5 Fantasy Football Sleepers to Monitor During 2025 NFL Training Camps

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With Week 1 kicking off September 4, many drafts will take place over the next month. Training camps will begin across the NFL over the next week, giving us our first look at how rosters could shake out.

Training camp results should clear up the fantasy football picture, as well. This includes sleepers, who could become the real deal with solid training camp outings. As always, fantasy football managers dream of hitting on that productive piece in the later rounds who no one saw coming. Which fantasy football sleepers should be on our radar during NFL training camps?

Top Fantasy Football Sleepers for NFL Training Camps

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young's first two seasons haven't been the most ideal, but he showed a ton of promise to end the 2024 campaign. The Carolina Panthers seem to be on the climb. Plus, they upgraded Young's receiving weapons by adding Tetairoa McMillan.

Over the final seven games of the 2024 season, Young was the QB6, producing 21.4 fantasy points per game during the stretch. That was a huge boost compared to his mark of 10.6 fantasy points per game in his first five full-time starts of the 2024 campaign. For the year, he averaged a decent 17.8 rushing yards per game, too.

Young proved he has fantasy upside, but FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP) for half-PPR leagues has the Panthers' signal-caller as QB23 and 144.3 overall. Carolina improved from 2-15 in 2023 to 5-12 a season ago. Another step in the right direction could be imminent with NFL win total odds giving the Panthers -140 odds to go over 6.5 wins. Outside of a solid Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad, the NFC South remains one of the weakest divisions in football.

Stashing Young on fantasy benches isn't a bad idea. We know Young will be the Panthers' starting QB for the 2025 season, but training camp could give us a chance of getting a feel for the pieces around Young. Any positive news surrounding players like McMillan and Xavier Legette is yet another reason to stash Young as a QB2.

Jaylen Wright, RB, Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins' backfield is led by De'Von Achane, who has an ADP of RB7 and 14.0 overall. He finished as RB6 in half-PPR formats last season, but Miami's backup RB Raheem Mostert still totaled 85 rushing attempts and 23 targets. Outside of the 2024 season, the Fins have typically featured multiple pieces in the backfield.

Jaylen Wright was circled as a rookie sleeper and stash option last year, but he remained in a bench role with 68 rushing attempts for 249 rushing yards (3.7 yards per carry). Despite Wright's meh production, Miami still saw enough to move on from Mostert, making Wright the new RB2 of this offense.

This is mostly a high-end handcuff option. Achane didn't miss a game in 2024, but he was absent from six contests in 2023. Potential absences for the Dolphins' star tailback will still be on the minds of many, making Wright one of the top handcuffs.

Furthermore, Wright is entering only his second season. If Wright improves, I wouldn't completely write off the chance of Achane splitting some work, similar to the one-two punch of Mostert and Achane in the 2023 season. Training camp could reveal if Wright has taken the next step and if he's truly separated from Alexander Mattison for the second-string role.

Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears

Rookies make up the majority of fantasy football sleepers to watch during training camps. These are fresh, new faces looking to carve out roles on new squads. Camp season is truly the first time we get any kind of preview for rookie roles. Following training camps, we could have more veterans on our sleepers list, but for now, we have plenty of rookies to highlight for training camp action.

One of those first-year players in Colston Loveland. He made a late surge over Tyler Warren to be the first tight end selected of the 2025 NFL Draft. If the Chicago Bears were willing to swing on Loveland with the 10th overall pick, a clear role should be waiting.

Cole Kmet remains a concern as he'll surely be involved, but coach Ben Johnson is known to run 12 personnel often. Loveland was likely drafted to fit into the receiving tight end role in Johnson's 12 personnel scheme.

I doubt Loveland can mirror Sam LaPorta's TE1 finish in half-PPR from LaPorta's 2023 rookie season, but immediate production should be in the picture. With Johnson calling the plays, LaPorta has finished as TE1 and TE7 to begin his career with the Detroit Lions. Will Loveland be the next successful tight end under Johnson?

Loveland's ADP of TE12 and 129.7 overall still holds intriguing potential. Getting a chance to see some of Chicago's 12 personnel and how Loveland will fit into the offense will be at the top of my priority list for upcoming training camps.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans

Excluding Nico Collins, the Houston Texans' receiving room feels pretty open. Tank Dell will likely miss a chunk of the season following scary knee injury from late in the 2024 season. Stefon Diggs signed with the New England Patriots while Houston acquired Christian Kirk. There could be an opening for Jayden Higgins, who was drafted in the second round with the 34th overall pick.

Kirk will likely mostly line up in the slot. This opens up a boundary starting spot alongside Collins. Standing at 6'4", Higgins will likely fill in until Dell gets healthy.

The second-round rookie already impressed early in the offseason, making several plays on go routes. In his scouting report, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com highlighted Higgins' ability to track deep balls with strong hands. Plus, Higgins is gearing up to be a nightmare matchup as he boasts a 6'7" wingspan and 4.47-second 40-yard dash. The Texans may have found another deep-ball guy.

Collins will continue to take the bulk of the receiving work. But if you're buying into C.J. Stroud further progressing after an up-and-down 2024 season, targeting some of Houston's secondary pieces could provide excellent value. Higgins has an ADP of WR53 and 126.0 overall. If he continues to make plays in training camp, the hype will keep building.

Dont'e Thornton Jr., WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Rounding out our sleepers to watch, another rookie wideout is turning heads for the Las Vegas Raiders.

This is a wide-open room with Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker standing out as the two top wideouts. While Meyers is an underwhelming WR1, Brock Bowers is the top target of this offense by a mile and helps cover up a weak receiving group.

The Raiders spent a second-round pick on wideout Jack Bech and a fourth-rounder on receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. In the early going, it looks like Thornton will be the one to contribute the most.

Standing at 6'5" paired with an absurd 4.30-second 40-yard dash, Thornton was viewed as a raw prospect with exciting upside. Nothing but glowing reviews have surrounded Thornton thus far. He was getting reps with the starters in OTAs and was one of the clear standouts.

Bech is in the midst of a contract holdout, similar to many rookies across the league right now. If this begins to interfere with Bech participating in offseason work, this should further contribute to Thornton carving out a meaningful role.

Thornton is off the fantasy radar right now with an ADP of WR80 and 223.7 overall. If the rave reviews keep up in training camp, Thornton should be a nice stash option who you can grab with one of the last picks of fantasy drafts.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.