The early flurry of free agency has finally died down, and now it’s time to take an early look at fantasy sleepers for the 2025 season.
The 2025 NFL Draft is less than two months away, and most of us pundits are starting to crank out our rankings for the 2025 season. But I have a few players I want to point out that should rise as the offseason progresses.
Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta
Michael Penix Jr. only started the season’s last three games for the Falcons, but I believe he has all the tools to lead them back to the playoffs.
He improved each week with his passing yards totals as he finished with 312 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the season finale. He also added a rushing TD in Atlanta’s season-ending overtime loss to Carolina.
However, one area of concern is his completion percentage as he finished two of three games with less than a 60 percent completion rate. But he should improve on that mark.
In his final two years in college at Washington, he completed 65 percent of his passes, averaging 554.5 attempts in those two seasons.
He’s currently being drafted in the 20-24 range as a backup in bigger leagues.
But with a solid core of young talented players – like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts -surrounding him, Penix Jr. should continue to grow into a Top 12 fantasy QB next season.
Running back
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh
I know Jaylen Warren is a free agent, but he’s a restricted free agent which means the Steelers can match any offer.
Plus, Najee Harris has moved on since signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
But I think the Steelers already made their choice at RB1 for the 2025 season late in 2024.
Warren led Pittsburgh in RB snap counts in five of the last six games of the season, including playoffs.
And Warren can handle the workload as the lead back. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry and added 38 receptions last season after pulling in 61 catches in 2024.
The free agent signing of Kenneth Gainwell, who is more of a third-down specialist, proves Warren will be the RB1 in the offense.
Wide Receiver
Courtland Sutton, Denver
Courtland Sutton has one more year left on his contract with the Broncos, and he will turn 30 during the 2025 season.
However, the upside is hard to ignore with his play alongside rookie quarterback Bo Nix late in the season.
Sutton finished with a career-high in targets (135) and receptions (81) and added 1,081 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.
But the promising stat was his consistency in the Broncos’ last 10 games, including playoffs. He saw 8 or more targets in eight of those final 10 games.
The Broncos have plenty of younger WR talent and new TE Evan Engram to surround Sutton from being double-teamed and to be the No. 1 WR in the offense. This offense is primed for fantasy sleepers.
Tight End
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay
Since Thanksgiving in the 2023 season, Tucker Kraft has been the Packers’ top tight end.
He scored in that first start as the Packers defeated Detroit in that Thanksgiving game, and he’s never relinquished the starting role.
In 2024, Kraft had seven touchdowns in the first 13 weeks of the regular season. However, he failed to score in the final four regular-season games and one playoff game.
He still averaged more than 4 targets in those five games and continues to be a top target for quarterback Jordan Love.
With the uncertainty among the Green Bay wide receivers for fantasy purposes, Kraft is the one constant in the offense.
He led the Packers with those 7 touchdown receptions, and he was second on the team with 13 red zone targets (18.3 percent target share), was second in yards receiving (671) , and tied for second in receptions (46).
He should continue to have a big role in the offense and be another one of the 2025 fantasy sleepers.
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