On the Christmas Day of fantasy football, managers went to the Sleeper fantasy app to stare adoringly at their lineups, only to see a blank page.
Instead of seeing the team that had them declaring “Super Bowl!” immediately after their draft, they got zilch.
Is Sleeper Dropping the Ball on Fantasy Football’s Biggest Stage?
Historically, fantasy football platforms have struggled on opening Sunday. But they typically don’t have issues on opening night with just one game.
A working sleeper app would have a nice ring to it too https://t.co/Sf4S3BbhLm pic.twitter.com/b6G4DF3nQZ
— Darrius Miller (@DarriusMiller10) September 5, 2025
The opening game of the season features a ton of fantasy juice with both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles possessing 9-10 fantasy-relevant players. Unsurprisingly, managers want to check their matchups and see those fantasy points start to flow in. If you play on Sleeper, it’s not happening right now.
Not the Sleeper app glitching the first day of gameday. Where’s my fantasy league @SleeperHQ? pic.twitter.com/JZpnTKEfJY
— Austin Albers (@austinjonalbers) September 4, 2025
While the ESPN fantasy football app was also down for a brief period, its outage was limited to mobile devices; desktop users could still view fantasy stats. Sleeper, however, remains sidelined with an injury. Users report that it gives false hope, only to crash again.
Me watching the sleeper app crash on opening night. pic.twitter.com/bvWvosFyCk
— Kyle Campbell (@kcamp3) September 5, 2025
Its status to return to the game is questionable. Even if it does make it to the field after the half, it might not be reliable enough to carry you through the NFL 2025 season kickoff.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Shines Early While A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith Struggle for Fantasy Football Managers
The home team Eagles lead 21-17 over the Cowboys at the half. Jalen Carter stole the show with his antics on the opening kick, and the game hasn’t slowed down for a second.
The first two quarters were with offense, but not necessarily from the players fantasy managers would prefer. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have a combined one catch for six yards. The Eagles’ WR1 doesn’t even have a target.
RELATED: Soppe’s Week 1 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em: Analysis for Every Player in Every Game
With Jalen Hurts calling his own number on both of Philadelphia’s scores, he is the only Eagle really coming through for fantasy managers. Anyone starting Hurts has to be thrilled with this start, especially considering he was drafted decently behind Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jayden Daniels.
The other Eagle fantasy managers would be pleased to have started is Dallas Goedert, who already has four catches on the day.
Saquon Barkley looks as spry as ever, but without any role in the passing game, he needs to score, which hasn’t happened just yet. It’s a long game, though, and there should be plenty more points in this one.
Barkely with 8 yards #Eagles #Cowboys #Dallas #Philly #Hurts #Saquon #Dak #JerryJones #Collinsworth #NFL #Week1 #PhiladelphiaEagles #PaperTigerMedia #JalenCarter #Spit #CeedeeLamb #Shipley #Mitchell pic.twitter.com/jpOsHNgrfK
— PaperTigerMedia (@PaperTigrMedia) September 5, 2025
On the Cowboys’ side of things, Javonte Williams has been the star of the show. He doesn’t look particularly quick or explosive, but he’s handling the dirty work and punched in two short touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb is dominating targets as Dak Prescott’s main guy. Although Prescott only attempted 11 passes in the first half, Lamb had three catches for 76 yards.
George Pickens was targeted downfield twice, with one reception for six yards. It’s definitely a good sign for his long-term value. There will be games where those connect for a chunk of points, and fantasy managers get big numbers from the Cowboys’ WR2. However, he does look like he will be very boom or bust early on.
Prescott himself appears to be an excellent value for fantasy managers who took him late. Touchdown variance is a thing, though. As frustrating as it is to see Williams get both of the team’s scores, there will be plenty of weeks where Prescott throws them in.
