When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable late-round fantasy football picks I target in drafts.
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Fantasy Football Advice: Late-Round Draft Picks to Target
Let’s dive into late-round draft picks I target.
Javonte Williams / Jaydon Blue (DAL)
Last year, it was tough to watch Javonte Williams. The injuries have seemingly robbed him of his special tackle-breaking sauce. The Broncos kept trotting him out there weekly without a better option to take his place. Williams finished as the RB36 in fantasy points per game. He will be in the conversation, if not the favorite, to be the Cowboys’ starting back this season, with only Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue realistically competing with him for the job. I don’t know if Williams has the juice anymore to hold off those players, but he will be given the opportunity to do so. Last year, Williams ranked outside the top 34 backs in explosive run rate, missed tackles forced per attempt, and yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Williams makes the most sense with Zero RB builds this season, as he could buy time for a fantasy star to emerge from your bench to take his place in your starting lineup.
Blue fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft as he was swimming in a ridiculously deep running back draft class. The former Longhorn displayed some three-down big play ability in his final collegiate season. He ranked 26th in elusive rating, 35th in yards after contact per attempt, and 25th in yards per route run (per PFF). It’s not hard to envision Blue having a role in the backfield immediately in Week 1, considering the lackluster players surrounding him on the Dallas Cowboys’ depth chart. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders‘ best football looks to be behind them. Blue could be the passing down back from Day 1 with an avenue to become the team’s lead back quickly.
Cam Skattebo (NYG)
The Giants added Cam Skattebo to the backfield via the fourth round of the NFL Draft. He should be considered the early favorite to be the team’s workhorse after Tyrone Tracy‘s inconsistent rookie season and the team shelving any thought of Devin Singletary as their leading back. Skattebo was a volume monster during his final season in college and a true three-down back. He ranked 21st in yards after contact per attempt and 11th in elusive rating while also sitting inside the top ten in receiving grade and yards per route run (per PFF). It could take some time for Skattebo to wrestle 60-65% of the snaps away from the other players in this backfield, but it does feel like the eventual reality. Skattebo is a strong RB3/flex who could easily vault into an every-week top 15 running back.
J.K. Dobbins (DEN)
J.K. Dobbins had a nice bounceback season last year as the RB18 in fantasy points per game with 227 touches and 1,058 total yards. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 17th in explosive run rate, but he was outside the top 25 backs in missed tackles forced per attempt and yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). He also recorded the third-highest stuff rate among those sampled rushers. After we pop open the hood and look closer at Dobbins’ per-touch metrics from 2024, it’s not surprising that he lasted as long as he did on the open market. Denver has added him to their backfield rotation on a modest one-year deal. He’ll likely contribute on early downs, taking some of the load off R.J. Harvey so they don’t run their talented rookie into the ground, but I don’t expect him to be much more than a handcuff or touchdown-dependent flex play this season. The addition of Dobbins to this backfield does crush any hope for Audric Estime breaking out in 2025.
Bhayshul Tuten / Tank Bigsby (JAC)
Tugboat Tuten found a port in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Liam Coen and company hope that Tuten can pull their offense up the scoring ranks in 2025. Ok, that’s enough tugboat references. Tuten will compete from the jump for touches with holdovers Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. Etienne looked like a shell of his former self last season, so Bigsby might be the most formidable adversary to a Tuten takeover. That doesn’t mean that Tuten and Bigsby couldn’t form a solid committee. Tuten has the juice to make the most of his touches. During his final collegiate season, he ranked tenth in yards after contact per attempt and breakaway percentage and eighth in elusive rating (per PFF). Tuten is an upside flier who could pay off handsomely in 2025, much like Bucky Iriving did last year.
Bigsby had an awesome sophomore season for Jacksonville, especially considering how his rookie season unfolded. He finished as the RB40 in fantasy points per game with eight weeks as the RB36 or higher in weekly fantasy scoring. Bigsby wasn’t involved in the passing game, having only 12 targets last year. I don’t see that changing this season, so he’ll need to manufacture fantasy points on the early downs with his legs. He proved he can do that last season. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 21st in explosive run rate and second-best in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Bigsby will have to fight Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten for playing time, but he has the raw talent to carve out a role in this offense in 2025.
Jarquez Hunter (LAR)
Hunter is arbitrage Bhayshul Tuten in fantasy football drafts. Hunter, much like Tuten, is headed to the NFL (Rams) via the fourth round of the NFL draft. Also, like Tuten, Hunter finds himself possibly buried for 2025 behind two veterans, but he also possesses the talent and pathway to surpass one or maybe both of them in the running back pecking order. Kyren Williams is a free agent after this season. The Rams thought so much of Blake Corum‘s rookie season that they addressed running back again this year. Hunter is incredibly talented. Hunter has ranked inside the top 24 in yards after contact per attempt in each of the last three seasons while also sitting in the top 22 in breakaway percentage in two of three years (per PFF). Hunter offers the Rams an explosive element that neither Williams nor Corum has. Last year, among 46 qualifying backs, Williams ranked 44th in explosive run rate, 37th in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 40th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Hunter could be one of the best values of the fantasy football draft season.
MarShawn Lloyd (GB)
Lloyd lost nearly his entire rookie season to injuries. First, he dealt with a hamstring strain during training camp and the preseason. That was followed by an ankle sprain in Week 2 and surgery to treat appendicitis after that. It was an unfortunate and insane runout for the former third-round pick out of USC. Don’t forget Lloyd is a ridiculously talented player who ranked 16th and 20th in yards after contact per attempt and fourth and 15th in elusive rating across his final two collegiate seasons (per PFF). The Packers didn’t add anyone to the backfield in the draft. Lloyd should be considered the favorite for the RB2/handcuff spot on the depth chart for Green Bay behind Josh Jacobs. We’ll see how much of a stand-alone role he has this season, but his handcuff value alone is solid.
D.J. Giddens (IND)
Giddens was the 15th running back selected in the draft as he landed with the Colts. He’ll compete with Khalil Herbert to earn backup duties behind the Colts’ incumbent starter, Jonathan Taylor. Giddens’ talent is very real after he ranked 16th in yards after contact per attempt, sixth in breakaway percentage, and 22nd in elusive rating last year (per PFF). He’s in the final-round pick bucket that could pay off handsomely if he earns the RB2 spot and Taylor misses any time.
Tahj Brooks (CIN)
Brooks lands in Cincy via the sixth round of the NFL Draft. With the depth of his running back class, it isn’t surprising to see him having slipped that far down the board, but it still sucks. Brooks has the talent that should have justified an earlier pick and would have had he come out last year. Brooks will need to hop Zack Moss (assuming health) and Samaje Perine on the depth chart to even be proclaimed as the direct handcuff to Chase Brown. I think he has the talent to do so, but it remains to be seen if he can achieve it. Texas Tech’s run blocking was abysmal last year, and it hurt Brooks’ tackle-breaking numbers. In 2023, he ranked 60th in yards after contact per attempt and 37th in elusive rating (per PFF). Brooks is a final-round pick/deep league dart throw.
Brashard Smith (KC)
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.
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