Winning your fantasy draft comes down to selecting the guys who end up returning a positive ROI relative to their draft cost. What’s great is that once you get to the middle and late rounds, you don’t need to hit on every player (or even half of them) to wind up with a league-winning squad. You just need to be right enough so that the value your picks provide is greater than that of your competition. That’s where targeting the right fantasy football sleepers becomes important.
Part of the difficulty built into this game we love is that no two sleepers are created equally. You can’t just nab a bunch of upside players in the late rounds and expect to dominate your draft. You need to know which sleepers are the most undervalued and offer the most upside compared to their price. To help you figure out which mid-to-late rounders stand out from the pack, we have polled 50+ experts on who the best sleepers are at Quarterbacks in half-PPR heading into the new season. Check out who they chose below.
- Fantasy Football Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- 2025 Best Ball Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Top Consensus Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterbacks
Quarterback Sleepers
| Player | Count |
| Trevor Lawrence | 11 |
| J.J. McCarthy | 8 |
| Drake Maye | 7 |
| Bryce Young | 6 |
| Anthony Richardson | 4 |
| Jordan Love | 3 |
| Cam Ward | 1 |
| Dak Prescott | 1 |
| Daniel Jones | 1 |
| Matthew Stafford | 1 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 2 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 1 |
Bryce Young (CAR)
“In terms of ADP/price, I think Bryce Young is going to blow people away, partially due to talent and maturation, and also due to a good system and improving talent. He is surrounded by legit technicians as well as a true stud rookie in Tet McMillan. More importantly, Young flashed real upside down the stretch last year, making plays with his legs and dropping ceiling games (36 fps in one). If 2025 is more consistent, he could be a smash pick.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)
“Fantasy players have the unfortunate tendency of better remembering the things that happened earlier in the season than the end. Bryce Young started weeks one and two before getting benched and not returning as the full-time starter until week 8. His current ECR of QB22 reflects that memory. What about from week 8 on? The more recent the data we pull, the more of a sleeper Bryce looks like he can be. He averaged 18PPG once he got his job back and 20.7PPG in the final seven games after his bye week. Xavier Legette will not be his leading target earner in 2025. All signs point to a breakout campaign in year three.”
– Seth Miller (Crossroads Fantasy Football)
“Bryce Young is going to take the next step in 2025 and remind us why he was the No. 1 overall pick a couple of years ago. He’s got the best support cast he’s ever had, he finished last season on a high note, and he’s been with head coach Dave Canales for another offseason. The only thing stopping Young is an injury.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)
“In the eight games of 2024, Bryce Young threw for 12 touchdowns with just three interceptions. While he only averaged 213.6 passing yards during that stretch, he augmented his fantasy performance with 26 yards per game on the ground and five rushing touchdowns. The addition of Tetairoa McMillian gives Young another weapon in the passing game. If Xavier Legette can also take a leap, Young could become a fringe fantasy starter.”
– Ryan Lester (Lesters Legends)
“Bryce Young looked like a completely different quarterback in the second half of 2024, averaging 226 passing yards, 1.6 touchdowns, and over 25 rushing yards per game – good enough to finish as the QB6 during that stretch. Carolina backed his development this offseason by drafting potential WR1 Tetairoa McMillan, signing savvy possession receiver Hunter Renfrow, and keeping reliable options like Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette. With one of the friendliest passing schedules and a defense projected to be among the league’s worst, Young should be forced into consistent high-volume passing situations. His mobility provides a built-in fantasy safety net, making him an ideal late-round target for Zero-QB drafters or a sneaky QB2 in Superflex formats. If his second-half surge carries over, Young has a clear path to low-end QB1 production at a bargain price.”
– Jacob Dunne (Fantrax)
Trevor Lawrence (JAC)
“I think Trevor Lawrence is finally going to live up to expectations. He has a lot of receiving talent around him and a Jaguars team that should be involved in a bunch of offensive shootouts. The combination of Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown, and Brenton Strange as his receiving weapons and the addition of Liam Coen as head coach and offensive play caller should give Lawrence the boost he needs to be a dominant fantasy quarterback.”
– Justin Taylor (Fantasy In Frames)
“I want to stick with Kyle Pitts for the sake of the prolonged bit, but I must say that Trevor Lawrence is my favorite late-round sleeper. Lawrence is not quite the “Prince That Was Promised” yet. The former first-overall pick is coming off a down season with just one good fantasy year under his belt (2022). However, with the addition of second-overall pick Travis Hunter, the emergence of Brian Thomas Jr., and the coaching of Liam Coen, Lawrence could put together his first top-10 fantasy season. The media and general public love to harp on quarterbacks for their failures to meet expectations, but weapons and coaching matter.”
