Fantasy Football Way Too Early Sleepers for 2025: Drake Maye, Darnell Mooney, more players to target

It’s February, we get it. The 2024 season just ended, and the 2025 season is far away in the distance, especially since free agency and the NFL Draft haven’t happened yet.

But we also have content to provide, and writing about sleepers is fun. You want to know who could be the late-round picks to target, and we like to start thinking about players we want to highlight and draft.

So let’s go over the assignment and understand the situation. This list will change — a lot. If you know me by now, you know I write at least four versions of sleepers prior to Week 1.

The next version will likely be post-NFL Draft once the rookies are in place. And once rosters are set, some players listed here could be irrelevant.

I hope not, but that’s reality. For now, these will be players I plan to target with late-round picks in the majority of leagues.

Quarterbacks

Drake Maye, Patriots

I will probably draft many Maye shares in 2025, especially with a late-round pick. He has the chance to be a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in his sophomore campaign. The hope is New England adds weapons in the passing game and upgrades the offensive line, so keep an eye on what happens this offseason. But Maye showed plenty of flashes in his rookie campaign, especially with his legs, to see the upside he has to offer. In 10 healthy starts, Maye scored at least 21.4 Fantasy points five times. He was also on pace for 632 rushing yards, which would have been third among quarterbacks behind only Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. Maye might graduate to breakout status before the offseason is over.

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

Tagovailoa had two separate ailments in 2024 that cost him six games after he suffered a concussion in Week 2 and then a hip injury that forced him to sit out the final two games of the year. He’s expected to be fine for the start of 2025, but it’s a reminder that he’s an injury risk after not missing a game in 2023. When healthy, Tagovailoa played well in 2024 and averaged 21.2 Fantasy points per game in the games he finished, and hopefully he can build off that next season. We’ll see what happens with Tyreek Hill, but he appears set to return to Miami. A motivated Hill along with Jaylen Waddle, Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane should help make Tagovailoa a great value pick and a potential No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.

Other sleeper quarterbacks to consider: Brock Purdy, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence and Dak Prescott

Running backs

Trey Benson, Cardinals

Benson had a quiet rookie season in 2024, and he ended the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury, which caused him to miss the final three games. Before getting hurt, Benson only had two games with double digits in PPR with 12.5 points in Week 9 against Chicago and 10.7 points in Week 10 against the Jets. He only scored one touchdown and caught six passes for 59 yards on six targets. But Benson has lottery-ticket upside in his role with the Cardinals playing behind James Conner, who turns 30 in May. It would be great if Conner stays healthy for the second year in a row, and he only missed Week 18 with a knee injury. But if Conner were to miss any time in 2025 then Benson could be thrust into a starting role, and he could be a top-20 Fantasy running back in all leagues. He’s someone I plan to target after Round 8 on Draft Day. 

Jaylen Wright, Dolphins

The Dolphins released Raheem Mostert on Valentine’s Day, and Wright is now the No. 2 running back in Miami behind De’Von Achane. That makes Wright a lottery ticket in case Achane ever missed any time due to injury, which didn’t happen in 2024, but he only played 11 games in 2023. Wright didn’t do much in his rookie campaign as the Dolphins relied heavily on Achane and Mostert. Wright’s best game was 8.6 PPR points in Week 5 at New England, and he didn’t score a touchdown. He also had just three catches for 8 yards on six targets. But we know Wright is a big-play threat after he ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. And the Dolphins will hopefully use Wright in tandem with Achane to show off that speed, which Mike McDaniels loves. It’s easy to target Wright with a late-round pick in all leagues, and he could be a league winner if he starts any games in 2025. 

Tank Bigsby, Jaguars

We’ll see what new Jaguars coach Liam Coen has planned for Travis Etienne and Bigsby, but Bigsby could be the leading rusher for Jacksonville in 2025. He’s coming off a solid sophomore campaign in 2024 when he had 168 carries for 766 yards and seven touchdowns and seven catches for 54 yards on 12 targets. His 4.6 yards per carry was better than Etienne (3.7), and Coen will hopefully improve the offense as a whole, including the backfield. Remember, in his lone season as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, Coen helped the Buccaneers finish fourth in rushing yards behind only Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington. Bigsby had nine games with double digits in carries in 2024, and he scored at least 10.1 PPR points in six of those outings. He’s a great late-round pick in the majority of leagues.

Isaac Guerendo, 49ers

It will be interesting to see what the 49ers do with their backfield behind Christian McCaffrey, who turns 29 in June and was limited to four games in 2024 with Achilles and knee injuries. Elijah Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent, while Jordan Mason is restricted, although he will likely return in 2025. We’ll likely see Mason and Guerendo battle for the backup job behind McCaffrey — barring another offseason addition — and I expect Guerendo to be the handcuff in San Francisco. He had five games as a rookie in 2024 with double digits in touches, and he scored at least 11.5 PPR points in four of them. He showed he could be a viable option in the passing game with 15 catches for 152 yards on 16 targets, and he also averaged 5.0 yards per carry. We know the starting running back for the 49ers has plenty of Fantasy upside, and Guerendo will be a lottery ticket if he’s the direct backup to McCaffrey. I’ll be drafting a lot of Guerendo shares in 2025.

