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 in the middle rounds.
Round 7 Players to Target
The Chiefs finished 2nd in pass rate over expectation in 2024. Patrick Mahomes ranked fourth in expected fantasy points per game.
But alas, for the second straight season, he did not deliver. Mahomes was under 20 points per game (19.1) as the QB10. It was his second straight year he failed to finish top 7 overall, and his first finish outside the top 10 since he became a starter.
However, not all his fault. Rashee Rice got hurt, Travis Kelce showed his age and Xavier Worthy took time to get going. Once the rookie got ramped up, the production followed. Week 8 onward, the Chiefs QB averaged 21 points per game.
There are enough positives from last year to buy the dip on the Chiefs QB in your 2025 drafts.
– Andrew Erickson
Round 8 Players to Target
In his six starts during the 2024 season, Fields was the QB6 overall and QB7 in points per game (19.1). He was fourth in fantasy points per dropback (0.62).
Fields rushed for at least 27 rushing yards in five of his six starts (surpassing 50 rushing yards three times).
The Jets’ new QB1 has similar fantasy upside to the elite QB Tier with his rushing ability. One that new head coach Aaron Glenn is all too familiar with during his tenure in Detroit as the defensive coordinator. Fields faced the Lions five times during his time with the Bears, rushing for 100+ yards in three of those contests.
– Andrew Erickson
Round 9 Players to Target
The 49ers QB did not live up to expectations in 2024, finishing as the QB9 in points per game (19.0) and QB12 in 17 games. Injuries devasted the San Fran offense which forced Brock Purdy’s production to regress. 2024 was the first season where Purdy posted a passing TD rate below 7% (4.4%).
But with better health in 2025, we should expect Purdy to rebound. Even in a down season, his efficiency still got the Kyle Shanahan scheme bump. Purdy’s 8.5 yards per attempt ranked second-best in the NFL. He ranked 5th in passing yards per game (257.6).
– Andrew Erickson
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