Welcome back to another summer of best ball drafting. There’s no better way to gear up for the start of fantasy football redraft season than by drafting best ball teams to your heart’s desire.
This piece will break down the double-digit (late) rounds of fantasy football drafts. It’s Part III of a three-part series and is a part of the FantasyPros best ball draft kit. We are tackling the late rounds of best ball drafts. Before diving in headfirst, be sure to read my Early Round Fantasy Football Strategy: Best Ball (2025), (Rounds 1-4) and Middle Round Fantasy Football Strategy: Best Ball (2025), (Rounds 5-9).
If you want more best ball content, be sure to check out the weekly FantasyPros Twitch show, featuring me and the United Kingdom’s No.1 fantasy football fanatic/addict (his words, not mine), Tom Strachan. Tom’s also been doing a ton of best ball work for the site.
Enough housekeeping, let’s dive into the analysis. Here’s my late-round fantasy football draft strategy and advice.
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Fantasy Football Best Ball: Late Round Strategy
Ahh, the late rounds. Where the 10 SLEEPERS YOU MUST DRAFT social media thread finally pays off.
It’s by far the most fun part of fantasy football drafts because it’s the wild west. ADP matters the least as we get into the second half of the double-digit rounds.
Essentially, the late rounds of best ball drafts are the waiver in redraft formats. The big difference is that you are making these picks well before a player looks like a legitimate waiver wire target. You are looking to “beat the waiver wire” during pre-draft season. Electric stuff.
Let’s dive into some best practices from Rounds 10-plus.
Keep in mind that most best ball drafts range from 18 rounds to 20 rounds, with up to 240 players being selected. Redraft formats are more in the 150 range, whereas I try to keep my best ball rankings tight to a top-250.
Approach to the Double-Digit Rounds
Check out my sleeper targets as part of my draft cheat sheet.
You should be actively implementing “what if” thought exercises in the late rounds of your fantasy football drafts. Simply put, “if ‘X’ happens, what would that do to ‘X’ player’s value?”
Again, this is most evident in injuries, with players experiencing spikes in production or value when a teammate is injured. Some players with injury-prone teammates have that factored into their ADPs, but others do not. And at the end of the day, it’s full-contact football.
We can’t always predict when or if said injuries will occur (although I am very interested in leaning into yearly injury-level regression at the team level), but savvy drafters can stockpile the back of their drafts with talented players who are being discounted due to their situation.
When in doubt. Fade overhyped and great roles/situations. Buy the talent that falls. One is stickier than the other.
The cliche, “the cream rises to the top,” exists for a reason. Situations are going to change drastically throughout the 2025 NFL season. But players who you believe are good and can deliver when called upon…that’s who you should be gravitating too more.
Don’t overvalue early-season opportunities versus talent. Just buy the dip when ADP is so suppressed due to the situation.
The key is to acknowledge your team’s strengths from the early to middle rounds. Address your weaknesses (either positional or projected peak production) with quantity in the late rounds.
Finding Proven Commodities and Projected Roles
Don’t forget about the players who delivered worthwhile performances in the past when they were presented with opportunities. Being a proven asset in some capacity matters.
Players don’t always produce when teammates get hurt. Find those who step up when called upon, even in brief stints. These are the archetypes of players you should be looking to target.
Rashod Bateman, Cedric Tillman, Jalen McMillan, Brenton Strange, Joshua Palmer, Dyami Brown, Darius Slayton, Jalen Coker, Andrei Iosivas, and TuTu Atwell all either increased their production or commanded targets at a high rate due to injuries to teammates around them this past season. They are all late-round picks and deserve consideration in the later rounds of best ball drafts.
Some of my favorite late-round WRs (outside the top 100) include Keon Coleman, Jayden Higgins, Rashod Bateman, Joshua Palmer, Dyami Brown, and Jaylin Noel.
Don’t worry about what Player A’s role will be in Week 1 when you draft them in the late double digits. Chances are that doesn’t matter.
Focus on their range of outcomes.
Fantasy best ball championships aren’t won in September or October (unless it’s a cumulative scoring). It’s Week 15, 16, and 17.
I also believe in another thought exercise of “He’s the discount version of Player X.” I find it very useful.
Players with defined roles that go extremely late can also be beneficial targets. The constant bombardment of “upside-centric” analysis makes these players not talked about enough. There’s an upside to playing an every-down role on an offense when heavily discounted. Particularly in deeper redraft formats or best ball, when you sometimes just need innings eaters. I know (base) ball.
