Sleepers have become such a subjective thing in fantasy football. With all of the resources and knowledge out there, there’s no such thing as a true sleeper. For my purposes, I’m simply looking for players who can outperform their ADP. For the purposes of the below, I’m utilizing NFFC ADP. As we prepare for 2025 fantasy football drafts, let’s take a look at some AFC West Sleepers.
Hollywood Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs, ADP of 152
The biggest thing for Hollywood Brown, and it’s certainly priced into his ADP, is his health. After dealing with a shoulder injury last year, Brown does enter 2025 healthy. When Brown was healthy, he was the number two receiver for Kansas City and received a good amount of playing time.
Rashee Rice missed the majority of last season with a knee injury and he should be back at the start of 2025. It’s possible he’s limited though, and that would work to the benefit of Brown. Perhaps of greater concern though, there’s a good possibility that Rice is suspended.
For a good portion of the season, Brown will likely be the number three receiver, but there’s still a share of upside here. When he’s elevated to a starting role, opposite Xavier Worthy, then Brown is in a good position to excel. He’s a clear deep threat with the ability to generation separation.
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs, ADP of 80
While Kareem Hunt is back, he’s the clear backup in Kansas City and doesn’t represent much of a threat to Isiah Pacheco. Being able to secure a starting running back in a strong offense in the seventh round is always something that will catch our attention.
Last year, Pacheco broke his fibula in Week 2 and the returned 11 weeks later. At that point, he wasn’t the same running back we were accustomed to seeing. For the season, Pacheco gained just 310 yards on 83 carries while scoring a touchdown. Entering 2025, Pacheco is healthy and looks poised to bounce back.
Marvin Mims, WR, Denver Broncos, ADP of 133
While it might be by default, but Marvin Mims is expected to start across the field from Courtland Sutton. The Broncos offense should be improved from what we saw last year. However, in the second half of last season things did look better in Denver as Bo Nix found his groove.
In the last eight games of 2024, Mims caught 32 passes for 447 passes and six touchdowns. It’s no secret that Mims is fast and flies down the field. That was the majority of Mims’ productionas he looks to take the next step this year.
He’s certainly capable, and the improvement of Bo Nix also helps here. Of Mims’ 503 yards last year, 477 came after the catch.
Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos ADP of 105
After Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims, there is a clear void when it comes to Denver’s receiving options. In comes Evan Engram as we look for him to have a role similar to Jimmy Graham. Back when Graham was at the top of the league, his success came with Sean Payton on the sidelines.
Last year, Engram struggled to stay healthy, but in 2023 he caught 114 passes for 963 yards. It’s also a weak tight end group in Denver, so there’s opportunities a plenty for Engram. The good news is that he enters the season healthy which means Bo Nix will likely be looking his way often. Engram will likely be used out of the slot which could mean another season of more than 100 catches.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers, ADP of 161
With rookie Tre Harris being drafted with an ADP of 155, I’d prefer to wait a more picks and go with the former first round pick. Quentin Johnston is still young, and while he’s streaky, he’s also a legitimate downfield threat.
Johnston finished with eight touchdowns last season and 711 yards on 55 catches. He averaged 5.4 yards after the catch with 65.5 air yards per game. The issue, is that Johnston only secured 66.4% of his targets. But when Johnston does catch the ball, it’s often a big play. And as he enters the third season of his career, Johnston’s in position to take things even further as he finds consistency. There’s a lot to like with his ability to find the end zone.
Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers, ADP of 109
This isn’t to say that Najee Harris is a better player than Omerion Hampton, but there shouldn’t be over 60 picks separating the two running backs. Hampton was drafted in the first round and enters the league with talent and upside.
However, Harris has broken the 1,000 yard mark in each of his four seasons with between six and eight touchdowns. Harris is dealing with an eye injury and he hasn’t been in pads yet, so we do have to keep an eye on that.
We know that the Chargers are going to look to run the ball, and there’s enough here to support two running backs. As long as Harris is healthy to begin the season, he’ll likely take the lead.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders, ADP of 79
Things are still bleak in Las Vegas, but having Geno Smith under center should make things a little better. Once again, Jakobi Meyers is back as the number receiver. The good news though, is that between Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, there’s some offensive talent to be found.
In 15 games last year, Meyers caught 87 of his 129 targets for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns. The volume should be there once again. All Meyers has to do is add a few more touchdowns, and things will look much different.
Jack Bech, WR, Las Vegas Raiders, ADP of 195
Admittedly, this is a reach here to stick with our theme of two sleepers per team. The good news though, is that at this price, Bech doesn’t have to do much to have a positive return.
The Raiders did use a second round pick to acquire Bech, so that the thought process is that he’ll be featured. There’s a strong chance that Bech is the number two receiver for the Raiders. Bech enters the NFL coming off a strong 2024 season at TCU as he looks to continue that momentum.