Travis Kelce is your fantasy sleeper tight end
USAT’s Joe Rivera and Jacob Camenker explain why Travis Kelce is considered a ‘sleeper’ in fantasy football this seaosn.
Sports Seriously
Fantasy football managers have spent decades using every tool at their disposal in an effort to dominate their drafts. From creating cheat sheets to researching sleepers to testing various strategies through mock drafts, dedicated fantasy managers are typically willing to try anything to gain a leg up on the competition.
As technology continues to evolve, fantasy footballers are being given more and more means to do this research and find the winning formula. That will increasingly include using artificial intelligence (AI) to inform and test their strategies.
AI is still in its infancy, but chatbots are rapidly evolving and are increasingly able to quickly gather and deliver information to those using them. That said, some Large Language Models (LLMs) struggle to keep up with the latest sports news and updates, which means they sometimes will provide outdated information to those using them.
With that in mind, USA TODAY Sports decided to see what type of fantasy football insights Microsoft Copilot could provide ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
For the purposes of this exercise, Copilot was given a series of five fantasy football-related prompts to answer. The exact inputs given to it were as follows:
- Who should be the No. 1 pick in fantasy football 2025?
- Can you pick one fantasy football sleeper at each position for 2025?
- Can you pick one fantasy football bust to avoid at each position in 2025?
- Who are the top fantasy football D/STs to trust in 2025?
- What is the best fantasy football draft strategy?
Below is a summation of the answers Copilot provided, along with a brief, human-crafted analysis of each of the chatbot’s answers.
Using AI to make fantasy football predictions for 2025
Who should be the No. 1 pick in fantasy football 2025?
Copilot advised fantasy football managers to select Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase No. 1 overall in 2025 fantasy football drafts. The chatbot noted Chase’s Triple Crown-winning 2024 season, high volume of opportunities (10.3 targets per game, second in the NFL last season) and “stable environment” working with Joe Burrow as reasons to trust Chase.
Running backs Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Saquon Barkley were listed as alternatives by Copilot. It also noted Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen could be the No. 1 overall pick in 2-QB or SuperFlex drafts.
Our take: It’s hard to argue with Chase as the No. 1 option, as he appears to be the consensus top pick across the industry. Still, Barkley can make a strong case for the top spot given he runs behind the NFL’s best offensive line and generated a 2,000-yard season in 2024.
As such, it’s really a coin-flip between the two with the deciding factor being whether the manager with the No. 1 pick wants a wide receiver or running back more.
Can you pick one fantasy football sleeper at each position for 2025?
Copilot identified the following players as its top sleepers by position for the 2025 season.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots. Copilot said New England’s “new weapons and a more aggressive offensive scheme” are reasons to be excited about Maye.
Jaydon Blue, RB, Dallas Cowboys. The chatbot likes Blue’s “elite speed (4.38) and receiving chops” and noted he will face “minimal competition” for playing time in Dallas.
Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans. Copilot believes Higgins has a clear path to Houston’s No. 2 receiver role across from Nico Collins and sees the second-round rookie emerging as “a big-play threat with red-zone upside.”
Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts. Copilot initially listed Warren as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and had to be prompted to change its analysis because of this. After the correction, the chatbot noted Warren has “no real competition for snaps” with the Colts and should be a good fit in Shane Steichen’s offense.
Our take: It’s hard to argue with any of Copilot’s choices. The additions of Stefon Diggs and Josh McDaniels should help Maye considerably; Javonte Williams has averaged 3.6 yards per carry over the last two seasons, so similar struggles could open the door for Blue to break out; and both Higgins and Warren should see ample opportunities to prove themselves in Houston and Indianapolis, respectively.
Can you pick one fantasy football bust to avoid at each position in 2025?
Copilot identified the following players as potential busts for the 2025 fantasy football season.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals. Copilot noted “Murray’s rushing upside has diminished” and fears Arizona’s offense will be too inconsistent to make Murray a QB1.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills. Cook has an average draft position (ADP) of RB13, which Copilot feels is too rich. It believes Cook is “facing regression” after recording a league-best 16 rushing touchdowns last year and fears second-year pro Ray Davis could eat more into Cook’s workload.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets. Copilot evidently isn’t a Justin Fields fan, as it noted the Jets presently have “major concerns at quarterback.” As such, the chatbot is questioning Wilson’s status as a top-15 receiver.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs. Avert your eyes, Swifties. Copilot believes the 36-year-old Kelce will continue his downward trend, especially as his “red-zone usage has declined.”
Our take: Is Kelce’s red-zone usage really declining? He tied Justin Jefferson for the third-most targets inside the 20-yard line last season, so that may not be Copilot’s best pick, especially with Kelce focused on improving his explosiveness during the offseason.
The other three are all sensible bust picks. Murray has averaged just 5.25 rushing attempts per game over the last three seasons while Cook had just four rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons before his 16 last year. And certainly, it’s fair to doubt whether Wilson will reach his full potential with Fields, who has only helped support two 1,000-yard receivers during his four-year NFL career.
FANTASY FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO AVOID: QB | RB | WR | TE
Who are the top fantasy football D/STs to trust in 2025?
Copilot provided four “elite-tier” fantasy defenses for the 2025 season. They are as follows:
Denver Broncos. Copilot likes Denver’s “dominant pass rush” and believes it can repeat its 2024 performance as the No. 1 fantasy defense.
Baltimore Ravens. Copilot described the Ravens as a “takeaway-heavy” unit and praised it for having players like Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton and Jaire Alexander leading it.
Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are another team with “a top-tier pass rush,” according to Copilot. It also noted Philadelphia has “strong divisional matchups” on its schedule, which seemingly indicates it isn’t very confident the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys will be good in 2025.
Pittsburgh Steelers. Copilot likes T.J. Watt and the “turnover potential” of the Steelers defense. It also noted the team has a solid early-season schedule with games against the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in the first three weeks of the season.
Our take: Copilot picking Alexander as one of the top Ravens defenders to highlight was eyebrow-raising, but these four defenses all rank within the top five of USA TODAY Sports’ fantasy defense rankings for 2025. The Houston Texans were the lone team among the group omitted from Copilot’s elite tier.
What is the best fantasy football draft strategy?
Copilot noted draft strategies depend heavily on each league’s settings and your preferences for building a team. That said, it outlined a basic strategy as such:
- Rounds 1-4: Prioritize WRs and RBs with high volume and upside while avoiding injury risks.
- Round 5-9: Grab QB and TE in this range if you don’t get an elite option. Mix in high-upside RBs and WRs as well as “a safe WR3 or RB3 for bye-week coverage.”
- Rounds 10-15: Take your kicker and defense at the end of the draft while focusing on “rookies, handcuffs, and breakout candidates” at other positions.
Copilot also encouraged drafters to “stay flexible” with their strategies, keep an eye out for value picks and consider stacking a QB with a WR or TE to create more “weekly upside.”
Our take: A balanced approach is always a good one. It behooves fantasy managers to load up on RB and WR depth early given how thin those positions get as drafts go on, so this is a sensible and basic outline from Copilot.
