Saquon Barkley Taking A Leap With The Madden Curse
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Underdog:
Can you really consider yourself a true fantasy footballer if you don’t worry about virtually every piece of player-related news?
I’d argue that you can’t.
With that said, let’s see if we should hit the panic button on two updates from yesterday …
☠️ Can Saquon Barkley survive the Madden curse? Barkley will officially be on the cover of Madden ‘26 with a sick photo that immortalizes his infamous hurdle. Of course, the real question is whether this mushes an encore to his storybook season in 2024.
The Madden “curse” claimed Christian McCaffrey last year, and has famously gotten the best of players like Antonio Brown in 2019 and Rob Gronkowski in 2017.
Curse skeptics might point to a string of curse-free picks from 2020 to 2023, but those of us with voodoo dolls will be quick to point out that none of those players were RBs—over the last decade, CMC and Barkley are the only two RBs to earn the cover.
In 2023, CMC led the league in touches with 339, got the cover, and then was cursed …
In 2024, Barkley led the league in touches with 378, got the cover, and then was …???
I’ll be forwarding this very statistically significant data trend to our projections team at Fantasy Life and imploring them to act accordingly.
👋 Can the Lions survive Frank Ragnow’s retirement? The Lions’ legendary center decided to hang it up for good yesterday at the age of 29. It’s a legit blow to the Lions, considering he graded out as the second-best center last year and the best run-blocking center.
So should we be worried about the Lions’ running game? Eh, probably not. I’m old enough to remember when the Eagles’ run game (and tush push) were going to flop after Jason Kelce’s retirement … and then they were so dominant that they landed their RB on the cover of Madden.
The Lions have a veteran backup guard Graham Glasgow (who is versatile enough to play center) and they also selected Georgia guard Tate Ratledge in the second round (who has been repping at center in minicamp and OTAs).
So to answer the titular question …
Yes, you should be worried. It’s your job as a fantasy footballer … but don’t adjust any ranks. Leave that to the pros.
WHERE IS SAQUON IN OUR DYNASTY RANKINGS?
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Buzz Index: Fantasy Life Projections for 5 Trending RBs
One of our favorite preseason hacks is checking the “Most Viewed” players data on all the fantasy platforms. Today it’s CBS, where the Top 5 “Most Viewed” running backs are:
Why yes, we do have a pretty set of graphics we can use, but we like the gritty feel of just presenting the CBS page as is! Get in the mindset, people!!
We thought it would be fun to take these names and match them to our Fantasy Life projections, which are constantly being tinkered with and updated. So please enjoy a look behind the curtain …
RJ Harvey: 169 rush atts, 743 rush yards, 5.2 rush TDs, 49 targets, 39 receptions, 276 receiving yards, 158.6 0.5 PPR points
Omarion Hampton: 203 rush atts, 905 rush yards, 6.5 rush TDs, 42 targets, 33 receptions, 230 receiving yards, 174.4 0.5 PPR points
Jonathan Taylor: 285 rush atts, 1,283 rush yards, 9.4 rush TDs, 31 targets, 22 receptions, 156 receiving yards, 216.7 0.5 PPR points
TreVeyon Henderson: 157 rush atts, 706 rush yards, 4.9 rush TDs, 35 targets, 27 receptions, 206 receiving yards, 138.9 0.5 PPR points
Isiah Pacheco: 194 rush atts, 865 rush yards, 6 rush TDs, 27 targets, 21 receptions, 157 receiving yards, 155.3 0.5 PPR points
“Hey this is great and all … but now what?”
Go check out where Fantasy Life has them ranked. Or see our up-to-date ADP. Here’s a little “choose your own adventure” below with the fabled “double button.” Choose wisely …👇
PATH 1: 2025 EXPERT RB RANKINGS
Is Lamar Jackson Worth The High Pick?
The quandary is real. Do you take the elite quarterback like Lamar Jackson and hope you strike gold in the ensuing rounds with a WR or RB? Or do you pass the stud dual-threat QBs in favor of bolstering your WR core with Mike Evans or Davante Adams in Round 3? These questions will keep perplexing fantasy managers for the next several months.
Ian Hartitz tackles this question in the Baltimore Ravens 2025 Team Preview, showing that Lamar has been consistently one of the elite QBs for fantasy over the past several seasons. The ageless wonder Derrick Henry also gets the spotlight for his sustained greatness? Are you going to fade the future Hall of Famer coming off a 1,921-yard season? The decision is yours. ⬇️
THIS RETURNING RAVEN CAUGHT 11 TDs
Around the Watercooler
The latest NFL news and fantasy football analysis from our merry band of football nerds …
🚨 Two Lions in the top 20! See, Sam Wallace isn’t worried about Ragnow retiring.
🗣️ ICYMI: Coaches say the darndest things.
🚢 Stefon Diggs spotted at OTAs…and not on a boat. Good step in the right direction!
🤔 Liam Coen on Travis Etienne. Is he too cheap in drafts?
🔥 Odd man out … or odd man … in? Don’t sleep on the Year 2 Bucs WR.
🙈 They couldn’t make the man relive that moment, could they?
👀 Matthew’s alternate universe for the Madden ‘26 cover.
