2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Top 10 Sleepers For All League Types
Who are the top fantasy football sleepers for the 2025 NFL season?
This is typically the first question people ask as they begin their fantasy football research and head into their drafts. And rightfully so. Finding the true sleepers is one of the biggest keys to winning your fantasy football league. Drafting these sleepers can be a lot of fun too!
But if there’s one thing that fantasy football sleepers are not, it’s easy-to-find.
Gone are the days where league mates might not be able to access fantasy football player rankings on the fly, or defer to online NFL depth charts to power their draft. There’s so much information available today that few player names take anyone by surprise. That means we need to take a sharper approach to fantasy football sleepers – which is exactly what this list of the Top 10 Fantasy Football Sleepers is going to do.
What is a Fantasy Football Sleeper?
A fantasy football sleeper is a player who significantly outperforms his draft position and delivers great value for the team that picked him. For example, if you draft a player in the eighth round and he performs like a third-round player, you’ve got yourself a sleeper. There are plenty of players who could/should produce value, but with the amount of coverage these days, sleeper values found in the eighth-round are already seeing their ADP get pushed up. So, sometimes, we are forced to dig a little deeper.
Fantasy football busts sit at the other end of the spectrum. Busts are players who under-perform and hurt your team over the course of the season. When it’s all said and done, busts produce bad value compared to where you drafted them.
Draft positions vary league-to-league, but we recommend using our fantasy football ADP (Average Draft Position) tool to get a feel for where a player might be picked. We’ll refer to ADP a lot as we share our 2025 fantasy football sleepers below.
Without further ado, here are the players we expect will exceed expectations and become surprise difference-makers for your fantasy team.
2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers
Sleeper QBs for 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues
Trevor Lawrence, QB Jacksonville Jaguars
It always seems a little silly when people hype up a team’s receivers but refuse to acknowledge the value of that team’s quarterback. If you believe Brian Thomas is a first or second-round pick and that Travis Hunter is primed to emerge as a strong fifth or sixth-round asset, why is there so much negativity surrounding Lawrence? Maybe he’s hurt your fantasy feelings before, but is he not the guy who is going to help make them (as well as Dyami Brown and Brenton Strange) strong fantasy options?
There is no question regarding Larence being an overall disappointment, but he has certainly flashed enough brilliance to give us some hope. Forget about his first season under Urban Meyer. It was a joke. His second year in the league which was also his first with Doug Pederson was significantly better and while he did take a step back in 2023, he still threw for over 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns. Last season was marred by injury and while we won’t give him a pass, we can still turn around and have some understanding for the poor numbers.
What we witnessed over the years between Liam Coen and Baker Mayfield is what we can hang our hats in this season. The scheme is sound – we watched it in full bloom last year in Tampa Bay – and Coen is working very closely with Lawrence with the hope of having him in a better spot, both mentally and physically. Best of all, this is a free pick. Lawrence’s ADP is around 136.01 which is a 12th-round pick in a 12-team league and he’s coming off the board as QB20. Get your top guy early and then grab Lawrence to see what develops. You won’t be disappointed.
Daniel Jones, QB Indianapolis Colts
This is where a change of scenery (and coaching) can make all the difference. New York can be an unforgiving city and Giants fans have been dogging Jones since the day he was drafted. We get it – things have been rough. He had a good, not great, rookie season and then took a few steps backs over the next two seasons under Joe Judge, who was a hot mess as the team’s head coach.
Jones looked good his first season with Brian Daboll, but a knee injury wiped out most of 2023 and last season was a tough year for his comeback. But it certainly wasn’t all his fault. Not only was the offensive line a disaster, but the team never got him a decent receiver until Malik Nabers was drafted, and the offense was focused on Saquon Barkley who also dealt with his fair share of injuries. We won’t say that Jones doesn’t need to improve his game, but putting all the blame on him is wrong.
This season, he’s going to be a major factor in this Colts’ offense. The line is much better than it was in New York and the RPO work we’ll see from him and Jonathan Taylor is going to be a massive help. Let’s not forget that Jones can also run himself. It’s not Lamar Jackson/Derrick Henry here, but Jones and Taylor are going to be tough to take down.
