Winning your fantasy football league often comes down to the players you grab in the final rounds of your draft. While early-round stars set the foundation, it’s the late-round steals who can deliver league-winning upside at a bargain. Our 2025 list of Fantasy Football Late-Round Draft Steals comes straight from the trusted insights of our Featured Pros experts. These undervalued sleepers could turn into weekly starters — or even this year’s breakout stars — if you play your draft right. Let’s break down the late-round picks you can target to outsmart your league mates this season.
Late-Round Fantasy Football Draft Steals
Late-Round Wide Receiver Steals
Which one WR outside the top 55 in half-PPR WR ADP do you plan to target in all drafts as a late-round steal and why?
Dont’e Thornton Jr. (WR – LV)
“Dont’e Thornton Jr. is a name that dynasty owners are aware of and will be a player that redraft owners need to keep an eye on, as he will probably be left on the waiver wire in most redraft leagues. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, he is the big-bodied wide receiver that the Raiders desperately need. He joins a team where Brock Bowers is the No. 1 WR and his competition for targets are Jakobi Meyers, who is a consistent WR2/WR3, Tre Tucker and fellow rookie Jack Bech. With a good training camp, Thornton could earn a starting spot opposite Meyers and reward savvy owners who stash him with their last bench spot.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
Adam Thielen (WR – CAR)
“Cedric Tillman and Kyle Williams are intriguing late values, but I’ll instead go with ageless wonder Adam Thielen. The 34-year-old had two top-10 finishes last season, but he also averaged more than seven targets per game over the team’s last seven games. First-round draft pick Tetairoa McMillan will challenge Thielen’s dominance in Carolina, but it’s possible Thielen holds him off for half of the season. And if McMillan experiences injury or ascending quarterback Bryce Young continues to have a target lock on him, Thielen could be the steal of fantasy drafts in 2025.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)
Devaughn Vele (WR – DEN)
“It’s Devaughn Vele SZN. Last year, we saw glimpses of what he could do as the No. 2 WR for the Broncos. I expect more opportunities for him.”
– Alejandro Orellana (Estadio Fantasy)
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