Selecting the top-rated player for your Fantasy football roster carries plenty of risks, which Fantasy managers learned last season with Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers running back was the toast of the league in 2023, making him the first pick off Fantasy football draft boards in 2024. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to just four games last season, making him an unfortunate Fantasy football bust.
McCaffrey’s contemporaries, like Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, are now top-rated running backs ahead of 2025 Fantasy football pools. Should you add one of these highly coveted backs to your Fantasy football roster, or should you consider more under-the-radar options? Before locking in your 2025 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2025 Fantasy football PPR rankings with deep sleepers, breakouts and best values from SportsLine Fantasy football analyst Jacob Gibbs.
A Fantasy Football Today newsletter writer and Beyond the Boxscore podcast contributor, Gibbs uses a data-driven approach that has helped him consistently provide accurate rankings at every position. He has proven to be one of the nation’s most accurate Fantasy rankers in recent years, posting the eighth-most accurate results over the past few seasons, according to Fantasy Pros.
Now, Gibbs has projected every Fantasy-relevant player’s stats and shared his exclusive PPR rankings for the 2025 season, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.Â
Top 2025 Fantasy football deep sleepers and breakouts
One of the 2025 Fantasy football breakouts Gibbs is predicting: Falcons receiver Darnell Mooney. After a 1,000-yard season as a sophomore in 2021, Mooney fell off the radar a bit while with the Bears. He then joined Atlanta in 2024 and produced a 64-992-5 stat line, but his prospects are even better this year with Michael Penix Jr. under center. Penix’ strong arm is an ideal fit for Mooney’s 4.38 speed, and even though the wideout is dealing with a shoulder injury, he’s worth a grab at the end of drafts.
“He’s also simply too good to be available so late. And even though we have no idea when he’ll suit up in 2025, I’m willing to place a bet on Darnell Mooney at a certain point,” Gibbs told SportsLine. …”If you’re in a league with I.R. spots available, these vets are fun upside stashes to snag after the first 120 picks.”
Another 2025 Fantasy football deep sleeper Gibbs has identified in his 2025 Top 150 PPR rankings: Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The seventh-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft started to garner hype in 2023 when he totaled 189 carries for 1,190 yards with 17 touchdowns. He has the attention of Fantasy managers after a 27-yard touchdown run against the Cincinnati Bengals in preseason play, and the departure of Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco suggests Croskey-Merritt will get plenty of play time.
“The ability is clearly there for him to make explosive plays,” Gibbs told SportsLine. “If I had to guess, what JCM needs to do to earn a role is show an ability to win with down-to-down consistency. He did that in college. I think that he can settle in.” See which other Fantasy football breakouts 2025 to pick here.
How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football football rankings
Gibbs is also extremely high on a receiver who is not going off in the first round in many drafts, but he says is a top-five player overall. He ranks him ahead of even players like Justin Jefferson and Nico Collins. You can only see who it is, and the 202 Fantasy football rankings for the top 150 Fantasy-relevant players, at SportsLine.
So which 2024 Fantasy Football breakouts and deep sleepers should you target, and which receiver shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025, all from one of the most accurate experts in the world, and find out.