$5 Fantasy Football Auction Draft Values - Cheap Sleepers with Upside (2025)

August 23, 2025

Matt's $5 auction draft fantasy football sleepers to target. These are low-cost 2025 fantasy football auction values with upside, including Jayden Higgins and Matthew Golden.

Who doesn't like to get a deal? Very few things in life are as rewarding as "bag fries". You know what I am talking about: after you eat all your fries, you throw the bag out, only to discover more fries! For fantasy managers, bag fries is slang for a great player value in an auction draft.

Luckily, you don't have to dig to the bottom of the bag, as I have already done that in hopes of finding some league winners at below market value, those $5 bids that have the potential to be weekly contributors, those fantasy superstars in the making, and proven veterans who are being overlooked in today's market.

Here are nine players currently seeing bids of $5 or less who can bring your fantasy roster one step closer to glory in 2025.

Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers

$5 AAV (Average Auction Value)

Preseason can sometimes be misleading, but fantasy managers should be taking notice when the gameplay matches what we have been hearing throughout camp. In Green Bay, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, and Christian Watson are all fine players, but are far from dominant. A path to fantasy relevance is clear for Matthew Golden to lead this receiver group in fantasy production as a rookie.

In Golden's first preseason action, the former Longhorn played 100% of the snaps available while earning a 20% target share. Again, it's only preseason, but what we see matches what we hear from the organization. With Reed dealing with a foot injury and Watson set to begin the season on the PUP, Golden has been practicing with the first-team offense and projects to be starting in two-receiver sets come Week 1.

Before entering the draft, Golden was blowing past defenders at Texas. In 2024, Golden averaged 17.0 yards per reception and had nine touchdowns. Digging a little deeper, Golden would also go on to average 2.10 yards per router run and see an average depth of target of 13.5 yards, all of which project well at the next level. Golden had a higher yards per reception than Tetairoa McMillan, a greater contested catch rate (61.1%) than Emeka Egbuka, and a lower drop rate (6.5%) than Tre' Harris.

Expect a big season from Matthew Golden. 💛 pic.twitter.com/EbG8HldHJN

— theScore (@theScore) August 6, 2025

Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans

$4 AAV (Average Auction Value)

Sticking with the rookie theme, let's look at the Texans' number two target in Jayden Higgins. Stefon Diggs is no longer in Houston, Tank Dell is still recovering from a devastating knee injury, and Christian Kirk is looking to pick up the pieces after missing 42% of his contests due to injury over his final two seasons in Jacksonville.

Playing opposite Nico Collins will afford Higgins an opportunity. Defenses will roll their coverage towards the Pro Bowl pass catcher, leaving one-on-one opportunities for Higgins, who has demonstrated an ability to make plays thanks to his speed and size down in the red zone throughout camp.

Higgins is a monster on the perimeter, running an impressive 4.47 40 at 6'4. He was also the only receiver in college to surpass 1,000 receiving yards and a sub 5.0% drop rate, while accumulating 60-plus first downs. Even with Jaylin Noel at Iowa State, Higgins was in the 94th percentile in target share (31.4%).

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

$4 AAV (Average Auction Value)

One of the hottest debates regarding running back rooms this offseason has been the projected usage of the backs down in Duval County. While Travis Etienne Jr. is the incumbent, Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten want to carve out significant roles in 2025. Hitting the fantasy football dark web, you'll start seeing rumblings that Etienne's days in Jacksonville may soon be numbered.

The Etienne trade rumours aren't without reason. Last season and early in camp, there have been some signs of decline in Etienne's role and production within the offense. Bigsby arguably outperformed him last season, and Tuten does everything that Etienne can do and is entering his first season on a rookie contract.

Turten has all the makings of becoming a game breaker for the Jaguars. In two seasons at Virginia Tech, Tuten caught 50 passes while averaging 5.68 yards per rushing attempt. Tuten can score from anywhere on the field thanks to that 4.32 40-speed and elite tackle-breaking ability that trailed only Ashton Jeanty and Cam Skattebo when looking at missed tackles forced per attempt over their college careers.

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

$4 AAV (Average Auction Value)

How quickly we forget our past. Last season, Dak Prescott suited up for just eight contests. In those eight games, Prescott averaged 247.3 passing yards per game. That's more than Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Kyler Murray. In 2023, Prescott threw for an average of 265.6 (seventh-most) yards per game, completing 69.5% of his passes, averaging 7.7 yards per completion, and tossing a league-high 36 touchdown passes.

The Cowboys have scored points on 46.9% of their possessions in Dak Prescott’s starts – which would lead the Lions (46.1%) as the top scoring offense over the last two combined seasons.

CeeDee Lamb is averaging 18.5 Half-PPR points per game across Dak’s last 25 games. That would…

— Graham Barfield (@GrahamBarfield) July 11, 2025

With a lack of a strong running game, we already know the Dallas Cowboys are projected to be one of the most pass-heavy offenses in the 2025 season. Adding George Pickens to play alongside CeeDee Lamb further cements this likelihood. In that 2023 season, Prescott attempted 590 passes, while Lamb received 181 of those targets. The stable of receivers behind Lamb included Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, and Jalen Tolbert, none of whom are in Pickens's neighbourhood when it comes to playmaking ability.

After Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, and Jalen Hurts' bids come off the board, sit back and relax. Prescott offers the same upside at a quarter of the price.

Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants

$3 AAV (Average Auction Value)

If your auction league scoring is set to a PPR format, then Wan'Dale Robinson is a must-add. Not only is the Giants receiver cheap, but he was productive in 2024 and was a solid option as a WR3 or flex play, averaging 10.7 fantasy points per game and finishing as the WR36. Robinson produced four top 25 fantasy scoring weeks and ranked inside the top 40 in 10 of the 17 games he played.

Last season, Robinson ran the 11th most routes. Still, he was almost indefensible down in the red zone, where he posted an average separation score of 0.200 and a win rate of 20% averaging 0.40 targets per route run, which made him more of a threat in the red zone than Mike Evans. With Russell Wilson now in town, Robinson should also experience an uptick in yards per reception, which will further add to his PPR allure. Despite ranking 13th in receptions (93) and 12th in targets (140), Robinson was 44th in receiving yards. 

Robinson has an upgrade at quarterback in Wilson, the same coaching staff, and New York added no competition for targets. Add that all up, and Robinson is a bargain.

Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

$3 AAV (Average Auction Value)

Navigating "coach speak" can be tricky and dangerous for fantasy managers. This offseason, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has spoken about the need to get Trey Benson more touches. Benson himself has talked about getting more touches. Even James Conner himself would like to see the second-year back more involved in the offense.

This isn't about putting something out there to make Benson feel good about himself. The truth is twofold: Conner is 30 years old and has more than 1,600 touches throughout his eight-year career, including 518 over his last 29 regular-season contests. Not to mention, Conner has also missed 11 games in the previous four seasons.

Second, Benson is the more explosive of the two backs. In 26 contests at Florida State, Benson produced 2,245 yards from scrimmage, averaging 11.2 yards per reception and 6.1 yards per rushing attempt. With limited opportunities as a rookie, Benson averaged 4.6 yards per carry with 47.4% of his rushing total coming after contact.

Trey Benson RB1 szn!!!!

pic.twitter.com/MsP3KydeSS

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 10, 2025

If Conner misses time this season, Benson defaults to an RB1  any given week and a potential league winner.

Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings

$5 AAV (Average Auction Value)

Jordan Mason is the real deal for those in the back who may not have heard yet. Like Benson, Mason sits behind a 30-year-old back with some wear and tear on the body, as Aaron Jones Sr. has 1,755 career touches, including 306 last season alone. Minnesota figures to be playoff poised, so it'll be essential to limit Jones's touches early on, and this season, they have a capable back in Mason to help ease that load.

Last season, Mason filled in admirably when Christian McCaffrey went down, churning out 685 yards on the ground through the first eight weeks of the season. Only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley were more productive on the ground. Of those 685 yards, 415 came after contact as Mason forced 29 missed tackles (second-most) over that period.

Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders

$2 AAV (Average Auction Value)

Often late in auction drafts, fantasy managers should look to take a swing on upside. That upside more often than not comes in the form of a rookie or second-year player whose door to fantasy relevance is kicked wide open due to circumstances beyond our control.

While upside is a must, sometimes fantasy love is right before our eyes, in the form of an old fantasy fling. A fling managers once had with a fantasy difference maker, such as Zach Ertz. At 34 years old, Ertz regained that fantasy form with Jayden Daniels, a form that once had the tight end as a top 2-3 producer at his position. Last season, Ertz was reborn, finishing as the TE7, scoring 162 fantasy points and averaging 10.1 fantasy points per contest.

Ertz may have lost some speed over the years, but he can still get open. In 2024, Ertz saw 91 targets, catching 66 for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. The 16.8% target share (12th-most among tight ends) was not a smoke-and-mirror show, considering the savvy veteran posted a 0.94 average separation score, trailing only Mark Andrews and Sam LaPorta among fellow tight ends.

Highest average separation among TEs [2024]

1. Mark Andrews [0.158]
2. Sam LaPorta [.095]
3. ZACH ERTZ [.094]

Ertz has survived so long in the league because he's a route-running savant. pic.twitter.com/cKr9MzXPGX

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) August 4, 2025

The bottom line is Ertz finished eighth or better in red zone targets (second), total touchdowns (fourth), contested catches (fifth), receptions (sixth), air yards (sixth), air yards share (seventh), and targets (eighth).

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings

$4 AAV (Average Auction Value)

Even though Jordan Addison will be serving a three-game suspension to start the season, there are plenty of weapons available at J.J. McCarthy's disposal to have the first-year starter flirt with a top-12 fantasy finish in 2025.

Anytime you throw the ball to the likes of Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson, production will follow. Sam Darnold averaged 19.5 fantasy points per game last season on his way to a QB8 fantasy performance, producing nine top-10 weekly finishes. 

Minnesota should pick up where it left off last season after finishing sixth in passing yards per game, 12th in total yards, and ninth in scoring, averaging 25.4 points per game. The Vikings are once again projected to be a pass-heavy offense under Kevin O'Connell.

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