Fantasy Football Sleepers Experts Love: RBs (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