Will Christian McCaffrey rebound after an injury-plagued 2024 season? The San Francisco 49ers running back was a top pick in NFL fantasy drafts last year, but ended up being a major bust since he was only able to play in four games before ending his season with a PCL injury against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 1. There is optimism McCaffrey can return to form in 2025, but his injury history has dented his Fantasy football ADP and made him a trickier selection for Fantasy football owners.
Other proven running backs like Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs are expected to go early in 2025 Fantasy football drafts, as well as rookie Ashton Jeanty. Should you select a well-known RB with an early pick in your Fantasy football draft, or is it better to back a lesser-known player? Before finalizing 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 Bills running back James Cook would comfortably outperform his ADP (RB14). The result: Cook rushed for 1,009 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 32 receptions for 258 yards and two more scores as a receiver. He finished as RB8 in CBS Sports PPR leagues and his maturation into a scoring threat cemented his status as a Fantasy football superstar.
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 sleepers
One of the 2025 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Vikings running back Aaron Jones. The veteran’s price fell after Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he and Jordan Mason were “1A-1B” on the depth chart earlier in camp, but that’s also creating the potential for value from a proven player. Jones is now the 25th running back off the board on average despite finishing as RB15 last season.
He rushed for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns and was heavily involved in Minnesota’s passing attack, catching 51 passes for 408 yards and two more scores. Mason might have an exciting downhill running style, but he missed five games last season and has 250 career touches in three seasons. Jones was able to withstand a career-high 306 touches in his age-30 season and the model ranks him as RB16 for 2025.
Another sleeper that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2025 have identified: Bears running back D’Andre Swift. The Philadelphia native posted a career-high 1,049 rushing yards with the Eagles in 2023 while averaging 4.6 yards per carry with five touchdowns. His numbers took a slight dip in 2024, but he should get a boost this season after being reunited with Bears new head coach Ben Johnson.
When the duo was last paired together in 2022, Swift averaged 5.5 yards per carry and finished with 931 yards and eight touchdowns while playing behind Jamaal Williams on the Detroit Lions. Swift is now installed as Chicago’s RB1 and should shoulder a significant amount of work, especially with the rest of the Bears RB depth a bit of a question mark heading into the 2025 NFL season. See which other Fantasy football sleepers 2025 to pick here.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a veteran wide receiver to surprise with his production. The model says this wideout is a shocking top-10 option ahead of younger stars like A.J. Brown and Drake London. You can only see who it is, and the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2025 Fantasy Football sleepers should you target, and which wide receiver 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 James Cook’s huge season, and find out.
2025 Fantasy football ADP
(PPR, via CBS)
1. Ja’Marr Chase (1.67)
2. Bijan Robinson (2.54)
3. Saquon Barkley (3.16)
4. Jahmyr Gibbs (3.91)
5. CeeDee Lamb (7.23)
6. Justin Jefferson (7.50)
7. Derrick Henry (7.93)
8. Christian McCaffrey (8.90)
9. Ashton Jeanty (11.66)
10. Josh Jacobs (11.95)
Add Comment