Other sleeper running backs to consider: Tyjae Spears, Jerome Ford, Zach Charbonnet, Roschon Johnson and Kendre Miller

Wide receivers

Darnell Mooney, Falcons

We’ve done four mock drafts since the end of the 2024 season, and Mooney has consistently gone after Round 8. That’s incredible value for a receiver coming off a quality performance with 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns on 106 targets. He averaged 12.1 PPR points per game, but he scored at least 13.2 PPR points in eight outings as the No. 2 receiver behind Drake London. Most of Mooney’s production came with Kirk Cousins, but Mooney did have 11 targets in two games with Michael Penix and finished with seven catches for 115 yards. I’m hopeful Penix will help the Falcons reach another gear with their passing game, and Mooney can build off his production from 2024. He has top 30 upside, but you can draft Mooney as a No. 4 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues.

Marvin Mims, Broncos

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Broncos bring in some receiver help this offseason, but hopefully it won’t be at the expense of more playing time for Mims. He took off at the end of the 2024 season, and it would be great if he can build off that performance heading into his third year in the NFL. Mims scored at least 19.9 PPR points in three of his final five games, including a combined 52.3 PPR points in his last two outings against Cincinnati and Kansas City. During that five-game stretch, Mims averaged 5.1 targets per game, which isn’t ideal, but it’s a start. He didn’t get five targets in a game until Week 12, and hopefully he showed Sean Payton enough to make Mims more of a featured part of the offense in 2025. As it stands, Mims could be the No. 2 receiver for Bo Nix behind Courtland Sutton, and Mims is a speed threat the Broncos need. He showed flashes of his upside at the end of last season, and he could be ready for a big Year 3 in 2025. Mims is an easy target with a late-round pick in all leagues.

Dontayvion Wicks, Packers

There’s a chance for Wicks to have a big role in 2025, depending on what the Packers do this offseason at receiver. Christian Watson (knee) suffered a torn ACL in Week 18 last year, so he will likely miss time in the regular season in 2025. That should make Green Bay’s top trio of receivers as Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Wicks, and the latter is worth a late-round pick in all Fantasy leagues. The Packers could always add to their receiving corps this offseason, which is something to monitor, but for now the value — and upside — for Wicks is intriguing. Wicks had nine games in his past two seasons with at least six targets, and he scored at least 13.8 PPR points four times, with six touchdowns. We hope to see the Packers pass more in 2025 since they were third worst in the NFL in 2024 in attempts (479), and I’m expecting that to happen with Jordan Love. Wicks should be a nice surprise in 2025 with Watson hurt.

Jordan Whittington, Rams

The Rams are guaranteed to add to their receiving corps this offseason with Cooper Kupp expected to leave Los Angeles, and Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell are free agents. Puka Nacua needs help, and Whittington could be that guy. In two games as a rookie in 2024, he showed his ability to make plays while Nacua and Kupp were injured. He had six catches for 62 yards on eight targets in Week 4 at Chicago and seven catches for 89 yards on 10 targets in Week 5 against Green Bay. He didn’t play many meaningful offensive snaps with Nacua and Kupp, but he did have three catches for 86 yards on four targets and one carry for 12 yards in Week 18 against Seattle when the Rams rested most of their starters. It’s a situation to monitor, but Whittington could be an excellent late-round flier in all leagues.

Other sleeper wide receivers to consider: Jakobi Meyers, Josh Downs, Cedric Tillman, Xavier Legette and Quentin Johnston

Tight ends

Dalton Kincaid, Bills

I like post-hype sleepers, and Kincaid qualifies after getting a lot of hype prior to 2024 but failing to deliver. I thought Kincaid would be a top-five Fantasy tight end last season, but he struggled and averaged just 7.8 PPR points per game. He dealt with injuries in both knees, including a torn PCL, but he still played in 13 games and finished with only 44 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns on 75 targets. The reason I liked Kincaid last season was Buffalo’s lack of weapons in the passing game. We’ll see what the Bills do this offseason to enhance their receivers, but Kincaid could be right back in the same spot he was as a potential go-to option for Josh Allen. Kincaid was better as a rookie in 2023 with 73 catches for 673 yards and two touchdowns on 91 targets, but I think he has more to offer. He’s a good late-round flier in all leagues, especially if Buffalo doesn’t add a premier receiver in free agency or the NFL Draft.

Jake Ferguson, Cowboys

In 2023, Ferguson had a solid season with 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns on 102 targets, and he averaged 10.4 PPR points per game. He was then a superstar in the playoffs with 10 catches for 93 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets in a 48-32 loss to Green Bay. But in 2024, things fell apart. He missed three games due to injury, failed to score a touchdown and finished with 59 catches for 494 yards on 86 targets. It didn’t help that Dak Prescott (hamstring) missed the final nine games of the season, but Ferguson is primed to rebound in 2025. We’ll see what Dallas does at receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, but Ferguson should remain a top target for Prescott. Ferguson has the ability to be a top-10 Fantasy tight end in all leagues, and he’s worth drafting with a late-round pick given what he showed in 2023 and should be able to show again.

Other sleeper tight ends to consider: Ben Sinnott, Isaiah Likely, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Cole Kmet