Top 5 fantasy football rookie sleepers in 2025

No. 11 Notre Dame topples No. 1 Miami

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Top 5 fantasy football rookie sleepers in 2025

Bailey Bassett · ClutchPoints

Mon, Aug 18, 2025 ·

7 min read

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The post Top 5 fantasy football rookie sleepers in 2025 appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The 2024 NFL Draft class was stacked with rookies who thrived on the field and put up huge fantasy football numbers. There were six first-round quarterbacks, and Caleb Williams , Jayden Daniels , Bo Nix , Drake Maye , and Michael Penix Jr. all made big impacts during their first seasons.

Malik Nabers also broke the rookie record for receptions, just for Brock Bowers to then break it not long after . Other first-year stars, such as Brian Thomas Jr. and Bucky Irving , made immediate impacts as well, so expectations are sky high for the rookies from the 2025 NFL Draft class.

Projections have some impressive youngsters thriving right away. Cam Ward was the No. 1 pick and should fix the Tennessee Titans ' quarterback problem. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter is well-renowned for his two-way ability, and Ashton Jeanty is coming off one of the best collegiate rushing seasons ever.

Those players are well-known, though. So what rookies are the best sleeper picks who aren't being talked about much but could become fantasy football league winners?

5. R.J. Harvey, RB, Broncos

RJ Harvey is a known commodity, so he isn't as big of a fantasy football sleeper as the other rookies on this list. Still, he deserves a spot here because he is ranked below Jeanty, Omarion Hampton , and TreVyion Henderson among rookie running backs. Harvey very well could have the best rookie season of that bunch.

The Denver Broncos made a huge leap last season because of Nix's success as a rookie. The team lacked running back talent, but they could take another step forward with Harvey carrying the ball.

The second-round pick from UCF is a bowling ball who can run through or around opposing defensive players. He had 22 rushing touchdowns during his final collegiate season, and the Broncos will likely use the ball carrier as their red zone weapon as well.

Harvey is only competing for carries with J.K. Dobbins , Jaleel McLaughlin , and Audric Estime. Dobbins rarely stays healthy; McLaughlin is just an undersized change-of-pace back; and Estime has had conflict with the Broncos' coaching staff.

The Broncos only listed Harvey as their fifth-string running back on Denver's initial depth chart, but his role will be much bigger than that in 2025. Sean Payton lists rookies at the end of the depth chart so that they earn their place, but Harvey has already started to do that through training camp and Denver's preseason games.

4. Tory Horton , WR, Seahawks

Harvey currently resides in Colorado. Tory Horton used to be a Coloradan, as he spent the majority of his college career at Colorado State University. Horton put up massive numbers for the Rams in his first two seasons with the program. Horton had 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns during his third collegiate season, and he added five more yards to his total the next year.

Then, as a senior, Horton played in just six games and had only 353 receiving yards. The down season led to many fans forgetting about his star talent and resulted in Horton falling to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Seattle Seahawks seemingly got a steal, though.

Horton has been one of the biggest standouts during training camp league-wide. He also led Seattle with three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks' first preseason game.

The receiver is now dealing with an ankle injury that held him out of the Seahawks' second preseason game, but his position on Seattle's 53-man roster is likely secure, and there are targets available with pass-catching staples DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett playing for new teams.

Horton is just the 276th-ranked fantasy player this year, so it won't take much for him to outplay his average draft position. The CSU product can become so much more than just an underdrafted or undrafted value get, though. He can supply real value to fantasy teams in year one.

3. Quinshon Judkins , RB, Cleveland Browns

Nick Chubb found success as a bruising running back for the Cleveland Browns for years. Quinshon Judkins will eventually overtake that role. The rookie from Ohio State is a 6-foot, 220-pound freight train that runs in-between the tackles and through defenders.

The Browns have a questionable quarterback room, and it seems unlikely that any of Joe Flacco , Kenny Pickett , Dillon Gabriel , or Shedeur Sanders line up under center for the entire season and find consistent success. Because of that, the Browns may hand the ball off with frequency.

Jerome Ford looked like a mere depth piece last year, and considering Judkins was drafted two rounds before Dylan Sampson in the 2025 NFL Draft, he has a clear path to being the bell-cow back in Cleveland.

Like Chubb before him, Judkins is much more known for his rushing ability than his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. That makes him a great option in standard format leagues, especially because he is listed as RB8 among rookies and as just the 20th best rookie overall.

Of course, part of Judkins' low ranking is because he is the lone rookie from the 2025 NFL Draft class who has yet to sign a deal. Additionally, a potential suspension is looming because of a domestic violence issue .

Judkins has some hurdles to overcome before he can suit up for the Browns, and his tumultuous offseason could lead to a slow start once he returns to the fold. Judkins has the potential to be one of the best running backs in fantasy football when he is full steam ahead, though. Until then, those invested in Judkins should also acquire Sampson as a handcuff.

2. Tre Harris , WR, Chargers

Justin Herbert didn't have many weapons to throw to last year, which led to a huge rookie season from Ladd McConkey . The receiver caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards.

Nobody else on the team had more than 55 catches, so there is still a fair amount of target share available for Los Angeles ' revamped receiving corps especially because Herbert is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL.

Herbert becoming a 5,000-yard passer again isn't out of the question, but it will require somebody stepping up in the passing game. The Chargers brought back Keenan Allen , but the elite route runner is getting older. Former first-round pick Quinton Johnston hasn't lived up to his predraft billing, so another youngster could break out this year, like McConkey did last season.

The Chargers selected Tre Harris in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Harris is a converted quarterback and an incredible athlete. McConkey will still be the PPR beast in Los Angeles, but Harris could work more as a deep threat, possession receiver, and red-zone option. His fantasy football ceiling is much higher than his rookie ranking of 15.

1. Jaydon Blue , RB, Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys were thin at running back heading into last season, which made Rico Dowdle one of the top sleeper running backs in 2024. Dowdle didn't start the season atop the depth chart, but he ended up running for 1,079 yards, whereas Ezekiel Elliot only had 226 yards on the ground.

Dowdle has since moved on and is now playing for the Carolina Panthers , so the Cowboys are back in a similar position that they were last year. Javonte Williams was brought in to be the starter, but he is an aging veteran and an inefficient runner, so it seems like just a matter of time until the Cowboys give a young guy a chance.

This year, that youngster is Jaydon Blue. The Texas alumnus was a fifth-round pick, but he hasn't played in the preseason yet because of a heel injury. That injury will force Blue to fall down fantasy draft boards and potentially even get off to a slow start.

It seems inevitable that he will take over the starting role in no time, though. Texas has put out a lot of great running backs recently, and Blue is next in line to make a big impact right away. Considering he is the 26th-ranked rookie, Blue is a deep sleeper, but there is a route to him becoming a starting fantasy football performer.

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