The 2025 NFL season is still a few months away, but 2025 Fantasy football drafts are right around the corner. There are always Fantasy football sleepers who are flying under the radar, and there are also Fantasy football breakouts set to make a major impact. Carolina Panthers fans are hoping Rico Dowdle turns into an excellent Fantasy football pick after coming over from Dallas. Dowdle rushed for a career-high 1,079 yards last season, the 12th-most in the NFL, while also adding 249 yards on 39 catches and three touchdowns.
However, Dowdle will now share a backfield with Chuba Hubbard, who had his own breakout last season with a career-best 1,195 rushing yards on 250 carries and 10 touchdowns. Which player will emerge as the lead back in Carolina, and which other running backs should you target in your 2025 Fantasy football lineups? 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. 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 2024 Fantasy football standard projections 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 2025 Fantasy football rankings, 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: Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who is the third-favorite (+1000) to lead the NFL in passing yardage. The 31-year-old only played eight games last year due to a season-ending hamstring injury, but when he takes the field this year, he’ll have a game-changing new weapon to go alongside arguably the most talented receiver in the NFL. The Cowboys traded for George Pickens from the Steelers and Pickens has a big-play ability that could pair well with Prescott running alongside CeeDee Lamb, who will always demand additional defensive attention. Prescott was QB3 in Fantasy football in 2023 despite Lamb being the only Dallas wide receiver to reach 700 yards.
He was QB7 in Fantasy football in 2021, as he’s been a consistent top Fantasy football quarterback option when healthy. Health has been the biggest concern though, as he’s failed to complete three of his last five seasons. That injury risk has been built into his ADP, and the model has Prescott as a top-10 Fantasy football quarterback this season. He is currently being drafted outside the top 10 at his position and given his recent injuries and potential name fatigue, that’s a trend that could continue. But the model views that as a mistake, making Prescott a top quarterback Fantasy football sleeper. See more Fantasy football sleepers 2025 here.
Top 2025 Fantasy football breakouts
One of the 2025 Fantasy football breakouts the model is predicting: Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson. The No. 38 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft was a four-year standout at Ohio State, rushing for 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns while adding 77 receptions for 853 yards and six more scores as a receiver. Now, he’s set to become a focal point of a rebuilding New England roster, and he’s +2200 at FanDuel to win Rookie of the year.
Drake Maye showed signs of franchise quarterback potential as a rookie, and New England overhauled its offensive line to protect him. Henderson should also benefit from the additions of first-round pick Will Campbell, Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses up front. He’ll compete with Rhamondre Stevenson for carries. See more Fantasy football breakouts 2025 here.
Top 2025 Fantasy football busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Saints wide receiver Chris Olave as one of its 2025 Fantasy football busts. Olave was extremely productive during his first two seasons in New Orleans, eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards both years. However, he dealt with numerous injuries in 2024 that saw him finish with just 32 receptions for 400 yards and one touchdown.
The star wideout missed the final eight games of 2024 due to a concussion, but he’s expected to be the focal point in Kellen Moore’s passing attack. However, the Saints still have major questions at the quarterback position. New Orleans averaged only 205.2 passing yards per game last season, which doesn’t bode well for Olave’s Fantasy production in 2025. SportsLine’s model is calling for Prescott to finish outside the top 50 in its 2025 wide receiver rankings, making him one of the Fantasy football busts to avoid. See more Fantasy football busts 2025 here.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football 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.
