On Friday’s episode of Mad Money, host Jim Cramer used the kickoff of fantasy football season to lay out his version of a “fantasy stock football draft.”
“With the football fantasy season officially kicking off last night… That means it’s time for our Mad Money fantasy stock football draft… I just think it’s a great way to educate you. Building a great portfolio has a lot in common with building a great fantasy football team.”
READ ALSO: Jim Cramer Shared Insights on These 14 Stocks and Jim Cramer Shed Light on These 10 Stocks Recently.
Starting with the quarterback, Cramer said the position is about consistency. In fantasy football, teams usually have just one quarterback, so that player must perform reliably every week. For this role, he named the iPhone maker. He then moved on to running backs, which he described as the workhorses of a fantasy team. For wide receivers, he said, these are about growth. He noted that every season, fantasy football fans look for wide receivers who can break out and deliver big numbers.
Cramer also addressed the tight end position, which he described as a hybrid role that combines some offense with defense. In football, tight ends block but also catch passes. In the portfolio context, he said this is where you want a stock that offers some level of protection but still has room to grow. He also talked about the flex position, a slot in fantasy football that can be filled by a running back, wide receiver, or tight end. The goal in that position is simple: get as many points as possible.
“Bottom line: That’s your full fantasy stock football portfolio. Just like in fantasy, you need to fill every position with the best that you can get. Play your studs.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 10 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on September 5. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the second quarter of 2025, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of over 900 hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer Picked 10 Stocks For His Fantasy Stock Portfolio
10. CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71
CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer said that he sees strength in the company under Joe Hinrichs, as he remarked:
“Finally, let’s round out our team with a kicker. This time, I’m taking a trendy pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little… How about CSX, the railroad company? I’m not saying this because CSX is based in Jacksonville, but because the company’s widely considered to be in play. The merger-friendly Trump administration looks ready to approve transcontinental railroad deals.
Union Pacific, already trying to buy Norfolk Southern. And now many speculate that CSX could be doing the same thing with Canadian Pacific or Berkshire Hathaway’s Burlington Northern. Now, we know there’s an activist shareholder pushing for some kind of deal, which would be like a 70-yard field goal as far as I’m concerned, for CSX shareholders. To be sure, I like CSX because I think Joe Hinrichs is running a great railroad, alright? Anything take-over related, icing on the cake.”
CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) provides rail-based freight and intermodal transportation, moving goods such as chemicals, agricultural products, coal, and manufactured items.
9. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 95
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer made some positive comments about the company, as he commented:
“JNJ’s up roughly 23% year to date. I couldn’t believe it, I saw it was like 180. It was amazing. Weak action throughout most of the healthcare, not affecting these people. Their core pharma business is roaring. Terrific oncology franchise, medical devices really strong now. That’s why JNJ keeps putting up good numbers, and they don’t have that lawsuit as much as, it used to be front and center. Not anymore. Now both the Eagles and JNJ do come with some risks… JNJ, the company’s still not quite clear of all the talc litigation headaches. But at the end of the day, I expect the overall quality of both franchises to win out.”
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) develops and markets pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and vision care products. The company’s solutions include therapeutic treatments, surgical technologies, and eye health solutions.
8. Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 78
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer highlighted the company’s strong Rule of 40 score and retail investor backing. He said:
“You gotta fill this flex spot with the most controversial stock maybe of our era, and that is Palantir. It’s also one of the great growth stocks… After pulling back in recent weeks, it’s still the second-best-performing stock in the S&P, more than doubling year to date. And the stock has an army of retail investors who seem inclined to view every dip as a buying opportunity. Although it’s been stuck in the 150s for a little bit here. The NFL equivalent is De’Von Achane… Regular viewers know that when we talk about this defense and enterprise software company, it has one of the best Rule of 40 scores, if not the best ever. It’s a unique way to measure software companies, and Palantir’s numbers are stunning. Now, both Palantir and Achane have risks. For Palantir, the risk is that the stock’s nosebleed valuation will catch up to it. Some people feel that that’s happening right now.”