Prime examples of these players are guys who “project” well, but aren’t necessarily ranked super high, such as Jaylen Warren, Rhamondre Stevenson, Austin Ekeler, Rachaad White, Travis Etienne, Tyaje Spears, etc.
I don’t think the consensus feels these guys are going to smash because most face legitimate backfield competition. But they are most likely going to have a substantial role in their respective backfields even without an injury. But games missed by a teammate would put them over the top.
And in best ball, you don’t need to go through the headache of projecting which weeks they will have bigger roles.
Sometimes you just need another player who will prevent you from taking zeroes.
Among WRs, some of the guys the “projections like more than their ECR” include players like Romeo Doubs, Demario Douglas, Darius Slayton, etc.
Still, chasing the upside-centric dragon is not wrong. You want upside on your fantasy football teams. But some balance never hurts. Because “only-upside” players typically also have extremely shaky floors. And too many guys who fail to fire will leave your squad helpless.
I love pairing high-upside players with floor players to build a strong roster. And I do the same with front versus back weighted season production.
Player Archetypes
Chase players projected for air yards and rookies. Air yards tell us how often a player is being used downfield, which is part of the formula when it comes to spike weeks of fantasy production (and ones that we don’t have to predict weekly). Particularly at wide receiver and tight end.
Some potential late-round options in 2025 drafts that commanded a high end of their team’s air yards (20% or higher) in 2024 include Calvin Ridley, Rome Odunze, Jakobi Meyers, Jameson Williams, Darnell Mooney, Alec Pierce, Kayshon Boutte, Tre Tucker, Rashod Bateman, Darius Slayton, Joshua Palmer, Demarcus Robinson, Xavier Worthy, Jaylen Waddle, Romeo Doubs and Elijah Moore.
Players with high aDOTs (average depth of target) include Alec Pierce, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rashid Shaheed, Demarcus Robinson, Calvin Ridley, Keon Coleman, Rashod Bateman, Joshua Palmer, Adonai Mitchell, Mack Hollins, Troy Franklin, Kayshon Boutte, DK Metcalf, Rome Odunze, and Marvin Harrison Jr.
MVS is the poster boy for “better in best ball.”
Drafting Rookies
When it comes to rookies, you need to be aggressive in drafting them. This is a great position for taking shots in the later rounds.
Their ADPs often do not fully capture the upside they possess. The ADP acts more like a hedge or median projection when first-year players of recent years are so much more boom-or-bust. They either hit in a big way or flame out entirely. But it’s OK to miss. Despite your best efforts, all 18 or 20 of your draft picks will not hit.
They are lottery tickets frequently discounted outside of the top 36. Take full advantage. They won’t all hit. But being overweight on rookies will net you in the green.
Keep in mind, rookie wide receiver roles often grow as the season progresses. That makes them the perfect backfill targets for drafting formats with prize structures heavily based on the final few weeks of the season.
My favorite strategy is drafting veterans and rookie wide receivers from the same teams. It’s a very underrated strategy that helps you capture an immense upside. Also, it increases your odds of getting at least one “hit” from each receiver group you draft.
Last year would have looked like this from some of the top guys:
- Bears: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze
- Jaguars: Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr.
- Chiefs: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy
- 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall
- Panthers: Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette
- Bills: Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir
- Chargers: Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston
- Patriots: DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk
- Colts: Michael Pittman Jr., Adonai Mitchell
- Buccaneers: Chris Godwin/Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan
We didn’t see this work nearly as well as in 2023 (given a lot of the rookie wideouts were drafted highly), but buying the discounted rookie/veteran receivers because of the presence of just one other pass-catcher makes it easier for them to smash their ADPs.
If I draft Nico Collins in round one/round two, you better believe I am stocking up on the Texans’ rookie wideouts (especially with Collins’ injury history with no full seasons player in four seasons).
It’s probably my favorite way to implement the rookie WR strategy in 2025.
Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. All day. Every day.
Late-Round Tight Ends
If you missed out on a quality elite tight end in the early rounds, then chasing quantity with multiple guys in the late rounds is your new strategy. But, in all honesty, this “late-round tier” starts after the top 5-6 guys (Travis Kelce/T.J. Hockenson).
