Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle both had breakout seasons last year, with each going over 1,000 rushing yards in their fourth NFL seasons. However, the two are now part of the same running back room with Carolina, but maybe the Panthers could have a 2025 Fantasy football breakout, or two, in their receivers room. Last year’s first round pick, Xavier Legette, is joined by No. 8 overall selection in this year’s draft, Tetairoa McMillan, as the team is doing everything it can to also elevate Bryce Young into a potential Fantasy football breakout.
McMillan is going in the mid-rounds of many 2025 Fantasy football drafts, while Legette is being undrafted, according to his Fantasy football ADP. One shouldn’t underestimate the year of pro experience that Legette now has and the bond he’s already built with Young. No one is expecting much from Carolina as a whole, so there could be some Fantasy football steals up and down its roster. 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 Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels would comfortably outperform his ADP (QB13). The result: Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns with only nine interceptions and added 891 rushing yards with six more scores on the ground to take home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He finished as QB5 in CBS Sports PPR leagues and was a great addition to Fantasy football lineups.
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.
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 breakouts
One of the 2025 Fantasy football breakouts the model is predicting: 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall. The No. 31 overall pick in last year’s draft had the most unfortunate of starts to his pro career, as he didn’t make his NFL debut until Week 7 due to being shot just a week before the season. He still managed to make an impact as a rookie, averaging 80.3 receiving yards with three touchdowns across his four starts.
With Deebo Samuel now in D.C. and Brandon Aiyuk recovering from a torn ACL, Pearsall is locked into a starting spot. Both Samuel and Aiyuk ranked as top 10 Fantasy receivers as recently as 2023, so Kyle Shanahan runs a receiver-friendly offense. Pearsall is a big-play threat who topped the SEC in yards per catch while at Florida and has already shown a solid rapport with Brock Purdy. SportsLine’s model likes Pearsall as a 2025 Fantasy football breakout as he’d be a steal at the end of drafts.
Another potential breakout that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2025 have identified: Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson. The second-round pick out of Ohio State helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship last season, and he was a four-year contributor for one of the most successful programs in the country. He rushed for 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns while adding 77 receptions for 853 yards and six more scores in four years despite battling injuries in 2022 and 2023 and then sharing a backfield with Quinshon Judkins in 2024.
The silver lining is that Henderson’s mileage is relatively low for a four-year back, as he only touched the ball 667 times during his tenure at Ohio State. He’ll split reps with veterans Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson in the early going in New England, but the door is certainly open for him to take on a starring role sooner rather than later. That’s why the model ranks him ahead of fellow rookie running back Omarion Hampton and RJ Harvey, who are both being drafted earlier than Henderson on average. See which other Fantasy football breakouts 2025 to pick here.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a rookie running back to make an immediate impact. The model ranks this player as a top-10 option ahead of more established stars like Christian McCaffrey and Bucky Irving. You can only see who it is, and the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2025 Fantasy Football breakouts should you target, and which RB 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 Jayden Daniels’ breakout rookie season, and find out.
2025 Fantasy football ADP
(PPR, via CBS)
1. Saquon Barkley (2.24)
2. Bijan Robinson (2.54)
3. Ja’Marr Chase (3.12)
4. Jahmyr Gibbs (3.99)
5. Derrick Henry (5.69)
6. Josh Jacobs (9.85)
7. Justin Jefferson (10.10)
8. Christian McCaffrey (10.71)
9. Ashton Jeanty (11.14)
10. Lamar Jackson (11.35)