5 Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: First-Year Breakout Candidates (2025)
Dave Ventresca’s 5 fantasy football rookies with top-24 upside. His top rookie draft sleepers, potential first-year league-winners and breakout candidates for 2025 include TreVeyon Henderson, Kaleb Johnson, Kyle Williams, more.
For many years, fading first-year players was seen as a smart move by fantasy football pundits and gamers alike. This was because rookies were largely viewed as wild cards, and it was uncertain whether they could return immediate production.
However, in recent years, we have seen many rookies enter the league and instantly become high-end fantasy producers. Players like Ezekiel Elliott, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Puka Nacua are all recent examples of players who immediately entered the league as elite fantasy football assets. So, who are several rookies available in 2025 fantasy football drafts who could exceed expectations? Let’s take a few minutes and discuss some options. For our activity today, we will examine several undervalued rookies based on average draft position (ADP) data from FFPC (Fantasy Football Players Championship) leagues.
Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Here are five rookies with sneaky top-24 upside who gamers should target in their 2025 fantasy football drafts.
Editor’s Note: Find sleeper picks, undervalued ADPs, and draft targets to help you dominate your fantasy football drafts. Try our free who to draft tool for personalized recommendations.
FFPC ADP: 57.5 Overall
Henderson broke onto the scene as a freshman at Ohio State by running for 1,248 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Unfortunately, injuries would cut short his sophomore and junior seasons. However, Henderson stayed healthy during his senior season in 2024. He totaled 1,300 scrimmage yards and scored 11 total touchdowns. Henderson has good speed and is a threat to make a house call anytime he touches the ball.
TREVEYON HENDERSON 75 YARDS TO THE HOUSE, WOW‼️
Ohio State immediately answers after Texas’ TD. pic.twitter.com/a0OdS0eORK
— ESPN (@espn) January 11, 2025
The Patriots selected Henderson with the 38th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He now joins Rhamondre Stevenson in New England’s backfield. While Henderson is likely to split touches with Stevenson, the latter should still see plenty of work as a pass-catcher.
New Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel also has no ties to Stevenson, and the RB has struggled with fumbles throughout his career. This could lead to more touches for the rookie. It’s also possible Henderson’s role grows over the season, and he could be the team’s lead back by the end of the year.
Henderson offers gamers a safe floor due to his pass-catching chops, and he has top-24 upside if he carves out a larger role as a rusher.
Travis Hunter – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
FFPC ADP: 67.75 Overall
The Jaguars made a huge trade in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Hunter second overall.
With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 @NFLDraft, the @Jaguars select Travis Hunter. @NewEraCap
📺: #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/H6vvTnndCf— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2025
Hunter now joins Brian Thomas Jr. to form one of the most exciting, young wide receiver duos in the league. Since Hunter is a unique player who can also play defensive back, there has been some speculation on just how many offensive snaps he will play. However, Jacksonville has made it clear it sees him as a receiver first, and he should see plenty of offensive snaps.
Q: What is your vision for Travis Hunter? Do you see him playing more on offense?
Liam Coen: “We’ll have a plan right now of [him playing] primarily on offense, with him learning the defensive system and practicing on the defensive side of the ball as well throughout this… pic.twitter.com/juYRrsGXLc
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) April 25, 2025
Jacksonville also hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen to be its new head coach. This is good news for Hunter as Coen helped elevate Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers last year. Should Coen unlock the next level of Trevor Lawrence’s game, it will change the trajectory of the Jaguars offense. Hunter will be a prime beneficiary.
He is a better wide receiver prospect than Thomas was last year and was the new Jacksonville regime’s first pick. The team gave up its 2026 first-round pick to acquire Hunter, so it’s safe to say the team has big plans for him.
Even though he will play some defensive snaps, gamers should expect Hunter to see plenty of targets at wide receiver. If Coen can work his magic on Jacksonville’s offense, Hunter can easily return a profit at his current ADP.
FFPC ADP: 67.81 Overall
Johnson was a polarizing prospect in the lead-up to the NFL Draft. Many doubters expressed concerns over his athleticism and were quick to point out that he had the luxury of playing behind a very good offensive line at the University of Iowa.
However, despite the concerns, Johnson was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With the 83rd pick in the 2025 #NFLDraft, we select RB Kaleb Johnson. pic.twitter.com/bGIsBRDAQl
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 26, 2025
Johnson saw most of his success come in a zone blocking rush scheme. Fortunately for him, he found the ideal landing spot with the Steelers.
Kaleb Johnson was most successful in a zone-blocking scheme.
