- Don't shy away from a talented group of rookie skill-position players: Even the sleepers with higher ADPs, such as Luther Burden III and Tyler Warren, are good value picks based on their talent and projected roles.
- There's precedent for the Chiefs' handing the keys to a rookie running back: Seventh-round Isiah Pacheco became the team's lead back in 2022, and Brashard Smith has a chance to take the same path in 2025.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Finding edges in fantasy football is what separates the .500 teams from the contenders. Those edges are often in the form of unheralded rookies or younger players who grow into large roles that yield significant fantasy production.
Here are six sleeper rookies to consider in 2025 fantasy football drafts.
ADP 100-150: WR Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
Heading into the 2024 college football season, Burden was the favorite to be the first wide receiver selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and at worst the WR2 behind Tetairoa McMillan. However, a disappointing junior campaign at Missouri caused him to fall to the second round.
He did land in an advantageous spot in Chicago, where new head coach Ben Johnson and a potential second-year leap from quarterback Caleb Williams have fans excited. Burden has shown the ability to be an elite target, posting a 91.0 PFF receiving grade during his sophomore season against SEC competition. And he finished his junior year with an 80.2 PFF receiving grade and 2.53 yards per route run.
The competition for targets is stiff in Chicago, with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and rookie tight end Colston Loveland all vying for Caleb Williams’ attention. But Moore and Odunze had relatively disappointing seasons last year, and Loveland was unable to participate in minicamp while recovering from a shoulder injury. If Burden can recapture the form he showed in 2023 and become a top-two target in this offense, he should easily pay off this ADP with the potential for an even higher ceiling.
ADP 100-150: TE Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Warren was a late bloomer at Penn State, with only one season of major production. However, he did record one of the best years we’ve ever seen at the tight end position on his way to a 93.4 PFF receiving grade with a 2.71 yards per route run average, eight receiving touchdowns and four rushing scores.
The Colts’ quarterback situation isn’t super inspiring: Veteran Daniel Jones and an injured Anthony Richardson are fighting for the job after respectively lackluster 2024 seasons. There is some decent target competition in Indianapolis between Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce and a potential second-year breakout from Adonai Mitchell, but the Colts' coaching staff has talked about using Warren, a former high school quarterback, in a Taysom Hill-esque role like Penn State did at times last year.
If Warren is able to get those high-value touches, he could finish the season as a top-five player at his position and continue the streak of strong rookie tight end performances in recent years.
ADP 150-200: RB DJ Giddens, Indianapolis Colts
The 2025 NFL Draft's deep running back class left several prospects on the board later than expected, including Giddens, who fell to the fifth round. He still landed in a solid spot with the Colts, with whom he should slot in as Jonathan Taylor’s backup right away. His only real competition is Khalil Herbert, who handled just 36 carries last season.
Giddens earned at least an 85.0 PFF rushing grade in each of his three seasons at Kansas State, rushing for 4.1 yards after contact per attempt last year. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound running back has the size to be a feature back if Taylor misses time, as he has in each of the past three seasons. Giddens needs to improve his receiving chops after dropping five passes last season, but he still provides great value at his current price as a pretty clear-cut handcuff.
ADP 150-200: WR Pat Bryant, Denver Broncos
One of the biggest surprises of the draft was the Denver Broncos’ selection of Illinois receiver Pat Bryant in the third round. Head coach Sean Payton has already thrown out the Michael Thomas comparison when discussing Bryant post-draft, which suggests he could see a significant role early in Denver.
Bryant finally broke out in his senior year, earning an 86.0 PFF receiving grade and averaging 2.6 yards per route run and 18.2 yards per reception. He logged 10 touchdowns and dropped only one pass.
Payton likes receivers with size, which could give Bryant more snaps than some of the team's smaller pass-catchers, such as Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin. If we get some good training camp buzz on the rookie, his price will certainly go up, so grab him in the later rounds while you still can.
ADP 200+: WR Dont'e Thornton, Las Vegas Raiders
Even though the Raiders selected Jack Bech in the second round, it was their fourth-round receiver who created buzz in minicamp. Thornton has reportedly been running with the first-teamers this offseason alongside Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, with his calling card being his 4.3 speed.
If the Tennessee product earns that role when Week 1 rolls around, it will be his first experience as a full-time player in a long while after topping out at 365 snaps in a season during his four-year college career. On those limited snaps, the speedy wideout did record an 80.6 PFF receiving grade last year and turned 29 receptions into 750 yards with an absurd 4.01 yards per route run and 25.9 yards per reception.
If you’re looking for a dart throw at wide receiver with your final pick, you could do much worse than Thornton.
ADP 200+: RB Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has given his starting running back job to a seventh-round pick before in Isiah Pacheco, and he has the opportunity to do it again after the Chiefs selected Brashard Smith in the final round of this year’s draft. Smith is a converted wide receiver who produced in a major way during his lone season as a running back at SMU.
Smith earned an 86.9 PFF rushing grade and a stellar 90.8 PFF receiving grade last year, helping SMU make the College Football Playoff. We know Reid loves versatility in the backfield, and Smith should only continue to get better at the position with more experience.
The former Mustang could conceivably grab hold of the Jerick McKinnon role in this offense, which was good for 11.7 fantasy points per game during the 2022 season. If Smith gets anywhere close to that sort of production as a rookie, he’d be a home-run pick at this price.
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