The fantasy football season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start hunting down the best fantasy football values in your upcoming drafts. It’s important to grab good players early, but you win your league by dominating the late-round selections. If you want to take home a championship, make sure you pick up these players late in your fantasy football drafts.
In order to make this list, the player had to be a ninth-round selection or later in 12-team formats. By the time you’re at this point in the draft, just about everyone is throwing darts and hoping something sticks. However, smart fantasy owners will use these rounds to grab key contributors and cruise to victory.
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Top Fantasy Football Values By Average Draft Position
Mark Andrews (ADP: 157)
Mark Andrews is going to be an absolute star in the NFL. At first glance, the Baltimore Ravens tight end had an average 2018, recording 34 receptions for 552 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games. However, when digging deeper, it’s clear to see that he’s poised for a huge season and a tremendous career.
Rookie tight ends always struggle to gain their NFL footing, so Andrews’ rookie season was actually one of the best from a tight end in the past decade. His 552 receiving yards were fifth-most among rookie tight ends since 2009, and his 16.24 yards-per-reception rank second to only O.J. Howard. From an efficiency standpoint, Andrews ranked third among tight ends in EPA (Expected Points Added) and fifth among all pass-catchers in EPA/target.
Hayden Hurst might have the draft pedigree, but Mark Andrews is the best tight end on the roster. He’s already developed a rapport with Lamar Jackson and he could very well be the top option in the passing attack. Quite frankly, getting Andrews with the 157th pick is just absurd. You should probably draft another late-round tight end like Delanie Walker just to be on the safe side. However, Andrews should make an immediate impact from Week One and be your week-in, week-out tight end throughout the season.
DeSean Jackson (ADP: 118)
DeSean Jackson might not be a true WR1 anymore, but he’s still a steal late in the draft. Despite entering his age-32 season, Jackson is still one of the best deep threat receivers in the league and can still blow past a defense on any given snap. He ended 2018 as the WR36, but that low rating had more to do with his quarterback than him. Jameis Winston loves to push the ball down the field, but he’s not particularly good at it. Winston missed countless throws throughout the season, destroying Jackson’s fantasy value through no fault of his own. In seven games started by Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jackson recorded 28 receptions for 561 yards and three touchdowns.
Jackson performed well with Ryan Fitzpatrick, so it stands to reason that he’ll only get better with an actual starting-caliber quarterback. Carson Wentz is one of the best deep passers in the league and should have no problem hitting Jackson early and often. The Eagles should have one of the best offenses in football, and Jackson should see a majority of the snaps. You can stream him every week and, if everything breaks right, he could finish as a WR2. You can’t typically find that with the 118th pick.
Matt Breida (ADP: 144)
It’s perfectly natural to want nothing to do with the San Francisco 49ers backfield. The team signed Tevin Coleman in the off-season already has Jerick McKinnon on a massive contract. However, Matt Breida’s value is too good to ignore. Breida was wildly efficient in 2018, averaging 5.3 yards-per-carry on 153 rushing attempts. McKinnon, meanwhile, is coming off an ACL injury and is still on the Physically Unable to Perform list. While he may not see the same workload as last year, he’ll probably enter the season behind Coleman on the depth chart. With Kyle Shanahan’s penchant for using two running backs, this means Breida should have some value. At the very least, he’ll easily outplay his current 12th round draft slot.
Kalen Ballage (ADP: 141)
The Summer of Kenyan Drake is coming to an abrupt halt thanks to Kalen Ballage. Even with Adam Gase out of Miami, it looks like Drake still won’t be the unquestioned starter for the Dolphins. Kalen Ballage earned the first-team reps in early practices and is apparently ahead of Drake on the depth chart. Even if Drake earns the starting role, he probably won’t see a full workload. Brian Flores comes from a New England Patriots organization which famously operates a running back by committee approach. Ballage will be a big part of that committee, and his 12th round draft positioning is great value for a player who should see a decent amount of playing time.
Peyton Barber (ADP: 112)
Nobody in the world wants to draft Peyton Barber, primarily because he’s not that good at football. However, opportunity matters more than talent in fantasy football, and few have better opportunity than Peyton Barber. Barber’s 234 carries in 2018 were 214 more than the next-closest running back, and the Buccanneers haven’t added anyone of note to the depth chart. The biggest difference is that Bruce Arians has replaced Dirk Koetter, which is a huge plus for Barber. Arians always makes his running backs better and nobody should have any reason to believe in Ronald Jones. Barber won’t give you RB1 production by any means, but he offers a steady floor and you can comfortably flex him in deeper leagues.
Honorable Mentions: Curtis Samuel, Dion Lewis, Carlos Hyde
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