Get ready for your fantasy football draft with our fantasy football draft day cheat sheets. Our analysts dive into their favorite fantasy football draft targets and sleepers, as well as overvalued players and busts they’re avoiding in drafts. Let us help you prepare for your fantasy football draft with our cheat sheets! And use our Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet Creator to create your cheat sheet using our expert rankings, notes, and player tags.
Fantasy Football Draft Cheat Sheet
Tight End Sleepers
After an injury-marred 2024 season in which he lost eight games to hamstring and shoulder ailments, Evan Engram could be poised for a rebound fantasy season in 2025. After the Jaguars released Engram in March, Denver signed him to a two-year, $23 million deal in free agency. Broncos head coach Sean Payton has said he plans to make Engram the “joker” in his offense. That’s been a key role in Payton’s offenses over the years, filled by players such as Jimmy Graham, Reggie Bush and Alvin Kamara. It’s a role that emphasizes run-after-the-catch ability — an area where Engram shines. In 2023, Engram had a career-high 114 catches and 963 receiving yards. Expecting him to duplicate those numbers in his age-31 season is a stretch, but the prospect of an amplified role could make Engram a value pick in 2025 fantasy drafts.
Now that Evan Engram has gone from Jacksonville to Denver via free agency, former second-round draft pick Brenton Strange sits atop the Jaguars’ TE depth chart. Strange had 40 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns last season. In the eight games that Engram missed, Strange averaged 3.6 receptions and 34.4 receiving yards. The possibility of an enhanced role makes the 24-year-old Strange an intriguing TE sleeper.
Check out Fitz’s full Fantasy Football Draft Cheat Sheet 
Running Back Sleepers
The Steelers jettisoned Najee Harris and drafted his replacement, Kaleb Johnson, as their lead back in the third round of the NFL Draft. Last year, Harris operated in an offense that was fourth in rushing attempts as Harris soaked up 299 touches (10th-most). Even if we lower those year-one expectations for Johnson, even 250 touches would have ranked 21st in the NFL. Johnson brings a big play ability that has been lacking over the last 2-3 years. Last year, not only did he rank fifth in breakaway percentage, but he was also eighth in yards after contact per attempt and 14th in elusive rating (per PFF). My love for Jaylen Warren hasn’t dissipated, but we have to listen to the Steelers with their move to acquire Johnson’s services. Warren will likely operate in his usual role while Johnson does the heavy lifting for Arthur Smith’s run-centric offense. Johnson is an RB2/3 who could be an RB1 down the stretch in 2025 if he can distance himself further from Warren better than Harris ever could.
Jordan Mason moves from San Francisco to Minnesota in an offseason trade to become Aaron Jones’ running mate/handcuff. Mason sustained a shoulder injury and an ankle injury last year. The bum ankle ultimately ended his season. In the brief six games, he played 64% or more of the snaps as the starter for the 49ers, with an average of 21.3 touches and 111.8 total yards. He was a top-24 fantasy option at the running back position in four of those six outings and an RB1 in 50% of them. Mason finished top six among running backs last year in explosive run rate (second), missed tackles forced per attempt (sixth), and yards after contact per attempt (third, per Fantasy Points Data). Mason is a top-shelf handcuff again this season who could offer some stand-alone value in Minnesota’s high-scoring offense.
Check out DBro’s full Fantasy Football Draft Cheat Sheet
Wide Receiver Sleepers
Jayden Higgins lands in a dream fantasy spot after being selected 34th overall by the Houston Texans. With Tank Dell likely sidelined for much of 2025 and Christian Kirk only under contract for one year, Higgins is positioned to start immediately alongside Nico Collins and Kirk in a high-powered offense led by C.J. Stroud. The former Iowa State standout was PFF’s highest-graded WR in 2024, commanding a 33% target share while boasting a top-10 career college dominator rating in the class. With a strong blend of size, speed, and draft capital – and strong connections between the Texans and Iowa State coaching staffs – Higgins profiles as a plug-and-play rookie with significant fantasy appeal.
Josh Palmer quietly landed in a prime fantasy spot, signing a three-year, $36 million deal with the Bills – the fifth-richest WR contract in free agency. Still just 25 years old, Palmer joins a wide-open receiver room in Buffalo and is now tied to Josh Allen through his prime. While 2024 was underwhelming (WR77 overall, WR82 per game), Palmer dealt with an early-season knee injury and never clicked with the new Chargers staff. Now in Buffalo, he fits the profile of late-career breakout 5th-year WRs who thrive with a change of scenery. He showed flashes when healthy, even matching Quentin Johnston in yardage down the stretch before being shut down in 2024. With a top-tier QB, Palmer could surprise in 2025 as a post-hype sleeper.
Check out Erickson’s full Fantasy Football Draft Cheat Sheet
Quarterback Sleepers
Dak Prescott is an amazing late-round quarterback value. He is primed to return to the QB1 ranks in 2025. With George Pickens added opposite CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and Jalen Tolbert, Prescott has enough weaponry at his disposal to excel in Dallas’s pass-centric offense. Last year, in Weeks 1-8, Dallas ranked eighth in neutral passing rate and tenth in pass rate over expectation. Last year, Prescott’s passing touchdown rate dipped to 3.8%, which was the first time since 2020 that his passing touchdown rate had dipped below 5.8%. Prescott will throw for more touchdowns in 2025. We’re only one season removed from him finishing as the QB4 in fantasy points per game, seventh in yards per attempt, eighth in CPOE, and sixth-best in highly accurate throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). Invest in Prescott.
If you’re looking to punt quarterback in your drafts this season, Matthew Stafford should be in the mix for your fantasy football teams. Before tailing off at the end of last season, with Puka Nacua back in the huddle, Stafford was performing as the QB11 in fantasy points per game. During that stretch, he was ranked tenth in yards per attempt, sixth in passer rating, and 11th in highly accurate throw rate and fantasy points per dropback (per Fantasy Points Data). Cooper Kupp is gone and replaced by the always awesome Davante Adams. Tyler HIgbee will be ready to roll and Terrance Ferguson has been added as his heir apparent. Stafford could turn back the clock in 2025 with another QB1 season for fantasy football.
Check out Joe’s full Fantasy Football Draft Cheat Sheet
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