NFL: Colts and 49ers Rise in Power Rankings; What Happened to Chargers?

NFL Power Rankings: Week 6

Welcome to Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season! After an exciting day, no team remains undefeated, with surprising defeats for the Eagles and Bills against the Broncos and Patriots, respectively. The Jets, for their part, remain winless after a tough setback against the Cowboys. How do these teams stack up in our Power Rankings? We’ve updated the NFL rankings for Week 6, which includes the Vikings and Texans’ bye weeks. In addition to our 1-32 rankings, our NFL Nation reporters analyze the fantasy football surprises (positive or negative) from each team this season, based on ESPN Fantasy projections and current scoring leaders in PPR leagues.

We start with team number 1. Our panel of experts, composed of more than 80 writers, editors, and television personalities, evaluated the NFL teams, ranking them from 1 to 32.

• Detroit Lions
• Buffalo Bills
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Indianapolis Colts
• San Francisco 49ers
• Green Bay Packers
• Los Angeles Rams
• Denver Broncos
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Seattle Seahawks
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Washington Commanders
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Minnesota Vikings
• New England Patriots
• Houston Texans
• Atlanta Falcons
• Arizona Cardinals
• Baltimore Ravens
• Carolina Panthers
• Chicago Bears
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Dallas Cowboys
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Miami Dolphins
• New Orleans Saints
• New York Jets
• New York Giants
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• San Francisco 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks
• Tennessee Titans

1. Detroit Lions (4-1)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Bengals 37-24 Ranking in Week 4: 3 Surprise Fantasy: WR Jameson Williams After a 1,000+ yard season in 2024, Williams has had a slow start in 2025. He hasn’t surpassed 50 receiving yards in four of the Lions’ five games, as he works to sync up with veteran quarterback Jared Goff and overcome dropped passes. Williams is considered a risky option, averaging just 7.9 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues. He hasn’t turned the few targets into production or performed consistently this season, but he can still make big plays. – Eric Woodyard

2. Buffalo Bills (4-1)

Result of Week 4: Loss against the Patriots 23-20 Ranking in Week 4: 2 Surprise Fantasy: TE Dalton Kincaid This could also be running back James Cook, but Kincaid has been the biggest surprise. He has a more significant role and the second-most fantasy points among tight ends (66.7 so far this season) after being ranked No. 15 at the position in ESPN Fantasy’s preseason projections. In his third season, Kincaid already has a career-high in receiving touchdowns (three) and was targeted six times in three of five games. A healthy Kincaid and a growing rapport with quarterback Josh Allen are positives for fantasy managers, even in an offense that spreads the ball around. – Alaina Getzenberg

3. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1)

Result of Week 4: Loss to the Broncos 21-17 Week 4 Ranking: 1 Surprise Fantasy: WR A.J. Brown Brown ranks 40th among receivers in total fantasy points (44.4), a far cry from his preseason projection as the No. 9 receiver. He surpassed 100 receiving yards in Week 3 against the Rams, but has averaged just 21 yards in the other four games. It appears the Eagles are making more of an effort to put Brown in opportunistic situations, and he’ll have better matchups after facing the Broncos’ Pat Surtain II. – Tim McManus

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Seahawks 38-35 Week 4 Ranking: 6 Surprise Fantasy: QB Baker Mayfield It’s not a huge surprise that Mayfield is number 2 among quarterbacks in fantasy. What’s surprising is that he averages 21.1 points per game without two key receivers. Mayfield hasn’t had the franchise’s top scorer, Mike Evans, and was without Chris Godwin Jr. for the first three games. Without Evans and Godwin in three games last season, Mayfield averaged 16.4 fantasy points per game. The breakout of rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, who has five touchdowns this season, is a big reason why Mayfield has performed so well. He has also made it work with Sterling Shepard, Ryan Miller, Tez Johnson, and Cade Otton, and now Godwin is back. – Jenna Laine

1:19 McAfee wonders if the Bucs are a ‘team of destiny’ Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk discuss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ electrifying victory over the Seahawks.

