Winning your fantasy football league often comes down to the players you grab in the final rounds of your draft. While early-round stars set the foundation, it’s the late-round steals who can deliver league-winning upside at a bargain. Our 2025 list of Fantasy Football Late-Round Draft Steals comes straight from the trusted insights of our Featured Pros experts. These undervalued sleepers could turn into weekly starters — or even this year’s breakout stars — if you play your draft right. Let’s break down the late-round lottery tickets you can target to outsmart your league mates this season.
Fantasy Football Lottery Tickets to Draft: Running Backs
Which running backs outside the top 45 in half-PPR RB ADP do you plan to target in all drafts as a late-round fantasy football target and why?
Will Shipley (RB – PHI)
“Saquon Barkley is coming off a massive workload of nearly 500 touches, and history hasn’t been kind to these RBs in the following season. I think we could see Barkley either miss time or see a reduced workload to keep him upright for a full season. Both scenarios should see second-year RB, Will Shipley, see an expanded role in an ideal environment for fantasy scoring. The team moved on from Kenneth Gainwell, creating an opportunity for over 100 vacated touches in the Eagles’ offense.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
Kyle Monangai (RB – CHI)
“Kyle Monangai (RB74 in the ADP) is one of my favorite late-round picks. While D’Andre Swift should be the Bears’ lead running back this season, Monangai could push Roschon Johnson out of the No. 2 role in the backfield. The rookie had over 1,200 rushing yards and at least eight touchdowns in back-to-back years to end his college career at Rutgers, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. Furthermore, his 66 missed tackles forced were the eighth-most in the draft class, totaling more than Bhayshul Tuten (62) and Quinshon Judkins (35). Monangai is a physical runner who could steal the David Montgomery role in this fantasy-friendly offense from Johnson, potentially scoring double-digit touchdowns as a rookie.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
Jarquez Hunter (RB – LAR)
“Jarquez Hunter: We have seen the fantasy goodness a running back can have in a Sean McVay offense with Kyren Williams being the RB6 and RB7 the last two seasons, despite Williams being one of the least explosive backs in the NFL. Enter Hunter, who had one of the best breakaway run rates in college football last year. McVay doesn’t rotate backs between plays; he does it for series, and when McVay sees a Hunter drive immediately followed by a Williams one, the difference will be clear. Hunter’s role can easily grow as the season goes along and can smash his ADP even without an injury.”
– Jay Wood (Daily Dynasties)
Ray Davis (RB – BUF)
“This seems like the obvious choice, but I’m going with Ray Davis here. We’ve all heard the James Cook contract conversations, and we’re not really sure how that’s all going to play out. We’ve seen what Davis can do as the featured back with 20 rushes for 97 yards with 55 receiving yards in the one game Cook didn’t play last year. Even with Cook as the starter, Davis still managed to have three top 20 finishes for running backs. He’s shown he can be a great complementary back to Cook and also be the featured back if Cook doesn’t play.”
– Joey Meinerding (Fantasy Dink)
“Ray Davis barely qualifies but sits as a very high upside target. James Cook is in a public contract dispute with the Bills. While he has reported to offseason activities, the chance for a holdout looms. If Cook misses time, Davis immediately receives a volume role in one of the best offenses in the league, putting double-digit touchdown upside in play. In bestball formats, his role still creates opportunity for weeks that make starting lineups.”
– Jeff Bell (Footballguys)
“The longer James Cook goes without a contract, the more Ray Davis’ stock will rise. Cook is currently seeking a long-term extension with Buffalo, and if this contract situation becomes a problem, Buffalo can immediately turn to Davis. Cook missed Week 6 against the Jets, and Davis pulled up with over 150 yards from scrimmage. Davis is an elite handcuff at the worst as the RB47 and player overall 145, and at best is the Bills RB1 that would be a locked-in top-15 weekly play.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Jaylen Wright (RB – MIA)
“Jaylen Wright, Dolphins: Wright’s explosive skill set makes him one of my favorite RBs to stash. He enters camp as the RB2 behind De’Von Achane, whose injury history includes foot (2023), shoulder (2023), knee (2023), and ankle (2024) injuries. The 188-pounder also sustained a concussion last season.”
