Thankfully, gamers don’t need to construct an entire fantasy football roster from undrafted players in typical re-draft leagues. Still, the following is a thought exercise to highlight intriguing players who are typically undrafted, even in larger formats. The following highlighted players have an average draft position (ADP) of 200 or later in half-point per reception (half PPR) fantasy football formats.
Fantasy Football Deep League All Undrafted Team
Quarterback
Joe Flacco (QB – CLE): 240.0 ADP/QB34
Frankly, gamers shouldn’t be stashing an undrafted quarterback in most leagues. Yet, suppose a gamer who picks a stud quarterback and wisely doesn’t waste a bench spot on a backup quarterback in a 14-team league has the misfortune of their superstar signal-caller suffering a multi-week injury before Week 1, and their league mates have left them with slim pickings after choosing two quarterbacks per team. That was the hypothetical in my mind when choosing an undrafted fantasy quarterback for this piece.
Joe Flacco was a successful gunslinger in Kevin Stefanski’s offense in 2023. He started from Week 13 through Week 17 for the Browns in 2023, averaging 21.8 fantasy points per game. Flacco was the QB3 in points per game in 2023.
Flacco isn’t a lock to win Cleveland’s starting quarterback gig, but he should probably be viewed as the favorite. The 40-year-old quarterback would have a potentially tasty matchup in Week 1 if he won the job. The Browns host the Bengals in the season’s opening week, and I’m skeptical that changing defensive coordinators will cure all that ailed Cincinnati’s pitiful defense. The Bengals also haven’t signed first-round pick Shemar Stewart, and stud pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is in a contract dispute with the organization. Until the Bengals prove themselves to have a competent defense, they’ll be a popular option to stream offensive players against in fantasy football leagues.
Running Backs
Miles Sanders (RB – DAL): 215.0 ADP/RB66
The Cowboys have an ambiguous backfield, with Javonte Williams, fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue, seventh-round pick Phil Mafah and Miles Sanders battling for opportunities. I recently highlighted Sanders as a late-round target or dart throw in best ball leagues, and my analysis for why he’s a solid choice in those formats extends to traditional managed leagues. Yet, there’s less risk to rolling the dice on Sanders in non-best ball leagues since gamers can cut him if he’s buried in Dallas’s backfield pecking order at the beginning of the season, making him even more appealing in managed leagues.
Brashard Smith (RB – KC): 222.0 ADP/RB67
Earlier in the offseason, I discussed Brashard Smith and Elijah Mitchell as sleepers. I was intrigued by both as bets against Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. I’m still excited to bet against Pacheco and Hunt, but Smith has emerged as my clear-cut favorite dart throw in Kansas City’s backfield.
Smith is a good athlete with blistering speed.
Smith also had a stellar final collegiate campaign. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Smith had the following stats and ranks, in parentheses, among 79 FBS running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft class with at least 75 rush attempts in 2024.
- 86.9 PFF rush grade (14th)
- 1,326 rushing yards (11th)
- 5.7 yards per carry (tied for 20th)
- 3.34 yards after contact per attempt (38th)
- 77.1 elusiveness rating (35th)
Smith’s rushing stats were decent, yet the converted wideout shone the brightest as a pass-catching weapon. Among 64 FBS running backs with at least 15 targets in 2024 in this year’s NFL Draft class, Smith had the following stats and rankings.
- 90.8 PFF receiving grade (first)
- 51 targets (seventh)
- 41 receptions (tied for sixth)
- 337 receiving yards (sixth)
- Four receiving touchdowns (tied for second)
Smith can add some juice to Kansas City’s backfield, even if he merely opens up the year as a change-of-pace and pass-catching option. Furthermore, Adam Teicher recently highlighted Smith as Kansas City’s biggest surprise player in a piece for ESPN. Ideally, Smith emerges as Kansas City’s preferred receiving back and handles a chunk of the rushing workload, ala a sooped-up Jerick McKinnon.
Wide Receivers
Darius Slayton (WR – NYG): 209.5 ADP/WR79
The Giants revamped their quarterback room in the offseason, signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and trading back into the first round of this year’s NFL Draft to pick Jaxson Dart. All are upgrades over New York’s quarterbacks last season.
The Giants also prioritized re-signing Darius Slayton to a meaningful extension. According to Over the Cap, Slayton’s new contract is a three-year deal worth $36 million, with $22 million in guarantees. Malik Nabers was a target hog in the G-Men’s 2024 offense, and he will be their top weapon this year.
Still, per the data suite at Fantasy Points, Slayton had a 74.2% route participation rate, 0.15 targets per route run, a 26.3% air yards share and a 13.6-yard average depth of target (aDOT). Wilson and Winston can sling it deep despite their other faults. Slayton’s low target volume isn’t ideal for consistency, but his deep usage and improved play at quarterback should allow him to pop up for usable fantasy weeks.