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) develops software platforms that integrate and analyze complex data, supporting intelligence, defense, and enterprise operations.
7. The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 48
The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer said that the “stock’s been on fire” after the completion of its nuclear power plant construction project in Georgia. He commented:
“Typically, I go with something healthcare here, but that group is down in the dumps right now. So instead I’ve got a kind of a new one, a growth utility, Southern Company. That’s right. Utilities are classic defensive names. Even in a softer economy, everybody has to pay their gas and electric bills. Usually, these are slow and steady stocks with generous dividends but anyone who’s been paying attention over the past couple years knows that things are changing in the sector.
With the advent of AI and the great data center buildout, we’re seeing tremendous growth in demand for electricity. So suddenly many utilities are traded like growth stocks, and that includes Southern Company with regulated electric utilities serving about 4.5 million customers in three states, regulated gas utilities serving roughly 4.4 million customers in four states. Now at the same time, this is also a competitive power generation company and a leading distributed energy infrastructure company…
For years, Southern Company had an overhang from a gigantic nuclear power plant construction project in Georgia… The overruns were outrageous, billions and billions dollars over budget. But that project was finally completed a year and a half ago. Ever since then, the stock’s been on fire, especially with Southern Company’s all about the Southeast where we’re seeing a lot of new manufacturing. It doesn’t hurt, it pays 3.2% yield. So what’s the NFL tight end equivalent for Southern Company? Oh, well, that is easy. It’s Las Vegas Raiders, Brock Powers.”
The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) produces and distributes electricity and natural gas while managing power generation assets, pipelines, and storage facilities. Additionally, the company provides energy solutions, microgrids, and communications services for retail, commercial, and institutional customers.
6. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 219
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer called it one of the “best long-term growth stocks” of the past 2 decades
“Next up, I like Alphabet, one of the best long-term growth stocks that you could have owned over the past two decades… Justin Jefferson, he’s the Vikings receiver… I think of both Alphabet and Jefferson as known commodities with major new questions. For Alphabet, Google’s, the worry is how, how’s the advent of AI going to impact the core search business? So far so good… I think they’ll both be just fine.”
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) provides a wide range of technology products and services, including search, digital advertising, devices, YouTube, and cloud-based enterprise solutions. It also invests in emerging businesses through its Other Bets segment, including healthcare and internet services. Cramer mentioned the stock during the September 2 episode and said:
“Sometimes, the rewards for my strategy happen extraordinarily fast. Look at what happened after the close. Alphabet got a shockingly favorable antitrust ruling from a judge who I thought hated them. They won’t have to divest Chrome. They won’t be broken up in some punitive way for shareholders, and they can still make payments to preload Google even if they can’t have exclusive contracts. Now this is a huge win for Alphabet…”
5. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 235
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer said NVDA looks expensive, but earnings growth justifies the price. He stated:
“Good growth can make your year as part of your portfolio. NVIDIA, therefore, has been the stalwart even though it’s down five of the last six days. Oh boy, I guess… Times have passed for NVIDIA, but you know what? I don’t care. I say, ain’t broke, don’t fix. Who’s the NFL equivalent for one of the greatest stocks in history? I can only mention the aforementioned Ja’Marr Chase as the NVIDIA of your fantasy team… NVIDIA seems expensive at any given time, but when you look back, I bet they’ll both be worth the price, meaning that the price to earnings multiple turns out to be not that high as the earnings continue to ramp.”
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) develops graphics, computing, and networking solutions, with products spanning GPUs, AI platforms, cloud services, and automotive technologies. The company’s products serve markets including gaming, data centers, professional visualization, and autonomous vehicles.
4. GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 106
GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer compared the stock to Baltimore Ravens running back, Derrick Henry. He commented:
“Finally, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that… we got this gigantic bull market in electricity production to keep all these AI data centers running. And that’s why we’re looking at GE Vernova, the power business of the old General Electric, makes huge turbines for power plants… Best performing industrial in the S&P over the past year by a wide margin. This Charitable Trust name has been walloped of late ever since the president came out hard against wind subsidies, as Vernova has a wind division, but it’s chiefly a natural gas play for what you, that’s why you own it… Maybe it’ll bottom as people realize that’s the, let’s say, the salient division. And if you want power, the NFL comparison is obvious. We’re talking about Baltimore Ravens running back, Derrick Henry… I think both are worth the risk.”
GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) provides energy technologies and services, including power generation, wind, and electrification, including turbines, grid solutions, storage systems, and software to manage electricity from production to consumption.
3. RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71
RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer compared the stock with Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, as he remarked:
“How about some other running backs? Remember, we’re looking for industrials that have exposure to secular growth drivers. So what about RTX, which is the old United Technologies’ aerospace business? It’s been merged with the old Raytheon. Aerospace and defense are both working here with Trump’s bill, including a trillion dollars of defense spending. Maybe we should say war spending… Call it the Department of War instead of the Department of Defense. What’s the NFL’s analog for RTX? Let’s go with Detroit Lions running back, Jahmyr Gibbs… RTX has two growth themes.”
RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) supplies aerospace and defense technologies, including aircraft engines, avionics, interiors, and mission systems, as well as defense solutions for threat detection and mitigation. Moreover, it provides aftermarket services and support for commercial and military customers worldwide.
2. GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 100
GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer mentioned the stock during the episode and said:
“You want steady production from your [running] backs, including lots of touchdowns, no matter what defense you’re playing or what the weather’s like. But I’ve said before, this position is inherently kind of boom and bust… But the running back position has also changed in recent years as pass-catching running backs are now the top options for fantasy teams. That’s sort of like what we’re looking for in our stock picks, for pass-catching ability, like a secular growth theme for a secular company… Well, last year I included GE Aerospace, and that turned out to be a great pick. Thank you, Larry Culp, up 70%. The commercial aerospace boom remains one of the market’s fantastic secular growth stories. So we’re going to stick with [it], but what’s the NFL equivalent of GE Aerospace?… The league’s best running back is Philadelphia Eagles’ own Saquon Barkley.”
GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) designs and manufactures commercial and defense aircraft engines along with integrated components, avionics, and power systems.
1. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 156
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer picked for his fantasy stock portfolio. Cramer called it the quarterback of the portfolio, as he said:
“Starting with the all-important quarterback position… And that’s why I’ve long said that Apple, the original ‘own it, don’t trade it’ stock, is like the quarterback of your portfolio. Now, Apple ended up being one of our worst performers in our fantasy football stock basket over the past year, with a measly mid-single-digit gain, barely trailing the S&P 500, but you know what? I’m not going to be easily shaken off Apple… It doesn’t bother me. The stock’s in fantastic shape again. You know, it’s up over 41% from its lows. The company seems to be back in the good graces of the Trump administration. The judiciary hasn’t blocked them from taking billions of dollars to make Google their default search engine.
And Apple sales are growing again. That’s why it remains a huge position for our Charitable Trust. As long as they can keep doing pay-to-play, where you don’t have to worry about the company’s AI strategy, well, they’ll just do what they did with Search and make a fortune in the process. Maybe it’s more than 20 billion a year from Google. So who’s the NFL equivalent of Apple this year? Oh, I’ve got an outside-the-box pick this time… Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow… I’m expecting big things from both of them.”
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) designs and sells smartphones, computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories. Moreover, the company offers cloud services, digital content platforms, and subscription-based services. It also provides payment solutions, advertising, and customer support.
While we acknowledge the potential of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AAPL and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. Insider Monkey focuses on uncovering the best investment ideas of hedge funds and insiders. Please subscribe to our free daily e-newsletter to get the latest investment ideas from hedge funds’ investor letters by entering your email address below.
