Before we break down potential QB sleepers for fantasy football, let's quickly define what a "sleeper" even is.

Today, we're looking for guys who may be undervalued and overlooked during fantasy football drafts—someone who could significantly outperform their fantasy football ADPs by season's end. Nothing more complex than that.

Let's dive in!

To see where all of these sleeper quarterbacks rank, check out our 2025 fantasy rankings in the Rankings Hub.

Fantasy Football QB Sleepers for 2025

Drake Maye, Patriots

For everything that the Patriots lacked in 2024, Drake Maye was actually a pleasant surprise for fantasy football. Maye averaged 223 passing yards and 36 rushing yards in 10 complete starts last season, and he finished as QB22 while averaging 13.6 points per game.

There's a lot of meat left on the bone for Maye. Consider this: The Patriots came in dead last among NFL teams in supporting cast rankings. Also, his wide receivers ranked dead last in receiving yards (1,723) last season. So, considering that they have not only upgraded their offense but also hired a more seasoned head coach in Mike Vrabel, things should get better in the passing game.

Then there's the rushing upside. In 2024, Maye averaged 4.9 rushes and 36.3 yards per game, but I'm here to tell you he is an exceptional runner and if he truly gets unleashed this season, then we can expect more from him. 

Michael Penix, Falcons

I held out hope that Kirk Cousins would at least be a stable fantasy option last season, but now we are moving on to Michael Penix. While we all laughed at the Falcons for taking Penix No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, it looks like things might work out for them (at least for this season).

In fantasy, we don't have much to go off of—Penix started three games and finished with 775 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Penix is going to be cheap because there are so many unknowns about how his game will translate in the NFL, but what is known is that he has a solid supporting cast around him. Drake London is the clear WR1 and finished 2024 with 100 receptions, 1,271 yards, and nine touchdowns. Darnell Mooney was also a pleasant surprise and actually led Atlanta in receiving yards (873) during the first 13 weeks of the season. And we already know just how good Bijan Robinson is.

Overall, the risk will be baked into Penix's price tag. Let's hope with a full offseason and training camp as the clear QB1, he will develop into a solid fantasy quarterback.

Bryce Young, Panthers

Shoutout to Bryce Young for getting benched last season and honestly coming back better than ever? He finished the season with 2,403 pass yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He had a run from Weeks 13-17, where he was the 10th-best quarterback in fantasy points per game. He also managed to score five rushing touchdowns in six games (including Week 18).

To go even further, after he got the starter role back in Week 8, he delivered the sixth-best passer rating (83.7) in those 10 games from Weeks 8-18, according to PFF. 

Listen, I know that it's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows for the Panthers this season. I mean, they do have the reigning league-worst -193 point differential, which really shows that there is a ton of work to be done. I think expectations have to be tempered here a little. Young could be a solid QB2 sleeper in superflex formats, but taking him as your starting quarterback in redraft might not be the direction you want to go. Young as a second quarterback option is the right move for a chance to lock down a player with upside at a very cheap price. 

Justin Fields, Jets

Alright, you caught me, this one might be cheating, but I really do want to emphasize how fun 2025 could be with Justin Fields. A fresh start is exactly what he needed, and I really liked his landing spots with Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets. He averaged 18.9 (QB8) fantasy points per game in the six games he played for the Steelers last season, but even better is that rushing upside.

According to Ian Hartitz, Fields joins Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to average at least 50 rush yards per game. SIGN US UP.

The passing game is where we need to see significant growth and improvement. Fields ranks 37th in EPA per dropback (-0.006) and 35th in completion percentage over expected (-0.6%) among 54 qualified QBs since entering the league in 2021. He is now reunited with his Ohio State buddy in Garrett Wilson, and all signs point to Fields' fantasy arrow going up. Let's hope he is able to keep the starting job, but I am definitely intrigued by Fields being a fantasy asset in 2025.