The late rounds of your fantasy drafts are often where managers can gain key production at a major value. Take advantage of the managers in your league who auto-draft after the first few rounds by drafting these late-round gems.
Rondale Moore (WR - Arizona Cardinals):
Moore was a prospect who many were excited about as a rookie entering last season, however, with the Cardinals finding success elsewhere in their early season undefeated run Rondale was never able to carve out a consistent role within the offense. This season, things are a bit different. Head Coach and play caller Kliff Kingsbury has lauded Moore’s improvements in the offseason. With Deandre Hopkins' PED suspension looming, and Christian Kirk signing with Jacksonville in free agency, there will be plenty of opportunity early to carve out a more dependable role for himself within the offense. Kingsbury himself has been quoted saying “I expect him to be a much bigger part of our offense—we’ve got to find more ways of getting him the football”. A prime candidate for a second-year breakout, Moore might finally be getting the opportunity to showcase his talent.
Kadarius Toney (WR - New York Giants):
Toney surprised many last season as he exploded for high YAC numbers in the first few games that he was integrated into the Giants' offense. His breakout performance came in week 5 against the Cowboys, where he displayed all of his shiftiness on his way to a 189yd performance. Despite the major overhaul to the front office and coaching staff, head coach Brian Daboll and new personnel agree that getting Toney the ball in space will be a priority for the new-look offense. With his rookie season being littered with injuries and a dysfunctional coaching staff, Toney’s production on the field was overshadowed. He finished 7th in YAC/Reception and 2nd to only Ja’Marr Chase in yards per route run. This season Toney will be looking to build on the electric performances that he was able to deliver in the few healthy games of his rookie campaign.
Jahan Dotson (WR - Washington Commanders):
After being drafted by the Washington Commanders with the 16th pick, Dotson figures to be slotted into the WR2 role alongside Terry Mclaurin. If his performances in rookie minicamps and OTAs are any indication of what he will be capable of this season, then he may be a viable asset much sooner than projected. Coaches have had nothing but praise for the rookie, who many within the Commanders building saw as the best player on the field throughout OTAs. Some managers may be worried at the prospect of Curtis Samuel returning to full strength and absorbing some of the team’s target share. This doesn’t project to be a major issue, the draft capital used to select Dotson, and his coaches raving on his ability to fit right into the offense help fuel the assumption that his volume will be at viable WR2 levels. While Dotson surely won’t unseat Mclaurin as the team's WR1, he can fill a much-needed WR2 role and should see a productive level of volume.
High-End Handcuffs:
Many savvy fantasy managers opt to draft the backup of their RB1 to protect themself in the event of injury, it can also be beneficial to take other managers’ handcuffs. This gives you inherent trade value at the least, but can also provide a de facto RB1 or RB2 in the event of an injury to the starting RB on the team.
For example, if Joe Mixon was slated to be out for 4 weeks and you had Chris Evans on your roster, you could either trade Evans to the Mixon owner for a haul or integrate Evans into your own lineup for the 4 weeks, giving you additional RB production for that time span. This is a great strategy to set your team up to improve, as the season progresses you can shed the extra handcuffs you may have drafted for players in positions that you need.