5. Indianapolis Colts (4-1)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Raiders 40-6 Week 4 Ranking: 10 Surprise Fantasy: QB Daniel Jones Jones has cooled off a bit after his good start, but two touchdown passes on Sunday gave fantasy managers a nice boost. It was his first game with multiple touchdown passes this season, making him the seventh-highest scoring quarterback in fantasy (95.2 points) this season. Also, few expected him to already have three rushing touchdowns, which made up for the Colts’ lack of touchdown passes early on. But after his best red zone performance of the season against Las Vegas, the Colts tend to be even more productive when they are in scoring position. – Stephen Holder

6. San Francisco 49ers (4-1)

Week 4 Result: Victory against the Rams 26-23 (OT) Week 4 Ranking: 12 Surprise Fantasy: TE Jake Tonges With the absence of tight end George Kittle (right hamstring injury), Tonges has emerged as a legitimate receiving option with an ease for scoring touchdowns. The third-year tight end has 19 receptions for 166 yards with three touchdowns. Those numbers will likely drop drastically when Kittle returns, but Tonges has shown he can be a solid No. 2 tight end in the passing game, something the Niners have lacked for most of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. – Nick Wagoner

7. Green Bay Packers (2-1-1)

Week 4 Result: Rest

Week 4 Ranking: 8 Surprise Fantasy: Defense/ST The Packers’ defense ranks fourth in real football (fewest yards allowed per game and second against the run), but that hasn’t translated into fantasy points. Green Bay is tied for 20th (5.3 fantasy points per game) after ranking third last season (8.2). That’s largely because the Packers have struggled to force turnovers. They have only two interceptions and no fumble recoveries, which comes after 17 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries last season. Although they are pressuring opposing quarterbacks, thanks in part to edge rusher Micah Parsons, they aren’t giving fantasy managers points with turnovers. – Rob Demovsky

8. Los Angeles Rams (3-2)

Week 4 Result: Loss to the 49ers 26-23 (OT) Week 4 Ranking: 4 Surprise Fantasy: WR Puka Nacua

Although there was no doubt about Nacua’s importance to this offense, it’s still somewhat surprising that he’s leading all fantasy scoring after five weeks, largely due to the target share required for that. The Rams also have receiver Davante Adams, but he has often been shadowed by the opposing team’s best cornerback. Nacua has 52 receptions for 588 yards on 62 targets and has a 34.6% target share so far this season. – Sarah Barshop

9. Denver Broncos (3-2)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Eagles 21-17 Week 4 Ranking: 13 Surprise Fantasy: RB J.K. Dobbins In the Broncos’ Week 4 victory over the Bengals, Dobbins had the first 100-yard rushing game for Denver since Latavius Murray in the 2022 season finale. It was also the first 100-yard rushing game of Sean Payton’s tenure as Broncos coach. Payton has consistently turned Dobbins into a firm RB1 role, and Dobbins followed his 100-yard game with 20 carries in Week 5. The Broncos have utilized Tyler Badie in their two-minute offense, and rookie RJ Harvey will continue to get snaps, but Dobbins has been the one helping the offense move. – Jeff Legwold

10. Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)

Result of Week 4: Loss to the Jaguars 31-28 Week 4 Ranking: 7 Surprise Fantasy: RB Isiah Pacheco Pacheco was supposed to give the Chiefs better balance on offense after missing most of last season with a broken right leg. But he’s in a funk, averaging just 7.2 fantasy points per game and 32.6 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the team in September with 130 rushing yards. The sooner Pacheco can get back in form, the sooner the Chiefs can be a fully dynamic offense again. – Nate Taylor

11. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Week 4 Result: Loss against the Buccaneers 38-35

Week 4 Ranking: 9 Surprise Fantasy: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

This is just a slight surprise. No one doubted that Smith-Njigba would be the focal point of the Seahawks’ passing game, as he entered the season as the team’s undisputed WR1. But he might be producing slightly above some fantasy expectations. Smith-Njigba was ranked 24th in average draft position in ESPN snake drafts and 31st in average value in salary cap drafts. With 34 receptions for 534 yards and 2 touchdowns, he is 11th overall in fantasy points scored through five weeks. – Brady Henderson

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Chiefs 31-28 Week 4 Ranking: 14 Surprise Fantasy: WR Brian Thomas Jr. Thomas finished with 284 fantasy points as a rookie in 2024, catching 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 TDs. This season, he has only 48 fantasy points, with 16 receptions for 244 yards and no receiving touchdowns (although he has one rushing touchdown). He also has three drops, all in a Week 2 loss to the Bengals (one on a fourth down). Thomas is one of the main reasons why the Jaguars’ passing offense has been inconsistent to start the season. – Mike DiRocco

