If you play in a 14 or 16-team fantasy football league, you might find the cupboard bare towards the end of your draft. Here are some names that you can tuck away in those late, late rounds.
Quarterback
Brock Purdy, San Francsico 49ers
Purdy appears healthy and you know that Kyle Shanahan is a terrific playcaller. There’s an outside chance that he can get 4,000 passing yards and about 28 touchdowns which is an absolute steal late in your draft.
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
I was very impressed with his play when he was in college as he had a good downfield arm and showed exceptional mobility. The Commanders may be a team that people are sleeping on, and their offense may be slightly better than anticipated.
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
I’ve been saying it all offseason: The Titans’ offensive skill players are completely undervalued. Tannehill has still thrown for a bunch of yards and TDs in his career and Will Levis and Malik Willis are nowhere near ready to play.
Running Back
Deuce Vaughn, Dallas Cowboys
The comparison to Darren Sproles seems eerie. Dallas will give him plenty of opportunities, especially because his dad works in the front office, and they know what kind of ability he has. Don’t be shocked to see him be a big part of their two-minute offense.
Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tucker was a very good player while at Syracuse but injury concerns meant he was passed over during the draft, which surprised most draft experts. The closest comparison I can come up with was the year that James Robinson exploded for the Jaguars as a UDFA. If Tucker gets an opportunity, he may run away with it and be the starting running back for Tampa.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
People are looking at Zach Evans but I think they’re missing the boat with Williams. The Rams were all set to give him opportunities last year as a rookie but he got injured in the first game of the season and never really took off. They love his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and you might see him get about six to eight touches a game to start the year.
Wide Receiver
Tank Dell, Houston Texans
I keep hearing about Nico Collins, John Metchie, and Robert Woods but for my money the best route runner of the bunch is Dell. He finds ways to get open and will be incredibly difficult to cover. What people also forget is that the Texans are likely to be playing from behind most weeks so I see a lot of garbage time production from him.
Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
What if everybody is wrong and it’s really Palmer who is the third receiver instead of Quentin Johnston? Palmer has a rapport with Justin Herbert and he has also looked good in practice. Taking a good player on a great offense in the last three rounds is always a good strategy.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Great college talent? Check. Worked out with Mahomes all summer? Check. Uncoverable in practice? Check. Playing well in preseason? Check. If you check all those boxes, you have a spot on my roster.
Tight End
Irv Smith, Jr., Cincinnati Bengals
It was just a couple of seasons ago that Smith was asserting himself as a fantasy threat as the starting tight end in Minnesota. But after some significant injuries, Smith is now with Cincinnati playing with Joe Burrow; can’t ask for a better situation.
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
One of the ways to win a fantasy football league is to find the guys who, when given the opportunity to play, have top-five upside. If Mark Andrews should ever miss significant time this season, Likely would very likely come in and be one of the top tight end producers in the league.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Musgrave may go down as one of the better draft picks in recent years for the Packers. They absolutely love his upside, and they see him as a full-fledged TE1 in their offense. And don’t forget that a tight end is a great security blanket for a young QB like Jordan Love.