Fantasy Football 2025 Sleepers Generating Buzz After Preseason Week 3

Week 3 of the NFL preseason slate is technically the final practice run ahead of the actual campaign.

In reality, though, it's less of a dress rehearsal and more of an opportunity for the understudies to take center stage. Starters are often left out of the proceedings, leaving seemingly little for fantasy managers to glean from the games.

Yet, there can be some helpful information to find, particularly among the afterthought sleeper ranks. To show what we mean, we'll spotlight three sleepers who have the fantasy world buzzing.

Dont'e Thornton Jr., WR, Las Vegas Raiders

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A fourth-round rookie out of Tennessee, Thornton is the kind of prospect who absolutely aces the eye test. He has a special size-speed blend, and he'll put those traits on tape with big plays that take the top off of opposing defenses.

He was never a high-volume producer in college, though, tallying just 65 catches in 47 games over his four-year career. However, after watching him work with Geno Smith and the Raiders' starters, it's getting easier to have hope that Thornton could be more prominently featured at the professional level.

"The Raiders have anointed him as an every-down X receiver in practice and during the preseason," NBC Sports' Kyle Dvorchak noted. "He played all 10 snaps with the starters over the weekend. Thornton's major red flag in college was his inability to earn a large role. That hurdle has been cleared with ease, making him a great pick in the later rounds."

Thornton's upside probably isn't enormous, since he figures to be the WR3 in a run-first offense that features an elite pass-catcher at tight end. Still, Thornton has the kind of big-play ability that allows him to post impressive stat lines without a huge target share. There are certainly worse darts to throw late in drafts.

Ollie Gordon II, RB, Miami Dolphins

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Fantasy managers who invest heavily in Dolphins' starter De'Von Achane (ADP: 15) might want to give Gordon serious consideration as a handcuff pick.

A sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma State, Gordon once again impressed this weekend, seizing the opportunities created by injuries to Achane (calf) and Jaylen Wright (leg). Gordon, who worked with both Miami's starters and backups, had eight carries for 43 yards. That pushed his final preseason tally to 26 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown, plus another three receptions for 48 yards.

"I think Ollie did a very good job today of mastering the non-on-ball assignments," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Saturday. "I thought he did a better job with that. I thought he competed. For the most part, I think his tracks were good and his assignments were 100 percent. So it was a good day for a rookie back in terms of getting his feet wet. It didn't look too big for him."

If Gordon has won the RB2 job, he might offer enough potential to be viewed as more than a handcuff. His junior campaign with the Sooners was shaky, but there arguably wasn't a better running back in 2023, when he racked up 2,062 scrimmage yards and 22 scores.

Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos

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Mims might be closer to a breakout candidate than a deep sleeper, but he still isn't bring drafted as early as he should (ADP: 134).

While the Broncos have helped him become a legitimate weapon in a gadget role (39 catches on 52 targets for 503 yards and six scores last season), there's another level he could reach with a full-time receiving role. And while it's too early to say for certain that's what he'll have this season, it's clearly what he's been given in the preseason:

If Mims is a true No. 2 alongside Courtland Sutton, then his numbers could be on the verge of a full-scale eruption.