Best Valued Fantasy Football Picks
Who said fantasy football sleepers? – Not me. That word gets people foaming at the mouth on fantasy Twitter. The correct term now is “value pick based on average draft position.” A true sleeper only exists if you’re starring in a Disney+ movie as a 22-year-old dreamboat who pumps gas by day, runs a 4.4 forty by night, and has a secret rocket arm that just needs the right coach with a heart of gold to believe in him. A fantasy sleeper is born when an injury strikes the team, and the coach has no choice; suddenly, the kid is throwing game-winning touchdowns in the pouring rain, slow-motion camera scenes with emotional music playing. By the end, he’s dating the captain of the cheerleading squad, hugging disgruntled Dad on the 50-yard line, and Disney wraps it all up in 94 minutes with a PG rating.
But this isn’t Hollywood. This is fantasy football; there’s no inspirational soundtrack, just ADP and the cold math of who’s going way later than they should. That’s what we’re talking about here, my favorite value picks for 2025.
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Average Draft Position: 23 | RB10
Jonathan Taylor is currently going in the late second round (RB10) despite putting up 1,567 total yards and 12 scores last season while dealing with a high ankle sprain. Taylor turned 26 in January and isn’t losing carries to anyone, especially along the goal line. He’s still a fantasy stud, but it’s the surrounding talent that has fantasy managers concerned.
The Indianapolis Colts made changes to their offensive line, but are still ranked 5th in OL rankings according to PFF. Center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries accepted lucrative contracts in free agency with the Minnesota Vikings, leaving new openings on the Colts’ offensive front. However, the Colts anticipated these vacancies by drafting Matt Goncalves and Tanor Bortolini in 2024. Now, the two second-year players will get their shot at becoming starters. Young blood shouldn’t be looked at as a bad thing, especially with a full year of preparation.
As it seems, the Colts Quarterback position is always getting a change. Daniel Jones isn’t a name that strikes fear into opposing defenses, but he’s been stuck in a Giants’ offensive nightmare that has undergone constant changes and poor personal decisions for years. Jones played under four different offensive coordinators with the Giants: Pat Shurmur (2019-2020), Jason Garrett (2020-2021), Mike Kafka (2022-2023), and, for a period in 2024, head coach Brian Daboll took over play-calling duties. We’ve seen it before: a change of scenery can do wonders for a quarterback’s career.
Don’t be surprised if Daniel Jones DOMINATES with the Colts this upcoming season…
Pittman x Warren x Downs x Pierce x Taylor.
This is the most talented offense he’s worked with.pic.twitter.com/p3NLdH6Jro
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 21, 2025
What are the Odds?
Sportsbooks have Taylor’s season rushing prop total odds at 1,200 yards. Higher than Gibbs, CMC, Breece Hall, Ashton Jeanty, and more. – Bjian Robinson’s rushing yard odds are 1199.5.
Gridiron Experts’ fantasy projections have Taylor racking up 1413 rushing yards, with 12 total touchdowns. While that does make him RB9 on the season, I would argue he’s a much safer pick than De’Von Achane, Christian McCaffrey, and even Ashton Jeanty. I feel Jonathan Taylor is a solid value pick and a bargain in the late second round.
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Average Draft Position: 60 | WR25
McMillan’s upside is hard to ignore. The 8th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft stands tall at 6-foot-4. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at his pro day and has a decent supporting cast around him. The Panthers have quietly improved their roster over the past few seasons and are ready to play spoiler in 2025. Sportsbooks have McMillan’s season receiving yardage total set at 800 yards. For comparison, in 2024, Josh Downs was the WR25, with 72 receptions, 673 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Vegas odds already have him surpassing that, and with his on-field ability to fight for contested balls as a fierce possession receiver, I have high expectations.
Average Draft Position: 77 | WR30
Ridley is one of my most targeted wide receivers of the year. He had 1,017 yards and five total touchdowns last season while dealing with erratic and inconsistent quarterback play. Cam Ward is a much bigger upgrade than people are acknowledging. The Titans will be trailing in a lot of their games and will need to let the rookie gun slinger let it rip to come back in games. Ridley has a high upside, he’ll be in my DraftKings lineup week 1.
