2025 Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers List (QB, RB, WR, TE)

August 24, 2025

Nick Mariano's 2025 fantasy football draft sleepers and ADP values. NFL draft value picks at RB, WR, TE, and QB to target in the later rounds of your drafts.

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We're not here to litigate the term "sleeper," because the horizons keep expanding each year, and it's so unique to your league parameters by now. Someone in a 10-team league isn't going to be digging in the ranks as far as someone prepping for a 14-teamer, though their options are far more likely to be widely talked about. In this piece, I'll move past the top-12 QB/TE choices, as well as the top 40 or so for RBs and WRs.

For our purposes here, a sleeper equates to a mid-to-late round pick that could return excellent value where they are currently being drafted. Those of you seeking kicker or defense sleepers, feel free to try me on X, but I'd advocate you avoid drafting K or DEF and use the extra bench slots on late-round lotto tickets at skill positions, anyway. All ADP data used for this article is from aggregate ADP data for half-PPR drafts.

Quarterback Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers

Caleb Williams (CHI), QB14

Williams is going outside of the top 12 and should be available as a starter to most of you late in the draft. Chicago did this man so dirty with the horrible coaching superstructure around him as a rookie, with reports swirling that ex-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron wouldn’t review film with Williams, who had to figure it out himself.

The team signaled to him and us that those shenanigans are (ideally) over by bringing in Ben Johnson from Detroit to take the head coaching reins. He comes from a high-scoring, creative environment that he molded as the Lions’ offensive coordinator.

Now, take a step back and realize that Williams still managed to throw for 3,541 yards with 489 more on the ground while effectively soloing his rookie campaign. The pessimists will point to a league-leading 68 sacks taken, but who is helping him grow and adjust to NFL-caliber rushers, speed, stunts, and coverages?

If you can take a leap of faith on improvement there, and/or trust that Johnson would create quicker plays with the dynamite core of D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, and D'Andre Swift, then we’re cooking. The upside is a version of the 2024 Lions, and if it doesn’t pan out, then you burned a late pick and can stream as you likely would’ve anyway.

Bryce Young (CAR), QB26

Young improved over his abysmal rookie campaign, though only marginally when looking at the seasonal stats. A 15:9 TD:INT in 14 games against 11:10 in 16 as a rookie, with a three-percentage-point decrease in sack rate being a welcome sight. The supporting cast of Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coker, alongside the emergence of Chuba Hubbard, also helped.

However, a big shift came from the team showing a willingness, and Young having the confidence, to tuck it and run in the red zone. He turned 43 rushes into 249 yards and six TDs (zero as a rookie), with five fumbles (only one while “rushing”) compared to 11 in Year 1. He evolved from 14.3% of the team’s carries inside the 10 in ‘23 to 21.9% in ‘24.

This was not evenly balanced throughout the year either. Young only had 41 rushing yards in his first six games! Then he stepped up with at least 20 rush yards or a rushing score in seven of his final eight contests.

Bryce Young's last three games of 2025 🔥

—10 Total TDs
—0 INTs
—612 passing yards pic.twitter.com/WZZABjK3Kx

— NFL (@NFL) July 25, 2025

Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned that Carolina went and got THE wide receiver prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick. With another year of Dave Canales’ playmaking brain at the helm to scheme McMillan, Thielen, Legette, and Coker around a confidently mobile Young, we could strike gold.

Running Back Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers

Jaydon Blue (DAL), RB44

The rookie out of Texas is here to inject a spark into Dallas’ backfield after averaging 5.4 yards per carry on 134 totes as a junior at Texas. Not only that, but he caught another 42 balls for 368 yards as a versatile option for the Longhorns. With eight TDs on the ground and another six through the air, he has multiple paths to success in the NFL.

You’re betting on Blue and against Javonte Williams, who has only averaged 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry in each of the last two years in Denver. He simply has not looked the same since tearing his ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner of his right knee in 2022, though he reports finally feeling fully recovered.

There is a buying opportunity around the Dallas backfield as a result of the murkiness and their coming off of an injury-marred ‘24 with a league-worst six rush TDs. Rico Dowdle played his way into a deal from Carolina, but there’s plenty left on the bone here.

