4 Fantasy Football Quarterback Sleepers: Late-Round Draft Targets and Breakout Candidates (2025)

Andrew's 4 fantasy football quarterback sleepers for the 2025 season. These late-round undervalued QB draft targets include Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, and J.J. McCarthy.

Quarterbacks who rack up rushing yards have a built-in advantage over their pocket-passing counterparts. Look at the top of the rankings: Josh Allen (531 rushing yards), Lamar Jackson (915), Jayden Daniels (891), and Jalen Hurts (632) are the consensus top four in the rankings for next season. That group was responsible for four of the five highest rushing totals last year (Kyler Murray finished fourth).

The mobile quarterbacks are popular late-round targets for fantasy managers who opt to build out their roster before selecting a signal-caller. And there are a few who fit the bill in 2025.

But some sleepers can pass their way into the top 12. Here are late-round quarterback targets for fantasy football drafts this year.

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

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Drake Maye has the rushing upside that fantasy managers seek in the late rounds of drafts. Regarding the stat to open the article, Maye's rushing total didn't match up with that of the league's premier fantasy football quarterbacks, but that was due to a lack of opportunities.

The rookie averaged 32.4 rushing yards per game, more than Allen (31.2) and just a yard fewer than Murray (33.6). Maye's 17-game pace was 550 yards. That's more than 45 bonus points over the likes of statues Jordan Love and Jared Goff, two quarterbacks ranked higher than Maye entering 2025.

QB Scrambles vs. Designed Rush Attempts in 2024

Daniels (42.8) is the only rookie to average more Scramble YPG than Drake Maye (31.3) over the past four seasons.

But the Patriots used Maye on fewer designed runs per game than Jared Goff. pic.twitter.com/fbXz022YlS

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) May 10, 2025

While Maye's supporting cast is a bottom-third group, it's an improvement over the 2024 roster. Tight end Hunter Henry led New England in receiving yards (674) and targets (97). A pair of second-year sixth-round draft picks, DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte, led the wide receivers. Second-string tight end Austin Hooper rounded out the top four. Second-round rookie Ja'Lynn Polk has bust written all over him. That group won't help Maye score fantasy points or contribute to wins in Foxborough.

Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf recognized that. He and new head coach Mike Vrabel signed veterans Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency. Diggs is 31 years old and coming off an ACL tear that prematurely ended his tenure with the Texans. He hopes to be ready for Week 1. While he's not the All-Pro receiver he once was, Diggs should be a safety valve for Maye.

Hollins, also 31, is a winning wide receiver. He'll help extend drives with his excellent run-blocking abilities and gives Maye a 6'4" frame in the red zone.

There are also two rookies drafted on Day 2 who New England brass hopes will burst onto the scene. Third-round pick Kyle Williams was one of the NFL Draft's biggest risers late in the predraft process. He's best known for separating from defenders on deep routes. Second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson is a superb route runner and pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott's running days are behind him. Once mobile in and out of the pocket, Prescott altered his play style following his gruesome ankle fracture and dislocation in 2020. The following four campaigns were Prescott's worst rushing efforts of his career, with a low of just 6.8 yards on 1.6 attempts per game in 2024.

But Dallas' franchise quarterback has proved he can rack up fantasy points without his legs. In his recent healthy seasons (2021 and 2023), Prescott averaged 20 fantasy points or better per game. The even seasons haven't been as fruitful. If history is any indication, he's due for a rebound.

A sputtering early season run game stunted the Dallas offense last season, and Prescott wasn’t quite on the same page with star receiver CeeDee Lamb (possibly due to the latter skipping training camp in a contract dispute). Tight end Jake Ferguson, Prescott's second-favorite target, suffered a knee injury in Week 1 and missed Week 2. Brandin Cooks was sidelined when Prescott's season ended.

Not only should he and Lamb recapture their chemistry from previous seasons, but Dallas has added a deep threat that it has lacked in recent seasons. George Pickens was fourth in deep targets among wide receivers last season and 14th in yards per reception (15.3).

And, not for nothing, running back Javonte Williams finished sixth in receptions at the position as a member of the Denver Broncos last season. Rookie Jaydon Blue also profiles as a pass-catching back.

Sources: The #Steelers are trading WR George Pickens to the #Cowboys in a deal that should be official soon. pic.twitter.com/6qNOpGXXh1

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 7, 2025

Prescott has been a top-12 quarterback in every season he's played at least 16 games. If he stays healthy in 2025, expect that trend to continue. He's one of the safer late-round targets for fantasy managers who pass on drafting the cream of the quarterback crop.

Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets

Let's get back to the running quarterbacks. Justin Fields is on his third team in as many seasons because of passing inconsistencies and a lack of faith from general managers that he can lead a team to the postseason.

While he may not be the franchise quarterback he was drafted to be, his results in the box scores have had fantasy managers smiling. Fields ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. While that production was approximately cut in half (657 and four) in 2023, he only trailed Lamar Jackson in yards (among quarterbacks). He threw for just 2,562 yards but finished in the top 12 in fantasy points per game.

Fields scored five rushing touchdowns in his six starts for the Steelers and, once again, managed to be a QB1 (19.1 FPPG in his starts). Eventually, despite a 4-2 record, the Steelers opted to start Russell Wilson for the remainder of the campaign.

Unless things go south quickly for Gang Green, Fields will be the starter for the duration of the season. He's on a two-year, $40 million contract, and his backup is journeyman 35-year-old Tyrod Taylor.

The passing stats may never be pretty (even when he's throwing to his former college teammate Garrett Wilson), but Fields' rushing prowess will keep him in the QB1 discussion every week. But he's being ranked as a middling QB2. That's a value pick, as long as you can stomach the tumultuous journey to fantasy points.

Every Justin Fields throw of 20+ air yards from a clean pocket in 2024: pic.twitter.com/AYPu8Y2Ssm

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) May 15, 2025

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings

And we'll wrap up the late-round candidates with another pocket passer. J.J. McCarthy isn't a true statue under center, but we aren't likely to see many scrambles in his first season back from a torn meniscus.

Of all the quarterbacks in this article, McCarthy is the biggest wild card. He's a former 10th overall selection in the NFL Draft, handpicked to be the future of the Minnesota franchise. But he didn't throw all that much at the University of Michigan, as Jim Harbaugh relied on his defense and running game en route to a national championship.

What McCarthy does have going for him is that he plays for Kevin O'Connell, whose offensive system has delivered fantasy points no matter who is under center. Sam Darnold had a career year (4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, QB11) in his lone season in Minneapolis. The NFL had essentially written him off. Now, he's starting the next chapter of his career as Seattle's starter.

Kirk Cousins threw for more than 4,500 yards in his first season playing for O'Connell (2022). That was good enough to propel the veteran to a QB7 finish.

Nick Mullens racked up 300+ passing yards and two touchdowns in his three starts in 2023. Even Joshua Dobbs had back-to-back 25 fantasy point performances in his first two games with the team after a midseason trade!

This JJ McCarthy throw during Vikings OTAs is filthy. He can whip it, but there will be ups and downs for him as a passer early on, given his lack of experience passing at Michigan.

Got paired up with one of the best HC imaginable for his development. pic.twitter.com/9N0pElmlt4

— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) June 6, 2025

The system is quarterback-friendly, and it doesn't hurt that All-Pro Justin Jefferson, touchdown machine Jordan Addison (19 in two seasons), and two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson are making plays downfield.

More Fantasy Football Analysis