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John Johnson's fantasy football sleepers and value picks for the NFC East and NFC North. His top draft targets and potential league-winners, including AJ Brown, Colston Loveland, Deebo Samuel, J.J. McCarthy, more.
The NFC East and NFC North have a plethora of fantasy-relevant football players that would be nice to target in fantasy football leagues. Of course, this isn't Pokemon -- you can't have them all, but you can help out your fantasy team quite a bit by targeting the undervalued players.
There are always situations in which players aren't thought of as highly as they should be. Perhaps they had an injury-riddled season the previous year; maybe the situation around them changed to their advantage. Perhaps they're a rookie who hasn't had a chance to play, but has a lot of potential.
Whatever the reason, there are opportunities every year to get players that return value of picks that were made several rounds before them, and can become a starter on your team for the full season and perhaps carry you into the playoffs, or at least help your team be better than it could have been. So let's dive in!
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Fantasy Football Sleepers - NFC East
Dallas Cowboys - Jaydon Blue, RB
Blue isn't a great pure runner. There are several issues he needs to iron out of his game. Just because he had a few long rush plays doesn't mean this fact is false. Blue excels as a pass-catcher, though. I don't just mean he caught a lot of passes in college -- that's a small part of the picture.
On film, he's a good route-runner out of the backfield, and he's an explosive athlete that can create after the catch. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, so the Cowboys should be motivated to actually get the ball in his hands.
Apparently Jaydon Blue ran his 40 yard dash at the combine with a grade 2 groin strain. And is actually faster. Wish I had known earlier, would have taken him in a few more drafts. He's raw but the potential is huge, his speed on tape is elite pic.twitter.com/BqliJQHbz3
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) July 18, 2025
And apparently he's even faster than his 40 time at the combine would suggest. He ran that time with a Grade 2 groin strain. That's impressive. On film, his speed is blindingly fast, and I had expected him to run even faster in testing. But injuries happen.
Blue could have an immediate role as a pass-catcher, which is valuable for PPR leagues. In best ball, he has even more upside, as we shouldn't expect him to have a ton of volume, but he has the potential to rip off long, explosive touchdowns.
New York Giants - Jaxson Dart, QB
Dart's chances of taking over the starting QB job are quite a bit higher than zero. The reason he's the player I list from the Giants is that there aren't many "sleepers" on this team. Wide receiver Malik Nabers is great. The team's other WRs aren't very good. QB Russell Wilson's value is pretty fair.
However, Dart is currently off the radar, and in superflex and 2QB leagues, he should be stashed on every bench. The Giants have an incredibly tough schedule, and head coach Brian Daboll might not let Wilson keep the job all season. Wilson, notably, refuses to throw the ball over the middle of the field whenever possible.
If Russell Wilson ends up being the NY Giants starter (which seems likely at this point), it could be bad news for Malik Nabers.
Wilson has a real tendency to avoid throwing over the intermediate and deep middle of the field, limiting his pass attempts targeting posts, slants,… https://t.co/nhLPtuNcPz
— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) March 26, 2025
In particular, restricting Nabers' ability to shine in any way is the worst thing possible for this offense. And that seems likely to happen. Wilson prefers to play it as safely as possible, presumably to protect his touchdown-to-interception ratio and passer rating statistics. He's been successful in that regard.
But half a season of Nabers streaking open over the middle only for Wilson to completely ignore him will get old pretty quickly. Even when Wilson has a clear WR1, he doesn't tend to target him heavily unless it's with downfield shots. Wilson prefers to check the ball down or throw it deep outside the numbers.
One nuance I’ve seen from Jaxson Dart on tape this yr (and here to Jack Bech) is recognition of defenders with their back turned to the ball (typically man cvg). He’s become extremely comfortable placing throws like this, putting his target in great shape to make play on ball. pic.twitter.com/8c2RpzejTI
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) February 1, 2025
Wilson's tendencies could get him benched pretty quickly. Dart had no such issues in college, and if he has any idea what's good for him, he'll feed Nabers a ridiculous amount of targets early on, which will help him put up solid passing numbers. He has very good size as well, and could be a factor in the running game.
Philadelphia Eagles - A.J. Brown, WR
Yes, I know, Brown is a very highly valued player. But I think a player that deserves easy Round 1 consideration is being drafted in the second round of fantasy drafts. Brown was undeniably elite last season as a receiver. The problem was simply that he didn't get the ball enough.
Philly cruised through the season with a ridiculously easy schedule. This allowed them to run the ball over 56 percent of the time, easily clearing the rest of the league in rush rate. And it worked! The addition of running back Saquon Barkley made a significant difference. However, the Eagles have a very tough schedule ahead in 2025.
The 2025 season could look a little different, as the Eagles are only double-digit point favorites in two games and a 7+ point favorite in just another three games
Their schedule is tougher
Shoutout @kyle_borg for the graphic below with all 271 games’ spreads via @DKSportsbook pic.twitter.com/LqybRSZjEJ
— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) May 31, 2025
I included both X posts above because they're both critical. The Eagles should pass a LOT more in 2025 than they did in 2024. This has huge ramifications. Remember that Brown is capable of turning in a top-5 WR season. This makes him a significant value in leagues where he's universally a second-round pick.
Justin Jefferson was the WR5 last year in YPRR with 2.5
If AJ Brown had a season with less than 2.5 YPRR, it'd be his lowest ever. Going into year 7. Alien. pic.twitter.com/NWFSKR6Sh2
— Ron Stewart (@RonStewart_) July 10, 2025
This could easily be the best season of Brown's career, so I'm buying at the price he's at. He's only shown, every season, that he's one of the league's best wideouts. He's a mismatch machine, and easily dusts the rest of the NFL in efficiency against man coverage.
