Fantasy: 10 sleepers to steal in your 2025 draft

More from this series:

• Breakouts to target
• Busts to avoid
• Players we love (July 12)

Hitting on early picks is key to forming the backbone of a championship-caliber fantasy roster. But finding value with your late picks can be just as crucial. These are the players being selected outside the top 100 picks that we recommend targeting in your draft.

Are the price tags for top quarterbacks a little rich for your liking? Would you prefer to take swings on a few late-round players instead? Consider McCarthy toward the end of your draft.

While it's true that we don't actually know what to expect from the former first-round pick after losing his entire rookie season to a knee injury, the situation he now inherits couldn't be any better. McCarthy is stepping in to an offense that, lead by one of the NFL's premier play-callers, saw Sam Darnold make the jump from fantasy irrelevance to top-10 player at the position.

McCarthy will also have an improved supporting cast, with the Vikings having made some aggressive moves to overhaul the interior offensive line. Factor in the rushing upside - McCarthy ran for 10 touchdowns across three seasons at Michigan - and there's potential for him to put up Darnold-like numbers as a rookie.

Stafford posting less than 4,000 yards and just 20 touchdowns is bound to have him off the fantasy radar heading into his age-37 season. Looking at this stats alone, the trajectory would appear to tell the story of a former star quarterback nearing the end.

Anyone who's watched him play recently understands that's not nearly the case. And with Davante Adams joining Puka Nacua, Stafford will be working with one of the best receiver duos in football. Adams' game is aging far more gracefully than the now-departed Cooper Kupp's did. Adams' ability to win one-on-one matchups on the outside should immediately make him a key target for Stafford.

Don't sleep on the arrival of tight end Terrance Ferguson, either. Sean McVay will likely have some exciting plans for the second-round rookie's ability to make plays after the catch. This could be Stafford's best season since he finished as a top-five fantasy quarterback back in 2021.

Any concerns about James Cook's contract situation can likely be put to rest for the time being. The Bills running back was a full participant in June's mandatory minicamp, seemingly making it unlikely that he holds out for a new deal heading into training camp.

Cook remains the unquestioned feature back entering his contract year. And if the Bills plan on letting him walk at the end of the year - a realistic possibility given the way negotiations have gone thus far - it stands to reason that they'd try to get everything they could out of him beforehand.

But Davis has established himself as a playmaker in his own right, and his protection skills could get him on the field over Cook in the pass game. Injuries happen, too. Cook missing any sort of significant time would vault Davis into a workhorse role, making him the kind of league-winner you need to have on your roster. His vision, patience, and contact balance working behind an elite Bills offensive line could lead to some big-time numbers, given the opportunity.

Spears didn't have the breakout season I was expecting in 2024. That was partially owing to a series of injuries that forced him to miss time. Tony Pollard continuing to play at a high level didn't help his chances, either.

Pollard remains an obstacle to Spears' playing time coming off a third straight 1,000-yard season, but he's now logged 512 carries over the last two years. That's more than he had over his first four years combined. A more balanced split seems like a good idea for all, and Titans head coach Brian Callahan has suggested he's planning on it.

That should open the door for Spears to show off the kind of dynamic talent that I saw as reminiscent of LeSean McCoy coming out of Tulane. And if Pollard happens to miss any sort of time, particularly down the stretch, you could be looking at a 10th-round pick that helps you win your league.

Smith qualifies as a deep sleeper. Typically, there's no reason to be drafting a seventh-round rookie who is stuck behind a trio of veterans on the running back depth chart. He might not even be guaranteed a roster spot. This could be a unique situation, though.

Because while Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and even Elijah Mitchell should be considered the far more likely options for carries, we've seen the Chiefs' offense support passing-game specialists at the position before. Jerick McKinnon caught 56 passes for 512 yards and nine touchdowns back in 2022, making him a legit RB2 despite a mere 291 rushing yards.

