn’t bad either. David Montgomery at $13 isn’t terrible, especially if Detroit’s running game continues to dominate as it should. But I’d probably opt for George Kittle at $19 - it seems like a better deal for a top-3 TE. Those two pieces at $57 total gives Jeff a pretty solid foundation to work from. Let’s just try not to spend $36 on Drake Maye again.
8. Gabs
Keeper Projections (2024): Brian Thomas Jr ($4), Brock Bowers ($12)
Keeper Projections (2025): Brian Thomas Jr ($24), Bucky Irving ($19)
Brian Thomas Jr at $24 and Bucky Irving at $19 are probably the best keeper value duo in our league. Gabs is essentially getting a top-10 WR and top-10 RB for the price of one. The question will be whether Gabs likes Brock Bowers enough to forego one of his value picks at WR or RB in order to secure the projected #1 TE at $23 (which is also a great deal). Another fun consideration is that if Gabs decides to let go of Brock Bowers, that could unleash a bloodbath when Bowers is up for drafting.
9. Haji
Keeper Projections (2024): Justin Jefferson ($59), De’Von Achane ($16)
Keeper Projections (2025): Justin Jefferson ($59), De’Von Achane ($29)
De’Von Achane at $29 should be an easy decision for Haji. Justin Jefferson at $59 becomes a little more difficult. The benefit of keeping Jefferson is that it would secure a WR1 for Haji. But if Haji is bearish on JJ McCarthy or would rather save money to spend on other players whose name might rhyme with Ferret Billson, Grease Ball, or Mustin Wields, then I wouldn’t blame him. Haji’s other options at WR probably wouldn’t be worth keeping either. Same goes for Justin Herbert and Dalton Kincaid.
10. David
Keeper Projections (2024): Rashee Rice ($5)
Keeper Projections (2025): None
The looming potential suspension for Rashee Rice makes him no longer a lock for David. With Rice expecting to miss time, is David willing to take a gamble on him? My guess is no, even at a reasonable price of $8. Amon-Ra St. Brown seems a little pricey at $59, as does CMC at $63, especially since David probably still feels the burns from last year. Jalen Hurts at $22 to secure a top-QB would be my only possible consideration for David, but I kind of want to see him start with a clean slate and bounce back big time in 2025.
11. Aaron
Keeper Projections (2024): None
Keeper Projections (2025): CeeDee Lamb ($57), James Conner ($14)
In case people forgot, Aaron’s team was not good last year. So much so that I thought he would need to start from scratch. But assuming he has a short memory, I think Aaron might try to keep CeeDee Lamb to secure a starting WR. James Conner at $14 isn’t a bad deal, either. So maybe he’ll have some keeper pieces to work with after all. Or maybe he’ll just forget to tell me what his keepers are before the deadline (more likely possibility).
12. Abraham
Keeper Projections (2024): Kyren Williams ($23)
Keeper Projections (2025): Jahmyr Gibbs ($60), Xavier Worthy ($9)
The 2025 Sacko has some existential questions to answer: Does he want to spend up on top talents Jahmyr Gibbs ($60) and Drake London ($45)? Does he want the value of Xavier Worthy at $9 and Kyren Williams at $27? Or does he want to split the difference and go Gibbs + Worthy or London + Kyren? Not an easy decision. Option 1 would give him a top-3 RB and a top-10 WR to start with, but would also only leave him with $95 left for the remainder of his team. Option 2 would give him an RB2 and a fringe WR2/3 but would leave him with $164 to fill in the gaps. Option 3 might be the way to go. Abraham has a tough decision ahead of him.
