Landon Silinsky gives his thoughts and ranks his top 10 sleepers for DraftKings 2025 NFL Best Ball contests.
It’s officially the best time of the year, as NFL Best Ball is back on DraftKings.
This format gives players a chance to draft a fantasy football team for a season-long competition that requires no active in-season management, but still provides a full season of drama and competition.
You can find all the details, scoring and rules for the format here.
Below I have ranked my top 10 sleepers for the 2025 DraftKings NFL Best Ball season.
DraftKings NFL Best Ball is live! Click here to start drafting your team
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Hampton had a monster junior year at UNC in 2024, logging 281 carries for 1,660 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, while also catching 38 passes for 373 yards and two more scores. He finished second in the nation in rushing yards, behind only Ashton Jeanty, and was selected by the Chargers with the 20th overall pick in April’s draft.
Los Angeles also signed Najee Harris to a one-year deal, leading many to believe that Hampton would follow the typical rookie trajectory and emerge late in the season. However, Harris reportedly suffered an eye injury during a Fourth of July fireworks incident. While the injury isn’t considered serious, reports only state that he’ll be ready for the “start of the season” — not for training camp. That distinction is noteworthy and could open the door for Hampton to carve out a role sooner than expected.
The outlook on Hampton changes dramatically if he opens the season as the starter. He’s currently being drafted in the middle of the fourth round, but if Harris’s injury turns out to be more serious than reported, Hampton could easily justify a second-round selection. Stepping into the RB1 role in a Jim Harbaugh offense, paired with an elite quarterback like Justin Herbert, would place him in one of the most fantasy-friendly situations in the league.
He’s not exactly a sleeper, but with the current uncertainty surrounding Harris, Hampton is shaping up to be an extreme value at his ADP.
Kaleb Johnson, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Another rookie running back who had a standout final college season is Johnson, who wrapped up his junior year at Iowa with 1,537 rushing yards and a Big Ten–leading 21 rushing touchdowns. He also contributed as a receiver, adding 22 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns
Johnson was selected by the Steelers with the 83rd overall pick and is expected to take over the Najee Harris role in Arthur Smith’s offense. Pittsburgh likely would have targeted him earlier if it had a second-round pick. Regardless, Johnson is an athletic specimen, running a 4.57-second forty-yard dash at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds during the NFL Combine. He’ll compete with Jaylen Warren for touches, but Warren, entering his fourth NFL season, has yet to establish himself as more than a timeshare back in Pittsburgh
Johnson has a real chance to outperform his current seventh-round ADP, with the potential to see 250+ touches as a rookie.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Pearsall had a relatively quiet rookie season in San Francisco — unsurprising, considering he missed the first six weeks of the year after suffering a gunshot wound in August. Still, he managed to finish with 31 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. He capped off the season with a dominant Week 17 performance, hauling in eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown.
Things look quite different for Pearsall heading into his sophomore campaign. Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders, and Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from a multi-ligament knee tear suffered last year, with no expectation to be ready for Week 1. If Aiyuk does start the year on the PUP list, Pearsall should begin the season in two-wide receiver sets alongside Jauan Jennings — placing him in a highly favorable position within what should be one of the best offenses in football.
With an ADP of 82.2 right now on DraftKings, Pearsall is being massively undervalued.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Downs built on his impressive rookie season with a strong 2024 campaign, hauling in 72 passes for 803 yards and five touchdowns in just 14 games — all while battling injuries and inconsistent quarterback play. He also ranked fourth among wide receivers in targets per route run, trailing only Drake London, Malik Nabers, and Puka Nacua.
Now entering Year 3 — with more stability at quarterback in the form of Daniel Jones and, hopefully, a healthy start to the season — Downs looks like one of the best late-round wide receiver targets in fantasy. While it’s a different offense, Jones just fed Wan’Dale Robinson 140 targets last year in New York, and Downs profiles as a more dynamic, supercharged version of the Giants’ slot receiver.
