Finding the right fantasy football breakouts each year is one of the skeleton keys to a successful season. Did you snag Bucky Irving and Brian Thomas Jr. late in your drafts last year? I bet you're sitting on a nice pile of cash if you did.

The early rounds of your draft are important, but the point is to showcase the potential value of finding the late-round gems—the league-winning value, that is.

Who could be those guys for the 2025 season? Let's take our shots.

Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates for 2025

QB Breakout: Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Waz: I might be too high on Drake Maye given the Patriots’ current lack of firepower, but he’s one of my top QB sleepers if the new coaching staff and 2025 draft come through.

In 2024, he threw for 2,276 yards and 15 TDs over 13 games—a quiet start with a thin offense—yet his TD efficiency hints at upside. His rushing stood out: 421 yards and two TDs on 54 carries, averaging a stout 7.8 yards per carry (YPC) that showcases his dual-threat potential. This year, Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels took over as HC and OC, respectively, replacing Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt. Vrabel’s run-first grit, like the 2019 Titans with Ryan Tannehill’s play-action punch, pairs with McDaniels’ Brady-era route smarts to sharpen Maye’s 6-foot-4 frame, big arm, and legs into a dual-threat force.

But here’s the catch—Maye’s 2024 pass catchers just didn’t cut it. Hunter Henry (UR Score: 7.3) and Austin Hooper (4.5) handle short routes well, decent underneath options. Kayshon Boutte (4.8) brings speed, DeMario Douglas (4.6) fits the slot, Kendrick Bourne (3.2) stays reliable when targeted, and 2024 rookies Ja’Lynn Polk (2.0) could emerge with his sharp routes if targeted more, while Javon Baker (0.2) flopped despite his size, barely seeing the field. Entering via free agency to lead the WR room is former AFC East rival Stefon Diggs to be Maye’s primary target in 2025.

This crew simply needed help, and adding WR Kyle Williams (alongside big-play RB TreVeyon Henderson, who has shown the ability to excel in the pass game in college) hints at their intent to address just that.

Maye’s rushing and arm set a floor most QBs cannot match. If Vrabel and McDaniels scheme him up effectively, Diggs, Henry, and any draft picks hit, Maye’s top-eight upside at a price well beyond the top-12 would make him an ideal sleeper and late-round QB candidate.

RB Breakout: Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins

Hartitz: Not much was expected from Jaylen Wright in 2024. The clear No. 3 RB on a depth chart featuring Raheem Mostert (had just scored 21 TD) and De'Von Achane (997 yards and 11 TD in 11 games as a rookie), it was cool that Miami felt good enough about Wright to trade a 2025 third-rounder to trade up for him in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, but he was at least one injury away from becoming overly relevant in fantasy land.

Well, relatively good health all around limited Wright to just one game with double-digit touches all season. Small sample size be damned, he finished first among Dolphins RBs in yards after contact per carry (3.3), tackles avoided per carry (23.5%), and explosive run rate alike.

Now ahead of 2025:

• Miami released Mostert and did not re-sign Jeff Wilson.
• The only free agent addition was Alexander Mattison.
• Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon (Round 6, pick 179) was the only draft pick added.

Gordon is more interesting than your usual day three pick due to his size and huge 2023, but c'mon: The only competition the Dolphins have added this entire offseason is Alexander f*cking Mattison and a sixth-round rookie!

*Best Cris Collinsworth impression* We got a guy here who sure seems to have a fantasy-friendly "FLEX with benefits" role waiting for him inside an offense just one season removed from ranking second in scoring. That's the sort of stuff late-round dart dreams are made of!

WR Breakout: Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

Kendall: I am firmly going to believe that we weren't wrong about Rome Odunze, we were just a year too early!

Listen, Caleb Williams flashed talent in 2024, but overall, it was a rollercoaster of a rookie season for him. Blame him, blame the offensive line, and even the coaching staff, but things need to change, and I believe Ben Johnson will raise Williams' floor and overall help make Rome Odunze a breakout fantasy star.

As the offensive coordinator for the Lions the past three seasons, Johnson's offense finished inside the top five in points per game on average and inside the top four in total net yards per game. What's more is that Williams was under constant duress last season and took 68 sacks—that was the third-most in NFL history, and he lost 466 yards on those sacks. Yes, many of those were his fault, but we can only go up from here, right?

In 17 games, Odunze managed to haul in 54 of 101 targets for 734 yards and three touchdowns. He also ranked 11th in yards per route run (1.18) and 10th in passer rating when targeted (82.7) among 12 rookie WRs with at least 50 targets last season.

Odunze finished as WR59 in PPR points per game last season, but this season, maybe we see him get those easier reps in the slot (an Amon-Ra St. Brown role?). DJ Moore still profiles as the WR1 on this offense, but with Keenan Allen gone, things will open up for Odunze as the true WR2, and the bump in volume alone makes me even more excited.

TE Breakout: Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

Hartitz: There's a better-than-decent chance the majority of NFL fans have never even heard of Brenton Strange due to Evan Engram leading the way in Jacksonville over the past two seasons.

And yet, the former second-round pick suddenly projects as Duuuval's clear-cut lead TE1 after the team decided to part ways with Engram. This doesn't necessarily guarantee a full-time role, but things are certainly looking good considering …

• New head coach Liam Coen featured his former TE Cade Otton on 87% of the team's dropbacks last season—the third-highest mark of any player at the position.
• Backups Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long have been block-first options throughout their respective careers.
• Jaguars TEs as a whole rank sixth in total targets since Trevor Lawrence was drafted back in 2021.

The latest Penn State product's combination of high-end athleticism and pass-game prowess helped him turn in four separate top-10 finishes in fantasy land while replacing an injured Engram last season. Still only 24 years young, it'd make sense if the best is still to come from Strange, who appears to have a real shot at finishing third on his offense behind Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter.

Strange is a strong candidate to be on the cover of Week 2 waiver wire articles after the public realizes we're looking at a young talent with a full-time role and gaudy target ceiling—don't be afraid to use a late-round pick on the potential top-10 breakout.

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.