Are you in a sicko fantasy football league that requires you to not only draft, but plausibly start, players going deep in ADP? That’s great, because knowing your stuff with these guys separates the adults in the room.
If you signed up for one of these leagues and don’t know what you’re doing, don’t worry, that’s why I’m here. Here, we’re looking at players drafted after standard 12-man leagues would typically end.
ADP’s are half-PPR via FantasyPros.com.
DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots
Overall 215, WR68
If you’re looking for a bit of upside in these rounds, Pop Douglas has had very little hype as the Patriots turned over their offense, but he could be a big part of a massively improved unit. Making the team and cracking the starting lineup as a 6th-round rookie was impressive, but year three allows him to find legit production.
Last year, he managed 621 yards and three scores despite the horrific overall output of the offense as a whole. Now he’s the only starter that Drake Maye had a chance to build a rapport with. Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and rookie Kyle Williams will all be new pass catchers. That gives Douglas a real opportunity to be the most reliable and consistent receiver of this batch.
Drake Maye
Elite arm talent showcased here to DeMario Douglas. pic.twitter.com/Wb14dE5cKC
— Elite Drafters (@Elite_Drafters) July 30, 2025
His size is the only holdup. At 5’8, he’s fairly restricted to the slot. Historically, this position has been lucrative in Josh McDaniels’ offense, featuring Wes Welker and Julian Edelman. Still, it’s also a spot that Stefon Diggs may want to operate out of. With the ambiguity surrounding this passing offense, I’d assume they’d want their most talented receivers on the field, and that means giving Douglas snaps.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants
Overall 220, WR70
If you want a little more reliability in these rounds, look no further. Can you imagine getting a player with an elite workload this deep into the draft? Robinson earned 140 targets last season, ahead of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. Nothing about his target competition has changed, but the quarterbacking may deter some. Both Jameis Winston and Jaxon Dart boast more upside than last year’s crop, but the room does leave plenty of uncertainty.
The significant distinction with Robinson will be your league’s scoring. His massive workload didn’t yield much production, resulting in just 700 yards and three touchdowns. In 0PPR leagues, he finished as WR53, slightly above his current ADP. In full PPR, he spiked up to WR36, behind Keenan Allen, Xavier Worthy, and DK Metcalf.
That’s fantastic production that would be usable in regularly sized leagues. Robinson doesn’t have significant upside, but he can regress in either direction, potentially achieving better efficiency but fewer receptions. It won’t be a sexy pick, but a worthy FLEX option for deeper leagues.
WR Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
Overall 263, WR81
No one is quiet about the potential of the Denver Broncos this year, making them far more expensive to invest in. What is less clear is the pecking order of this receiving corp. The hype is around rookie Pat Bryant, who is going 13 WRs earlier than Franklin. Don’t make that mistake, and take Franklin instead.
Rookies are coming along quite slowly in this offense, as evidenced by Bo Nix’s slow start, but also Marvin Mims, whom they had traded up for. Franklin was no different, managing just 28 receptions for 263 yards in his first season. His role isn’t fantastic; he’ll be the designated deep threat, whereas Mims can at least fill a designed touches role. In deep leagues, you’re sorting through plenty of options who may not score well weekly, but few will have the explosive play potential like Franklin.
I just got back from #Broncos practice. There’s buzz around several players, but one name I haven’t seen mentioned enough is second-year WR Troy Franklin. The staff loves what they’ve seen, and he looks poised for a bigger role. His understanding of the position, overall… pic.twitter.com/QQII5KCX2Z
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 20, 2025
The reports out of camp have been very promising, and so far, he’s been penciled in to start. If he ends up taking that next step, Franklin may be startable in standard leagues, let alone your sicko league.
Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
Overall 317, WR100
Once you get this late, there’s really not an “upside” or “floor” case to make; you’re purely projecting on potential outcomes. In the basement of fantasy ADP, Malik Washington stands out as a possible threat to break out.
The Dolphins are a terrifying fantasy endeavor to take on. Tua Tagovailoa can power a very productive offense, but he is a massive injury risk. Jaylen Waddle has been frustratingly ineffective and inconsistent in the past couple of seasons with or without Tua. De’Von Achane is lightning in a bottle, but he doesn’t provide Miami with a traditional inside rushing threat. Tyreek Hill, whom the offense centers around, has his own set of issues both on and off the field.
This entire offense feels like a glass cannon in both fantasy and real life. That alone leaves Malik Washington in a peculiar place, but that uncertainty breeds opportunity. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Tyreek Hill isn’t a Dolphin, which could easily happen in-season. Any freed-up target share should go to Washington, a second-year receiver who fell in the draft because of his size, but has worked his way into a starting role with Miami.
It’s possible that he could earn production right away. Without Jonnu Smith, 111 targets are already up for grabs, and that was with most of a season with Hill, Waddle, and Achane. The team wants a shifty, underneath receiver to take advantage of Hill and Waddle’s perimeter speed, and that might be where Washington steps in.
