8 Sleepers Worth Reaching for in 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts

"Sleeper" is a word that excites even the most jaded fantasy manager. A player who rises like a phoenix from the ashes of a draft's late rounds to carry teams to glory.

It's also a wildly overused term. There are thousands of "sleeper" articles every year, and only so many players to talk about.

However, that doesn't change the fact that late-round picks who become viable fantasy starters help win Championships. Just ask those who drafted running back Chase Brown in 2024 or wide receiver Puka Nacua in 2023.

For argument's sake, we’ll define a "sleeper" here as a player available after the first 120 players have been selected: the 11th round or later in 12-team leagues.

QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Butch Dill

ADP: QB20, 132nd Overall

The 2025 season is something of a make-or-break campaign for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

The Jags gave the 2021 No. 1 overall pick his bag last year: a five-year extension that averages $55 million a season. But his 2024 campaign was one of his worst, with a career-low 204.5 passing yards per game and just 11 touchdown passes and two wins in 10 games.

That miserable season has relegated Lawrence to the fringes of fantasy relevance. But there are reasons to think a major bounce back could be in the offing in 2025.

The offensive line in Jacksonville may not be great in 2025, but the addition of veteran guard Patrick Mekari should make it better. The addition of rookie sensation Travis Hunter gives Lawrence a potentially outstanding pair of wideouts in Hunter and second-year pro Brian Thomas Jr.

However, the biggest reason for optimism in Duval County this year is the arrival of head coach Liam Coen.

The 39-year-old has earned a reputation as quite the quarterback whisperer, and while calling the plays last year in Tampa, he coaxed a career year (and top-three fantasy numbers) from Baker Mayfield.

In 2022, Lawrence was seventh in fantasy points among quarterbacks.

With Coen calling plays and an improved offense around him, a return to that form for the Clemson product is an attainable goal.

QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

ADP: QB24, 159th Overall

Last year was quite the ride for Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

That ride started...not well. After two dismal starts to open the season, he was benched in favor of Andy Dalton. It was quite the indignity for the first overall pick in the 2023 draft.

However, Young eventually got another bite at the apple. And once he made it back into the starting lineup, he started showing flashes of the talent that spurred the Panthers to move up to draft him.

The 24-year-old's numbers for the season weren’t especially impressive: 2,403 passing yards and 15 touchdown passes. But he also found the end zone six times on the ground, and he was quietly ninth in fantasy points among quarterbacks from Week 12 on.

The Panthers took steps in the offseason to put Young in a better position to succeed in Year 3. For the second season in a row, Carolina drafted a wide receiver (Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan) in the first round. Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus ranked the Carolina offensive line 11th in the league.

Young is an excellent draft-day target as a second quarterback, especially in leagues that start two or have a superflex spot.

RB Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

ADP: RB54, 154th Overall

Last year at the University of Tennessee, running back Dylan Sampson was a monster. He rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and broke a 95-year-old school record with a gaudy 22 rushing touchdowns.

However, the 5'8", 200-pounder was viewed in some circles as undersized by NFL standards. And when he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns two rounds after they took Quinshon Judkins, the belief was that Sampson would be little more than a complementary back in the pros.

The situation has changed since then, though.

Judkins was arrested in July for touch or strike battery/domestic violence, and while those charges have been dropped, that doesn't mean he won’t still face discipline from the NFL. He also remains unsigned.

The Browns also have Jerome Ford, who led the team in rushing in 2024. He is a capable player, but he isn't much more than that. During last week's joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles, Sampson was the first back through the rotation.

At this point, it appears the Tennessee product will get an early opportunity to carve out a substantial role in the Cleveland offense.

And any back available outside the top 50 with that sort of chance should be of interest to fantasy managers.

RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

ADP: RB59, 202nd Overall

It wouldn't be an NFL preseason without a fantasy hype darling, a player who comes from nowhere to capture the hearts of the fantasy community.

This year, that player is Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

The 24-year-old barely played at Arizona a year ago, suiting up for just one game due to eligibility issues. But the year before at New Mexico, the 5'10", 206-pounder carried the ball 189 times for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging over six yards per carry.

That explosiveness has been on display throughout training camp. In fact, Croskey-Merritt has been so impressive that Washington insider Ben Standig thinks the rookie could be the team's lead running back to open the season.

"I'm gonna guess Brian Robinson is not on the Week 1 roster," he said. "I have no insight into that. If Croskey-Merritt's on this team, I just don't know how you're sitting him."