Cam Ward on a rope to Van Jefferson for 17 yards
Watch on CBS
Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/1pViG9NS5J— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2025
Average Draft Position: 97 | WR42
The 49ers’ WR drama comes down to contracts, injuries, and trade chatter. Brandon Aiyuk played 2024 on an expiring deal, sparking trade rumors before he signed an extension. His season ended prematurely due to a knee injury, fueling further speculation about his future in the San Francisco area. At the same time, Jauan Jennings is pushing for a new deal after his breakout year and has requested a trade if talks stall. Deebo Samuel was traded earlier this year. His frustration was from a lack of opportunities to get the ball, and he expressed a desire to join a team where he could be more involved.
All of this drama has made Ricky Pearsall feel like the ugly stepchild of the team. Despite being a first-round pick (31st overall) in last year’s draft, Pearsall is the new kid who has been moved into a starting role, but the general consensus in fantasy football is the team has to make him a starter, as every other WR is a constant headache.
However, Ricky Pearsall, in my opinion, deserves more love. He came on strong late last season, showing he’s ready to be more involved in this offense while also putting up some impressive numbers throughout the process. In Week 17, Pearsall had his best game of the season with eight receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. The 49ers opted to rest some starters and pull other starters early in Week 18 to give other players opportunities. This allowed Pearsall to be an every-down player for one game. He caught six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.
But there is something else, something that makes me want to target him in every draft at his ADP.
Ricky Pearsall’s official 40-yard dash time at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine was 4.41 seconds. He’s not a big guy, standing tall at 6’1, however, his quickness is what got him drafted so high. Pearsall had the best 3-cone drill numbers for any wide receiver at the 2024 NFL combine. In fact, his 6.64-second time was 24th all-time (dating back to 2013).
The three-cone drill at the NFL Combine is one of the most revealing tests for scouts because it highlights traits that don’t always show up in a forty-yard dash. The setup is simple, with three cones forming an L-shape, but the movement is demanding. Players sprint, weave, and pivot around the cones, forcing them to show balance, hip flexibility, and the ability to change direction at full speed. This is not just about running fast in a straight line but about how quickly an athlete can decelerate, sink into a turn, and explode out again.
Wide receivers who excel at this drill often demonstrate the same sharpness in their route running, creating separation with sudden breaks, which is precisely why I could see Kyle Shanahan liking him.
While unproven, WR42 seems far too low for this up-and-coming talent, considering he’s walking into a starting role.
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Average Draft Position: 142 | RB45
Nothing is finalized, but there are a lot of NFL Depth Charts showing Ekeler as the RB1 for the Washington Commanders. Granted this team will be likely using a combination of a few RBs, but in PPR leagues, Ekeler has value.
The 30-year old veteran has always had good hands and has never had a season where he had more than 210 carries. Meaning despite his age, he doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear. The Commanders are overly excited about their new franchise QB Jayden Daniels, and the team may call more passing plays to keep the ball in his hands. This makes Ekeler a great target as a check down guy in 2025.
At RB45, and pencield in as the RB1, there’s room for him on your team somehere.
Average Draft Position: 180 | TE21
First round WR Emeka Egbuka’s fantasy stock has blasted off to the moon, but surprisingly Cade Otton’s hasn’t budged. The “too many mouths to feed” argument went out the window when Godwin was annouced he wouldn’t return to action until October and Jalen McMillan severely sprained his neck in training camp.
If you can’t get yourself one of the elite fantasy tight ends, I like waiting as long as possible and Cade Otten at TE21 fits that strategy perfectly.
Otton ranked 9th in Tight End targets last season, playing in only 14 games. Of course, the knock is that his numbers are misleading, as he saw a spike in targets weeks 7 through 10 due to injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. My argument here is that Egbuka will step up, but he’s still a rookie, and the team has a new offensive coordinator, which will impact Otton’s role.
This past offseason, the Bucs promoted Josh Grizzard to Offensive Coordinator. Otton is in his fourth year, a contract year, and there have been notes that he’s thriving in Grizzard’s system. At the very least, Otton’s worth adding to your roster until Chris Godwin returns. He has a buy-low/sell-high energy.
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