Sleepers Are Vital to Your Re-Draft End Game

Sleepers that hit in the late rounds of fantasy drafts not only erase early-round mistakes, but they also provide depth that limit your need to make trades or play the waiver wire. At best, hitting on sleepers doubles your firepower at the position. 

Last week, I listed 10 sleepers to draft in 2025. This week, I'm giving you five more to monitor this summer. 

How should you monitor these sleepers? My article, How I Evaluate August Football, is a helpful primer. You'll learn what to glean from warm-ups, drills, scrimmages, and preseason games and then how to put all of that information together. 

As I profile these five sleepers, I'll note what I think you should be trying to learn about their training camp performances before drafting them.

WR Pat Bryant: Sleepers That Fit An Offensive Archetype

Bryant reminded me of a slower Chris Godwin but without the top man-to-man game. Sean Payton broached Michael Thomas. Both veterans are great receivers and big shoes for Bryant to fill. 

It's Payton's name-dropping of Thomas and the Day Two NFL Draft capital that has caught the attention of the fantasy community. Before we anoint Bryant as one of the top sleepers in 2025 fantasy drafts, we should be aware that Payton compares rookies to veteran players from his previous regimes. 

The comparison isn't a 1:1 valuation of their talent. Instead, Payton uses the comparisons to describe the archetypical roles they fit in his offense. Last year, Payton compared Blake Watson to Alvin Kamara. He also compared Jaleel McLaughlin to Kamara, Reggie Bush, and Darren Sproles. 

Rookie RJ Harvey earned comparisons to Sproles and Bush this spring, and his value shot up dynasty boards. Payton courted and added J.K. Dobbins to the backfiel,d and Harvey investors hope there's a bungee cord attached to his value. 

Don't get too excited about Bryant earning the Thomas comparison -- at least not yet. Bryant's immediate fit for Denver is in that Thomas/Marques Colston as a big slot option.  

What makes Bryant worthwhile to monitor for this role is his skill at uncovering at the top of routes and proficiency as a zone option. 

Pat Bryant #Illinois #NFLDraft

Let's talk pre- and post-catch positioning.

- Extends arms as defender closes to maintain bubble of separation until ball is directly over head.
- Late hands to attack - good.
- Pull back after initial position to secure the ball.
- Tap and… pic.twitter.com/lFvT2Utwon

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 10, 2025

Bryant is also good at setting up and executing breaks. This is usually where rookies struggle. 

What to Monitor: We must see if Bryant can acclimate his play to the NFL. Here is a checklist of items we'll want to hear beat writers, coaches, and/or players praise about his game. Better yet we'll want to see it. 

• No issues fighting the ball. 
• Effective releases against tight man coverage at the line of scrimmage. 
• Good acceleration to win separation on routes breaking 20-40 yards downfield. 
• Impressive short-area quickness to make the first man miss with the ball in his hands.
• Being on the same page with is quarterback when reading coverage and making route adjustments.

The more of these areas where Bryant earns praise instead of criticism, the more likely he is to compete with Devaughn Vele for the starting slot role in August. If inconsistency is an issue in more than one of these areas, Bryant becomes a player who may need some of the season to work his way into a reliable role.

Bryant could become a stretch-run producer during the second half of the season if the competition with Vele is tight during the summer, but he doesn't win the spot. If that's the case, Bryant could become one of the worthwhile late-round sleepers who slide down boards after the early-summer buzz fades.

RB Brashard Smith: Sleepers Who Catch Wheel Routes

Smith has only one year of experience as a running back at SMU, having previously played wide receiver at the University of Miami. While the Tyrone Tracy Jr. story began in a similar fashion and is fresh in our minds after Tracy had an impressive rookie showing, Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Elijah Mitchell are all proven NFL running backs. 

What is it about Smith that makes him a compelling option this year? The majority of media will talk about his receiving experience and how he can be used outside, in the slot, and from the backfield as a pass-catcher. 