Jaylen Wright (MIA), RB55

Wright faced an uphill battle while acclimating to the NFL thanks to the injury storm that ravaged the 2024 Dolphins. The Tennessee alum averaged 3.7 yards per carry on 68 attempts, with only three catches on six targets as the No. 3 RB behind De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert.

That said, Wright has reportedly dropped some weight, and Mostert is now a Las Vegas Raider. Wright now has the experience leg-up on Ollie Gordon II, who is a fine flyer in his own right, and could flash the burst that saw him gather over 1,000 rush yards on just 137 carries as a junior in ‘23 (7.4 YPC).

A well-oiled Miami offense is fast and filled with moving parts to keep the defense from knowing where to slide. But without Tua Tagovailoa, the downside is painfully obvious. But hope springs eternal, as Achane is rightfully creeping towards the first round.

Despite the poor volume as a result of injuries last year, Achane still had 290 opportunities (rushes plus targets). Mostert, Wright, and Jeff Wilson Jr. combined for 201 chances. You can say that Achane will demand a greater share in Year 3, but the overall pie size should be bigger with good health, let alone the higher chance of red-zone trips and scoring.

Wright needs to be properly valued as the No. 2 RB in an offense that has proven capable and willing to run up the scoreboard.

Dylan Sampson (CLE), RB57

It’s tough to make waves as a later-round pick at RB when your team spends big draft capital at the same position, but Sampson could make it work. Quinshon Judkins is mired in off-the-field affairs, and the team has not yet signed him to a deal after a recent arrest for misdemeanor domestic battery.

Jerome Ford is a fine rusher, and those needing early volume can target him, but we’re swinging for the fences here. Sampson is another Volunteer who made the most of his chance after Wright was drafted, rushing for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns on 258 carries in just 13 games. He boasts a high motor for a 5-foot-8, 200-pound frame. Cleveland took him in the fourth round after selecting Judkins in the second, likely envisioning Sampson as the lightning to Judkins’ thunder. And now, the lightning may just take over the entire landscape.

Dylan Sampson is an obvious “NFL got it wrong” 4th rd pick.

The case against him - too small. How can we translate him from that scheme? Not a pass catcher..

So what?

Productive - SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR as true JR

~4.42 40

Good runner.

pic.twitter.com/T2RxHdLTza

— Andrew (GPNGC) (@draft32teams) July 21, 2025

Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers

Kyle Williams (NE), WR64

Williams’ modest ADP may be punished by the recent stretch of tough wide receiver picks by the Patriots of late. The jury is still out on Kayshon Boutte, who I still like as a last-round best ball pick, but Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, and N’Keal Harry have folks jaded.

As for Williams, he went 69th overall to the Pats in the third round of the 2025 draft after putting up a whopping 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns on 70 catches at Washington State. And now he steps into a growing Drake Maye offense to compete for reps where a subpar offensive line will need sure hands and quick routes.

Stefon Diggs should be the No. 1 option on the boundary, and DeMario Douglas is an established slot presence, but guys like Williams and Boutte will be vying for the other perimeter role. And Diggs is coming off a torn ACL and turns 32 in November, which can’t be dismissed.

The Pats should be better in ‘25; however, they are still likely to be trailing frequently and needing that pass attack. Williams’ training camp form has yielded flashy upside catches, but also too many drops. The former won’t show up on gameday until the latter is cleaned up. But our entire aim here is mining for the former.

Dont’e Thornton Jr. (LV), WR72

Am I just a Tennessee Volunteers fan now? Thornton saw sporadic usage at Oregon and Tennessee over his four-year collegiate career, but he burned defensive backs when given the ball. As a senior, Thornton gained 661 yards on just 26 catches for an FBS-leading 25.6 yards per catch! That’s the 4.3 40-yard dash time at work.

Such a small sample does skew metrics, but it’s worth noting that he succeeded with top-five yards per route run numbers against both man and zone coverages. The Raiders are known for coveting the fleetest of foot, but Geno Smith is the type of quarterback who could make it work.