He’s a high-floor WR3 and a dream WR4 in Best Ball builds.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
Shaheed was off to a blazing start in the first third of the 2024 season, recording 20 receptions for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, his breakout campaign was cut short by a season-ending meniscus tear in Week 6, which required surgery.
When healthy, Shaheed proved to be one of the league’s premier deep threats, averaging 17.5 yards per reception and posting four weeks with 16.3 or more fantasy points. Now fully recovered heading into training camp, he profiles as a massive sleeper pick in the 11th round. While the Saints’ quarterback situation is shaky with rookie Tyler Shough set to start, it’s worth remembering that Derek Carr wasn’t very effective last year, either.
New Orleans is shaping up to have a highly concentrated offense, with only Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara competing with Shaheed for targets.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
Spears was one of the few bright spots in Tennessee last season, finishing with 84 carries for 312 yards and four rushing touchdowns, along with 30 receptions for 224 yards and another score — all in just 12 games. Despite battling nagging injuries and spending most of the year behind Tony Pollard, Spears flashed his upside whenever he received extended opportunities.
With Pollard limited by an ankle injury during the fantasy playoffs — and ultimately sidelined in Week 17 — Spears stepped up with fantasy performances of 27.2, 21.6, and 13.3 points, emerging as one of the most valuable contributors for teams making deep postseason runs.
Head coach Brian Callahan has already come out and said he wants more of an even split between Pollard and Spears this year, which makes this 122.5 ADP all the more appealing.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Stevenson was the engine of a poor Patriots offense when healthy in 2024, recording 207 carries for 801 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, along with 33 receptions for 168 yards and another score in 14 games.
New England drafted Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson early in the second round, which could impact Stevenson’s workload in 2025. Still, at his current 126.4 ADP, he remains a strong value. With Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels now running the show, the addition of Stefon Diggs in free agency and improvements to the offensive line through the draft, Stevenson enters Year 2 of the Drake Maye era in a significantly more favorable situation.
He’s also a reliable pass-blocker and pass-catcher — traits that coaches value highly — which should help keep his playing time secure this year.
Luther Burden, WR, Chicago Bears
In his final season at Missouri, Burden totaled 61 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns — a stat line that may not stand out until you put on the tape. He consistently showcased elite yards-after-catch ability and impressive physicality, especially for a receiver who’s six feet tall and 206 pounds.
Despite some character concerns, the Bears selected Burden with the seventh pick in the second round of this year’s draft. This is especially noteworthy given that Ben Johnson, the new head coach in Chicago, was the offensive mastermind for the potent Lions offense over the past three years.
Chicago still has D.J. Moore and last year’s ninth overall pick, Rome Odunze, at wide receiver, but Burden is a clear NFL talent who was handpicked by the new regime. While he might come out of the gates slow, we could be looking at a classic late-season breakout here, potentially making this current 12th-round ADP look ridiculous.
Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans
After transferring from Washington State to Miami for his junior season, Ward exploded for 4,313 passing yards and an ACC-leading 39 touchdown passes. He also added 204 rushing yards and four more scores on the ground. Ward finished fourth in the Heisman voting and was ultimately selected No. 1 overall by the Titans in this year’s draft.
Despite a less-than-exciting supporting cast, it’s possible Ward could be elite right out of the gate — à la Jayden Daniels or C.J. Stroud. If that happens, his current 153.7 ADP is a Best Ball cheat code. He profiles as a great second quarterback in two-QB builds and an elite third option on three-QB teams.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants
Robinson quietly caught 93 passes for 699 yards and three touchdowns in 2024, leading the Giants in receptions while working exclusively in a low aDOT role. His 7.5 yards per catch ranked among the lowest in the NFL, but he made up for it with volume — accumulating 140 targets, which is especially valuable in PPR formats like DraftKings.
Robinson’s low aDOT and limited red-zone usage naturally cap his ceiling, but he’s essentially free in drafts right now with a 164.7 ADP, and provides a dependable floor as a WR6/7 — making him a valuable late-round pick to help your roster during bye weeks.
