Have you ever had a Charleston Chew? It’s a candy bar that has been in existence for over 100 years. How’s that for longevity? It’s big enough to be shared with friends, can be frozen and cracked off for a late night nibble, and one candy bar can be enjoyed over multiple weeks. So while all the cool kids are getting red vines, bottle caps, Boston baked beans, or good and plenty, grab the bar that is undervalued and overlooked.

As is the case with candy, IDPs have undervalued and overlooked players. Ones that can be enjoyed for multiple weeks. They are better known as sleepers.
 

 

 

Why IDP Sleepers Matter In Fantasy Football

Perhaps there are a few readers who have experienced a flat tire, when far away from home. Perhaps a few more can remember this situation prior to cellphones. Usually there is a spare tire or “donut” tire. Unnoticed, and not thought about it until needed… then it REALLY MATTERED. That is similar to a sleeper for an IDP roster.

Yet having those sleepers on your roster are beneficial, and can lead to the ultimate brag of the season. Every year there are undervalued IDP players, and 2025 will not be different. Sleepers help your team because although overlooked, they have potential to be league winners. They are dependable when one of the “starting” tires goes flat.

The top-16 of every position should perform as expected, but finding sleeper IDPs can lead to fantasy football championships. If they are on a roster before their point explosion then FAAB can be saved for bye weeks and other sleepers not noticed. That is what makes sleepers important.

Of course if you want a group of sleepers, and the must haves, make sure to get my IDP Rankings on the Fantasy Alarm NFL Draft Guide for a one time price of $29.95! It will help you win your league, and it’s easy to find out why it was Voted FSGA 2025 Best Product Experience.

 

Top IDP Sleeper Picks For 2025

There are a couple of players who jump out with opportunity, but are not being drafted at the appropriate spot, if at all. Those two players are Carson Schwesinger of the Cleveland Browns and Christian Rozeboom of the Carolina Panthers. They both wear the all important “green dot” for their teams. And both are expected to be on the field for every defensive snap this season.


Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns

Carson Schwesinger more or less fell into being the starter and on field communication with defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz. Ten-year veteran Jordan Hicks retired shortly after training camp began. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is declared out with a neck injury, and may never play football again. To make matters worse, 2024 draft pick Nathaniel Watson tore his bicep this week and is out for the season. To top it off, Devin Bush could be facing disciplinary action for an arrest that occurred in May.

The Browns may have anticipated a need by drafting Schwesinger 33rd-overall in the 2025 NFL draft. However they did not anticipate a shallow linebacker room. The addition of Jerome Baker could prove a brilliant move come mid season, but more on him later. Schwesinger is expected to be “The Man”, and from a fantasy football perspective is a steal of a sleeper

The linebacker position is one of the most difficult for a rookie to learn. The former UCLA Bruin will no longer play the scrap teams of the Big Ten, but intelligent quarterbacks of the AFC North. Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson are the most talented and intelligent quarterbacks of this century… and they have the MVPs to prove it. However, those two late first round picks have the same combined amount of Super Bowl appearances as 2020 first-overall pick Joe Burrow. Every divisional game is an opportunity for a spike week for Schwesinger due to involvement on passing downs.

Schwesinger has six games against those NFL career holders and they will target him often in the passing game. This is a good thing for IDP fantasy football leagues. Not only will his tackles come from the run game as an interior linebacker, he will pick them up in the passing game too. Over 1,000 snaps and 130+ tackles are a solid base for any player, much less an IDP sleeper going late in drafts.

He is a sleeper in most IDP leagues, but in leagues with IDP junkies, he has risen up the board. As with any fantasy football league, know your opponents. If in a dynasty league that has not drafted its rookies yet, make sure to go a round or two earlier on Schwesinger. A day one plug and play rookie who could be an eight year, every week starter is rare.


Christian Rozeboom, Carolina Panthers

Christian Rozeboom is somewhat of a more popular name, but he’s still available in several IDP leagues. He is a sleeper that can be drafted in late rounds with the potential to pop off. The Carolina Panthers are an interesting team with several undervalued defensive players. As mentioned he will be the on field communication with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and will play every defensive snap for the Panthers.

Rozeboom is a large part of the new-look Panthers defense, which includes five new starters. All of which are free agent signings. They also added four defensive draft picks in a true overhaul of the defense. Rozeboom is the clear leader in a LB room with Trevin Wallace, Jacoby Windmon, and Krys Barnes. He will have a majority of the responsibility, and will look to be the do-it-all LB in Carolina’s defense.

He busted onto the scene last year, his third with the Los Angeles Rams. He earned 135 tackles which was more than his three previous years combined. He has eight passes defended and two interceptions over his career, and those numbers are likely to increase with his role in this defense. Carolina is void of playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, and he will be asked to make big plays.

Rozeboom goes in the late-teens of drafts to mid-twenties, or not at all in IDP drafts. In a standard IDP league, he can be taken with a last pick, and in a deep league, he can be drafted after several other positions have been filled. For general managers who prefer to load up on offense, Rozeboom is a perfect sleeper pick to lead a defense. 135 or more tackles are well within reach for the kid from South Dakota State. 

 

 

 

Deep Dive Targets By Position

Defensive Linemen

Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers

Alex Highsmith has been part of the Steelers defense since 2020, and led the league in forced fumbles in 2022. He was injured last year and his draft price has fallen due to it. He also benefits with one one matches due to the attention T.J. Watt earns. A sleeper with a proven record of 35.5 career sacks.