Dont'e Thornton is 6'5" & ran a 4.3 forty. Absurd

He joins only Calvin Johnson & DK Metcalf to be 6'4"+ & run 4.35 or faster

Running w/ 1s & catching bombs daily in camp

Geno Smith = QB3, QB9, & QB5 in deep ball completion past 3 seasons

Highest Upside 2025 Deep Sleeper WR

— Wolf of Roto Street (@RotoStreetWolf) August 3, 2025

We know that Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers are the big receivers, and Ashton Jeanty will operate out of the backfield often, but Thornton is practicing with them. Jack Bech and Tre’ Tucker could mix in, of course, but Thornton’s big-play potential could be joined by a fuller route tree with NFL coaching.

We do not know his ceiling based on the limited role college offenses used him in. But we’ve seen enough glimpses to realize there’s a respectable ceiling here, even if it’s unrefined and a long shot. In general, the Raiders feel slept on with Smith at the helm. Don’t let Thornton pass you by as a result.

Keandre Lambert-Smith (LAC), WR90

KLS put his name on the social media map at the Hall of Fame game thanks to a 15-yard TD and crisp routes that caught trained eyes. Now, playing in the HoF game at length in the first place tells you that he’s got a ways to go on the depth chart, but that’s why we have to think!

He was a fifth-round pick after the team selected Tre Harris in the second round, who should assume Mike Williams’ spot on the perimeter next to Quentin Johnston. The team has an interesting competition at tight end, but no one should become a target hog there.

Ladd McConkey is a demon who will command the lion’s share of targets no matter what, but Johnston remains inconsistent, and Harris isn’t immune to rookie struggles simply by being drafted earlier. Harris didn't do anything in the HoF game either, if anyone is trying to get overly reactive (don't).

Lambert-Smith played at Penn State as a deep threat before hitting Auburn as a senior, where he turned 50 catches into 981 yards and eight scores. At 6-foot-1, he ran a 4.37 40-yard dash, and if he can prove able to shake NFL cornerbacks during his breaks, then you’re getting a cheap ticket to Justin Herbert’s arm in Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh era.

Tight End Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers

Jake Ferguson (DAL), TE16

Ferguson was another Cowboy lost in the down season, scoring zero touchdowns the entire year and failing to top 40 yards in any Dak Prescott-less game. He missed Week 2, but otherwise saw seven or more targets in five of his seven games played with Dak, averaging 10.2 PPR points through Week 9. That was good for TE10 honors on a per-game basis, which is right there with his TE10 10.4 PPR average in ‘23.

It is not groundbreaking to simply say that the Cowboys will be better in 2025, and so you should draft their players. But add to that Ferguson was disproportionately unlucky in the red zone and yet still got the volume and performance to float as a top-10 player. And now he’s dropping this far? Okay, cool.

Most targets last season without catching a TD: Jake Ferguson, 86. Obviously should regress.

Hope this contract news doesn't bump Ferguson's ADP, been easy target at 145 DK. Earned 24% TPRR on Dak's dropbacks last season. https://t.co/gG2l735xSJ pic.twitter.com/eOGGgtPfzT

— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) July 27, 2025

Mike Gesicki (CIN), TE19

The Bengals started the year with Erick All Jr. outsnapping Gesicki, who didn’t top a 50% snap rate until Week 8. (Drew Sample was a constant, but as the blocking TE.) Once Gesicki crossed that threshold with some regularity from that point on, he finished as the TE11 in PPR.

Now, All is expected to miss the entire 2025 season with a knee injury, and they didn’t add to the TE room. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will get their feasts, but combining for 27 TDs to Gesicki’s two could also balance out. Only three of Gesicki’s 60 targets in that 10-game stretch were in the end zone. Even if you think that’s just his lot on a top-heavy offense, he was still a top-12 PPR option in that window!

So, if you can acknowledge that there’s basically only one direction for that EZ usage to trend, then we creep into top-10, top-8, etc. conversations. This defense isn’t going to be much better, so that offense is going to continue to be engaged in fast-flying shootouts. And I don't think that Noah Fant coming in is going to take away from Gesicki's receiving work. Fant didn't show much in Seattle and offers good depth without All.

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