I don’t overextend for any of these tight ends because the production will likely be negligible, at best, drafting toward the beginning of the tier versus the end. Wait and take shots on multiple tight ends. Ideally, ones with either a path for receiving volume, one with an every-down role, and/or one with above-average athleticism.
My favorite late-round tight ends to target (outside the top six) include Evan Engram, David Njoku, and Tucker Kraft, followed by Isaiah Likely, Hunter Henry, and Chig Okonkwo.
New York Giants second-year tight end Theo Johnson was potentially on his way to a rookie breakout, but suffered a foot injury that derailed his first year.
The former Penn State tight end is very athletic and caught 3-plus passes in 7 of his last 9 games played in 2025. The coaching staff has been very high on the second-year tight end, who could be primed for a decent sophomore campaign if the Giants aren’t as bad as their schedule suggests.
The fact that Johnson also eclipsed an 84% snap share as a rookie tight end (86% in his debut) is confidence that he will be out there running routes and not be a total zero.
I also think that with some of these late-round tight ends, it’s great to compare them against the WRs in their draft range and against the WRs on their team.
For example, with the Packers. Instead of betting on the WR that emerges from the pack (very much pun intended), bet on the tight end instead. No guarantee you will necessarily be correct, but if you are right, I think your roster will benefit more from the tight end breakout compared to the WR (especially in half-PPR).
Late-Round Quarterbacks
My favorite late-round quarterback options include Kyler Murray, Justin Fields, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Brock Purdy, Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud, Michael Penix Jr., Bryce Young, Geno Smith, and Anthony Richardson.
Note that some of these guys are drafted at the end of the middle rounds, but the late-round QBs go earlier in best ball formats without access to the waiver wire.
I discussed ad nauseam the advantage you can acquire by drafting an elite tight end or quarterback in the early portions of your best ball drafts. But chances are you aren’t doing both.
Savvy drafters won’t let the elite onesie positions go by too frequently.
There’s a chance you might need to address the position as the middle rounds start to reach the latter half.
The “safe” route is going with the quarterback. Expensive tight ends bust at such a higher rate, historically speaking. Among the elite tier of Brock Bowers, George Kittle, and Trey McBride, chances are one will bust (injury or not).
But on the flip side, there are so many options available with the late-round quarterback approach that it is my favorite strategy to implement in 2025.
In best ball, you can be a bit more aggressive with the QB position. Not necessarily drafting two guys inside the top 6 rounds. But an elite QB followed by one in Round 8 or 9 is more than feasible.
Again, these signal callers score the most points in most weeks. They separate more from the field in half-PPR versus the skill positions, and DraftKings awards bonuses for 300-yard passers (although it’s slightly mitigated with 100-yard bonuses for rushing/receiving for skill players).
Among the top-10 quarterbacks last season in total points scored in 2022, eight rushed for at least 250 yards. In 2023, six of the top eight rushed for at least 240 yards. In 2024, 10 of the 13 highest-scoring fantasy quarterbacks rushed for at least 300 yards while attempting 500+ passes.
Call it the 50-30 rule. Can quarterback “X” throw 500+ times and/or rush for 300 yards? Those are your top targets.
The quarterbacks that accomplished this feat in 2024 were Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, and Kyler Murray. Drake Maye likely would have hit it as well had he played a full allotment of games.
Per Mike Clay’s 2025 fantasy football projections, quarterbacks with at least 520 projected pass attempts and 250+ projected rushing yards are Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray, Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Bryce Young, Geno Smith and Cam Ward.
The bolded signal-callers are in the 300 rushing yards range.
Rookie RBs
I believe this year will be the year for the rookie running backs. Understandably, the veterans bounced back in 2024. Huge year for the older guys. But I don’t think it repeats. Get the young bucks. And honestly, I’m not overly price sensitive.
You can draft a discount veteran running back later to fill the early-season production void if some of these guys don’t fire immediately.
Late-Round Takeaways
- Engage in “What If” Scenarios: Consider potential changes in a player’s value if unexpected events occur, such as injuries. This can lead to valuable picks late in the draft when you select players who might step up if a teammate goes down.
- Don’t Overinflate Early-Season Roles: Focus on potential long-term outcomes rather than immediate roles. Players drafted in later rounds are often more about their ceiling in an expanded role as the season progresses, not their Week 1 status.