Jalen Coker (WR – CAR): 214.0 ADP/WR81
The Panthers found a diamond in the rough last year in undrafted rookie free agent Jalen Coker. While PFF grades aren’t the be-all and end-all, they often pass the sniff test at many positions, including at wide receiver. The following table has PFF’s highest receiving grades for rookie wideouts with at least 40 targets (including the playoffs) through Coker’s grade.
From 2020 through 2024, 65 rookie wideouts had at least 40 targets (including the playoffs), and Coker’s receiving grade was tied for the 27th best. Not everyone on the table above has established themselves as fantasy football assets, but most of those wide receivers have.
Coker did more than impress PFF’s charters, too. He was healthy for five games after Bryce Young was re-inserted as Carolina’s starting quarterback in Week 8 and had the following stats.
- 78.9% route participation
- 25.3% air yards share
- 11.7-yard aDOT
- 17.5% target share
- 0.19 targets per route run
- 22.7% first read rate
- 24 receptions (3.4 per game)
- 370 receiving yards (52.9 per game)
- 1.94 yards per route run
- Two receiving touchdowns
- Four end-zone targets
- 8.8 half PPR points per game
- 10.9 expected half PPR points per game
Coker can’t be trusted in fantasy lineups immediately this year. Yet, he played better than fellow rookie Xavier Legette in 2024, and Adam Thielen will turn 35 years old at the end of August, creating the potential for an age-related cliff season. Coker has a few paths, even without injuries, to emerge as a prominent pass-catching weapon in Carolina’s passing attack.
Tight End
Darren Waller (TE – MIA): 229.0 ADP/TE30
Darren Waller’s one-season retirement came to an end, with the Dolphins trading for him to replace Jonnu Smith. Waller’s peak is a distant memory, and he missed six games in 2021, eight in 2022 and five in 2023, but he still played well by tight end standards in his most recent campaign. In 2023, Waller had 4.3 receptions per game and 46 receiving yards per game. Sadly, he scored only one receiving touchdown in Big Blue’s punchless offense.
Still, per the data suite at Fantasy Points, Waller was ninth among 68 tight ends with at least 100 routes in 2023 in expected half PPR points per game (10.4). Moreover, Mike McDaniel leaned heavily on Smith in Miami’s 2024 offense. Waller could be a fantasy asset this year if he has anything left in the tank, and the organization presumably won’t ask him to block much since he initially decided to step away from the NFL when he was essentially used as a fullback for a play against the Bills. Joking aside about Waller’s aversion to blocking, Miami didn’t trade for him for his blocking prowess. He’s an intriguing dart throw at the end of drafts for gamers who waited to take two cracks at a cheaper option at tight end as long as Waller’s ADP doesn’t skyrocket.
Flex
Diontae Johnson (WR – CLE): 240.5 ADP/WR92
Diontae Johnson spent the first five years of his career with the Steelers, averaging 5.1 receptions per game and 56.7 receiving yards per game with 25 receiving touchdowns in 77 games in the regular season. Including the playoffs, Johnson had 1.70 yards per route run and earned 0.24 targets per route run. Among 98 wideouts with at least 250 routes in 2024 (including the playoffs), 0.24 targets per route run would have tied for 25th, and 1.70 yards per route run would have ranked 47th.
After playing for one organization before 2024, Johnson became a journeyman wide receiver in one year by playing for three teams. Johnson’s ability to wear out his welcome at multiple stops in the same year was remarkable. If bouncing around teams in 2024 and settling for a non-guaranteed one-year deal worth approximately $1.2 million, per Over the Cap, in the offseason opened Johnson’s eyes, he could bounce back. Additionally, Johnson turned 29 years old earlier this month, so he’s on the right side of 30. Johnson could be a popular choice for the cover of waiver wire articles after Week 1 if his head is on straight and he and Flacco are on the same page against Cincinnati’s shaky defense in the season opener. Receiver-needy teams should consider a last-round pick on Johnson in 14-team, half PPR or PPR formats to get ahead of a potential decent showing in Week 1, and if Johnson is quiet in the opener, he can be dumped for one of Week 1’s best performers.
Defense
Cardinals (DST – ARI): 258 ADP/DST24
Gamers who wait until the last round of their fantasy draft or opt not to select a defense and add one before the season should consider the Cardinals. I highlighted them last month in the strategy guide for streaming defenses.
Tyler Shough is likely to start for the Saints in Week 1, and rookie quarterbacks haven’t enjoyed much success in Week 1 starts in their first professional campaign. The following table has all 17 rookie quarterbacks who’ve started in Week 1 since 2015 via Stathead.
The 17 rookie quarterbacks who’ve started in Week 1 since 2015 combined to throw 15 interceptions and take 50 sacks. So, they averaged 0.9 interceptions and 2.9 sacks in their Week 1 starts, with a median of one interception and two sacks.
Finally, the betting info is on Arizona’s side. The Cardinals are 5.5-point favorites, and the game’s total is 42.5 points, leaving the Saints with a pitiful implied total of 18.5 points.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
