Thankfully, the 2025 fantasy football season is just around the corner. Each year, fantasy players want to construct their team with a proper mix of good-value players and upside sleepers while avoiding players with high bust potential. Here are notable players from the AFC West and their fantasy football outlook.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers: AFC West
Fantasy Football Sleepers to Target
J.K. Dobbins (DEN): ADP 128.4 | RB42
Fantasy players pushed RJ Harvey up in their dynasty rookie rankings after the Broncos invested a second-round NFL Draft pick in the former UCF star. More importantly, he was on track to have a featured role as a rookie after the team let Javonte Williams walk in free agency. However, that changed shortly after rookie minicamp when the team signed Dobbins. While Harvey remains my highest-ranked Denver running back, Dobbins is the far better draft value.
After missing 82.4% of the games over the previous three years with injuries, Dobbins mostly stayed healthy in 2024. The veteran finished as the RB24, averaging 14.8 PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he had a higher fantasy points per game average than several running backs with a higher ADP, including Bucky Irving (14.4) and D’Andre Swift (12.6). More importantly, the former Ohio State star was one of the more underrated effective runners in the NFL last season.
According to Fantasy Points Data, Dobbins ranked 12th in explosive run rate (5.1%) and sixth in rushing touchdown rate (4.9%) among 31 running backs with at least 150 rushing attempts last year. More importantly, Sean Payton’s offense has a history of supporting two fantasy-relevant running backs. Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram each finished as a top-28 running back on a fantasy points-per-game basis in 2017 and 2018 when Payton was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Marvin Mims Jr. (DEN): ADP 153.6 | WR57
Mims is one of my favorite sleeper candidates this season. He was the WR57 last year, averaging 3.1 targets and 7.6 PPR fantasy points per game. However, the former Oklahoma star was playing the best football of his career late last season, becoming a borderline must-start option for fantasy players. Mims was the WR22 from Week 13 through Week 18, averaging 17.5 PPR fantasy points per game, a higher average than A.J. Brown (16.2), Tyreek Hill (14.9), and his teammate Courtland Sutton (15.1).
Furthermore, Mims was a league winner during the fantasy playoffs. He was the WR3 over the final two weeks, averaging 6.5 receptions for 77 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 26.2 fantasy points per game, posting a 4.81 yards per route run average. While many expected the Broncos to add a big-name wide receiver this offseason, the team didn’t make any massive additions. Instead, they signed Evan Engram and drafted Pat Bryant because of how Mims finished last year.
More importantly, he put up superstar numbers despite a limited workload. Mims had four games with more than four targets and only one outing with more than five. Yet, his efficiency was on par with or better than several superstars, including Justin Jefferson, Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, and Brian Thomas Jr. Those four superstars each had a route participation rate of 71.8% or higher. By comparison, Mims had only a 28.1% route participation rate. He is primed for a third-year breakout.
|
Player |
Route Participation* |
Target Per Route Run* |
Yards Per Route Run* |
Fantasy Points Per Route Run* |
|
92.2% |
26% |
2.66 |
0.55 |
|
|
71.9% |
38% |
3.59 |
0.75 |
|
|
71.8% |
29% |
2.94 |
0.62 |
|
|
82.8% |
26% |
2.56 |
0.57 |
|
|
Marvin Mims Jr. (Full Season) |
28.1% |
28% |
2.78 |
0.72 |
|
Marvin Mims Jr. (Weeks 13-18) |
41.1% |
32% |
4.37 |
1.12 |
* via Fantasy Points Data
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.