Dominate your fantasy league this year. Discover the game-changing secret that savvy fantasy owners rely on to win championships — fantasy football sleepers. These under-the-radar stars could be the key to crushing your draft and help you win your 2025 fantasy football league.
In this exclusive preview, you'll learn what fantasy football sleepers really are and why they matter. Plus, you'll get insider tips on how to spot breakout potential in this year's fantasy football rankings before anyone else and a curated list of five must-watch sleeper picks for the 2025 season.
What Are Sleepers in Fantasy Football? A Beginner's Explanation
The most common definition of sleeper players fantasy football managers are looking for is someone who will outperform their Average Draft Position (ADP) by one or more rounds. An example is an RB2 who is selected in Round 3 who then posts RB1-caliber points. You can find these ADP levels in the fantasy football draft kit at RotoWire, the premier platform for fantasy football managers.
Another type of sleeper goes even further by vastly outperforming their ADP. Select one of these off your custom fantasy football rankings and it can turn your entire draft around.
Why Sleepers Matter in Your Fantasy Football Draft
Sleepers matter because they give you much more bang for the proverbial buck than their value indicated on a fantasy football cheat sheet. Here's how:
- Roster depth: A sleeper often turns an expected backup into a starter.
- Trade value: A sleeper's extra value can be used via trade to shore up a weak roster spot.
- Injury and bye week insurance: Having an extra starting-caliber player makes it easier to deal with injuries and bye weeks.
How to Find Fantasy Football Sleepers Before Draft Day
Fantasy managers want to know how to find fantasy sleepers in their league. There are a few key things to look for.
With RBs, you want someone who is currently a backup behind a starter with durability issues. That backup can get more playing time if there is bad fantasy football news injury-wise for the starter or if the coach decides to split the work.
With WRs and TEs, look for players with favorable pass-coverage schedules. This can often lead to an unexpected target increase. You can find schedule strength analysis via RotoWire, the best draft assistant fantasy football toolkit managers can find anywhere.
Traits to Look For in Sleeper Players (2025 Edition)
Fantasy football sleepers often have similar characteristics that you can identify before fantasy drafts. These include the following:
- Opportunity: Look for players who can win preseason depth chart battles and thus get a lot more opportunities.
- Versatility: This includes pass catching RBs and TEs who can play a slot WR role.
- Strong finishes last season: Someone who finished the previous season on a strong note will often get dibs on work in the following season.
- Low ADP, high ceiling: This includes low volume home run hitting WRs. These players are typically late-round fantasy football picks with low ADPs and marginal fantasy football auction values.
Example Fantasy Football Sleepers for Beginners in 2025
Which players are looking like fantasy football sleepers in 2025? Here are five candidates.
- Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons: Penix is a dual threat player with a ton of talent around him and a very favorable schedule.
- James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals have the most favorable rush defense schedule in 2025.
- Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Bigsby's ADP doesn't reflect that he is likely to evenly split the Jaguars backfield work with Travis Etienne Jr.
- Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions: The Lions new offensive coordinator has made it clear Detroit will be throwing to Williams a lot more this season.
- Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens: Andrews is a go-to target in this offense and has an incredibly favorable schedule.
Avoiding the Hype: Don't Mistake Sleepers for Longshots
One thing to remember is that sleepers should have an easily identifiable path to additional value.
When a player doesn't have a well-defined path to additional success, they are considered a longshot rather than a sleeper. That type of player can help your team, but it's a good idea to not mix your sleepers and longshots.
Final Tips for Targeting Sleepers in Your Draft Strategy
- Use a mock draft simulator to figure out when a sleeper candidate is likely to be drafted.
- Don't base your draft on sleepers. They are the icing on the cake.
- Don't underestimate low-cost picks who can develop into highly valuable backups.
The other thing any fantasy manager looking to identify as many sleepers as possible should do is subscribe to RotoWire. This elite service has many articles and tools to help you with the process, so sign up for a new subscription today.
