5 Best Sleeper Picks for Fantasy Football Drafts in 2025

Getting consistent production and ceiling performances from your early-round picks is crucial in fantasy football. At the same time, finding some "sleepers" in the later rounds can be the difference between earning bragging rights over your leaguemates or finding yourself near the bottom of your league's standings.

Within this article, we'll define a sleeper by discussing players with an ADP (average draft position) of 125.0 or later in FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues who could exceed expectations or aren't getting enough attention. Keeping that in mind, let's take a look at five of my favorite sleeper picks for fantasy football ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Fantasy Football Sleeper Picks

Keon Coleman, WR, Bills

Overall ADP: 132.3 (WR50)

Similar to recent seasons, there's a handful of incoming rookie receivers who are drawing plenty of attention in fantasy football, but we shouldn't completely ignore someone like Keon Coleman in his second year with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills used their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (33rd overall) on Coleman, and the big-play wideout was performing pretty well in the first half of the 2024 campaign before suffering a wrist injury in Week 9 that sidelined him for the next four games.

From Week 1 through Week 8 (before the wrist injury occurred), Coleman was the logging the highest snap rate (69.3%), third-highest target share (15.9%), highest air yards share (24.7%), highest red-zone target share (24.2%), highest end-zone target share (33.3%), and second-most yards per route run (2.28) among Buffalo's skill players, via NextGenStats. Coleman wasn't the same player when he returned from injury, seeing his yards per route run drop to 1.40 in the final four weeks of the regular season, but his team-high 42.9% end-zone target share in that sample was slightly encouraging.

Entering the 2025 campaign, Coleman is healthy and has had an entire offseason to improve his chemistry with Josh Allen, who we know wants to push the ball down the field -- evidenced by his league-leading 88 attempts of 20-plus yards in 2024 (per PFF). Along with Coleman producing a healthy 15.4-yard average depth of target a season ago, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid have dealt with various ailments in training camp, and even with Josh Palmer joining the Bills in free agency, Coleman should be on the field plenty in one of the best offenses in the league.

Ray Davis, RB, Bills

Overall ADP: 158.0 (RB52)

Much was made about whether or not the Bills would hand James Cook a new contract this offseason, and earlier in August, Cook was rewarded with a four-year, $48 million extension. Despite Cook inking a lucrative deal, Ray Davis is arguably the most valuable handcuff running back ahead of the upcoming season.

As the backup to Cook in his rookie season, Davis was the featured back in one game (Week 6) due to Cook being inactive, and he made the most of his opportunity by garnering 23 of the 27 running back touches in Buffalo's backfield en route to totaling 152 scrimmage yards. Davis would proceed to conclude the 2024 campaign as the overall RB38, and he had four RB18 or better finishes across his last 12 appearances in half-PPP formats.

If Cook were to miss any time for the Bills this season, Davis would immediately become the primary back on the team that was ranked second in schedule-adjusted rushing offense entering the Conference Championship round of the playoffs last season. On top of that, there's a path for Davis to become valuable in fantasy football if Buffalo gives him more red-zone work to keep Cook and Allen fresh for the postseason.

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars

Overall ADP: 158.7 (QB21)

In FanDuel Research's recent expert picks article where we were asked to name our favorite late-round targets, Trevor Lawrence was my choice, as he's been my favorite quarterback to target as my QB2 in superflex leagues or a late-round quarterback in drafts where I don't take one of the premier signal-callers. Of the quarterbacks around the NFL, not many had a better offseason than Lawrence.

Besides the Jacksonville Jaguars naming Liam Coen as their new head coach, the front office didn't waste any time being aggressive during the 2025 NFL Draft, trading up to select two-way star Travis Hunter in the first round. The addition of Hunter now gives Lawrence a receiving tandem of Brian Thomas Jr. and Hunter, and we could see Lawrence set career-best marks on the ground in his first year playing under Coen.

Although it's risky trying to project similar production for Lawrence as we saw from Baker Mayfield in Coen's system a season ago, there's no doubt Coen was a factor in Mayfield tallying career-highs in completion percentage (71.4%), passing yards (4,500), passing touchdowns (41), and rushing yards (378) en route to a QB4 finish in fantasy football.

We've seen Lawrence be the QB17 or better in fantasy points per game in each of his last two seasons when he was healthy, and I'm trying to get as much exposure as I can to Jacksonville's offense in 2025.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens

Overall ADP: 181.7 (WR64)

There was absolutely a zero percent chance that I'd go the entire offseason without writing about Rashod Bateman. During the 2024 season, Bateman started in a career-best 14 games, resulting in the former first-round pick logging career-best marks in receiving yards (756) and receiving touchdowns (9) while finishing as the overall WR30 in half-PPR leagues.

As a result of Bateman's efforts last season, the Baltimore Ravens gave him a three-year, $36.75 million extension this offseason, showing that they want him to remain a focal point of their offense moving forward. In the 15 games (including the playoffs) where Bateman logged 60.0% or more of the offensive snaps, he posted the second-most receiving yards per game (51.1), second-highest target share (17.8%), highest air yards share (28.6%), second-highest end-zone target share (22.6%), and third-most yards per route run (2.02) among Baltimore's offensive players who saw 50.0% or more of the snaps in that sample.

Even with veteran DeAndre Hopkins signing with the Ravens, he wasn't very effective for the receiver-needy Kansas City Chiefs down the stretch last season, so it's a bit odd that Hopkins' ADP is higher than Bateman's right now. There's a non-zero chance that Bateman could be the leading pass catcher on the Ravens this year with Lamar Jackson continuously improving as a passer in Todd Monken's scheme, and with Isaiah Likely expected to be sidelined early in the season, there's still room for Bateman's role to blossom alongside Zay Flowers.

Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars

Overall ADP: 186.3 (TE22)

Once again, the Jaguars' revamped offense is an enticing unit to target in fantasy football this season, making Brenton Strange one of my favorite late-round tight ends to target. Following the departure of Evan Engram this offseason, the Jaguars elected to not make any notable moves at tight end, and general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen have spoken highly of Strange throughout the months leading up to the 2025 season.

We got a glimpse of what Strange can do after he officially made 10 starts a season ago due to Engram missing time, which resulted in him accruing four weeks where he was the TE9 or better in half-PPR formats. Among 33 tight ends with 50-plus targets in 2024, Strange tallied the 16th-most yards per reception (10.3), 18th-most yards after the catch per reception (4.7), and 16th-most yards per route run (1.49) while the Jaguars' offense was a bit dysfunctional at times with Lawrence missing seven games.

With Coen calling the plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, the Bucs were ninth in pass rate over expected, so there could be plenty of targets to go around to Thomas, Hunter, Strange, and the running backs on the Jaguars -- especially if Jacksonville's defense needs time to improve under first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. If you're unable to land one of the elite tight ends or are willing to wait before selecting someone at the position, Strange seems poised for an expanded role in 2025.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.