Smith, a receiver at Miami before transferring to SMU, was far and away the best pass-catching back in this year's draft. Andy Reid could very well have eyes on using him in a McKinnon-like role, perhaps even taking advantage of Smith's ability to split out wide. And if he started making plays with the ball in his hands, why not get him some touches in the ground game, too? Smith is one to watch.

Can the Chargers make it back-to-back home runs with second-round rookie receivers?

Ladd McConkey is already a fantasy darling after bursting onto the scene with 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns last season. But Justin Herbert was always going to need more than one reliable target for this offense to reach its potential. And with Quentin Johnston still hovering around bust territory, Harris has an opportunity to become that guy in Year 1.

The Ole Miss product is a physical receiver who can dominate the contested-catch game and make plays with the ball in his hands. Expanding his route tree will be imperative for success at the NFL, but the savvy he showed at Ole Miss can only be taken as a good sign for his chances of doing so. Harris, who is currently going off the board in the 13th round of fantasy drafts, offers the big-play and TD upside to give him potential as a flex option.

Williams was one of my favorite receivers in the 2025 draft. He's a polished route-runner with an advanced release package and the speed to either stretch the defense or make plays after the catch. I think the Patriots got a steal landing the Washington State product in the third round.

The path to a substantial target share during his rookie season admittedly remains a little murky. DeMario Douglas' role should only continue to grow as the slot receiver in a Josh McDaniels offense, and Stefon Diggs is the default No. 1 after signing a three-year, $69-million deal in free agency. But the veteran wideout's relationship with the staff is already off to a rocky start, and how much are we really willing to guarantee for a 31-year-old coming off a torn ACL?

There should be an opportunity for Williams to establish himself as one of Drake Maye's go-to targets right out of the gate. I think his game translates well enough that he'll do exactly that, becoming a fantasy-relevant player as a rookie.

Slayton probably isn't going to be on anyone's fantasy draft boards this season. That's only fair considering he's still yet to top the 800-yard mark in six years. And since his eight-touchdown debut in 2019, he's never found the end zone more than four times in one season.

But did he really have much of a chance? Slayton's game has always been predicated on taking the top off the defense. The majority of the quarterbacks he's played with in New York didn't have the downfield passing chops to take advantage. A brief stretch with Tyrod Taylor at the end of the end of the 2023 campaign - 258 yards and 3 touchdowns in 3 games - offered a glimpse of what things could be like for Slayton with a capable downfield passer.

Russell Wilson may be a shell of his former self, but those patented moon balls are as effective as ever. With coverage focused on Malik Nabers, there should be plenty of opportunities for Slayton to stretch the field on the other side. Wilson's arrival could result in the 28-year-old's most productive season yet.

The Jaguars didn't make any significant additions to the tight end room after releasing Evan Engram this offseason. That can only be taken as a promising sign for the new regime's confidence in Strange.

He provided some legitimate flashes of playmaking upside as a sophomore last year, highlighted by an 11-catch, 73-yard performance in Week 15 against the Jets. Could a full offseason spent atop the depth chart have him poised for a breakout in 2025?

The arrival of Liam Coen certainly helps his chances, as the former Bucs coordinator taking over at head coach should be a substantial upgrade for Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the offense. The Jaguars quarterback isn't one to shy away from leaning on his tight ends, as Engram finished the 2023 campaign with a career-best 114 catches on 143 targets.

Ben Johnson selecting Colston Loveland with his first pick as the Bears head coach should tell you everything you need to know about his potential role in this new-look offense. The Michigan product was easily the most talented receiving tight end in this class.

While he may be joining a more crowded group of playmakers in Chicago, Sam LaPorta finishing his rookie season as the No. 1 tight end in fantasy demonstrates the potential as a featured target in Johnson's system.

It would be silly to expect the same level of immediate production from Loveland, but the path is there. You may not have to wait long before you're comfortable plugging him in as your squad's TE1.

More from this series:

• Breakouts to target
• Busts to avoid
• Players we love (July 12)

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