The 10 Biggest Deep Sleepers of 2025

"Sleeper."

It is simultaneously the most overused word in fantasy football and the lifeblood of fantasy success. There are approximately all the articles ever written about sleepers every year. And frankly, by about the 15th time or so that a player is mentioned, his "sleeper" status is on shaky ground.

If everyone and his momma is talking up a player, said player is awake.

However, finding late-round picks who go on to become viable fantasy starters is how championships are won. Early-round picks are expected to succeed. When they don't, it can sink a season--unless there's a late-round lottery ticket on the roster capable of stepping into the breach and plugging the hole. Or one who comes from nowhere to turn a weakness on a fantasy roster into a strength.

It's what dreams are made of.

Ah, 1980s hair--can't beat it.

Now, there are admittedly no sure things once you hit the somethingteenth round--by that point, over 140 players are off the board. Fantasy managers are chucking darts at that point--if you hit the target at all and get a player who sticks as depth or a bye-week fill-in, it's a win. Hitting the bullseye or a triple 20 and getting a weekly starter is equal parts luck and preparation.

That's right. There's luck involved in fantasy football. It's shocking. I know.

Still, there's a reason why smart fantasy managers wait until the last couple of rounds to draft a defense and (shudder) a kicker--even in vanilla 16-round leagues, the 13th and 14th rounds (or later in deeper leagues) are when fantasy managers should be stepping up to the board and chucking a few arrows.

And if you know who to target, you can be a Dream Warrior.

I was a teenager in the 80s (Yep, I'm old). Between the smoking and the amount of Aqua Net being blasted (by both genders), it's a small miracle the bathrooms at my high school never exploded.

Deep Sleeper Quarterbacks

Cam Ward, Tennessee (ADP: 153)

It was always likely that Ward was going to be the Week 1 starter for the Titans. After all, he was the first overall pick in April's draft. But now, with Will Levis undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, it's essentially a lock that the former Miami Hurricanes standout will be under center for Tennessee when the team travels to face the Denver Broncos in Week 1.

This is all but certainly not a Jayden Daniels situation, where a rookie quarterback takes the NFL (and fantasy football) by storm. But Ward completed over 67 percent of his passes last year for over 4,300 yards and 39 touchdowns, with four more scores on the ground. The Tennessee offense isn't as bad as some are making it out to be, and the release of wide receiver Treylon Burks may well have been addition by subtraction.

Bryce Young, Carolina (ADP: 155)

This analyst has been beating this drum for a big chunk of the offseason, but Young's ADP hasn't really budged. His second season was admittedly vertigo-inducing--when Young was bad, he was really bad. Like got-benched-for-Andy-Dalton bad. But once Young made it back into the starting lineup, the lightbulb appeared to come on--from Week 12 on last season, Young was ninth in fantasy points among quarterbacks. 

Despite a 6-22 record as an NFL starter, Young recently told reporters that he is "super confident" entering his third season--and the 2021 Heisman trophy winner has reason to be. In addition to his improved play down the stretch last year, the drafting of Tetairoa McMillan has given Young the best weapons he's ever had in the pros. Add in an improved offensive line, and the ingredients are there for a career year.

Deep Sleeper Running Backs

Nick Chubb, Houston (ADP: 159)

This could be viewed as cheating, since news broke that Joe Mixon will be out indefinitely with the ankle injury that has plagued him all summer, Chubb's ADP is likely to rise. Depending on how long Mixon remains on the shelf, Chubb's days of snoozing could be numbered. Never mind the inherent weirdness of calling a player who was a fantasy RB1 not that long ago being viewed as a "sleeper."

Of course, that was before Chubb tore up his knee (again) in the early stages of the 2023 season. And before Chubb looked washed in eight games a year ago, averaging a career-low 3.3 yards per carry before being cast aside by the Cleveland Browns. There is no guarantee that Chubb will ever return to the player he once was. But he has a real chance to open the season as the Texans' lead back.

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland (ADP: 165)

Sampson was the second running back the Browns drafted this year, joining second-rounder Quinshon Judkins in Cleveland. Sampson was wildly productive at Tennessee a year ago, flirting with 1,500 rushing yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, and scoring 22 rushing touchdowns. But given the draft capital expended on Judkins and his three-down skill-set, the general consensus was that the lead role in the Browns backfield would be his.

That was before Judkins was arrested for domestic violence, and with Judkins still unsigned and veteran Jerome Ford battling an injury, Sampson has had an opportunity to make an impression on the coaching staff--and the youngster has reportedly taken advantage of it. Judkins faces an uncertain future and potential suspension. Ford is just a guy. The 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year has been afforded a chance to stake his claim to a significant role in Cleveland's backfield. Now he just has to make the most of it.

Miles Sanders, Dallas (ADP: 220)

Back in 2022, Sanders amassed 1,269 rushing yards, averaged almost five yards per carry, and scored 11 rushing touchdowns on the way to finishing as fantasy football's RB15 in PPR points with the Philadelphia Eagles. That landed Sanders a free-agent deal with the Panthers, where he was, well, terrible--after averaging 3.3 yards per carry two years ago, Sanders received just 55 carries in 2024.

Now, Sanders is trying to revive his career in Dallas in a crowded backfield that also includes Javonte Williams and rookie Jaydon Blue. Both of those backs are being drafted ahead of Sanders in fantasy leagues. However, during the early stages of training camp, it has been Sanders who has shined, with The Athletic's Jon Machota writing that, "Sanders has consistently stood out the most, both running and in the passing game."