Brashard Smith #SMU

I anticipated from his #Canes tape as a WR that we'd see him as a mismatch vs. LBs as an RB

- Runs by LB
- Fades before catch point
- Overhand attack w/hand in face
- Pull back vs contact
- Drags feet and extends to pylon#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/U9ot8wkUlo

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 31, 2025

Brashard Smith #Canes #Smurfs

Imagine Smith, now an RB, aligned so he can draw an LB or S in the NFL on a fade route...

- Sudden head fake
- Wipe counter
- Fades to boundary but owns space from sideline
- Good tracking and catch#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/uCBe4EidsS

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 31, 2025

While Smith has the skills to present a mismatch with linebackers and some safeties, there's a reason why Miami experimented with him at RB and SMU made him a starter -- He's not a legitimate starting WR prospect at the NFL level.

At least Smith is a legtimate contributor-level talent as a receiver. Tracy wasn't a legitimate contributor of note at the position in college! This receiver-like RB narrative is one of the most overrated archetype in the hobby for identifying sleepers.

I can go back as far as Shane Vereen's wheel routes to underscore the annual buzz that accompanies backs who caught fade routes on tape. It's one of football analysts' favorite annual pipe dreams: The next Marshall Faulk, Christian McCaffrey, or Austin Ekeler. 

The problem with this sleeper's pipe dream is that these backs make their mark in the receiving game with excellent route running in the short and intermediate zones in the middle of the field. This is more about adept knowledge of coverage than winning fade routes. 

Smith will earn some situational touches thanks to his receiving prowess as a decent college wide-out, but what could make him one of the better sleepers is his burgeoning skills as a runner -- you know, the primary thing running backs do. 

Smith’s game experienced rapid growth throughout the two years he earned snaps as a runner. For several weeks, he never used a stiff arm. Suddenly, it became a good part of the repertoire on outside runs. Smith went from a mediocre stalk blocker at wide receiver to displaying sound technique when cut-blocking box defenders.

Smith's work between the tackles makes him one of the most compelling sleepers to monitor if it weren't for the existing talent on the depth chart. Smith is a smart runner who sets up blocks, displays situational maturity as a game manager, and has developed a compelling set of skills behind zone blocking.

Gap blocking is where he’s a bit behind, and he still has room to grow when identifying what the defense is doing, pre-snap.

Smith has good footwork, a range of successful moves, and curvilinear speed. He has stretches where he leans too much on the spin, but there’s enough in his toolbox that he should grow past it.

Because you can use Smith as a receiver, it may not matter as much for his early-career opportunities that his blocking is still a work in progress. Considering how fast Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Robert Edwards acclimated to the position, Smith’s film is compelling enough to believe he could be next of the rookie RB sleepers.

The biggest factor is whether the combination of Pacheco, Hunt, and Mitchell can remain healthy long enough to serve as a patchwork quilt of veteran experience at starter. If so, Smith's summer highs might mean little. 

What to Monitor This Summer: Monitor Hunt and Mitchell's statuses with the team. If one or both get cut or falters with a training camp injury, Smith's value could rise dramatically. Until then, don't get too caught up in the national media touting Smith as one of the best rookie sleepers available.

Note if Smith is earning and maintaining reps with the first- and second-team offenses from the backfield and not as a receiver. Unless Smith is occupying what was Rashee Rice's role in the passing offense and doing it was the first-team offense for the majority of practices (doubt it), place less stock in his occasional reps as a receiver. 

Why? Running backs who earn snaps aligned as receivers aren't seeing enough snaps and targets for it to be anything more than window dressing and/or constraint plays that aren't used enough for fantasy GMs to rely on the player. 

Other things to note before anointing him one of your draftable sleepers: 

• How fast is Smith picking up pass protection? Is he struggling?
• Is he making smart decisions between the tackles in preseason games? 
• Is he earning playing time in the first and second quarters of preseason games? 

If drafting in July, Smith is worth a late pick in leagues drafting before August because you'll get the most value from him if his teammates falter. If drafting in late August, it's best to monitor for the factors above before investing in the national hype.