We’re all looking for that hidden gem to give our fantasy football team an edge, so we can kick back and relax on Sundays while gleefully watching our squad march to victory. Let Scott Pianowski help you rest easy this season with his weekly top sleepers.

To be fair, it’s possible our fantasy sleeper offering to you matters the least in Week 1. The bye weeks are a month away and your roster is probably the healthiest it will be all season. If there’s one week to play the hits, this is it.

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Still, we have to constantly be evaluating the market for roster upgrades, even if we might not need to utilize them right away. And we also want to be mindful of opportunities for deeper leagues and hybrid formats. With that in mind, here are a handful of interesting Week 1 fantasy options, with the qualifier that everyone listed is rostered at or around 50% and under of Yahoo leagues.

[It’s not too late — join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Ollie Gordon, RB, Dolphins at Colts (40% rostered)

First consider the tale of the tape. Gordon is 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. De’Von Achane is 5-foot-9, 191 pounds. What body type makes more sense at the goal line?

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To be fair, quickness and decisiveness are also important for those short-yardage scorers. But Gordon showed plenty of goal-line juice in his college days, scoring 34 rushing touchdowns in his two final years at Oklahoma State. He was also the Doak Walker Award winner in 2023 (college’s best running back) before taking a step back last season. It’s possible Miami found a steal in the sixth round, and Gordon might be needed quickly with Alexander Mattison out for the year and Jaylen Wright currently injured.

Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Broncos vs. Titans (40%)

I’m shocked Mims is this widely available after the dynamic second half he gave us last year. Over the final eight games of the year — when Denver basically took the training wheels off rookie QB Bo Nix — Mims secured 32-of-37 targets for 447 yards and six touchdowns. If you run those numbers for a full season, you’re looking at a 68-950-12 return. Mims has also shown explosiveness in the return game; it’s just a matter of the Broncos trusting him more as a route-runner and giving him a greater target share. Perhaps Mims will fully blossom in Year 3.

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Jerome Ford, RB, Browns vs. Bengals (51%)

It’s likely the Browns aren’t in love with Ford — after all, they drafted two impactful running backs in the draft. Then again, this is the Browns — they also drafted two quarterbacks in the same draft, and they’re starting Joe Flacco on Opening Day (a few years removed from the Deshaun Watson mess). This organization doesn’t always make sense.

Ford averaged 5.4 YPC last year and is listed as the team’s starter, which means he’ll at least get first crack before rookie Dylan Sampson shows what he can do. As for the other rookie, Quinshon Judkins, he’s still unsigned — his potential impact is weeks away, if it even shows in 2025. The Bengals defense was pushed around for most of last year, and it’s likely not much has changed.

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Hollywood Brown, WR, Chiefs at Chargers (21%)

I get it, Brown hardly played last year and hasn’t really been fantasy fun since 2021. But the Chiefs don’t have Rashee Rice for six weeks, so opportunity will be available. Brown’s ankle injury from the summer is healing nicely — he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, the key workout before Friday’s opener. Andy Reid should have some interesting routes cooked up for Brown.

Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars vs. Panthers (21%)

There’s a lot of excitement brewing in Jacksonville, with the idea that offensive guru Liam Coen can unlock Trevor Lawrence’s potential. WR Brian Thomas Jr. was electric as a rookie last year and now Travis Hunter joins the fun. But perhaps there’s room for a third amigo in this passing game, with Strange the likely candidate. A third-year breakout is common for tight ends, and Strange went from bit player as a rookie to a useful player as a sophomore (40-411-2). The Penn State pedigree is also a point in his favor; other than Iowa, Penn State is probably the leading tight-end supplier in the college game today.

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Michael Penix Jr., QB, Falcons vs. Buccaneers (33%)

The NFC South is often seen as a pinball division, and the Buccaneers and Falcons held to that maxim last year. The Falcons stole both games but there was scoring on all sides, with 123 points total. Penix only has three NFL starts under his belt but he didn’t look overwhelmed by the moment last year, capping things off with a 312-yard dandy against Carolina. And Penix surely knows where his bread is buttered, targeting Drake London 39 times over his three weeks. I suspect 30 points will be needed to win this matchup again, and even if Penix doesn’t bag the W, he has a decent chance to meet or surpass his projection.