Welcome back to another summer of best ball fantasy football drafting. There’s no better way to gear up for the start of redraft season than by drafting best ball teams to your heart’s desire.
This piece will break down the early rounds of fantasy football drafts. It’s Part II of a three-part series and is a part of the FantasyPros best ball draft kit. We are tackling the middle rounds of best ball drafts. Before diving in headfirst, be sure to read my Early Round Fantasy Football Strategy: Best Ball (2025), where we covered the first four rounds.
Let’s dive into players I love to target in the middle rounds of fantasy football drafts.
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Fantasy Football Middle Round Strategy: Players to Target
Players to Draft
Andrew Erickson’s favorite player targets from rounds five to nine:
Round 5 Players to Target
Xavier Worthy, Tetairoa McMillan, Jameson Williams
Xavier Worthy broke out down the stretch in 2024, posting at least four catches and 40+ yards in 10 straight games while scoring 12 total touchdowns (9 receiving, 3 rushing) on the year. From Week 11 on, he averaged over 2.0 yards per route run and 14.6 fantasy points per game – WR8 production over that span. He also ranked 10th in red-zone targets and finished the regular season as the WR21 from Weeks 11-17. With Rashee Rice facing an injury recovery and potential suspension, Worthy is in line to step into a featured role in Kansas City’s offense. Locked in as WR17 in projections, Worthy’s arrow is pointing way up heading into 2025.
Round 6 Players to Target
Jaylen Waddle, Calvin Ridley, Jauan Jennings
Jaylen Waddle took a backseat in the Miami offense with Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane vacuuming up the underneath targets. And the games that Tagovailoa missed further cratered Waddle’s numbers. However, Waddle is just 26 years old, and part of his down year was related to a lack of TDs. Given how the Miami Dolphins’ season ended, I can’t imagine they run back the same offense they deployed in 2024. If Tyreek Hill continues his downward trajectory or Miami moves on from the speedy WR, Waddle will benefit greatly. Jonnu Smith has already been traded, signaling that Miami will get back to featuring it’s top two wideouts and Achane as the focal points of the passing attack.
Round 7 Players to Target
Rome Odunze is primed for a Year 2 breakout after a rookie campaign marred by poor offensive structure and an overlooked early-season MCL injury. The former top-10 pick was the WR66 in points per game as the WR49 overall. Despite operating in a dysfunctional offense, Odunze ranked 10th in end-zone targets (14) and led the Bears in high-value targets (air yards/red-zone targets) over the second half of the season – but caught just 3 of those end-zone looks, a number likely to regress positively. With veteran Keenan Allen/offensive coordinator Shane Waldron gone, and the Bears improving their offensive environment under Ben Johnson, Odunze has a path to becoming Caleb Williams’ go-to weapon. If he sees more slot usage in 2025, watch out – the Bears’ future WR1 could skyrocket in both fantasy value and production.
Round 8 Players to Target
Jayden Reed, Khalil Shakir, Josh Downs
Jayden Reed flashed big-play upside in 2024, posting two games with 138+ yards early in the season and finishing as fantasy’s WR26 overall (WR38 in ppg). However, his slot-only usage capped his opportunity – with just 68% route participation (71st among WRs) and only 4.4 targets per game. Despite the limited volume, Reed remained efficient, ranking 19th in yards per route run (2.2), and has led Green Bay in receptions and yards for two straight seasons. Even after the team drafted Matthew Golden in Round 1, Reed is still viewed internally as the pseudo-WR1. In an offense that spreads the ball around, his ceiling may be capped, but a bump in target share could lead to Reed smashing his ADP in 2025.
Round 9 Players to Target
Michael Pittman Jr. was one of 2024’s biggest fantasy letdowns, finishing as the WR43 overall and WR52 in points per game. Despite a team-high 23% target share with Anthony Richardson under center, Pittman’s fantasy ceiling was capped by a low-scoring offense and poor red-zone efficiency – just 3 touchdowns on 12 red-zone targets, and none from Richardson. Injuries didn’t help either, as Pittman played through a fractured back for much of the season. Heading into 2025, Pittman enters as the Colts’ WR1, although it’s a much tougher bet with Josh Downs continuing to emerge. Accompanied by a deep Colts pass-catching room and lingering questions at QB between Daniel Jones/ Richardson, suggest Pittman’s draft price requires a steep discount to be worth targeting.
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