- Value Over Immediate Need: In the late rounds, prioritize talent over early-season opportunities. Look for players whose ADPs are suppressed due to uncertain situations but have proven themselves when given opportunities. Consider players who have defined roles and players who are the “discount version” of more expensive options.
- Target Proven Performers and Breakout Candidates: Players who have increased production due to injuries around them should be on your radar as potential late-round steals. Stockpile talented players, discounted due to situations or injury-prone teammates.
- Draft Rookies Aggressively: Rookie WRs often do not have their potential fully priced into their ADPs. Being aggressive with rookies can yield high rewards as their roles expand throughout the season.
- Consider Air Yards and aDOT: Players with high air yards and average depth of target are prime candidates for breakout weeks, especially at WR and TE.
- Veteran and Rookie WR Combinations: Pairing a cheap veteran with a pricy rookie WR from the same team can be a strategic move, leveraging the potential for one to exceed their ADP if the other underperforms. It can also be done with players on two different teams.
- Tight End Strategy in Late Rounds: If you miss out on a top TE, focus on drafting multiple potential breakout TEs in the late rounds. Players like Tucker Kraft and David Njoku might offer good value. Bet on a tight end emerging from a crowded receiving corps versus a WR on the same team.
- Emphasize Upside with Balance: While chasing high-upside players is essential, balance your team with some steady performers to avoid too many busts, which could leave your team vulnerable.
- Late-Round QB Value: Many viable QB options often emerge from late-round picks. Target QBs who can offer dual-threat capabilities (passing and rushing) as they have a higher ceiling for scoring. Hitting on the right QBs is even more essential in half-PPR formats.
Late Round Exposures:
My best ball partner in crime, Tom Strachan, wrote an entire piece on Late Round Exposures as part of the 2025 Best Ball Draft Kit.
Here are a few of the highlights that stood out to me as we create our late-round strategy.
- Spread picks out in the later rounds.
- Don’t go too heavy on one player (high-risk approach) when volume drafting (50-plus best ball teams)
- Reaching for players matters far less in the later rounds than in the early rounds.
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Late-round players are volatile: many go undrafted or rise 50+ spots (e.g., Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Mason). Monitoring offseason news and depth charts is critical — late-round RB/WR depth charts can flip fast (Elijah Mitchell vs. Mason in 2023).
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- Late-round QBs can return value, especially rushing or situation-upside bets.
- RBs have massive upside (rookie class, injuries to starter).
- Target spike-week WRs with route participation and QB synergy.
- Late-round TE hits are common every year (like early TE busts). Excellent position to diversify. TE volatility = opportunity.
- Don’t get too locked into “your guys” in R15–20.
- Be flexible with stacking late-round picks with your QBs (e.g., Bo Nix → Mims).
- Let roster needs and team stacks help shape your late-round dart throws.
- Review your player exposure throughout the offseason, especially when news breaks.
TLDR: “Even if Devontez Walker is your guy, don’t ignore that there might be a Kyren Williams or Puka Nacua just around the corner.”
Fantasy Football Late-Round Draft Strategy: Final Thoughts
You should always strive to get the most value out of each of your selections.
To bring in a betting allegory — I am a BettingPros expert, after all — you can have all the closing line value (CLV) in the world. And that should make you a profitable bettor over time. The same goes for drafting value in fantasy football. However, I’ve got a bookshelf full of closing line value (CLV) trophies that never amounted to anything. It doesn’t necessarily mean you were right about a certain player, team, or situation, etc.
Conversely, I’ve made plenty of bets where I missed the value window, but ultimately, I was right, so it didn’t matter. We all want to get the best players at the best draft prices. Nobody wants to overpay. But if you truly believe based on your research, intel, and perhaps gut that a certain player or team can be a major difference-maker, the price shouldn’t matter. Because when it’s all said and done, the value doesn’t win for you. The player does.
And when we talk about price (other than in salary cap formats), your currency is opportunity cost. Fading players have to be accompanied by the player you would draft instead. Because that’s what you are paying. Every pick you make is a pick against the other players selected in that round.
This equation changes a bit in some of these summer-long best ball tournaments, where player ADPs change like the stock market. You can have exposure to certain players at once cost (ideally cheaper) and not at the more expensive tag.
This concept dovetails nicely into another thought experiment (thinking caps on today). You think Player A is going to smash.
But my response is if you want him, you must draft him in round one. No acceptations. Still, feeling bullish?
