20 Fantasy Football Sleepers Experts Target (2025)

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.

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: Running Backs

Our RB sleepers are based on a poll of experts who selected their favorite RBs with high upside. Each RB had a consensus draft rank below #45. as of early July.

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Bye	Num Experts	ECR	ADP
1	J.K. Dobbins	DEN	12	12	40	37
2	Bhayshul Tuten	JAC	8	8	48	52
3	Austin Ekeler	WAS	12	4	46	45
4	Jaydon Blue	DAL	10	8	49	43
5	Isaac Guerendo	SF	14	4	47	46
6	Roschon Johnson	CHI	5	4	58	60
7	Jerome Ford	CLE	9	5	50	48
8	Jaylen Wright	MIA	12	5	54	57
9	Braelon Allen	NYJ	9	4	53	54
10	Dylan Sampson	CLE	9	4	55	53

After tearing his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season, J.K. Dobbins made a successful return in 2024, rolling up 905 rushing yards and nine touchdowns for the Chargers in 13 games. Dobbins now joins the Broncos, where he’ll be part of Sean Payton’s backfield. Payton likes to use multiple running backs, and no doubt rookie R.J. Harvey will be prominently involved. But Dobbins figures to have a role as well, and it’s possible he’ll be Payton’s preferred goal-line back.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

With the Quinshon Judkins off-the-field issues, Jerome Ford reenters the fray as a late-round running back option. Last year, when he was active with Nick Chubb in the lineup, he averaged 8.2 touches and 47.7 total yards as the RB39 in fantasy points per game. Ford remained explosive last year. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked eighth in explosive run rate and yards after contact per attempt while finishing 18th in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If Judkins doesn’t get suspended, Ford’s fantasy value in 2025 is barely palpable, as Judkins and Dylan Sampson will likely lead the way. If Judkins misses any time, Ford will likely fall back into his previous role for the team as a committee back, ceding the passing down work to Sampson. Ford could offer some flex appeal in deeper leagues to begin the season and some best-ball upside.
– Derek Brown

Jaydon Blue fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft as he was swimming in a ridiculously deep running back draft class. The former Longhorn displayed some three-down big play ability in his final collegiate season. He ranked 26th in elusive rating, 35th in yards after contact per attempt, and 25th in yards per route run (per PFF). It’s not hard to envision Blue having a role in the backfield immediately in Week 1, considering the lackluster players surrounding him on the Dallas Cowboys’ depth chart. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders’ best football looks to be behind them. Blue could be the passing down back from Day 1 with an avenue to become the team’s lead back quickly.
– Derek Brown

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receivers

Our WR sleepers are based on a poll of experts who selected their favorite WRs with high upside. Each WR had a consensus draft rank below #55. as of early July.

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Bye	Num Experts	ECR	ADP
1	Jayden Higgins	HOU	6	10	56	53
2	Tre’ Harris	LAC	12	10	60	55
3	Marvin Mims Jr.	DEN	12	5	58	57
4	Kyle Williams	NE	14	8	63	64
5	Cedric Tillman	CLE	9	5	59	67
6	Jack Bech	LV	8	4	74	62
7	DeMario Douglas	NE	14	3	67	69
8	Rashod Bateman	BAL	7	6	57	66
9	Xavier Legette	CAR	14	4	70	68
10	Jalen McMillan	TB	9	2	64	63

Jayden Higgins got the capital I was hoping for as the fifth wide receiver selected in the NFL Draft at the top of the second round. Higgins should immediately file in as the starting outside receiver opposite Nico Collins in two wide receiver sets. Higgins was an underrated player throughout the entire draft process, ranking 27th and 16th in yards per route run and first and 18th in receiving grade during his final two collegiate seasons (per PFF). He’s a sure-handed receiver who will become a trusted safety blanket for C.J. Stroud after posting a 2.2% drop rate or lower in each of the last three seasons and a 55.6% contested catch rate in college. The addition of Higgins and fellow former Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel should push Christian Kirk while also hopefully fueling a big bounce-back season for Stroud. Higgins is a WR3/4 that could easily evolve into a weekly WR2 as the 2025 season rolls along.
– Derek Brown