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)

Week 4 Result: Rest

Ranking in Week 4: 11 Surprise Fantasy: Defense/ST The Steelers’ defense was the top unit during fantasy drafts (around the 90th overall pick in snake drafts). Through the first two weeks, that pick didn’t quite work out, as the Steelers gave up at least 30 points in consecutive weeks and nearly 400 yards in each game. But in their next two games, they had seven turnovers and held opponents to 17.5 points. It seems the tide could be turning for fantasy managers who stuck with the Steelers after a shaky start. – Brooke Pryor

14. Washington Commanders (3-2)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Chargers 27-10 Week 4 Ranking: 16 Surprise Fantasy: WR Deebo Samuel Samuel ranks seventh among all receivers in fantasy points (88.6). Part of that comes from receiver Terry McLaurin missing two games due to a quadriceps injury. Samuel has 30 receptions for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he also has seven carries for 46 yards. Washington wants to use him a lot, so his productivity shouldn’t decrease too much when McLaurin returns. In the three games they played together, Samuel caught 16 passes. – John Keim

1:22 Daniel Dopp: Deebo Samuel, a must-have fantasy WR. Daniel Dopp breaks down his fantasy optimism for Deebo Samuel, even after Terry McLaurin’s return.

15. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)

Result of Week 4: Defeat against the Commanders 27-10 Week 4 Ranking: 5 Surprise Fantasy: WR Quentin Johnston After two inconsistent first seasons, Johnston is becoming the player the Chargers hoped for when they selected him in the first round of the 2023 draft. He leads the Chargers in receiving yards (377) and receiving touchdowns (four). Johnston was approximately the number 38 wide receiver to be chosen in ESPN Fantasy drafts. But he is eighth among receivers in fantasy points (86.4) this season, the most among Chargers receivers. – Kris Rhim

16. Minnesota Vikings (3-2)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Browns 21-17 Ranking in Week 4: 17 Surprise Fantasy: RB Jordan Mason The Vikings are leaning on Mason as a true goal-line back, something they’ve been missing since Dalvin Cook’s last season with them in 2022. Mason has three touchdowns on five goal-line carries this season. That might not seem like much, but it puts him on pace to surpass the team’s 11 such scores in the previous two seasons combined. Only the Jets (seven) had fewer during that period. Mason, acquired in the offseason via a trade from the 49ers, is a powerful runner with good vision for cutbacks. – Kevin Seifert

17. New England Patriots (3-2)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Bills 23-20 Week 4 Ranking: 21 Surprise Fantasy: WR Stefon Diggs Diggs became the first Patriots receiver to record consecutive 100-yard games since Julian Edelman in 2019, demonstrating that he can still get downfield and make explosive plays, despite being ranked 41st in preseason fantasy rankings. Diggs has 16 receptions for 247 yards and 40.7 fantasy points in the last two weeks. One of the drawbacks for him was that his yards after the catch have decreased in recent seasons, but he has 131 so far in 2025. – Mike Reiss

1:08 Rex Ryan: Mike Vrabel is the deciding factor for the Pats. Rex Ryan and Adam Schefter explain why the Patriots’ victory over the Bills shows they are a team to be reckoned with.

18. Houston Texans (2-3)

Result of Week 4: Victory against the Ravens 44-10 Week 4 Ranking: 22 Surprise Fantasy: RB Woody Marks Marks entered training camp as the fifth running back on the depth chart. It was fair to suggest that Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, and Dare Ogunbowale were ahead in mid-July. But Mixon landed on the non-football injury list, and Pierce missed half the camp due to a leg injury. Therefore, it was clear that Marks would have a more significant role this season. In the Texans’ Week 4 victory over the Titans, he exploded with 27.9 fantasy points, recording 119 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. The fourth-round rookie continues to forge a notable role on the roster. – DJ Bien-Aime

19. Atlanta Falcons (2-2)

Week 4 Result: Rest

Week 4 Ranking: 19 Surprise Fantasy: Defense/ST After having a porous defense last season, the Falcons relied on four rookies: edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., safety Xavier Watts and nickel corner Billy Bowman Jr., and two second-year interior linemen who barely received snaps in 2024: Ruke Orhorhoro