Identifying young players before they become stars is one way to build a winning Fantasy football strategy this summer. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is going to be one of the popular 2025 Fantasy football breakout picks as he gets set for his first healthy NFL season. McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign due to a knee injury after getting drafted tenth in the 2024 draft. He has a strong supporting cast that features Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, giving McCarthy QB1 upside in 2025 Fantasy football lineups.

However, injuries are one of the biggest reasons why players wind up as Fantasy football busts. Can you trust McCarthy with your 2025 Fantasy football picks? Before crafting your 2025 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2025 Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, the model accurately predicted that Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels would comfortably outperform his ADP (QB13). The result: Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns with only nine interceptions and added 891 rushing yards with six more scores on the ground to take home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He finished as QB5 in CBS Sports PPR leagues and was a great addition to Fantasy football lineups.

The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020, nailing Jonathan Taylor’s monstrous season in 2021 and correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2025, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top 2025 Fantasy football breakouts

One of the 2025 Fantasy football breakouts the model is predicting: Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman. He was amid a breakout stretch in the middle of last season before a concussion forced him to miss the final six weeks of the campaign. Tillman was the WR12 in Fantasy points per game from Weeks 7-12, averaging 66.0 receiving yards per game.

He was back on the field for OTAs this summer, and he is the biggest target on the roster. The Browns did not do much to improve their receiving corps during the offseason, so Tillman should be a major factor in the offense. SportsLine’s model has Tillman ranked ahead of wide receivers like Jalen McMillan and Jayden Higgins, who are both going off the board before him in average Fantasy drafts.

Another potential breakout that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2025 have identified: Jets running back Braelon Allen. The former Wisconsin running back had 334 rushing yards and two touchdowns in backup duty last year, ranked 35th among 70 qualified running backs in yards after contact per attempt. Allen will be sitting behind Breece Hall on the depth chart again this season, but he showed enough potential last year for New York to increase his touches in 2025.

He had 19 receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown to go along with his rushing production, and Hall only averaged 54.8 rushing yards per game. Allen is an excellent short-yardage back, which means he should get some scoring opportunities near the end zone. SportsLine’s model has him ranked ahead of five running backs who are getting drafted before him, on average, making him a Fantasy football breakout to target at the end of Fantasy drafts. See which other Fantasy football breakouts 2025 to pick here.

How to find proven 2025 Fantasy football rankings

SportsLine is also extremely high on a rookie running back to make an immediate impact. The model ranks this player as a top-10 option ahead of more established stars like Christian McCaffrey and Bucky Irving. You can only see who it is, and the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.

So which 2025 Fantasy Football breakouts should you target, and which RB shocks the NFL with a top-10 performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2025 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Jayden Daniels’ breakout rookie season, and find out.

2025 Fantasy football ADP

(PPR, via CBS)

1. Saquon Barkley (2.24)
2. Bijan Robinson (2.54)
3. Ja’Marr Chase (3.12)
4. Jahmyr Gibbs (3.99)
5. Derrick Henry (5.69)
6. Josh Jacobs (9.85)
7. Justin Jefferson (10.10)
8. Christian McCaffrey (10.71)
9. Ashton Jeanty (11.14)
10. Lamar Jackson (11.35)