3 Post-Cutdown Day Sleepers For Fantasy Football 2025 Drafts

In today's Fantasy Life newsletter, presented by FantasyLife+:

On the same day Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift* announced that they would be tying the knot, NFL franchises were cutting ties with players on the backend of their roster to meet the 53-man roster limit.

Here are three that surprised me while simultaneously opening the door for three intriguing sleepers …

✂️ Marquez Valdes-Scantling released; Tory Horton stock up. This one legit surprised me because I thought MVS was a lock to start the season in 3-WR sets alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. This is an extremely bullish indicator for the rookie—Horton—who now has the chance to get off to a fast start as the outside speedster. For more Horton hype, check out these pieces from Cooterdoodle and Coach Gene Clemons.

✂️ Hunter Renfrow released; Jalen Coker stock up. Dave Canales spent a lot of the summer hyping up Renfrow, so this is interesting—especially when paired with the Adam Thielen trade rumors. What this tells me is that the team feels very good about Coker—a Year 2 sleeper who is one of the reasons I love building out backdoor stacks with Bryce Young.

✂️ Diontae Johnson released; Harold Fannin stock up. There was some summer chatter that Johnson could have a meaningful role to open up the season, but the Browns didn’t give him any guaranteed money. I don’t want to be in the business of drafting Cleveland WRs other than Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman on the Browns, but this move further supports the thesis that Fannin is going to be relevant.

BONUS: The Browns also released RB Pierre Strong. Will we be getting some clarity on Quinshon Judkins soon? Where are Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford in ADP?

*We normally only bold players, but I don’t want to incite an angry mob of Swifties. It’s a Love Story, baby just say…

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RBs Go Fast In High-Stakes Drafts

“Draft running backs early and often.”

At least that’s what seemed to be the mantra for participants in the RT Sports Fantasy Life Championship draft room that Ian Hartitz and Dwain McFarland stepped into recently. So this is a different sort of mock draft, in that it’s a real draft with real dollars on the line. Ian and Dwain were more than up to the task, and deployed the strategies they’ve been researching and building pretty much since the last Super Bowl

Drafting out of the 1.04, they didn’t have to think long before they scooped up Mr. 2K Saquon Barkley. After that every pick is broken down, including which players were drafted before their turn to impact who they ended up selecting. Of course, their Round 3 pick was near and dear to both their hearts. ⤵️

CAN THEIR WR1 REALLY DRAW 200 TARGETS?

Be Positively Negative With These Last-Minute Draft Tips

You know how sometimes when looking at a menu in a restaurant it’s sometimes easier making a choice by weeding out what you DON’T want to eat? Drafting in fantasy football leagues can take a page from that menu of options.

Matthew Freedman recommends having a list of players whom under no circumstances will you draft. And if you’re stuck, he even provided his own list of players he considers overvalued. After that, when players in similar ADP come up in that range, your decision becomes at least somewhat easier. That’s just one of the tips that Freedman offers in the heaviest part of draft season. ⬇️

4 MORE IMPORTANT TIPS

Old Dudes Are Still Scoring Big

Yes, we know about age cliffs and making sure to say goodbye to a player a year early than a year late. Tell that to Derrick Henry, who’s coming off a 1,921-yard, 16-TD season and is looking as fit and powerful as he ever has at age 31. The King is wearing his crown very well these days. He’s projected to have another big season.

While some are moving on from vets in fantasy drafts, Jonathan Fuller identifies four players age 30 or older who are still playing at—or near—their peak performance. And they’re looking to keep piling up points on your fantasy teams. So don’t let a little gray hair scare you. ⤵️

ANOTHER 1K SEASON FOR THIS WR?

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

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👀 Najee Harris is ready to go? Encouraging sign.

🛴 Hard Knocks spoiler? We’ll always have that kids scooter moment.