2025 Fantasy Football: AFC East Sleeper

Words can evoke feelings. As we are entering the dog days of Summer, and the calendar has turned to August, football is on the minds of every sports fan. Training camp is in full swing, and pre-season games are upon us. Fantasy players are fine-tuning their draft boards, and everyone is searching for that right mix of players to carry them to a championship.

Of course, you want to hit on your early round selections. And you are trying to identify those bounce-back candidates that everyone else has discarded. But most of all, everyone wants… Sleepers. About 10 years ago, there was a TV show called “The League”, about what else…Fantasy Football. In one episode, the guys went to Vegas for their draft. They were at a strip club, and instead of getting lap dances, they paid a stripper for her knowledge of players, asking her about Sleepers.

Hitting on the right Sleeper, late in your draft, can be the difference between hoisting a trophy or missing the playoffs. The funny thing about Sleepers is, if everyone knows about them…are they truly Sleepers?

TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets

In the AFC East, I’ve identified a player that fits the mold. He is the new TE for the New York Jets, taken in this year’s NFL Draft. The 6’6, 250lb rookie from LSU was taken in the second round, with the no.42 pick. He was the third TE taken off the board. I am referring to Mason Taylor.

And if his last name sounds familiar, it should. His dad is Hall of Fame DE Jason Taylor…who had a cup of coffee with the J-E-T-S when Mason was 6 years old. Although the senior Taylor played the vast majority of his time with the Dolphins, he is now forced to root for the Jets. He did admit to hoping his former Dolphins would take Mason with their No. 37 pick. When asked why they selected young Taylor, HC Aaron Glenn said he came from a good bloodline. He’s certainly hoping the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

And why shouldn’t he have hope? With this pick, the Jets are getting the All-Time leading TE in career receptions and yardage, with 129 catches and 1308 yds. He only found the endzone six times in his three years at LSU, which is the biggest knock against him. But in one of the team’s biggest games, against Alabama, Taylor caught a late fourth-quarter TD and followed it up with catching a 2-point conversion to win the game.

In many early lists, he barely cracks the top 25 and is an afterthought compared to the two TEs selected before him (Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren). There aren’t huge expectations for him. However, he is listed as the TE1 on the Jets’ depth chart and will receive a significant number of snaps with the team and the new QB, Justin Fields.

As is often the case in life, it is about timing and opportunity. If a team like the Chiefs drafted him, for depth and insurance for Travis Kelce, he wouldn’t see much action. But with the Jets, he is already elevated with real expectations. Fields will run a ball-control offense that will rely on a steady diet of manageable throws. Taylor has the potential to catch 60 passes for 600 receiving yards. Last year, only 10 TEs in the league accomplished those numbers. Sprinkle in a handful of TDs, and I’d say Mason Taylor is one heck of a sleeper.