He also has a stronger receiver room than in years past. Michael Pittman and Josh Downs are significantly better than when the Giants were shuttling out Darius Slayton and Isiah Hodgins and now Jones also has a strong field-stretcher in Alec Pierce and an elite tight end in rookie Tyler Warren. We should see him utilize his legs again and the downfield passing will be thee as well. While he may be fighting for the job, keep in mind that Anthony Richardson still isn’t throwing and could be sidelined much longer than some expect.
UPDATE (8/20): He was just named the starter for Week 1. Everything seems to be falling into place. Obviously keep watching Richardson, but head coach Shane Steichen has made the decision we were hoping to hear.
Sleeper RBs for 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues
Chuba Hubbard, RB Carolina Panthers
Volume is king and Hubbard is the perfect example as to why. Well, actually, maybe it’s his head coach Dave Canales. For those who might be wondering it’s simple. Canales loves a run-first approach and proved to everyone that he could take a mediocre, inefficient, talentless running back and make him a top-five fantasy asset just by giving him volume. That’s why everyone who drafted Rachaad White in 2023 was so happy and why everyone who drafted him last year was miserable. White lost that volume and, subsequently, his job.
Meanwhile, Canales took the job in Carolina and turned Hubbard into a top-10 fantasy back thanks to the volume. He was sharing work with Miles Sanders early on, but by Week 6 he was playing more than 80-percent of the snaps and by the end of the season, that number jumped above 90-percent. He posted seven games with at least 90 rushing yards, had 10 rushing touchdowns and was also averaging 4-5 targets per game. He went from 900 yards and five touchdowns without Canales to almost 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns in two fewer games with him!
And don’t worry about Rico Dowdle or Trevor Etienne. Neither of them will be anything more than a complementary back who spells Hubbard every so often. Canales has his guy and you should be elated to grab him where he’s going in drafts.
Jaylen Wright, RB Miami Dolphins
The battle for touches in the Miami backfield will be fun to watch this summer and for those looking for late-round running backs with a clear path to touches and potential standalone value, Wright should be the guy. We know De’Von Achane is the primary, but anyone who has ever watched Mike McDaniel coach, knows he likes to rotate in different guys. Remember when everyone freaked out when Raheem Mostert rushed for 18 touchdowns while Achane had eight? Yeah, it’s like that.
Achane is 5’9” and 180 pounds. He thrives in outside zone runs and pass-catching. Mostert is 5’10”, 200 pounds and thrived between the tackles and in short-yardage situations. Guess who Wright is build more like? He’ll have to fight off Alexander Mattison and rookie Ollie Gordon in training camp, but that just doesn’t seem to be too daunting a task. We’ll watch it closely this summer, but you should be keeping Wright on your late-round watch list during drafts.
Brashard Smith, RB Kansas City Chiefs
This one is a bit more of a dart-throw, but could become a mainstream pick closer to the start of the season. Andy Reid likes one running back to do everything – Priest Holmes, Jamaal Charles – but is not afraid to use a tandem if that’s what the roster dictates. In fact, that is exactly what is happening and while Isiah Pacheco is the lead, the Chiefs are going to need a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield like they once had with Damien Williams.
Currently behind Pacheco on the depth chart is Kareem Hunt, who has clearly lost more than just a step, Elijah Mitchell, who missed all of last year with an injury and has a grand total of 28 receptions across three seasons and Smith who averaged 27 receptions over a four-year span at SMU. The 22-year-old has great speed and should be a dangerous weapon when Patrick Mahomes delivers the football out in the flat. Even if he goes undrafted in your league, keep an eye on him for the early waiver periods this season.
Sleeper WRs for 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues
Keon Coleman, WR Buffalo Bills
Hey, old people! Remember these…?
If you’re a young person and have seen them as well, you know where I’m going with this already.
Take a look at the receiver room for the Bills – Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore, Joshua Palmer and Coleman. Palmer is closest to him in size, but let’s face it, with the exception of Coleman, these are just interchangeable cogs in the Bill’s passing machine. They’re small and speedy and thrive most in yards after the catch when their quarterback hits them in stride. Then there’s Coleman – 6”4”, 215 pounds, good at coming down with contested catches, great for stretching the field vertically. He’s literally the only guy capable of being an effective outside receiver.
