The off-season is here, and we are in full mock draft mode. It’s time to go over and break down players, stats, and my oh-so-amazing advice before the time comes to slap players names to draft boards.
So, let’s dive right into it.
In 2024, fantasy football gurus just simply whiffed when it came to sleepers. We had familiar names like Aaron Rodgers and Trevor Lawerence show up quite often. When it came to age and injury, Rodgers was on the wrong side of history last year. I never understood why so many people had a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a torn achilles on a bum organization on their sleeper list. It simply does not matter (unless your name is Derek Henry) what name is on the back of the jersey, age matters. Injury history matters. Don’t get me started on Trevor Lawerence. I’m a Colts fan. I am sick of hearing how he was the best prospect since Luck or even Peyton Manning. He’s been in the league 5 years now. I know a quarterback who signed in Indianapolis this off-season and has almost IDENTICAL stats. Sure, Lawerence has Brian Thomas Jr. and the new rookie sensation Travis Hunter, but I truly believe we have seen enough to say this guy just doesn’t have the protentional to be a fantasy league winning quarterback. Let’s touch on some of my personal sleepers for the 2025 season and hope I too, don’t get an earful next year.
Now that my very first rant is over, here are my 3 sleepers from each position you need to keep an eye on during your drafts this year. These are all guys I believe who will outperform their current ADP (most of my analysis is based off of the ADP from the sleeper platform).
QUARTERBACKS
- Caleb Williams CHI (ADP: 107.1) – Let’s start with the obvious. Williams and the Bears landed the best head coach candidate of the off-season. Ben Johnson is going to do everything he can to elevate William’s game, and we have seen that with the moves they have made. They added huge help on that offensive line, drastically improving it from what was a horrendous outputting a season ago. Then they drafted TE Colston Loveland in the NFL draft to add to that already amazing group of weapons. Williams has been set up for success with a great offensive minded coach, improved 0-line play, and added weapons on the outside. Let’s not forget he also rushed for almost 500 yards. I’d expect him to find pay dirt on the ground in 2025 as well. He’s going in the 10th round. If you build your team elsewhere early in the draft (WR/RB/TE I would be extremely happy drafting Caleb as my QB1 in the 10th.
- Dak Prescott DAL (ADP: 117.3) – Dak Attack has basically been forgotten. Seriously, like as if he disappeared off the face of the earth and he no longer has a sticker for the draft board. You have to use one of those blank stickers now to write in his name like he is some sort of rookie RB that’s 6th on the depth chart. Can we just respect the 2023 season Dak had for a moment? He was the QB3 throwing for 4,516 yards 36 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions. Now he has a Lamb/Pickens tandem. Sign me up for a revenge season. His ADP is honestly disrespectful.
- Bryce Young CAR(ADP: 176.7) – Bryce Young finally showed us what could be in the final 8 weeks of the season. In the final 3 weeks he threw for 7 touchdowns and no interceptions, adding 3 rushing scores. Now it’s 2025, they have old man Theilen, Coker, last years first round pick Legette, and drafted the best WR in college using a top 10 pick on Arizona’s Tetarioa McMillan. He has weapons. Not to mention a solid line and Chuba Hubbard (who may be talked about often this off-season).
Running Backs
- Tank Bigsby JAX (ADP:124.2) – Etienne is starting to look like a casualty of the Thanos snap. Tank and Etienne were the RB 35 and 36 last season in PPR. Even better, in my preferred platform half PPR, Bigsby ranked the RB32 and Etienne the RB36. Tank showed his true specialty at the goal line scoring 7 touchdowns last season. With a new HC at the helm, change is natural. Bigsby showed he was the better player. He averaged 5.8 YPC weeks 1-8 last season. This guy is a sneaky sleeper heading into the 2025 season.
- DJ Giddens IND (ADP: 232.4) – My Colts have yet to find their true RB2 behind JT, that is, until now. This rookie RB class was so deep that this elusive and shifty back slipped into the 5th round of the NFL draft. He is a perfect candidate as a sleeper. His ADP is low enough that you can spend your late round flyer on a guy you know will see the field. Steichen will have drawn up plays specifically for his skill set. Plus, I hate to admit it, but we all know RBs are destined to miss some time. If you land Giddens and JT misses time, you found yourself a possible league winning RB in the last round of your draft. At Kansas State he ran for 3,087 yards and 23 touchdowns. His 4.4 speed will help him get on the field for that big play upside.
- Treveyon Henderson NE (ADP: 77.5) – Part one of the Ohio State tandem has found his new home in New England. This is a team who used high draft capital on him after spending their first-round pick to bolster that offensive line. The sun seems to be setting on our boy Rhamondre Stevenson. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last season and his ADP has dropped from the 6th round last year to the 9th this year. Fantasy owners are starting to tap out on Stevenson. Enter Henderson. The soon to be rookie sensation on a team with a good line, a young QB, and a head coach that loves to pound the rock with a bell cow. Henderson possesses all the tools to soar in this offense. We know it takes a while for rookie running backs to get going, but expect this one to be sooner rather than later.
Wide Receivers
- Darnell Mooney ATL (ADP: 113.7) – Mooney’s career was rejuvenated last season with the Falcons. He showed off his talent and supplanted himself as the true WR2 across from Drake London. This means more opportunity for a guy like Mooney when you have someone like London on the other side. The talk in Atlanta is they are going to really “unleash” Mooney this coming season. Which has us chomping at the bit for more. His ADP still doesn’t give the respect he deserves after having 106 targets, almost 1,000 yards and 5 touchdowns. That was with an incapable Kirk Cousins and a rookie QB at the helm.
- Tre Harris LAC (ADP: 135.9) – It won’t be a surprise come week 1 when we hear that Tre Harris jumped Quentin Johnston as the WR2 behind Ladd. He just simply has better hands. Harbaugh used the draft capital because he believes in him and that certainly is enough for me. We know that Herbert is an absolute baller so trust he finds Tre early and often. Sometimes you just have to keep it simple and look at who is throwing him the ball. I trust Herbert. Harris posted 1,030 yards and 7 touchdowns in just 8 games at Ole Miss.
- Chris Olave NO (ADP: 58.2) – It feels absolutely horrible having his name here. I’ve never drafted him. Never wanted him, but the sleeper potential Olave possesses is just ridiculous. I know what you are all going to say. Who is going to throw him the ball? I say, who cares? Who else does the team have at WR? This guy is going to be peppered with targets. My bets on the rookie to win the starting gig at QB. Even more exciting to us fantasy players because we all know a rookie loves and needs to have that safety valve. Olave screams sleeper, especially in PPR leagues.
Tight Ends
- Jake Ferguson DAL (ADP: 111.9) – Ferguson missed Dak deeply last season. Despite missing 3 games he was still targeted 86 times. That’s with essentially no Dak. Fergy is an absolute unit. Dak wants to get this guy the ball so you can place everything that was said about Dak Prescott above, here to further my point.
- Mike Gesicki CIN (ADP: 188.6) – Gesicki has had his ups and downs in fantasy. I think he is going to end his career with Joey B. If you want consistency, the guy never misses time. Playing all 17 games four years in a row. He finished as the TE 13 being the safety net for Burrow. If you stack everywhere else in the draft, this is the type of late round TE you take at the end of your draft.
- Travis Kelce KC (ADP: 71.3) – I can’t believe I have to put his name down as a sleeper. Here is your big name though in the aforementioned category. People have simply forgot about this guy after an off year, and it has pushed the KC tight end down all the way into the 6th and 7th round sometimes. That is just absurd. He still finished as the TE5 in PPR despite only having 3 touchdowns. He caught 97 passes for crying out loud.