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.
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.
– Andrew Erickson
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.
– Andrew Erickson
Tre Harris lands in a near-perfect depth chart situation with the Chargers, where he’ll compete for immediate playing time in a wide-open WR room behind Ladd McConkey. The former Ole Miss standout is a physical, aggressive receiver who fits the gritty mold Jim Harbaugh covets. Harris erupted in 2024, leading the FBS in receiving yards through seven weeks and posting a staggering 5.12 yards per route run – the highest in college football. With LA ranking 7th in available targets and Harris chomping at the bit to leapfrog Quentin Johnston, he could easily step into the Josh Palmer role (and then some). If he stays healthy, 700-800 yards and/or 100 targets in Year 1 is well within reach. He’s a high-upside target tied to Justin Herbert if he earns the No. 2 WR job.
– Andrew Erickson
Tugboat Tuten found a port in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Liam Coen and company hope that Tuten can pull their offense up the scoring ranks in 2025. Ok, that’s enough tugboat references. Tuten will compete from the jump for touches with holdovers Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. Etienne looked like a shell of his former self last season, so Bigsby might be the most formidable adversary to a Tuten takeover. That doesn’t mean that Tuten and Bigsby couldn’t form a solid committee. Tuten has the juice to make the most of his touches. During his final collegiate season, he ranked tenth in yards after contact per attempt and breakaway percentage and eighth in elusive rating (per PFF). Tuten is an upside flier who could pay off handsomely in 2025, much like Bucky Irving did last year.
– Derek Brown
Lloyd lost nearly his entire rookie season to injuries. First, he dealt with a hamstring strain during training camp and the preseason. That was followed by an ankle sprain in Week 2 and surgery to treat appendicitis after that. It was an unfortunate and insane runout for the former third-round pick out of USC. Don’t forget Lloyd is a ridiculously talented player who ranked 16th and 20th in yards after contact per attempt and fourth and 15th in elusive rating across his final two collegiate seasons (per PFF). The Packers didn’t add anyone to the backfield in the draft. Lloyd should be considered the favorite for the RB2/handcuff spot on the depth chart for Green Bay behind Josh Jacobs. We’ll see how much of a stand-alone role he has this season, but his handcuff value alone is solid.
– Derek Brown
A fifth-round selection of the Indianapolis Colts, D.J. Giddens becomes the handcuff to Colts lead back Jonathan Taylor. Giddens is a smart runner with good vision and patience. He’s a smooth mover who changes direction without gearing down. Giddens sets up linebackers with feints and dekes, then cuts sharply in the opposite direction once those LBs commit.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Drake Maye might not have moved the needle for fantasy in his rookie season, but his performance over 12 starts was impressive considering how terrible his supporting cast was. From Week 6 of last season, when Maye made his first start, through Week 17, Maye averaged a respectable 16.8 fantasy points per game. The third overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, Maye has immense potential as a passer, but it’s his rushing that should make him attractive to fantasy games. Maye had 421 rushing yards last season, and there’s potential for much more. As a sophomore at the University of North Carolina, Maye had 698 rushing yards in 14 games. Bear in mind that college quarterbacks’ sack yardage counts against their rushing yardage, and Maye lost about 200 yards from his rushing total that year. Maye should have it a little easier in the passing game this year, with New England beefing up its offensive line in the offseason and adding WRs Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams. It’s possible we get a Drake Maye breakout in 2025.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Michael Penix heads into the 2025 season as the Falcons’ unquestioned starting quarterback after sitting behind Kirk Cousins for most of the 2024 season. Penix did make three late-season starts, completing 58% of his throws in those games, averaging 245.7 passing yards per game and 7.4 yards per attempt, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Penix is a pocket passer who doesn’t offer much rushing upside, but he has a powerful and accurate arm. He led FBS in passing yardage in each of his final two college seasons at Washington. Penix has the potential to return a small profit on his low-end QB2 price tag.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
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