If you end up winning your Fantasy league, you likely had strong contributions from your first and second-round picks from the 2025 Fantasy football draft, but those players aren’t often the ones who determine champions. It’s easy to find high scorers early, but it’s the middle and late rounds that can create the true Fantasy football sleepers and breakouts that make a substantial difference in winning a championship. Last year, Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was one of those league-changing gems. The fourth-round rookie running back wasn’t the starter to begin training camp, but he took over the spot and finished as the RB13 in PPR formats.
Irving will cost significantly greater Fantasy football draft capital this year, so who are the 2025 Fantasy football breakouts who can replicate Irving’s surprising rookie season? Five running backs were selected in the first 15 picks of the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and none are the clear starters entering this season, but could a runner like Cam Skattebo with the Giants or Bhayshul Tuten in Jacksonville prove to be a 2025 Fantasy football league winner? Before setting 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 Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud might take a step back in his second season. He finished as QB18 and anybody who avoided drafting him early dodged a major headache in their 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 calling Rachaad White’s breakout in 2023. Additionally, it has called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest 2025 Fantasy football rankings for PPR and non-PPR leagues, 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: Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Nobody is going to confuse Meyers for Justin Jefferson or CeeDee Lamb in name appeal, and it’s not the selection that will rattle your 2025 Fantasy football league mates. But you can’t argue with the production of Meyers over recent seasons. The 28-year-old is coming off a career-high 1,027 receiving yards in his six NFL seasons for his fourth straight year with more than 800 yards. The 6-foot-2 Meyers had eight touchdowns in the 2023 season as he enters his third year in Las Vegas.
The Raiders used three different quarterbacks last season, but after trading for Geno Smith shortly after hiring Pete Carroll as the new quarterback-head coach duo, there could be more stability in Las Vegas this fall. The Raiders have had five different quarterbacks over Meyers’ two seasons in Las Vegas, and he’s still produced as a viable Fantasy football receiver. The model views Meyers as a top 25 Fantasy football wide receiver, but he’s going well outside there in ADP, making him a top sleeper candidate for those serious about winning their Fantasy football leagues, not just captivating their fellow managers with the most high-profile names. See more Fantasy football sleepers 2025 here.
Top 2025 Fantasy football breakouts
One of the 2025 Fantasy football breakouts the model is predicting: Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter. The Heisman Trophy winner was a two-way star at Colorado, racking up 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense last season. Jacksonville traded up to draft him at No. 2 overall, so he will be a focal point for the Jaguars in 2025.
He has a chance to start alongside wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and quarterback Trevor Lawrence in Liam Coen’s offense. Coen’s top two wide receivers in Tampa Bay, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, were target hogs when they were both healthy. Hunter and Thomas could wind up in a similar situation, and the model has Hunter listed as one of its Fantasy football breakouts. See more Fantasy football breakouts 2025 here.
Top 2025 Fantasy football busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle as one of its biggest Fantasy football busts. Waddle broke out as WR8 in 2022, he led all wide receivers in yards per catch and yards per target. He’s been a top-24 wide receiver per game in three of his first four NFL seasons, but Miami’s offense features a plethora of weapons that eat into Waddle’s Fantasy production.
The Dolphins feature Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane, and Jonnu Smith in the passing game, and Waddle’s target per route run rate declined sharply to 17.4% in 2024. In addition, Waddle is coming off his worst season as a pro, having failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his NFL career. The model ranks Waddle behind receivers like Darnell Mooney, Travis Hunter and Jauan Jennings, making him one of the top 2025 Fantasy football busts to avoid. See more Fantasy football busts 2025 here.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising wide receiver you aren’t even thinking about being taken in the early rounds of 2025 Fantasy football drafts. This wide receiver is listed as a shocking top-15 option ahead of stars like A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill. You can only see who it is, and the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2025 Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade, and which WR shocks the NFL with a top-15 performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called C.J. Stroud’s disappointing sophomore season in 2024, and find out.