When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football sleepers below. And check out all of the fantasy football sleepers experts love in our consensus sleeper rankings.
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Fantasy Football Sleepers Experts Draft
Here are fantasy football sleepers the experts love to target in drafts.
Who are Fantasy Football Sleepers?
Fantasy football sleepers are players who have a strong chance to exceed expectations and become surprise difference-makers for fantasy managers.
Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receivers
Andrew Erickson’s favorite wide receiver fantasy football draft sleepers.
Jayden Higgins lands in a dream fantasy spot after being selected 34th overall by the Houston Texans. With Tank Dell likely sidelined for much of 2025 and Christian Kirk only under contract for one year, Higgins is positioned to start immediately alongside Nico Collins and Kirk in a high-powered offense led by C.J. Stroud. The former Iowa State standout was PFF’s highest-graded WR in 2024, commanding a 33% target share while boasting a top-10 career college dominator rating in the class. With a strong blend of size, speed, and draft capital – and strong connections between the Texans and Iowa State coaching staffs – Higgins profiles as a plug-and-play rookie with significant fantasy appeal.
Marvin Mims flashed major upside in the second half of 2024, averaging 62 receiving yards per game and leading all WRs in yards per route run (3.63) from Week 11 onward. He also posted a strong 28% target rate per route run on the year, ranking 13th in the NFL. Still just 23 years old, Mims is a prime third-year breakout candidate in a Broncos offense looking to grow alongside Bo Nix.
Rashod Bateman finally stayed healthy in 2024 – and delivered his most productive NFL season yet with 51 catches for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game (WR45) and quietly led the Ravens in end-zone targets while eclipsing 1,000 air yards. Bateman also flashed when Zay Flowers missed time late in the year, averaging 13.4 points per game in that stretch. He finished 12th in ESPN’s WR Open Score, signaling his skill set as a separator. With potential regression in team health and an aging Mark Andrews, Bateman is a prime candidate for a true fifth-year breakout in 2025 – and a sharp late-round pick in fantasy drafts.
Cedric Tillman flashed major second-year breakout potential in 2024, stepping up as the Browns’ top wideout after Amari Cooper‘s departure and Jameis Winston‘s promotion to QB1. From Weeks 7-12, Tillman averaged 12.8 fantasy points per game (WR16), totaling 330 receiving yards and clearly outproducing Jerry Jeudy during that stretch. Unfortunately, a concussion cut his season short, sidelining him for the final six games. Now fully healthy and with past chemistry with Joe Flacco, Tillman is well-positioned to re-emerge as a key piece in Cleveland’s passing game and could be a sneaky value pick in 2025 drafts.
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