We first fell in love with Coleman during his NFL Draft interviews and his rookie campaign went about as expected. He struggled to gain separation at first, found a groove and got hurt. He missed four games over a five-week absence and when he came back, there were very few opportunities for him to really stand out. The problem is that he doesn’t really fit the passing scheme Brady wants to use. His game doesn’t thrive in the crossing routes. But that doesn’t mean it can’t work.
Josh Allen is a deep-ball passer. We all know it. And in two years with Brady, we’ve seen fewer and fewer big-yard games from him because of the shorter passing Brady prefers. But Allen is constantly looking downfield and we saw a few times between Week 6 through 8 where the two were genuinely vibing on the field. We expect to see more of that this season as Brady finds more ways to get his biggest and best receiver more involved.
Cedric Tillman, WR Cleveland Browns
Yeah, we know. The Browns are a hot mess at quarterback and putting any sort of trust in anyone on their roster is a massive risk. But is it really if you’re looking for your sixth wide receiver in the 14th or 15th round? It is not. That’s about as low-risk as you can get, and the upside is strong. Maybe better for best ball than season-long, but the Browns are going to have to throw and Joe Flacco loves to air it out. Yes. Flacco. At least that’s how the season is expected to open. Maybe Kenny Pickett? Maybe. But probably Flacco.
We know that Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku are going to be the lead targets, but Tillman is the field-stretcher they need to ensure the intermediate routes don’t absorb all the coverage. Last year he sat behind Amari Cooper until Week 7 which began a three-game stretch of averaging almost 11 targets for seven catches, 85 yards and a touchdown per game before getting hurt. He tried to play through but ended up missing the final six games.
Now healthy, we expect him to slide right back into that midseason form. He should continue to see that near-90-percent snap share as the team’s No. 2 receiver and with the Browns likely to be playing from behind much of this season, volume should be abundant.
Pat Bryant, WR Denver Broncos
When a guy like Sean Payton says Bryant reminds him of Michael Thomas, you have to pay attention. For 12-team leagues with at least six bench spots, Bryant is a fantastic Draft Day stash. He could conceivably carve out a role for himself depending on what Joe Lombardi wants to do with the likes of Devaughn Vele or Troy Franklin, but Bryant plays a game very similar to that of Courtland Sutton, a true split-end, and it may take a trade of Sutton or an injury to put Bryant on the field consistently to start.
Though he was drafted in the third round, there really hasn’t been much hype on Bryant. He had a fantastic senior year at Illinois, but he disappointed everyone with a 4.62 40-time. But if the combine numbers meant so much, why take him in the third? Because Payton and Lombardi see something. Because they believe more in what they saw from him on the field than what was happening in the field house in Indianapolis (that’s where the combine is held). Sometimes, you just have to trust the eye-test.
UPDATE (8/20): We're losing a little steam on this pick for re-draft leagues but you still want to keep Bryant on your radar for dynasty formats. The Broncos signed Sutton to a multi-year extension which likely takes a trade off the table. Bryant is still a talent, but it looks like this year, he'll simply compete for snaps with Vele and Franklin while Marvin Mims sees some extra work.
Jermaine Burton, WR Cincinnati Bengals
Now we’re digging deep. Real deep. Like an ADP way north of 250, borderline 300. Dart-throw territory if you will and yes, great for late-round best ball picks and maybe best saved for large-field GPP DFS tournaments. But maybe something clicks here and Joe Burrow finds himself another field-stretching target?
We already know how fast Burton is and we watched him dazzle at both Georgia and Alabama. He can run a strong route and his hands are solid. His issues are all mental – maturity problems. Character concerns are what dropped him to the 80th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and there were multiple incidents during the season that left the coaches disappointed.
But everything we’ve heard from coaches out of OTAs and mini-camp is about how much better he’s doing., His attitude is better, his work ethic is stronger and he’s steering clear of any kind of trouble. Should this continue, Burton could push his way past Andrei Iosivas for the WR3 role and provide us with some surprising performances. Kind of like a rich man’s Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine?
UPDATE (8/20): An undisclosed injury has kept Burton on the shelf for the past week and while he's been doing some work on the sidelines, he has clearly stayed behind Iosivas for the WR3 role. He's just 24-years-old and continues to develop. The coaches are still happy with the maturity he's shown in training camps this summer, but he's going to need an injury or two to make an impact in redraft leagues now.
Sleeper TEs for 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues
Mason Taylor, TE New York Jets
We say it all the time in fantasy football – opportunity is everything. If you’re going to give volume to a player, he’s going to be extremely valuable. Taylor is the perfect example, especially where he’s going in drafts right now. You may not love Justin Fields or think he’s a great quarterback, but even if he only throws 20 times a game, who is he throwing to? You’ve got Garrett Wilson and then nobody. Seriously. Nobody. Allen Lazard probably gets traded to the Steelers, Josh Reynolds is nobody’s favorite target, Machi Corley and Arian Smith are far from proven and Xavier Gipson has had enough chances to prove he’s never going to be effective.
Give me Taylor who gives us those freak athlete vibes and a frame that makes him a fantastic target both inside the red zone and between the 20s. His father is NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and his uncle is Hall of Famer Zach Thomas. The work ethic and pedigree are there. His time spent at LSU shows he’s got the talent. The Jets are about to hand him an opportunity just as we are handing to you.
Top 10 Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2025
To recap, here are our top 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers
- Trevor Lawrence, QB Jacksonville Jaguars
- Daniel Jones, QB Indianapolis Colts
- Chuba Hubbard, RB Caolina Panthers
- Jaylen Wright, RB Miami Dolphins
- Brashard Smith, RB Kansas City Chiefs
- Keon Coleman, WR Buffalo Bills
- Cedric Tillman, WR Cleveland Browns
- Pat Bryant, WR Denver Broncos
- Jermaine Burton, WR Cincinnati Bengals
- Mason Taylor, TE New York Jets
These Top 10 Fantasy Football Sleepers are obviously ordered by position, and not any type of rankings.
Go forth, dominate your draft and win your league this season!
Fantasy Football Sleeper FAQs
Fantasy Football Sleepers & Late-Round Targets: What’s The Difference?
The primary difference between a fantasy football sleeper and late-round target is when they’re drafted. A late-round target is drafted in – you guessed it – the later rounds. On the other hand, a player can be drafted in the middle rounds and still be considered a sleeper.
Remember: a sleeper is all about value. Repeating the example above, if you draft a player in the eighth round and he performs like a third-round player, you scored yourself a sleeper.
Conversely, late-round targets don’t necessarily need to radically out-perform their ADP in order to be valuable for your team. For example, they might plug an especially problematic bye week that you’re planning ahead for, or simply be a known commodity and in an extremely deep league.
Yes, many fantasy football sleepers are late-round targets and vice versa. But the opposite applies, too. A player can be one, but not the other.
Where Can I Find Dynasty Sleepers?
You’ve found them! This is our only list of 2024 fantasy sleepers. We do not have a separate, dedicated writeup for 2025 Dynasty Sleepers.
That said, it’s no coincidence that the majority of our fantasy football sleepers are in the early-to-mid stages of their careers. The same factors that could carry these players to fantasy value in 2025 would carry them in future seasons, too.
We do have dedicated fantasy football dynasty player rankings, plus our fantasy football draft cheat sheet can be tailored for dynasty leagues. So, from the standpoint of finding value in your drafts, we still have dynasty fantasy football sleepers covered!
I Have My List Of 2025 Sleepers. Now Where Should I Draft Them?
This is where our cheat sheet’s “Draft Grid” really shines. The Draft Grid combines 2024 fantasy football player rankings with the latest ADP, sleepers, busts, rookies and reports out of training camp.
The end result? You’ll get an easy-to-use, round-by-round breakdown of where players should actually be taken in your 2025 fantasy football drafts.
Download the latest version of the Cheat Sheet in PDF format now.
I Need More Help with My Fantasy Football Draft!
Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Check out our full 2025 Fantasy Football Draft Guide, or give us a shout in Discord and we’ll be happy to help you 1-on-1.