4 Fantasy Football Sleepers and ADP Value Picks: Breakout Candidates to Draft in 2025

Quincy's fantasy football sleepers for 2025 drafts. His top sleepers and breakout breakout candidates to target, including Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., and more.

Final NFL rosters will not be set until August, but the main contributors are in place on teams at this point in the offseason. As such, it is time to look ahead at who could be sleeper candidates in 2025. Several players will inevitably emerge once training-camp videos and preseason highlights come to light. However, sleepers identified now who do not get the camp bump in ADP are the ones who will carry your team in the fall.

Sleepers can come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. There are a handful of rookies who could be serious contributors in fantasy. Alternatively, some veterans fit the mold of a sleeper candidate. Sleepers are generally defined as players flying under the radar who could return great value in fantasy based on a combination of production and draft position. As with any bet, fantasy is about receiving the best return on investment possible.

We can identify sleepers by examining their past production and opportunities with their team. Last year's sleepers included wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Courtland Sutton. Both players were completely counted out because they appeared to be on subpar teams, but they were the No. 1 options and had a lot of talent. They delivered serious fantasy value as a result. Let's see who could follow in their footsteps in 2025.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Was no one paying attention to Mooney last season when Kirk Cousins was the quarterback? While Mooney may have fallen off once Michael Penix Jr. took over under center, he was on pace to surpass 1,000 receiving yards before the final three games. Penix was thrown into the fire and heavily targeted wide receiver Drake London. With a full offseason to prepare as the starter, Penix will likely use all of his weapons.

Mooney has always been a solid deep threat in the NFL. His speed and quickness allow him to get open downfield and create big plays. The Falcons got him involved in more creative ways in 2024, which resulted in Mooney nearly having a career year.

With the Falcons offense on the verge of taking off with Penix, there is no reason to believe that two wide receivers cannot have fantasy relevance on the team. Mooney is currently being drafted as the WR50 in redraft. Frankly, his ADP is unlikely to budge much. His status as a veteran and lack of a massive season in the past should keep him in that range.

Mooney was the WR31 in 2024 and was on the weekly flex radar with WR2 upside. That should be no different in 2025, even with Penix only heading into his second season. You should have plenty of shares of Mooney this season.

Darnell Mooney appreciation post

🌕 64 catches, 992 yards, 5 TDs

He missed a game so he didn’t get the 1k PR but he balled out pic.twitter.com/yVSUytEWbr

— Not Bijan (@InBijanWeTrust) May 6, 2025

Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders

Despite speculation that they may add to their backfield this offseason, the Commanders made no significant moves. They appear poised to run things back with Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler leading the charge.

Intriguing backfields that didn’t add meaningful competition in the Draft:

Bengals 📈 Chase Brown

Cardinals 📈 James Connor

Commanders 📈 Brian Robinson Jr. pic.twitter.com/RNCWrRJBVG

— Chew Russell (@FatherDynasty) May 2, 2025

Robinson is not the most flashy player in the league, but he plays in a great offense that will present plenty of touchdown opportunities. Robinson is also a solid pass-catcher. He has a mature quarterback in Jayden Daniels, who will willingly check the ball down.

While Robinson may lack a serious weekly ceiling, a season with eight to 10 touchdowns seems well within reach. He already scored eight rushing touchdowns in 2024 despite missing three games and being hobbled in a couple more. He scored nine total touchdowns in 2023.

Robinson is entering a contract year and will have serious motivation to perform so that he can get paid on the open market. Contract years for running backs usually bring fantasy fun. Robinson is currently being drafted as the RB31 after finishing as the RB29 last season. His ADP appears to be his floor and if things break correctly, Robinson has great upside for more.

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Drake Maye is a perfect target at the quarterback position in 2025. He offers a rushing baseline that could vault him into the top 10 at the position this season. Additionally, Maye is entering Year 2, which is when quarterbacks often make huge strides in the passing game.

The Patriots could be a sneaky competitive team in 2025. They have overhauled their offensive line, improved their offensive weaponry, and brought in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has a track record of running a great system, specifically in New England.

Drake Maye

Starter Weeks 6-16
(Excluding Injured Wk 8)
- 18.1+ Fantasy Points/Game
- Top 10 QB Output Extended Full Szn

Developing Rusher
- 377 Rush Yards (QB4)
- 46 Rush Attempts (QB10)

In 2025
- Offense Upgraded
- Henderson RB
- Campbell OL
- Diggs WR

BREAKOUT Candidate! pic.twitter.com/l6BpJSNQQB

— No Expert Fantasy Football (@NoExpertFF) May 12, 2025

Maye's passing numbers were pedestrian as a rookie, but he rushed for 421 yards in just 13 games played. Granted, Maye was often running for his life, but he can scramble at a high level. He should be in the 400 to 500-yard rushing range throughout a full season, even with proper protection around him.

Maye is currently the QB17 by ADP. He was already a streaming option in 2024 and will outperform his ADP this season. If his ADP does not climb, Maye will be a negligible risk with a high ceiling in fantasy this season.

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons

If we mention Mooney on this list, we might as well mention the player who will be tossing him the rock. Penix is set up with every chance for success this season. Penix did not light the world on fire in three starts in 2024, and he only completed 58.1 percent of his passes. However, Penix looked in control of the offense and decisive with his throws.

“Michael Penix Jr. had some of the most spectacular throws in all of the NFL.”

🎙️ @StevePalazzolo_ & @SamMonsonNFL pic.twitter.com/pg4gHWSrC6

— Check the Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson (@CTM_Show) May 9, 2025

Penix will benefit from a full offseason as the starting quarterback for Atlanta. The team has a solid offensive line and excellent weapons all over the field. The running game will be great once again with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, and the defense is coming along. All these factors will take pressure off Penix and allow him to sling it.

As a pocket passer, Penix will need to throw for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns to be a high-end producer in fantasy. He profiles as the type of player who could truly take the league by storm in his second season and accomplish that feat. Penix's college production profile suggests he can make a huge leap this season.

Penix is currently being drafted as a back-end QB2, if he is even drafted at all. If you strike out on early quarterbacks, Penix is not a bad fallback option. At minimum, he should be a solid streaming option with upside for more.

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