– Kev Mahserejian (Razzball)
Drake Maye (NE)
“I’m officially one of the leading members of the Drake Maye fan club. In his 11 full starts as a rookie, he averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game with 36.8 rushing yards per contest; a pace of 3,801 passing yards and 650 rushing yards over a full season. His 10.8% scramble rate ranked second only to Jayden Daniels, and his 31.3 scramble yards per game trailed only Daniels among all quarterbacks. Now the Patriots have surrounded him with Stefon Diggs, dynamic rookies TreVeyon Henderson, and Kyle Williams, while fixing a line that allowed pressure on 41% of dropbacks. With Josh McDaniels back calling plays and New England facing the league’s second-easiest schedule (per Sharp Football), Maye has the rushing profile and upgraded environment to absolutely smash his QB16 ADP and push for QB1 numbers.”
– James Emrick-Wilson (The Armchair Sports Corner)
“Drake Maye is one of the biggest sleepers in fantasy football this year. In his nine full starts last season, he averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game, good for QB15 in points per game. He also led all quarterbacks with 7.8 yards per carry and totaled 421 rushing yards, despite having just one designed run all season. Maye has upgrades at left tackle, right tackle, running back, wide receiver, and especially at offensive coordinator. In a recent interview, Jason McCourty stated that AVP last year “didn’t talk in his helmet a lot. This year, Josh McDaniels talks to him as much as possible.” Currently going as QB16-18 in most drafts, he could be one of the biggest steals of 2025.”
– Ricky Lemon (The Fantasy Champions)
“Drake Maye is my pick for this year’s biggest fantasy sleeper. In the games where he played real snaps as a rookie, he finished as QB16 despite one of the worst offensive lines and weakest receiver groups in the league. That kind of production in a broken setup says a lot about his talent. Now with real investment on the line, improved weapons, and a coaching staff actually building around him, Maye has everything in place to take a big step forward in 2025.”
– Tyler Orginski (FTN)
“This year, we’ll see a more explosive Drake Maye. Last year, he only had a 7.4 aDOT, but with McDaniels, that number should increase considerably. Maye was very productive in scrambles, but had few designated runs. His running game is interesting and a relevant factor. Furthermore, improvements to the offensive line and receiving corps should help boost his game.”
– Fantasy BR (Fantasy BR)
J.J. McCarthy (MIN)
“J.J. McCarthy is my top sleeper for several key reasons. He’s in an ideal offensive fit. J.J. McCarthy joins a pass-heavy offense under head coach Kevin O’Connell, who previously orchestrated a top-10 passing attack with Sam Darnold at quarterback. The Vikings also bolstered their offensive line, providing McCarthy with improved protection. He is surrounded by elite weaponry: He’ll be throwing to Justin Jefferson, widely regarded as the NFL’s best wide receiver. J.J. McCarthy offers dual-threat potential: McCarthy’s mobility adds rushing upside, enhancing his fantasy value, especially in formats that reward rushing yards and touchdowns. He offers great late-round value. With an average draft position (ADP) around 135.3, McCarthy offers significant upside without the early-round investment.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
“J.J. McCarthy got the dream situation, and he is currently ranked as QB17. Kevin O’Connell had Sam Darnold looking like an MVP candidate before those last two games. The weapons, the play-caller, and the improvements to the offensive line. I really like J.J. McCarthy as a sleeper this year.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
“I would not consider the players I mentioned at other positions sleepers. But people are sleeping on J.J. McCarthy and, in turn, Kevin O’Connell’s role as the quarterback whisperer. In the last four seasons, O’Connell has coaxed top-10 seasons out of Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, and Sam Darnold. The only “miss” was in 2023 when Cousins was the QB6 before getting injured. In his last two college seasons, McCarthy proved to be accurate and decisive. He completed 68.5 percent of his passes while taking just 31 sacks in 29 games. McCarthy is flanked by an elite wide receiver and tight end, as well as several other solid skill players. O’Connell hand-picked McCarthy to be the team’s quarterback in last year’s draft, and we will all soon find out why. J.J. McCarthy finishes the year as a top-12 fantasy quarterback.”
– Mick Ciallela (Fantrax)
“J.J. McCarthy has star written all over him in 2025. He finds himself in one of, if not the, most QB-friendly offenses in all of football with Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. Throwing passes to Justin Jefferson doesn’t hurt his value either, on top of the dual-threat capabilities McCarthy brings to the table. McCarthy, currently being drafted outside the top-20 at the QB position, is one of the best value picks in fantasy and will blow away his current ADP in 2025. He is simply a must-have in single and 2-QB formats.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Anthony Richardson (IND)
“Anthony Richardson: He has five QB1 finishes and four top-five finishes in his 14 career games. He is essentially free this year. Pair him with another QB or two and/or simply draft him to steal his upside away from the rest of your league. If he becomes the starter, you have a potential top 5 QB on your team; if he gets benched, you simply cut him. The reward heavily outweighs the risk.”
– Steve DeAngelo (FF Faceoff)
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