– Kevin English (Draft Sharks)
“If you’re looking for someone further down the draft rankings, don’t forget about Jaylen Wright. Wright takes over for Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson in the Dolphins’ RBBC, both of whom are no longer in Miami. Wright showed off his blistering speed at the NFL combine back in 2024 with a sizzling 4.38 forty time. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the rock. And, if anything happens to Devon Achane, Wright’s fantasy outlook would suddenly become very interesting. Ringo’s comp- Jaylen Wright reminds me of former Chiefs’ all-pro RB Jamaal Charles.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)
Brashard Smith (RB – KC)
“Brashard Smith is the easiest click in the final round of drafts. Smith was another talented victim of this deep running back class. He dropped all the way to the seventh round of the NFL Draft, which was surprising. The Chiefs added him to their already overstocked backfield. The Chiefs are no strangers to allowing a seventh-round running back a legit shot at starting (hi, Isiah Pacheco), so we can’t say that Smith has zero shot. I was enamored with Smith’s receiving ability as a converted wide receiver, his lightning quickness, and his possible upside as a rusher for a player who is still getting acclimated to the position. Last year, Smith ranked 34th in breakaway percentage, second in receiving grade, and 22nd in yards per route run (per PFF). Smith’s skill set is different from every other back in this depth chart. He could easily carve out a stand-alone role as Kansas City’s new Jerick McKinnon.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Isaac Guerendo (RB – SF)
“I want all of the Isaac Guerendo. If Christian McCaffrey goes down with injury (and he’s more likely than most), Guerendo will be the definitive lead back, getting 20+ touches a game with a good chance to finish in the top 10 on a weekly basis. You can find no more upside at this stage of the draft.”
– Ben Wasley (The Fantasy First Down)
“Isaac Guerendo. It’s not exactly a well-guarded secret in the fantasy community that the backup to Christian McCaffrey is a potentially lucrative lottery ticket, given CMC’s extensive injury history and the historical production of RBs in Kyle Shanahan’s system. Jordan Mason played in place of an injured CMC early last year and was averaging 120 yards from scrimmage per game over the first five games before getting hurt himself. We just need to make sure Guerendo has a firm grasp on the 49ers’ No. 2 RB job and isn’t being pushed by rookie Jordan James in training camp.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB – WAS)
“The Washington Commanders selected Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the 7th round of the NFL draft, which is not a position that excites fantasy owners, unless they are following Commanders media feeds and listening to what teammates and coaches are saying about him. Luckily for Croskey-Merritt, he has many factors that could lead to him earning a role in his first year and rewarding owners who take a risk on him. He has great size for an NFL RB at 5’11’ and 206 lbs, the backfield (Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez, Jr.) isn’t overly solid without a 1,000-yard rusher in 2024 (or since 2021), and he has fresh legs after eligibility issues limited him to a single game in his last year at Arizona. If looking for a player to stash in the last round of redraft leagues, owners who take Croskey-Merritt could be rewarded with a player who has a larger role when the fantasy playoffs roll around.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
MarShawn Lloyd (RB – GB)
“MarShawn Lloyd is a forgotten man after an injury-wrecked rookie season. But he remains an intriguing prospect and has a clear path to the No. 2 job in Green Bay. That’d make him a high-upside handcuff behind Josh Jacobs. And Lloyd could even carve out a big enough role behind Jacobs to have some standalone value. HC Matt LaFleur tends to favor committee backfields.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
Roschon Johnson (RB – CHI)
“With everything the Chicago Bears have done to revamp their offense this offseason, I’m shooting my shot on Roschon Johnson at an RB53 price point. His ADP is surprising given a completely retooled and now-impressive offensive line, a promising play caller as their new head coach in Ben Johnson, and, of course, few noteworthy additions to the backfield. Though I expect this team to be pass-first, Johnson has an incredible opportunity to take over the short-yardage and goal-line role while holding immense contingent upside if D’Andre Swift should succumb to injury. Give me Roschon late and give me the ship if he hits.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
“Roschon Johnson, the Bears offense will feature both Swift and Johnson. With that in mind, I could say he is going to have a lot of red-zone touches.”
– Alejandro Orellana (Estadio Fantasy)
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