The Ultimate Fantasy Football Sleeper Lineup Featuring Kayshon Boutte

What if we crafted the perfect fantasy football team of sleepers who come awake? Each season, an array of players arises from the depths of the rankings to become league-winning assets. Here are some prime examples from 2025:

QB: Drake Maye — Rose about 20 spots over ADP.
RB: Kenneth Gainwell — Finished as RB16 despite being viewed as a depth piece RB3.
RB: Rico Dowdle — The Cowboys' trash was the Panthers' treasure; RB18.
WR: Michael Wilson — Still wondering how he finished WR10?
WR: Parker Washington — Went undrafted to WR33 and well beyond that on a weekly basis in the second half.
TE: Harold Fannin Jr. — Elite college output at a smaller program resulted in TE6.

The "sleepers" lineup is surely not below being fully drafted. Nonetheless, it shows who our top breakout candidates may be, coming from the dirt to center stage.

Quarterback: Jordan Love

Current ADP: QB19

Love is operating as QB1 from the NFL's 4th-ranked offense. He has plenty of weapons from Tucker Kraft to Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden. Love averaged 225 yards per game in 2025 and can easily exceed that mark; I project Love will average 235 yards per game. Amid questions surrounding Josh Jacobs' health and playing time, the team could see a slight uptick in red-zone pass rate.

Running Back: Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Current ADP: RB37

We must search for an opportunity. Chances for an offense to be elite, and promising odds that their team's RB1 can have a large workload. That is where Croskey-Merritt is found.

The 2024 Commanders were 3rd in the NFL in rushing yards per game (154). While there is a new offensive coordinator, the team is much the same in pure skill level. If they can repeat, that does big things for Croskey-Merritt who stands to have a large share of this rushing offense despite the team's, signing of Rachaad White.

Running Back: Najee Harris

Current ADP: RB107

Najee Harris was brought in under the premise that he's going to be a "significant contributor," per @JordanRaanan.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 21, 2026

Harris can be your final-round stash. He may even be found on waivers. I look for avenues for success that Harris owns. John Harbaugh is "enthusiastic" about the Harris signing, demoting Tyrone Tracy Jr. to RB4 with no remorse. Harris has been brought in to be "a significant contributor." While Harris will not begin the season 100% healthy, the upside is quite large for a team that has a low-end RB1 in the NFL: Cam Skattebo.

Wide Receiver: Kayshon Boutte

Current ADP: WR81

“They should have a full-speed Tank Dell NEXT SEASON”

Makes sense with some of the intel floating around that he wasn’t able to practice and may not have responded well to ramp up’s in workload.

I’ve seen some people taking Dell for 2026. I would fully avoid in all formats. https://t.co/POUfQWs7pt
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 25, 2026

The Texans have been very cautiously optimistic about Tank Dell. He has not played football in nearly two years. Through August 26, Dell has missed five straight practices. There is reason to expect Dell may not play Week 1, and if he does, he may be far from 100%.

The recent trade for Boutte comes amid Jayden Higgins' torn ACL. Boutte is an explosive threat down the field. Among players with at least 36 targets in 2025, Boutte ranked 6th in yards per reception (16.7). Of receivers who had at least 15.0 yards per reception (12 players), Boutte ranked 2nd in catch rate (Jaxon Smith-Njigba). Quite clearly, Boutte will be the Texans' WR2 in a high-leverage role of sorts.

Wide Receiver: Cyrus Allen

Current ADP: WR76

NFL Legend Steve Smith Sr. On #Chiefs rookie Cyrus Allen 🗣️

“Cyrus Allen is going to be eventually, in my humble opinion….their number one Wide Receiver.”

Via @SteveSmithSr89 pic.twitter.com/wqoznV9z9G
— SleeperChiefs (@SleeperChiefsKC) August 14, 2026

When a quarterback like Pat Mahomes is behind center, you take note. Things are not typical. The future Hall of Famer will trust those players with whom he has a rapport. That appears to be the case with Allen at training camp. "I think Pat has some trust there," Andy Reid told reporters a few weeks back. The fact that it was a few weeks back is a good thing... The rapport can only have grown further.

As of early August, Xavier Worthy was still dealing with his shoulder repair from this past offseason. I would not be 100% confident in Worthy's return to a large workload. Between that risk and Travis Kelce's age, Allen might work himself into a very capable role ahead of Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Royals.

Andy Reid also has a history of finding gems at wide receiver. The prime examples feature Tyreek Hill (Draft Pick No. 165), Rashee Rice (Draft Pick No. 55), and Demarcus Robinson (Draft Pick No. 126)

Wide Receiver: Jalen Nailor

Current ADP: WR62

It appears that Nailor has the Raiders WR1 job wrapped up. He is a player who has past experience with Kirk Cousins. Playing with a veteran quarterback, trust is all that is required. My case is quite simple: the Raiders can only get better on offense, and if Klint Kubiak can bring his Super Bowl-winning coaching and translate it to success, Nailor can easily cut his ADP in half to end-of-season results.

Tight End: Chig Okonkwo

Current ADP: TE19

The last time that Jayden Daniels was healthy, he fed Zach Ertz to finish as the TE7 in fantasy football. Okonkwo is younger and of the same playmaking style. The only competition that Okonkwo truly has is Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs. Mighty they may be, the route tree is different. Okonkwo is being valued among much lower-upside tight ends like Oronde Gadsden II, AJ Barner, and David Njoku.

In 2025, Okonkwo ranked 2nd among starting tight ends in yards after catch per reception (6.0) and T-4 in missed tackles forced.

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