Do you like this player? Or do you just like the price of said player? Make sure you know the difference between the two types of players you are targeting. What often happens is that you think you like a player, but you’re actually just drawn to the price. But once the price changes, you don’t change your stance.
I think we can fall into this trap at times with ADP offseason risers (more specific to the early rounds). You keep drafting the same guys even if their price is not as appealing. Hence, it’s so critical to recognize if it’s the price or player outlook that moves the needle for you.
In the later rounds, it really should be more about the players. They are all cheap, so there’s not as much risk if it doesn’t pan out. It’s more about just being right. And what happens is, guys don’t rise enough. They go from undrafted to Round 18 to Round 15. It feels bad to pay a Round 15 price tag for a guy who was free before. But if he hits, he is going to beat his ADP at all three prices.
Don’t be so stringent on ADP in the later rounds. It’s just a very long, massive tier of similar dart throws. Have confidence in your darts, and manipulate the ADP to get as many shots as possible on your late-round guys.
And don’t be afraid to just take a single or double with a veteran/player in an established role if your roster needs it. Every roster needs different players.
I lied. One more last takeaway.
I don’t know everything, but I can guarantee you will never draft a perfect fantasy football best ball team (despite what my perfect draft article claims). Tournament-winning best ball teams that won millions of dollars have “bad picks” on them. I bring this up because you can strategically draft “misses” to better your team in the aggregate.
To bring up a real-life comparison, I’ll cite my final 2024 NFL Mock Draft for The Huddle Report. I placed very well in it because I attacked it with a different approach. I purposely let certain stud players fall, like Quinyon Mitchell and Dallas Turner, to teams they had been linked to throughout the process. I was essentially taking a loss in my estimation, so I could bolster my picks at the start, where I was more confident. I left my pursuit of perfection at the door, trying to get all 32 picks exactly right in exchange for a higher hit rate on my other picks.
And it got me thinking about how I could similarly approach fantasy football drafts. After all, I will draft players who bust or don’t do anything (like it or not). And so, I bring forward the idea of hedging with your fantasy teams.
A lot of this is just running back handcuffing or wide receiver/tight end teammate stacking. I’ve been pretty against handcuffing running backs, especially in normal redrafts, but I’ve been more open to the idea when I’ve thought about it more. If I have to sacrifice a double-digit round pick to guarantee I’ll get RB1 production from my first- or second-round pick, I’m for it.
I’m not going to lie. It feels pretty good to draft Kenneth Walker in round four and then Zach Charbonnet in the double-digit rounds to have a stranglehold on Seattle’s No. 1 RB. Same with Bucky Irving in round two, followed by Rachaad White. You don’t sacrifice much for the insurance policy.
And the same can be said for wide receiver/tight end stacking. Because once one player goes down, you know the opportunity will be there for another pass-catcher in the offense to step up. I mentioned this when referencing the veteran/rookie wide receiver draft strategy. The key here is to identify which WR/TEs will actually produce if they are presented with an opportunity. RB production is driven by volume, so even subpar RBs can produce. WR/TE have to be talented to an extent, or it’s a bad bet.
If the wide receiver/tight end starter stays healthy all year long and the rookie never sees the field? Well, I got a starter that produced all year long. I think the less you try to be 100% perfect with every single draft pick you make in pursuit of absurd levels of upside, the better off you will be.
Some might cite this as playing scared, but I think it’s playing smart. The best ability is availability. And you’ll never go broke making a profit. If the opportunity arises in a draft to hedge (cost being appropriate), you should take it.
Top Double-Digit Round Targets (Fine to Reach)
Round 11 Targets
Round 12 Targets
Round 13 Targets
Round 14 Targets
Round 15 Targets
Round 16 Targets
Final Round Targets (Outside of the top 200)
- Blake Corum
- Ja’Tavion Sanders
- Ben Sinnott
- Brashard Smith
- Kyle Monangai
- Keaton Mitchell
- Darius Slayton
- Jalen Coker
- Andrei Iosivas
- TuTu Atwell
- Adonai Mitchell
- Diontae Johnson
- Theo Johnson
- Darren Waller
- Elijah Moore
- Oronde Gadsden II
- Trevor Etienne
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- KaVontae Turpin
- Jaylin Lane
- Jalen Nailor
- Isaiah Davis
- Mack Hollins
- KeAndre Lambert-Smith
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