Fantasy Football: 5 Players Undervalued on Sleeper in 2025

You shouldn't go into a fantasy football draft with just players you like and players you don't at certain draft positions.

Which site you draft on also matters.

A vast majority of fantasy football managers aren't diehard zealots with their own individual rankings and in-depth knowledge of where a player should be valued on any platform. When on the clock, the masses are likely to peruse the top of the site-generated draft rankings. I do that exact thing a lot of the time when it's my turn to pick -- even as someone who does this for a living. It's hard for most of us to reach all the way down 15 spots lower than the pre-draft rankings on a given website, especially if there's not much time given to pick.

That's why knowing a player is vastly under-ranked on a given platform can be such a huge advantage. At any point in a round, you can scoop up a player most of your leaguemates won't consider for another 10 picks. It's easy value to find, which is the name of the game in fantasy football.

In a three-part series, I'm going to take a look at the pre-draft rankings of three of globe's largest fantasy football platforms and see where their consensus rankings differ the most compared to the rest of the fantasy football community.

This piece will focus on Sleeper's fantasy football platform. ESPN's undervalued players and Yahoo's undervalued players are also available.

Note: A player's expert consensus ranking (ECR) comes from FantasyPros' expert consensus rankings data. This piece is based on half-PPR scoring.

Undervalued Players on Sleeper's Fantasy Football Platform

D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

Sleeper Ranking: 70th (RB28)
ECR: 57th (RB21)

Sleeper is fantasy football's sharpest platform. Most host dynasty and best-ball leagues there, so it's no surprise that their pre-draft rankings are pretty clean early. I try to find at least a round gap with players here.

The first one that really stood out was D'Andre Swift, who also made my list of running backs to target in each round.

Ranking him as the RB28 is pretty blatant bias against just not showing a ton of upside in three prior seasons. In this time, he was still the RB19, RB22, and RB22 in fantasy points per game (FPPG) before now reuniting with the playcaller, Ben Johnson, that authored the best positional finish of his career (RB12) in 2021.

Swift played the Jahmyr Gibbs role that season, and it seems like he'll play it again with just Roschon Johnson and seventh-round rookie Kyle Monongai in the fold to compete for touches.

Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans

Sleeper Ranking: 75th (WR35)
ECR: 62nd (WR31)

Perhaps because 30-year-old Calvin Ridley isn't too valuable in dynasty, his ranking on Sleeper has dropped.

In redraft formats, Ridley could be primed for a mammoth season. He was still the WR27 in total points last year but is projected to take a step back despite projected huge improvements in passing efficiency? It'll be tough to be worse than numberFire's 30th-ranked schedule-adjusted passing offense swapping Will Levis and Mason Rudolph for Cameron Ward.

With Tyler Lockett the biggest obstacle for opportunities, it's possible that Ridley is in line for a target share in the area of 30.0%. It was 24.9% last year, and his 14.4-yard average depth of target (aDOT) is right in Ward's wheelhouse.

Ridley was my favorite wide receiver target in Round 6 when looking at the overall landscape, but there's a chance he even slides into Round 7 on Sleeper.

Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Sleeper Ranking: 101st (WR46)
ECR: 92nd (WR40)

Frankly, I haven't been dialed into exact rankings before August, so this slide might just be Sleeper's proactive community sliding Jauan Jennings down the board due to his calf injury.

It's getting a bit more concerning to buy into Jennings as he "remains without a timetable to return", and it's not as if he was totally free of concerns even in perfect health. The former seventh-round pick's breakout in an age-27 season was a stunner.

Still, everything we generally care about looks sensational from 2024. Jennings averaged 2.19 yards per route run (YPRR), which outranked Tee Higgins and Malik Nabers among qualifying wideouts. He was 18th in the NFL in receiving yardage share when on the field (33.0%).

With Brandon Aiyuk likely out to start the season and Deebo Samuel in a different home, the opportunity is there, as well. He just needs to get back on the field.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

Yahoo Ranking: 114th (TE12)
ECR: 101st (TE10)

If you're looking for a sneaky upside metric for tight ends, it's yards after catch (YAC) per reception.

In 2023, David Njoku and Jonnu Smith led the NFL in this category and returned top-eight fantasy seasons in 2024. Here's a name to keep in mind with a similar formula. Tucker Kraft led the entire NFL in YAC per reception (9.3) by a mile over second place (George Kittle; 6.6).

Now, Kraft's situation is probably worse than it was a year ago for a true breakout. Green Bay added Matthew Golden in the first round of April's draft in hopes he's the top target Jordan Love has needed. However, if you're looking for a No. 2 option, isn't Kraft live?

Kraft's lowest pre-draft ranking is on Sleeper, which could allow you to cut your leaguemates in line as many might opt for others in this gaggle at the position.

Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets

Sleeper Ranking: 125th (QB16)
ECR: 89th (QB10)

I find the Justin Fields argument this year fascinating.

Fields signed a two-year deal that is mostly guaranteed, so there's a good chance he's got a two-year audition to finally carve out an NFL home in a third stop. The former second overall pick has made fans with his dynamic athleticism and rushing upside, which also boosts his fantasy appeal.

When he's been on the field, he's been an elite fantasy QB. He's posted 19.1 FPPG as a starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, and he was the QB6 and QB12 on a FPPG basis in two years with the Chicago Bears. This is despite negative expected points added per drop back (EPA/db) as a passer in all three years, per Next Gen Stats.

Health, not opportunity, is Fields' biggest obstacle to fantasy production -- especially given his style. That's a much more palatable risk if he's the QB16 off the board on this platform when, with decent health, Fields is in the driver's seat to return a top-12 season at the position.

Futures Day is coming August 26th. Learn more here.

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.