The #Steelers ran the 2nd most zone-blocking runs in the NFL last year per @FantasyPtsData 👀
This is a GREAT landing spot and Johnson is about to prove all his haters wrong. #fantasyfootball #nfldraft25
— Dave Ventresca (@FF_Stallion) April 26, 2025
The Steelers use zone blocking concepts on the vast majority of their runs. Johnson could not have landed in a better situation. Concerns about his athleticism are overblown. We have seen many backs not test as elite athletes and go on to have strong careers.
He also posted some strong advanced metrics in college. Among 156 collegiate rushers with at least 100 attempts, Johnson ranked 13th in PFF elusive rating, 10th in missed tackles forced, and 24th in PFF rushing grade. Make no mistake about it, he is a very talented back.
.@steelers @HawkeyeFootball. @KJ_Superman2 Kaleb is a Big Powerful RB that ran from a pro style offense. Easy to project to the NFL. #HereWeGo #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/y3gdpFVl2P
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 26, 2025
Johnson landed in an ideal situation with the Steelers. The recent addition of Aaron Rodgers at quarterback only strengthens his outlook. Johnson is a strong bet to return back-end RB1/high-end RB2 production and has sneaky upside as a receiver. Take advantage of his cost in drafts this year because this might be the last time you can get Johnson this cheap for quite some time.
FFPC ADP: 108.44 Overall
Another Jacksonville Jaguar makes our list. Tuten was selected at the top of the fourth round by the Jaguars in the NFL Draft. Normally, Day 3 running backs are not guaranteed much, but Tuten was a high-priority target for new Jaguars general manager James Gladstone.
James Gladstone presented Bhayshul Tuten’s name as a priority target on Day 3 during his two interviews with the Jaguars to become their GM pic.twitter.com/08PYmloWYU
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) April 26, 2025
Tuten is a highly athletic and talented rusher. What makes him special is his elite speed. It stands out on film and makes him a threat to score from anywhere on the field.
𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐆.@bhayshul went off for 266 rushing yards – a new @HokiesFB record – and the DUB 😤 pic.twitter.com/Yg2oYFsO9t
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 18, 2024
The fact that Gladstone specifically mentioned Tuten’s name during his interviews for the general manager job should not be overlooked. The team is very bullish on his outlook. The one bugaboo for Tuten in college was his ball security. Unfortunately, that issue reared its ugly head early on in the Jaguars’ minicamp.
#Jaguars HC Liam Coen on how Bhayshul Tuten is looking:
“He put the ball on the ground today, that kinda stands out… Good learning experience, first time in a live setting in the National Football League on your first carry — hopefully you learn something from that moment.” pic.twitter.com/6nlwWz1kZo
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) May 19, 2025
Hopefully, that experience motivates Tuten to improve his ball security. If it does, the sky could be the limit.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has recently expressed support for incumbent starter Travis Etienne Jr. He figures to begin the season as the starter. However, it’s worth noting that Etienne has not been an efficient rusher over the last two years. Also, the team was reportedly prepared to draft running backs Ashton Jeanty and RJ Harvey in the NFL Draft, but those plans didn’t materialize.
If Etienne struggles to begin the season, the team could give Tuten more touches. If he gets more work, Tuten has the talent needed to become an elite fantasy option. He’s an ideal late-round target in all fantasy drafts.
Kyle Williams – WR, New England Patriots
FFPC ADP: 148.38 Overall
Williams was drafted 69th overall by the New England Patriots in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With the No. 69 overall pick in the 2025 @NFLDraft, the @Patriots select Kyle Williams.
📺: #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wnA9NLzQbs— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2025
His selection was noteworthy as New England is searching for playmakers for second-year quarterback Drake Maye, and the team has few options behind WR1 Stefon Diggs. Williams is an underrated route runner and separates well against all coverages. He is a sneaky bet to emerge as Maye’s WR1.
2+ minutes of Kyle Williams absolutely torching guys on All-22:
• Patriots fans, meet your WR1… pic.twitter.com/NhPscB5NGS
— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) April 26, 2025
What makes Williams a fun sleeper is the role that slot receivers have played in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system for years now. Wes Welker and Julian Edelman famously had great success operating in this role. Jakobi Meyers also had a degree of success playing under McDaniels in New England and Las Vegas.
Williams profiles best as a slot receiver with the ability to play a bit of flanker in the NFL. However, we should expect him to work primarily out of the slot. Third-round draft capital doesn’t automatically guarantee anything, even for a team like New England that desperately needs pass-catchers.
Still, it’s telling that it was willing to use an early round pick on a player who nicely fits into the slot role of McDaniels’ offense. Williams’ talent is real, and you could do a lot worse than using a late-round pick on him. At his current price, there’s little downside.
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