The upcoming NFL season might not be due to start until September, but it is never too early to look at which players are bound to take the spotlight this year.
This 106th Season of the NFL sees 272 games played in total, with the first game hosted by the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, on September 4th. Each team will play 17 regular season games before the end of the regular season in January. This will include 7 international games, three of which are to be played in London, England. The end of the regular season will be January 4th, just before the playoffs begin for a place at Super Bowl LX on February 8th, 2026, which is due to be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
With that in mind, if you want to know which team to place your bets on for the upcoming NFL season, then you need to think about the standout players – those that made a name for themselves last season, and those that are showing promise either as a rookie or in the early part of their NFL careers.
Let’s take a look at some of those rising stars.
Joe Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals
Of course, the list will always start with a Quarterback – arguably the most famous position in any NFL team – and there is a reason that Joe Burrows is one of the best. Not only did he win the Heisman Trophy during his college years, he was also part of the LSU Tigers team that won the College Football Playoff National Championships in his senior year.
Selected first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow has been nicknamed ‘Joe Cool’ for his calmness under pressure, and is one of the only players to have won the Comeback Player of the Year award more than once – the second time for his appearance last season.
Saquon Barclay – Philadelphia Eagles
Setting several school records for his offensive production during his college years playing for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Barclay didn’t even complete his senior year – instead getting drafted as the second overall pick for the NY Giants in 2018. That season he won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Signing to the Eagles in 2023 was the first step to him being part of the team that won the Super Bowl, but he also won the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and broke the record for the most rushing yards in one season. The Eagles head into this year’s campaign as the favorites according to Stake with odds of 7/1. If you think Barclay can help bring glory to Philadelphia you can find a Stake bonus code here, along with the terms and conditions, as reviewed by Oddspedia.
Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
Whilst he might have been the final pick of the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Quarterback Jackson has been the recipient of the NFL MVP award not once, but twice. He is the all-time leader in quarterback running years, and when he became the Ravens’ starting quarterback in his rookie season he then became the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game at the tender age of just 21.
Malik Nabers – New York Giants
Coming out of college and playing for the well-known and talented LSU Tigers, Malik Nabers is a wide receiver with serious talent. With unanimous All-American honors in 2023, the NY GIants selected him 6th overall in the 2024 draft.
In his first season, Nabers set the NFL record for the most receptions by a rookie wide receiver, and his talents have seen him selected for the 2025 Pro Bowl, too.
RJ Harvey – Denver Broncos
Not much is known about RJ Harvey, the running back selected in the second round of the NFL Draft this year.
His college career saw him playing for the Virginia Cavaliers and then the UCF Knights, and he has earned the title of the first UCF player to run over 1000 yards in a season since 2018.
Jayden Daniels – Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels is a great example of what is known as a dual-threat player – talented at both running and passing. As a quarterback, he played his college years with the Arizona State Sun Devils before joining the LSU Tigers – another Tigers alumni to win the Heisman Trophy in 2023.
Daniels was the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for the Commanders, and picked up the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award that year.
Are Individuals More Important Than the Team?
With so much at stake for the top teams in the NFL, it is difficult to separate the important players from the team they are playing for – but fans of the sport know that there are a lot of different factors that come together to create a Super Bowl winning combination.
While some of these players are bound to have an excellent season, choosing your winner of each division and the overall Super Bowl Champion needs to take all of these factors into consideration
