Fantasy Football Rankings 2025: Sleepers from proven NFL model that predicted James Cook's monster year
SportsLine simulated the NFL season 10,000 times and revealed its 2025 Fantasy football sleepers for 2025 Fantasy football draft prep

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud went from one of the biggest sleepers in Fantasy football in his rookie season to one of the biggest busts in his sophomore year. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft shot up significantly in Fantasy football rankings last year after finishing as QB7 in Fantasy football as a rookie on a points-per-game basis for quarterbacks playing more than eight games. However, last year, Stroud was QB18 in Fantasy football despite playing all 17 games. Where should Stroud fall in 2025 Fantasy football rankings after a roller coaster first two seasons for the 23-year-old quarterback?
Houston lost Stefon Diggs but added Christian Kirk as a veteran receiver option for Stroud. The Texans also selected receiver Jayden Higgins No. 34 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he could be an immediate impact player with Tank Dell missing at least the start of the season after a knee injury in December. The AFC South is arguably the weakest division in football, so Stroud should have an easier schedule, and with Year 3 often being a telling season for young quarterbacks, can you leave your 2025 Fantasy football drafts confident with Stroud as your QB1? Before crafting your 2025 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2025 Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Bills running back James Cook would comfortably outperform his ADP (RB14). The result: Cook rushed for 1,009 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 32 receptions for 258 yards and two more scores as a receiver. He finished as RB8 in CBS Sports PPR leagues and his maturation into a scoring threat cemented his status as a Fantasy football superstar.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020, nailing Jonathan Taylor's monstrous season in 2021 and correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024. Additionally, it's called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The 2025 Fantasy football PPR rankings and 2025 Fantasy football standard rankings update multiple times daily, so you're always getting the best Fantasy football advice.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2025, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Fantasy football sleepers
One of the 2025 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Bears running back D'Andre Swift. Most people are focusing on quarterback Caleb Williams' potential uptick in production with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson taking over as the Chicago head coach, but look at how dominant the Lions were on the ground under Johnson and that should excite you about Swift's potential. The Lions ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards per game last year and sixth the year before, and that's without a quarterback who is any threat on the ground. All the rushing production came from the running backs, and Swift is in line for a bulk of those opportunities this season.
Swift had a career-high 1,345 yards from scrimmage last season and finished inside the top 20 Fantasy football scoring running backs. The 26-year-old played his first three years in Detroit with Johnson on the coaching staff, so the two are familiar with one another. When Johnson was the Lions' passing game coordinator in 2021, Swift had a career-high 62 receptions in just 13 games. Expect Johnson to use Swift in the passing game as well to increase his Fantasy football appeal with the potential to be a top 2025 Fantasy football sleeper.
Another sleeper that SportsLine's Fantasy football rankings 2025 have identified: Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. The former No. 1 overall pick was the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and a Pro Bowler in 2020 and 2021, but injuries and coaching staff changes led to sagging production in 2022 and 2023. He finally managed to play in all 17 games in 2024 and finished as QB10 after passing for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding 572 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Now the model is expecting him to take a big step forward in 2025, which will be his third season in Drew Petzing's offense. It's a unit that remains almost entirely intact after last season, and the potential for Marvin Harrison Jr. to take another step forward should elicit optimism. That's why the model ranks Murray ahead of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, even though Mahomes is being drafted over 30 picks earlier in early 2025 Fantasy football drafts. See which other Fantasy football sleepers 2025 to pick here.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a veteran wide receiver to surprise with his production. The model says this wideout is a shocking top-10 option ahead of younger stars like A.J. Brown and Drake London. You can only see who it is, and the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2025 Fantasy Football sleepers should you target? And which wide receiver shocks the NFL with a top-10 performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called James Cook's huge season, and find out.