by Ron Yeany, non-AI Fantasy Sports Reporter

With seven weeks in the books we’re at the halfway point for the 2025 season. Let’s mark the occasion with a good old-fashioned human-written team-by-team update to summarize where things stand at the halfway mark.

I’m hearing generally positive feedback about the new scoring system. I know one owner was happy to gain a point during a bye week in which his team scored 99.5 points. It’s fun to genuinely root for your opponent to do well and get a point — just as long as you do better and get 2 points.

As for standings, the spreadsheet has the week-by-week tally of FFL points earned. fflgoo.com/standings/ is updated Tuesday mornings. The standings on CBS are slightly helpful — think of your wins and ties on CBS as the full points and partial points you’ve earned in the new standings. Got it? Good.

Now that we’re all clear on that 😉 on to the updates. (Point standings for each team in parentheses.)

FFL (10 pts.) The defending champion Froglickers currently lead the standings. Lamar Jackson has been hurt for several weeks and Derrick Henry has come back down to earth this season, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba has stepped up to join Ja’Marr Chase as an elite WR pair powering this team alongside rookie sensation Cam Skattebo. Outlook: Will Lamar and Derrick return to form? The schedule gets more difficult — the Froglickers’ 4 wins are against teams with 22.5 FFL points; the Lickers’ next 4 opponents have a combined 29.75 FFL points.

MIA (9.5) Miami is a half-point off the pace in the standings. Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey and James Cook are propelling this team. The Muffdivers used 4 of their first 5 draft picks on receivers this year but when those those players drafted are in the starting lineup they’re averaging only 4.1 points per start. Outlook: Strong core gives Miami a high floor, but there’s not a lot of bench depth and they’re still looking for a breakout starter at receiver.

CTW (8.5) Your author’s team – the Wildcats – are in third place. A strong start was soon beset by injuries, losing James Conner and Malik Nabers in weeks 3 and 4 respectively. Jalen Hurts is balling, Kyren Williams is a reliable if not terribly explosive back, and Emeka Egbuka is making a case for best rookie WR so far. Outlook: Rashee Rice is back from his suspension, which will provide a boost. But the RB corps is pretty pedestrian and needs a breakout from the currect stable of RB3s/RB4s to go alongside Kyren.

DAL and CHI (8) It’s no surprise to see either of these teams near the top of the standings. The Mud was a playoff team again last year, and the Armadillos are less than 3 years removed from winning both trophies. They’ve taken different paths to the halfway point, though. The Mud’s horsepower is largely coming from Jonathan Taylor who leads all players in fantasy points. The Armadillos lost Joe Burrow, but Javonte Williams is thriving and when CeeDee Lamb and Puka Nacua both get on the field, this team is dangerous. Question: When will the Mud unleash Quinshon Judkins who has 68.5 bench points?

MER (7.75) Mustangs is an apt nickname for this team which now features the gunslinging QB pair named Bo Nix and Jaxson Dart. Outside of the QBs, it’s the solid receiver corps that is keeping Mercer competitive. The running back crew here is the lowest-scoring in the league. Question: Will it be Nix most weeks or will the Mustangs’ coach try to play the hot hand?

BOX (7) Here’s the good news for the Blowfish: Saquon Barkley has scored MORE than Derrick Henry. Here’s the bad news: Saquon is 14th in RB scoring, behind (among others) Cam Skattebo and J.K. Dobbins. As if Penn State fans didn’t already have enough to shake their heads about, why Saquon? Amon-Ra St. Brown is a god and A.J. Brown is returning to form, but can Saquon get his groove back for the Blowfish?

PHI (6.25) Griffins fans are on a rollercoaster: The first half of the season has included wins of 103 and 123 points; and losses of 46 and 41.5 points. The RBs are explosive and can have high ceilings making the Griffins an explosive team, but Jared Goff is lagging behind his 2024 pace and none of the receivers are stepping in to produce elite numbers like their running back counterparts.

BOB and OCD (6) The Big Bang has been clobbered the past 5 weeks with opponent scores of 82.5, 88, 108, 123, and 91, but Oregon has still has managed an above-average weekly score only twice this season. They’ve also tried the hot hand approach at QB and made the wrong decision every time it would have mattered. Further south on the west coast, the Beach Dudes have a strong RB trio of Jacobs, Jeanty and Hall, but Kyler Murray has got to be a big disappointment in Orange County and the receivers room after Courtland Sutton is full of dice roll options.

HVV (4), KEY (3.5) and NCT (3) Our three lowest-scoring teams are also very much on a trejectory to be outside looking in when the playoff race starts taking shape unless things change pronto. The Violence has been hit with injuries (Omarion Hampton, Terry McLaurin) but 3rd-round pick Devante Adams’ 69.5 points leads the team, so there’s a lot of underperformers to blame. For the Longfellows, Chase Brown and Justin Jefferson have both come crashing back down to human status, straining the depth at those positions. And finally, the Thorobreds have thrown nearly all their saddles on Josh Allen, D’Andre Swift, and George Pickens who account for nearly 60% of New Chester’s points this year.