Granted, that’s just speculation from one beat writer. But there have also been trade rumors, and Robinson is a between the tackles grinder who has struggled to stay on the field. Austin Ekeler is the wrong side of 30, and his days as a featured back are past him.

As a late lottery ticket, fantasy managers could do worse than Croskey-Merritt.

WR Christian Kirk, Houston Texans

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

ADP: WR57, 143rd Overall

The Houston Texans took a buzzsaw to their wide receiver corps in the offseason. They added a pair of Day 2 rookies (and former Iowa State teammates) in Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. They also swung a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for veteran Christian Kirk.

That latter move is the one that should pique the interest of fantasy managers.

The 28-year-old missed a sizable chunk of last season with a broken collarbone, but he is fully healthy and has reportedly developed a strong rapport with Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Kirk appears to have locked up both the No. 2 receiver role in Houston and the primary role in the slot—an area of the field Stroud targets regularly.

In 2022, Kirk posted the best season of his career in a similar role, turning a career-high 133 targets into 84 receptions, 1,108 receiving yards, eight scores and a WR12 finish in PPR points.

Reaching those heights again won't be easy, as Nico Collins is the unquestioned lead receiver in Houston.

But Kirk is healthy, a proven veteran and clicking with Stroud. And with an average draft position in the back end of Round 12, he's all but free.

WR DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

ADP: WR66, 181st Overall

There has been more than a little hype surrounding multiple members of the offense for the New England Patriots.

Drake Maye is a trendy breakout pick at quarterback. People are going wild over rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson. Veteran wideout Stefon Diggs was ninth in PPR points at his position as recently as 2023.

But despite tying for the team lead in receptions last year and leading all New England wideouts in receiving yards, slot man DeMario Douglas is an afterthought in fantasy drafts this summer.

There are growing reasons to believe he shouldn't be. Per Patriots beat reporter Taylor Kyles, Douglas has been Maye's favorite target in camp.

"DeMario Douglas has been the Patriots' best pass-catcher, and it isn't close," Kyles wrote. "Douglas looks comfortable in OC Josh McDaniels' offense, is creating tons of separation, and has built a strong rapport with QB Drake Maye. The third-year receiver is primed to be the latest in [OC Josh] McDaniels' long line of slot studs."

Diggs has reportedly been unimpressive, while Kyle Williams is experiencing some first-year growing pains.

There's a legitimate chance Douglas will be New England's de facto No. 1 receiver, at least to start the season. And he's coming off the board in Round 16.

TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

ADP: TE16, 128th Overall

We get it: It's hard to trust after a fantasy manager has been hurt.

And Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has hurt more than a few of us.

After topping 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2021 and finishing sixth in fantasy points, he peeled off three straight underwhelming fantasy finishes. In 2022, he missed seven games and caught just 28 passes. In 2023, it was 53 catches for 667 yards and a TE13 fantasy finish. A year ago, he posted a 47/602/4 stat line and ended the season 15th at the position in fantasy points.

Many have pledged never to be burned again. But we are ready to again leap into flames.

Why, though? In part, it's because the Falcons have pledged to make Pitts a bigger part of the offense in Atlanta this year and also because wide receiver Darnell Mooney has been out since early in camp after injuring his shoulder, and there is no timetable for his return.

And it's also because there's a reason Pitts was drafted fourth overall in 2021, the earliest any tight end has been drafted.

That kind of upside available this late is rare at tight end.

TE Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

ADP: TE21, 180th Overall

That's right, two Jaguars in our list.

In his second season last year, Brenton Strange flashed while filling in for an injured Evan Engram at tight end in Jacksonville, headlined by a Week 15 game against the New York Jets where he caught 11 passes for 73 yards.

Strange's performance must have made an impression on the staff in Jacksonville. When hen Engram signed a free-agent deal with the Broncos in the offseason, the Jags made no real effort to bring in a replacement. From all indications, Strange is the unquestioned No. 1 tight end for the team.

Now, Strange has to compete with the likes of Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter for targets, but Trevor Lawrence has shown an affinity for targeting his tight end. Two years ago, Engram had more receptions (114) than every wide receiver in the AFC bar Tyreek Hill.

This isn't to say Strange is going to catch 100 passes, but there is real fantasy upside to be had here given what we have seen from player and team in the past.

If want to play "TE Chicken" in your fantasy draft this year, slap Strange onto your target list.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.