MAN BEATERS!
Top 2024 WRs by YPRR vs. Man Coverage:
1. AJ Brown (4.53)
2. Puka Nacua (4.16)
3. CeeDee Lamb (3.36)
4. Drake London (3.23)
5. Calvin Ridley (3.13)
6. Courtland Sutton (3.12)
7. George Pickens (3.02)
8. Ladd McConkey (2.98) pic.twitter.com/Ft1tvVOeDl— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) July 13, 2025
He and Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua demolished every other receiver in this respect. Brown's YPRR against man was a whopping 34.8 percent better than third-place CeeDee Lamb. That's obscene. Even if Lamb's numbers were a bit higher with QB Dak Prescott still healthy, that's a crazy margin.
Brown could finish as the overall WR3, and it wouldn't surprise me. I think he'll still finish behind WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, but we could be looking at something huge, and a massive league-winning value, even with the price tag of a second-round pick.
Washington Commanders - Deebo Samuel Sr., WR
He's out of shape so he can't play anymore, right? Well, he's shown up to training camp out of shape numerous times in his career. He's then, often, gone on to have stretches of absolutely massive games in the actual season. He finds a way to get back into shape, and though the training camp videos are bad, they're mostly irrelevant.
He has never been a great route runner. What he's special at is being an absolute nightmare to deal with after the catch. Maybe he won't have a lot of rushing volume this season, but Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will be sure to get him the ball a lot in space.
I hope you’re ready for the Deebo Samuel bounce back szn
— OTL (@OTLFFootball) July 16, 2025
He's in another good offense. He should be a great value pick this season. The offseason "he's so fat" rumors, and his understandably poor production last season after his pneumonia bout, have pushed his ADP down pretty hard.
Fantasy Football Sleepers - NFC North
Chicago Bears - Colston Loveland, TE
While most of the attention seems to be going to wide receiver Rome Odunze because second-year breakouts totally always happen, it's Loveland (shoulder) that I'm the most interested in. He's still recovering from a shoulder surgery, but his college tape was elite. He's getting plenty of respect, but not enough.
Loveland is an elite separator for a TE. He's also 6-foot-6, a nightmare mismatch weapon for the Bears offense. New head coach Ben Johnson made his first priority drafting Loveland. Also, quarterback Caleb Williams was incredibly inaccurate on deep passes -- the worst in the league.
A 6'4" WR weighing 210-220 pounds would be praised for this route. Colston Loveland is running it at 6'6" and 245 pounds. Ridiculous pic.twitter.com/un8ozAKPlj
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) March 25, 2025
The Bears also drafted WR Luther Burden III, the best yards-after-catch threat in the 2025 NFL Draft class. I anticipate this offense being much more short-pass-heavy, which will significantly benefit Loveland.
Detroit Lions - Isaac TeSlaa, WR
I don't necessarily think TeSlaa will be relevant in redraft leagues this season. However, after 2024, I don't think any star Lions player is overvalued at the moment. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown are rightfully first-round picks.
Tight end Sam LaPorta has value commensurate with his production following the emergence of WR Jameson Williams. Williams is valued like a high-upside, yet inconsistent, player. That's what he is. Quarterback Jared Goff might be being a bit under-drafted, but then again, he doesn't have his old offensive coordinator.
Isaac TeSlaa scored a 9.97 RAS, including a 4.43 40, 39.5” vertical, and 4.05 shuttle….
But how’s the tape? Well…
➖ good run blocker
➖ 0 career drops
➖ WILD contested catching (54%)
➖ 68% of snaps from the slot
➖ dominant at Hillsdale, 2 years at Arkansas (883yds, 5 TD) pic.twitter.com/KfrV6GQVbT— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) March 5, 2025
TeSlaa would benefit greatly if St. Brown, Williams, or LaPorta got hurt, and could work out as a flex player, even outside of deeper leagues. So he's probably worth picking up!
Green Bay Packers - MarShawn Lloyd, RB
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has run a fairly evenly-split committee system in Green Bay in all years in which the RB2 wasn't an undrafted free agent. So last season's workhorse usage for RB Josh Jacobs was the exception rather than the norm.
Fantasy managers of RB Aaron Jones know the feeling -- LaFleur gave his backup, A.J. Dillon, a ton of usage despite his ineffectiveness. He likely wants to do the same for Lloyd, if he can stay healthy. The Packers have an overall very effective offense. Lloyd is also a skilled athlete in space.
Just reminder of the kind of RB Marshawn Lloyd is
pic.twitter.com/rXK7SsIXON— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) June 21, 2025
I'm still surprised anyone tried to build hype for RBs Emanuel Wilson or Chris Brooks. Lloyd will be the RB2 in GB if he's healthy, and he could have a surprising amount of volume. He had seven touches in just 14 percent of snaps in the one game he did play in 2024.
Minnesota Vikings - J.J. McCarthy, QB
The Vikings have an elite offensive system for quarterback production. Just ask QBs Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins, who both easily enjoyed the best fantasy scoring of their careers with the Vikings. Wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson form one of the best receiving corps in the game.
Additionally, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is a significant reason why their offense is performing so well. He's an amazing offensive game-planner and schemer. McCarthy also has the upside factor for fantasy quarterbacks -- rushing ability.
Blake Corum: really fast
JJ McCarthy: also really fast pic.twitter.com/MktKyfGilF
— Sidelines - Michigan 〽️ (@SSN_Michigan) January 19, 2022
Darnold, who was horrible everywhere but Minnesota, was the QB9 last season. McCarthy is being drafted much lower than that, despite likely being a better QB and having far more rushing upside. It doesn't make sense.
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