Over the Broncos’ last five regular-season games of 2024, Marvin Mims had 23 catches for 341 yards and five touchdowns. He was WR17 in PPR fantasy points per game (17.5) over that stretch, even though Mims played fewer than half of Denver’s offensive snaps in all of those games. Mims is still only 23 years old. It’s possible Sean Payton sees Mims as merely a punt returner and gadget guy. But it’s also possible that the flash we saw at the end of last season was the start of big things for an electric playmaker. Mims is a worthwhile dart throw in the later stages of your draft.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

Kyle Williams enters the NFL as one of the most dynamic rookie wide receivers in the 2025 class. After a breakout 2024 season at Washington State (1,200+ yards, 14 TDs, 34% dominator rating), Williams showcased elite YAC skills (1st in class) and vertical playmaking (3rd in deep-ball catches, 58.3% success rate on 20+ yard throws). His tape backs it up – including burning Travis Hunter on one notable route – and his Tyler Lockett-style game makes him a strong fit with rookie QB Drake Maye in New England. With Stefon Diggs on a one-year prove-it deal and coming off a torn ACL, Williams has a legitimate shot to emerge as the Patriots’ go-to target in Year 1.
– Andrew Erickson

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterbacks

Our QB sleepers are based on a poll of experts who selected their favorite QBs with high upside. Each QB had a consensus draft rank below #15. as of early July.

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Bye	Num Experts	ECR	ADP
1	Dak Prescott	DAL	10	11	11	13
2	J.J. McCarthy	MIN	6	6	20	19
3	Drake Maye	NE	14	9	15	18
4	Bryce Young	CAR	14	3	23	25
5	Michael Penix Jr.	ATL	5	3	24	24

Yes, I know we haven’t seen J.J. McCarthy play outside of an abbreviated preseason sample last year, but I’ll be targeting him everywhere this season. This should remain a pass-happy offense after ranking eighth in neutral passing rate and third in pass rate over expectation last year (per Fantasy Points Data). The Vikings remain loaded with skill players and added to the offensive line this offseason to give their new signal caller all the time in the world to dice up opposing pass defenses in 2025. Sam Darnold (yes, that Sam Darnold) finished as the QB9 in fantasy points per game last year, continuing a long history of Kevin O’Connel’s quarterbacks finishing as QB1s. I believe McCarthy will keep that streak alive. He was a stellar prospect who has been airdropped into the perfect situation. In his final collegiate season, McCarthy ranked inside the top 12 FBS quarterbacks in passing grade, adjusted completion rate, yards per attempt, adjusted completion rate with downfield throws, and against pressure (per PFF). It’s wheels up for McCarthy in 2025.
– Derek Brown

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

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Tight Ends

Our TE sleepers are based on a poll of experts who selected their favorite TEs with high upside. Each TE had a consensus draft rank below #15. as of early July.

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Bye	Num Experts	ECR	ADP
1	Tyler Warren	IND	11	10	11	12
2	Kyle Pitts Sr.	ATL	5	5	16	17
3	Hunter Henry	NE	14	5	17	18
4	Brenton Strange	JAC	8	5	21	22
5	Pat Freiermuth	PIT	5	2	23	25

Tyler Warren got the ballyhooed first-round draft capital that we all figured he would. The landing spot is rough, though. Indy has a ton of talented pass-catching options that will push Warren weekly for target volume. Michael Pittman and Josh Downs presumably will be above him in the target pecking order. I still love Warren as a player, but I’m worried that he could struggle to live up to the hype that his talent has deserved. The passing volume, quarterback play, and receiving depth chart are all big-time concerns for his 2025 outlook. Last year, Indy had the third-lowest passing rate inside the red zone and in neutral game environments. During his final collegiate season, Warren ranked in the top three among tight ends in yards per route run, receiving grade, missed tackles forced, and yards after the catch (per PFF). Warren is a TE2 that could easily finish as a TE1.
– Derek Brown

Now that Evan Engram has gone from Jacksonville to Denver via free agency, former second-round draft pick Brenton Strange sits atop the Jaguars’ TE depth chart. Strange had 40 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns last season. In the eight games that Engram missed, Strange averaged 3.6 receptions and 34.4 receiving yards. The possibility of an enhanced role makes the 24-year-old Strange an intriguing TE sleeper.
– Pat Fitzmaurice