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USATSI

As Fantasy Football managers, we're always looking for the next big thing. The young player who is about to have a breakout season. The rookie who could make an impact right away. We want someone new and exciting -- not old and slow.

But there's always going to be a handful of veterans who surprise us. It might not be for a full season, but there could be several weeks where you're getting quality production from an unlikely (older) source.

For example, in 2024 you might have started and relied on guys like Sam Darnold, Kareem Hunt, Adam Thielen or Jonnu Smith. Those are just a handful of veterans who made a big impact last season and might have contributed to you winning your Fantasy league.

So who will be those surprise veterans this season? I went through each roster to pick out someone who might not get drafted in your Fantasy league or could be a late-round pick, but there's a chance for them to be relevant at some point this year. 

They are likely names you know but might not want to draft anymore. However, they could still provide one last Fantasy surprise in 2025, and they might be top waiver wire options during the season.

Today, we'll break down sleepers I'm targeting in all 2025 Fantasy Football drafts from the NFC South. Check back on the site throughout the end of this week and into next for sleepers from every single team in every single division. 

NFC North Sleepers

Buccaneers

Cade Otton, TE

Tampa Bay has a lot of Fantasy stars in Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka. The only player who qualifies for this story is Otton, who has a FantasyPros ADP of Round 15. I don't expect much from Otton this season barring an injury or two, but we saw how good he could be in 2024 when Evans and Godwin were out. Otton had a three-game stretch from Weeks 7-9 where he scored at least 18 PPR points, but he struggled when Evans returned to action and McMillan emerged. Maybe, Otton can surprise us when everyone is healthy, but he'll only be a waiver-wire option at best in deeper leagues during the year.

Falcons

Kirk Cousins, QB

I hope that Michael Penix Jr. is a star and starts every game for the Falcons, but what if he gets injured or struggles? Cousins could jump back in as the starter for Atlanta, and maybe he becomes a waiver wire option for Fantasy managers in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. Cousins wasn't awful through Week 9 in 2024, scoring at least 21.5 Fantasy points in four games and averaging 19.6 points per game over that span. He fell apart after that with fewer than 11 Fantasy points in each of his next five outings before being replaced by Penix, and here we are now with Cousins on the bench. There's also the potential of a trade happening, which could save Cousins, so keep that in mind. His FantasyPros ADP is Round 19.

Panthers

Adam Thielen, WR

Thielen was one of the best players for this category last season, and he could be again in 2025. Even though he'll be 35 in August, Thielen showed a great rapport with Bryce Young in 2024. After missing seven games with a hamstring injury, Thielen returned in Week 12 and scored at least 15.3 PPR points in four of his final seven games. Carolina added first-round rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan and still has Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker to share targets with Thielen, but the Panthers should still continue to rely on Thielen enough to make him Fantasy relevant for another year. He's a great late-round flier in all formats with a FantasyPros ADP of Round 15.

Saints

Juwan Johnson, TE
Brandin Cooks, WR

Rashid Shaheed is a Round 13 pick on FantasyPros, which is a little too soon for this category. Instead, let's go with Johnson and Cooks in a revamped New Orleans offense. Johnson, who has a Round 18 ADP, is more likely to be Fantasy relevant as a low-end starting tight end, especially with Taysom Hill (knee) hurt. Johnson closed 2024 on a high note with at least 12 PPR points in four of his final seven games, and hopefully he'll stay hot coming into this season. Cooks, who turns 32 in December, barely has an ADP in Round 26, but we'll see if he can turn back the clock in his return to the Saints, who drafted him in 2014. He had a miserable season in 2024 in Dallas with 6.9 PPR points per game, but he scored eight touchdowns in 2023. We'll see if Cooks can carve out a prominent role this season behind Chris Olave and Shaheed, and keep in mind that both of those receivers are coming off injuries in 2024. The quarterback situation for New Orleans could be messy, but Johnson and Cooks could still command their fair share of targets this season.