Will Shipley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Overall 217, RB63
How confident are you that Saquon Barkley will play a full season after 400+ touches in a Super Bowl season? If you’re at least hesitant to assume he can maintain that workload, then Will Shipley is an ideal handcuff for such a player. Then, how much work do you think AJ Dillon would take in the case Barkley were to miss any time? If the answer was “little to none,” then you should be very much in on Shipley.
The history of RBs coming off incredible seasons with an immense workload is not kind to them the following season, and that’s before considering Barkley’s injury history. That makes Shipley very appealing as a player who may get more work anyway, but has the chance to be the starter on a stacked offense. That’s league-winning type of upside in deep leagues, and a league-altering handcuff in standard leagues.
We don’t know how well Shipley will perform given the opportunity, but it is telling that they trust him in the backup role with only a known commodity, Dillon, behind him. Shipley is a year-two player taken in the fourth round of 2023, but features a do-it-all skill set that coaches love. Even if he isn’t hyper productive, he may offer a sound floor as a pass catcher.
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Overall 213, RB62
I’ve been in on Marks since this summer, owning a good deal of best ball stocks. Not much has been made of him throughout camp, but he was a player the Texans invested a lot into and may need to get on the field sooner rather than later.
This past April, the Texans moved up in the draft by sending the Dolphins a future 3rd-round pick to select Marks. They would later bring in Nick Chubb as well as insurance for Joe Mixon, but those investments will be put to the test now that Mixon has been placed on the NFI (non-football injury) list with an unclear timeline of when or if he’ll return.
There isn’t much competition for snaps here, but it should be expected that Chubb will get the start. Considering his age, injury history, and the current state of the offensive line, Houston will need others to step up if they want to establish a semblance of a run game. Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale remain as well; however, the former has a crucial role on special teams, and Pierce has been ineffective when called upon in his prior stints.
It’s a messy backfield right now, but there’s a clear path to playing time for Marks for an offense that should be improved. At the least, I can envision a passing downs role for Marks, who excelled as a receiver out of the backfield in college. It may take some time for this room to settle, and he may not see a true full-time role, but this late in drafts, he’s a worthy flier with upside.
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Green Bay Packers
Overall 312, RB88
Look, we’re about 300 players in and nearly 90 RBs. We’re well past the point where ideal handcuffs like Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Roschon Johnson are going. That makes Wilson a shockingly good value, who is currently the only backup behind Josh Jacobs.
Entering his third year, Wilson managed 500 yards and four touchdowns in the same role. That’s production that’s going undrafted even in deeper leagues. It’s because the hype has been for MarShawn Lloyd, who wasn’t able to get on the field last year. So far, it’s a similar issue, suffering multiple injuries, including a nagging hamstring that’s landed him on IR to start the season.
If Lloyd can make it back onto the field, the Packers are going to want to see what they have in their draft pick. However, at this point, Wilson has earned the trust of the coaching staff and can contribute not only as the clear backup but possibly even as the change-of-pace back. Should Jacobs nurse any injury, Wilson would undoubtedly be in line to start, barring an impressive (and sudden) breakout from Lloyd. For such a clear role with actual upside, it’s astounding how late you can draft Emanuel Wilson.
Elijah Arroyo, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Overall 196, TE25
It’s a little surprising to me that a TE with little competition is falling this far down the draft board. A similar rookie, Jets Mason Taylor, is going in the same range, but the passing offense in Seattle should be a little more appealing.
I was a massive Elijah Arroyo fan in the draft, but it was expected he’d need time to marinate before becoming a legit starter. That changed when Seattle released TE Noah Fant, a piece of the Russell Wilson trade, whom they had extended last off-season. He wasn’t exceptional, but it was strange to see them let go of him at the beginning of camp. That springs a lot of confidence in their young rookie.
“He wants me to line up EVERYWHERE, he wants me to be able to do EVERYTHING.”
Seahawks TE Elijah Arroyo on TE-enthusiast Klint Kubiak. LFG. @PaniniAmerica @Seahawks @klintkub pic.twitter.com/OmHC9LaSt3
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) May 20, 2025
The confidence in that room may also come from AJ Barner, a fourth-round pick from 2024, who appears to be getting the first crack at starting. While that may be an obstacle early on, Klint Kubiak’s run-heavy scheme will likely involve plenty of 2TE packages. Had there been significant belief in Barner before, Seattle probably wouldn’t have sunk a second-round pick into Arroyo.
That does make him a projection. This is a player I was very excited about, but pre-draft notions shouldn’t be ignored entirely, even if things are lining up well. But for late shots at this position, there’s a clear path to playing time and tons of potential. Pair Arroyo with a safer starter like Jake Ferguson or Zach Ertz early, and see if you have something by late in the season.
