Off-season Fantasy Football Enthusiasts: Which states are preparing for the new season?
NFL fans tend to enjoy the fantasy football element that comes with the football season, but what about these off-season months for enthusiasts?
Using social listening tool Brandwatch, from February 10th until present day, search terms such as “NFL Fantasy” and “Fantasy Football” were analyzed to determine which states have the most enthusiastic players in the off-season months.
Top 3 States Most Excited for 2025 Fantasy Football
It seems the most eager fans for the NFL season to return were residents of Ohio, with a fantasy football search volume of 22,620 across this off-season.
With fans of the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns in the state, Ohio had the most preparation from players already plotting for the new NFL campaign or attempting to tweak their Sleeper Dynasty leagues.
Narrowly behind was Illinois with an impressive 22,100 in search volumes around fantasy football in the off-season.
Chicago Bears fans have reason to be optimistic with a new coaching setup and some good work in the free agency and draft in recent months (which might explain the keenness for fantasy football).
Rounding off the top three was Pennsylvania, home of the most recent Super Bowl champions—the Philadelphia Eagles.
Overall, Pennsylvania had 20,920 in search volume, just missing out on the top two spots.
Top 10 States Looking Forward to Fantasy NFL
Here is a list of the top 10 most enthusiastic fantasy football players in the NFL off-season:
| Rank | State | Search Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio | 22,620 |
| 2 | Illinois | 22,100 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | 20,920 |
| 4 | Georgia | 18,920 |
| 5 | Arizona | 15,220 |
| 6 | Michigan | 14,740 |
| 7 | New Jersey | 14,480 |
| 8 | Virginia | 13,100 |
| 9 | Washington | 12,800 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 12,740 |
Georgia and Arizona made up the top five with a search volume of 18,920 and 15,220 respectively.
Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington & Massachusetts were also ranked as the states with the most enthusiastic fantasy football players in the off-season.
Most Talked About Rookies in Fantasy Football
Following the 2025 NFL draft, many rookies are entering the league with all eyes on players who potentially could perform well in fantasy football. When the time comes, many users will rely on the NFL lineup optimizer to see how these rookies fit into their lineups.
The likes of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty will be interesting additions for anyone planning to do fantasy football this year, but which rookie is the most talked about?
Using the search term “Player Name” & “Fantasy Football”, it seems that Shedeur Sanders is the most popular choice for fantasy football players.
Despite going in the fifth round of the draft, Sanders could be a popular choice for fantasy players in the upcoming season.
Cam Ward and Travis Hunter were ranked second and third respectively, with no surprises as the top two picks in the draft.
Ashton Jeanty, Tyler Warren, Omarion Hampton, Tetairoa McMillan, Jaxson Dart, Colston Loveland and Matthew Golden were amongst the top 10.
Top 10 most talked about rookies in Fantasy Football:
| Rank | Player | Team | Search Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shedeur Sanders | Cleveland Browns | 3,660 |
| 2 | Cam Ward | Tennessee Titans | 2,840 |
| 3 | Travis Hunter | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2,640 |
| 4 | Ashton Jeanty | Las Vegas Raiders | 2,280 |
| 5 | Tyler Warren | Indianapolis Colts | 1,760 |
| 6 | Omarion Hampton | Los Angeles Chargers | 1,620 |
| 7 | Tetairoa McMillan | Carolina Panthers | 1,540 |
| 8 | Jaxson Dart | New York Giants | 1,420 |
| 9 | Colston Loveland | Chicago Bears | 1,400 |
| 10 | Matthew Golden | Green Bay Packers | 1,320 |
Methodology
Using social listening tool Brandwatch, search terms such as “NFL Fantasy” and “Fantasy Football” were used to determine the state data.
When it came to specific players, the terms “Player Name” and “Fantasy Football” were used determine the most popular players.
All data correct as of May 2025.