Every summer leading up to fantasy football draft season is always packed with breakout predictions, rookie hype, and training camp videos that always blow up a player's draft stock.
With all this noise, it’s hard to see the quiet value picks that have been overlooked by ADP, buried on depth charts, and written off before the season even starts. This series hopes to change that.
Starting with the AFC North today, I’ll be analyzing each team and finding a sleeper player for each of them. Whether it's a third-year breakout or a rookie waiting for his time to shine, these players could be the reason you win a tough matchup… or your entire league.
These players aren't household names now, but keep reading and I’ll tell you why they should be.
Isaiah Likely
Baltimore Ravens - TE
Isaiah Likely probably isn't the first person you think of when sleeper players are brought up, but his ADP being at 148 on Sleeper affirms that the consensus of players are sleeping on Likely for this season.
Whenever Mark Andrews would go down with an injury, the Ravens never had to worry about his absence affecting the team, as Likely became a TE1 for both the Ravens and fantasy owners overnight.
Likely has shown that he can produce at a high level even with Andrews still playing, having three games of over 14 PPR points in weeks 1, 5, and 14.
Additionally, Andrews is heading into the last year of his contract, so the Ravens will likely want to see if Likely can offer true TE1 upside for the team. They will begin to play him more to gauge what they can expect from him in the future.
With Likely on track to still have high-tier production in the Ravens’ system, expect to see him fly past his ADP and help you win your fantasy league.
Cedric Tillman
Cleveland Browns - WR
Cedric Tillman was buried in the depth chart for the first year and a half of his career, having to fight both Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore for reps and not impressing enough to garner significant playing time.
However, in week 7 of the 2024 season, Tillman exploded onto the scene, having 8 catches for 81 yards, totaling 18.1 fantasy points and surprising the fantasy community.
Following week 7, Tillman had two more impressive games with 28.9 points in week 8 and 19.5 points in week 9, averaging 22.1 points over this span.
Over the same span from weeks 7-9, Tillman was the WR1 overall and was a top-12 receiver until he suffered a season-ending concussion in week 11.
With the release of the Browns' first official depth chart, Tillman is listed as the WR2 behind Jerry Jeudy, meaning he’ll be given plenty of opportunity to prove that last season was a sustainable pace for him.
With Tillman going off the board at 188, he has the potential to win your league this year and be a massive contributor to a championship roster.
Jermaine Burton
Cincinnati Bengals - WR
Jermaine Burton is the longest shot on this list today, but has the potential to be the best of all of them. Burton was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Bengals from the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he had 39 receptions for 798 yards and 8 touchdowns.
However, Burton struggled to see the field in 2024, partially due to personal issues, which led to Burton not traveling with the team against Pittsburgh last season.
While these issues stick out as potential future concerns, fellow teammate Tee Higgins vouched for Burton, saying, “he’s made a big jump… mentally.”
With these off-field issues supposedly resolved, Burton should be able to transfer his elite college skillset into a productive WR3 role behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, benefiting greatly from a heavy passing offense in Cincinnati.
Burton has also received glowing reports out of training camp so far, as the post from @premefootball on X shows.
With the new rapport that Burton has built for himself, look to see him skyrocket in his value and be an extremely productive piece of your team that you can draft in the 25th round or probably pick up on waivers in most leagues.
Calvin Austin
Pittsburgh Steelers - WR
Rounding out the AFC North is Calvin Austin for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Austin was drafted in 2022, but has yet to see significant playing time due to extended competition and an injury that kept him out for his entire rookie season.
With news of the George Pickens trade, Austin found himself in the Steelers' WR2 role behind DK Metcalf and will be able to use his 4.32 speed to make a noticeable impact in the offense.
Austin has also seen improvement in his route awareness and overall confidence through camp, as head coach Mike Tomlin said,” He’s just a guy that’s stepping forward with each and every opportunity. His experience is starting to show. He’s got a feel for the game. He’s competitive, he’s playing fast, and it’s reasonable to expect that to continue.”
Seeing this level of support for Austin heading into a season where he needs to prove himself sets up a very promising situation where Austin produces at a true WR2 level and makes a true name for himself.
Being able to snag Austin down at spot 233 is too good of value to ignore, considering the potential upside that Austin carries, making him the last sleeper of the AFC North.
Final Thoughts
All of these AFC North players offer massive upside for a ridiculously cheap price, and they should all be targets heading into your drafts in 2025 fantasy football.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to look out for more throughout the upcoming weeks, as I will be breaking down every division and a sleeper for every team within them. Next up is the NFC North, so make sure to come back to find out what sleepers can help you win your league in the North!