Fantasy Football 2025 Rookie Sleepers Undervalued in Drafts

Nothing excites the fantasy football world quite like NFL rookies.

These are the true blank slates on the board, players with no history at this level and a wealth of possibilities in front of them. Even when we all think we know how things will play out, this league will remind us of its any-given-Sunday type of unpredictable nature. One day Brock Purdy is the last pick in the draft; before you know it, he's a $265 million franchise quarterback.

Because these fresh faces are inherently exciting, some get rapidly pushed up the board. If you're a fan of Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, for instance, you need to know everyone else is, too, so it'll typically take a first-round pick to add him to your team.

There are still, however, some NFL first-timers who have sky-high ceilings but not the fantasy-draft price tag attached. We'll spotlight three of those first-year sleepers here.

Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears (ADP: 111)

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The elevator pitch with Loveland is pretty simple. He's a talented top-10 pick who landed in an offense featuring a recent No. 1 pick at quarterback (Caleb Williams) and a creative new playcaller (head coach Ben Johnson).

Loveland's actual outlook is a little more complicated due to a pair of factors.

Williams is still prone to growing pains, and Chicago's group of pass-catchers is crowded. Setting aside all of the Bears' talented receivers, Loveland could also find himself competing for targets with fellow tight end Cole Kmet, a former second-round pick with 17 touchdown catches over the last three years.

In other words, drafting Loveland requires a bit of fingers-crossed blind faith, but it's not like you're finding sure things with a pick this late, anyway. You're also not finding many talents of this caliber so late in the draft, so betting on that ability could yield a massive return.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans (ADP: 124)

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Opportunity should be knocking early and often for Higgins, the second pick of this year's second round.

He has as good of a chance as anyone of being the No. 2 receiver in this offense, which was plenty potent during C.J. Stroud's rookie season in 2023. While things didn't go quite as smoothly this past season, having a big, fast weapon in the receiving room like Higgins might help get everything back on track.

Houston needs a No. 2 to slot in behind Nico Collins, and Higgins looks ready for that role. He is a good athlete with great hands who can make contested catches and should be an asset in the red zone.

Iowa State looked Higgins' way early and often during his two seasons there, and he still left having averaged a whopping 15.5 yards per reception with 15 touchdowns in 26 games.

Jaydon Blue, RB, Dallas Cowboys (ADP: 125)

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If you had to guess where a featured back in a potent offense would be drafted, wouldn't you wager it's a lot earlier than the 125th overall pick?

Well, there's a reason for that. Blue isn't yet the Cowboys featured back, and Dallas' offense wasn't elite this past season (though is typically a touchdown machine with a healthy Dak Prescott).

Think about it, though. What's keeping Blue from taking that job? Sure, the Cowboys added veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, but that's not exactly the stiffest competition at this point. Williams has averaged 3.7 yards per carry or fewer each of the past two seasons, while Sanders managed all of 637 rushing yards in 27 games over the same stretch.

Blue has legitimate burst, good hands and enough wiggle to ditch defenders in coverage or slip past them in the open field. If the Cowboys want some juice from their ground game, he might be the only one capable of providing it.