2025 Fantasy Football Sleeper Preview

by Michael Nazarek (RELEASED - 7/2/2025)

Editor's Note: Below you will find a portion of our Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2025. If you'd like to read about all 44 sleepers, please click HERE to order our 2025 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

Everyone knows about Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, and Ja'Marr Chase. The top 50 players taken in most fantasy drafts will likely be the same group of players. What separates the men from the boys is knowing who will produce when they are not expected to produce. To this end, I will supply you with sleeper lists of players at each of the key fantasy positions. Consider each and weigh them against your league competition. I will list sleepers in three distinct categories… obvious, darkhorses, and long-shots. I have also offered my "deep sleeper" at each position. Note: The official projected statistics for these players were not posted, as they may change with each guide update.

 

The following DARKHORSE SLEEPER was posted on these pages last summer. It just goes to show you that sometimes these players pan out in a HUGE way…

 

Jayden Daniels ® (Washington) - The rookie from LSU is a big-time talent, and a running threat to boot. He will start immediately for the Commanders, and has already developed quick chemistry with WR Terry McLaurin along with rookie WR Luke McCaffrey. Now, I'm not saying you should draft him as your starter for fantasy, but he has mad upside when taken as a fantasy backup.

 

Yeah, I’d say he has upside. After he started from the get-go in 2024, he finished the season as a top 5 fantasy QB and the sky is the limit moving forward!

 

Note: The ADP mentioned below for all players applies to 12-team PPR leagues.

 

QUARTERBACKS

 

The Obvious

 

Justin Fields (New York Jets) - When he was starting for the Steelers in 2024, he was a top 10 QB for fantasy, primarily due to his legs. In six games, he threw for five TDs and ran for another five. Bottom Line: Fields is a dual-threat to score and he has a great target in WR Garrett Wilson in New York. As long as he stays healthy, he should be a borderline QB1 for fantasy in 2025, with solid QB1 upside in any given week. ADP: Round 9.

 

Caleb Williams (Chicago) - Williams got off to a so-so start his rookie season, and struggled mightily down the stretch when the offense went stagnant. Enter new HC Ben Johnson, a great offensive mind. The Bears beefed up the offensive line and drafted rookie WR Luther Burden and WR Colston Loveland to help with the passing game. These improvements give Williams a legitimate chance to develop into a solid NFL and fantasy starter in 2025. ADP: Round 8.

 

Drake Maye (New England) - Maye was up an down his rookie season, but showed some promise when given the time to hit his targets downfield. Unfortunately, the Patriots had only so-so talent at both the RB and WR positions. As a result, they added first-round draft pick RB TreVeyon Henderson and WR Kyle Williams in April along with veteran WR Stefon Diggs via free agency to boost the offense. Diggs may not play right away due to a torn ACL her suffered in the middle of the 2024 season, but when healthy, he should help significantly. Best of all, you can still draft Maye as your fantasy backup and he has starting upside for fantasy in 2025. ADP: Round 10.

 

The Darkhorse

 

Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville) - Lawrence was on my creeper list last year and he lived up to that billing, then got injured. This year, he has a new HC in Liam Coen, who comes over from Tampa Bay where he rejuvenated the career of QB Baker Mayfield. Lawrence also gains WR Travis Hunter to help offset the loss of TE Evan Engram. They also drafted RB Bhayshul Tuten, to boost the running game. These changes make Lawrence a darkhorse fantasy sleeper QB in 2025. And if you draft him, you can take him as your fantasy backup, so the cost is fairly cheap. ADP: Round 10-11.

 

Bryce Young (Carolina) - Young was absolutely terrible for the first six games he played in 2024, and was benched due to that poor play. That said, from week #12 onward, he was QB6 for fantasy! What happened? He regrouped and the pressure to perform was taken off his shoulders. As a result, he lit it up for 11 TD passes and 5 TD runs in the final seven games of the season. And now, the Panthers drafted WR Tetairoa McMillan to boost the WR corps and WR Adam Thielen returns for at least one more season. As a result, Young is firmly a darkhorse fantasy sleeper in the summer of 2025! ADP: Round 12-13.

 

Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta) - Penix started the final three games of the 2024 season after veteran QB Kirk Cousins was benched. He threw three TD passes in those games and ran for a score as well. At this time, Cousins remains as the backup, but Penix will start and he showed great chemistry with WR Drake London as well as WR Darnell Mooney. If the Falcons can get TE Kyle Pitts more involved, Penix could actually be worthy of a fantasy start as soon as late September. That is one reason why he is an intriguing darkhorse fantasy sleeper this summer. ADP: Round 12.

 

The Long-Shot

 

J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota) - McCarthy is set to begin the season as the starter for the Viking with QB Sam Darnold gone. McCarthy is coming off a serious knee injury, but should be good to go come September. Anytime you have WR Justin Jefferson as your primary weapon, you have fantasy sleeper status, even if you have yet to play in a real NFL game. McCarthy could actually be viewed by some as more of a darkhorse than a longshot, but I place him here now, since he's yet to prove himself in an NFL game, something we should see during the preseason this August. ADP: Round 11.

 

Russell Wilson (New York Giants) - Wilson had some moments as the Steelers' starter in 2024, and now comes over to start for the Giants. WR Malik Nabers is the primary reason he signed and it's also the reason why he is a longshot fantasy sleeper in 2025. Of course, he is a longshot since there is a good chance he doesn't last the season as the starter. One thing is certain, the Giants will be throwing a lot and Nabers could see upwards of 200 targets in 2025! And that will be a good thing for Wilson, as long as he's playing. ADP: Round 15-16.

 

Cam Ward ® (Tennessee) - Ward was the top pick of the draft in April and will immediately start for the Titans in 2025. Now, this team really struggled last year, but WR Calvin Ridley remains a potent threat in the passing game, and if the team opens up the offense, Ward could thrive sooner than later. Bottom Line: He has more than enough talent to be considered a longshot sleeper for fantasy in 2025. ADP: Round 13-14.

 

The Deep-Sleeper

 

Tyler Shough ® (New Orleans) - Shough was drafted in April and is set to try to win the starting job to replace retired QB Derek Carr. Some are high on Shough, but others say his inaccuracies will make it tough for him to be successful immediately when the season begins. A lot of these issues will be revealed later this summer during the preseason. Bottom Line: The Saints have little else than to trust that Shough can develop quick enough to keep the team afloat during the early part of the season, or it could be a very long season for both the Saints and Shough. As such, he is currently my deep sleeper at QB for 2025. ADP: Round 17-18.

 

 

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