 

Calijah Kancey, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Calijah Kancey is entering his third year in the NFL and displayed flashes of potential last season. Despite missing five games, he earned 7.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and 11 tackles for loss. A deep sleeper that can be picked up late, Kancey could reward fantasy football managers greatly with a double-digit sack season.

 

Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers

Despite starting only nine games last season, Tuli Tuipulotu earned 8.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, 42 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and two passes defended. The third-year Charger is listed as the starter opposite of veteran Kahlil Mack, and could make a big jump. At 6-foot-3 and 266 pounds, this sleeper is going to be a problem for opposing offensive lines.

 

 

 

Linebackers

Devin White, Las Vegas Raiders

It’s difficult to believe a Super Bowl champion, second team All-Pro is a sleeper, but Devin White is. In fact so much so I personally picked him up in three leagues after the draft completed. Two of them for $0 in a FAAB league. White had an awful departure from Tampa Bay in 2023 and played just nine games with the Houston Texans in 2024. 

Perhaps his good years were the Brady effect in Tampa Bay, but guess what… He’s back with Brady (owner) in Las Vegas! Not only that he’s wearing the sticker that IDP junkies seek like a zombie does brains… the “green dot”! White almost made the top IDP sleepers of 2025 with Schwesinger and Rozeboom, and gets the longer write up because a comeback is possible. He should be rostered in every league, as should all “green dot” IDPs. Do not sleep on this Super Bowl champion.

Tyrice Knight, Seattle Seahawks

Tyrice Knight is a little-known linebacker in the forgotten Northwest, and on a defense loaded with playmakers. He is the definition of a sleeper, as most IDP managers do not even know who he is. He earned 88 combined tackles, two passes defended, and 1.5 sacks as a rookie last season. Oh he only started nine games too. A second-year jump is expected for this undervalued linebacker, Snag this sleeper late in drafts.

Jerome Baker, Cleveland Browns

This is an ultimate, deep sleeper. And the crazy part is Jerome Baker was once considered a top twelve linebacker. The NFL means “Not For Long” and that’s the case for players who have a bad year. They become forgotten. After six great seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Baker had a terrible 2024. He was traded midway through the season and never got in a rhythm.

Now he’s coming home. Baker was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He played for Ohio State, and he's  behind Devin Bush (who played at Michigan) in the depth chart. Bush could face suspension, and the rivalry that never dies, should spark a friendly competition between the two. Baker is available in almost all IDP fantasy football leagues, and is a sleeper that has shown the ability to earn over 100-plus tackles. 

 

 

 

Defensive Backs

Mike Sainristil, Washington Commanders

Mike Sainristil is entering his second year with the Washington Commanders, and he had a great rookie season. From the nickel corner position he earned 93 combined tackles. He also recorded 14 passes defended (tied 10th-most in 2024), recorded two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one tackle for loss. Improvement is on the way for this sleeper and he is rarely drafted in IDP leagues.

 

Jordan Battle, Cincinnati Bengals

Jordan Battle is the starting strong safety for the Bengals, and he could see a ton of tackle opportunities this season. He only started five games last season, and on a defense void of playmakers, he could rise above the rest. If Trey Hendrickson sits out, there will be zero pass rush from Cincinnati, and Battle will have high tackle numbers. He has recorded sacks, interceptions, and passes defended. This undervalued IDP will be asked to be all over the field once again.

 

Amani Hooker, Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans could have a terrible offense with a rookie quarterback, in fact it is expected. Amani Hooker is the one constant for the Titans defense, and is a perennial sleeper in fantasy football. In 2024 he earned 71 tackles, nine passes defended, and tied sixth-overall with five interceptions. Titans players are an afterthought for fantasy football in 2025, but look for Hooker to be a plug and play sleeper that can be drafted late in IDP leagues.

 

 

 

Balancing Risk And Upside With IDPs

Outside of tackling machines, almost all other IDPs are a risk. With a defensive lineman, the big points come from the sack. But even the best sack artist (across any decade) could not measure up to two sacks per game. In fact the NFL record is 11.5 sacks below a two per game average. 

It’s even more of a disparity when it comes to defensive backs reliant on big plays. Single season interceptions leader (who happens to have one of the most interesting stories and coolest nicknames in the game), Richard “Night Train” Lane set the mark his rookie season. In 1952 he snagged 14 footballs from opposing quarterbacks. That averages out to less than one per game.

Interceptions have become so rare that only one IDP has more than 10 this century (Trevon Diggs 2021). Passes defended are also a risky stat to depend on as only Denzel Ward (19) and Derek Stingley (18) averaged more than one per game. The key, as we consistently remind everyone at Fantasy Alarm, is the system. Both the one they are in and the one they are playing against. 

The trick is to have players that have a solid tackling floor with potential for big plays. Several of the sleepers mentioned above have those floors, with big play potential. A great IDP roster is going to have solid tacklers, with a mix of players that can sack, defend the pass well, and force fumbles. Three of every five IDPs need to have good tackling numbers, one needs to have great numbers. It's the floor players that get us to the playoffs, but it's the ceilings of fantasy football players that win championships. 

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I believe it is time for a Charleston Chew too.

Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy -