With the fantasy football draft season soon approaching its apex, fantasy managers should be preparing as much as possible. A huge part of that draft day prep is understanding which players you should actively target once you’ve reached the middle rounds. The first few are much easier to project and getting those picks right won’t win you a championship. The true league winners are the selections that provide massive returns on their investment, which is harder for early picks to accomplish since their cost is so high to begin with. Remember, the deeper you go in drafts, the more equity you have in each pick. All of the players our featured pundits have chosen below are mid-rounders who have a good shot at producing far above their draft cost this year.
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Q. What one player outside the top 40 in the half-PPR expert consensus are you hoping to end up with in all your leagues and why?
Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS): Consensus Rank: 47th Overall | WR20
“Normally I try to stay away from bad offenses, but I can make an exception, especially for Scary Terry. Actually I think that most fantasy football managers are undervaluing him for that reason. McLaurin had a great first year in the NFL and has the opportunity to improve. He was the best rookie wide receiver in fantasy points per game (13.7) and was very efficient, finishing as the WR14 in yards per reception (15.8) and the WR12 in yards per target (9.9). Plus, McLaurin will continue to be the team’s main weapon, with little competition for targets. He is one of the main reasons why we talk about the depth of the position so much this year. McLaurin is the ideal wide receiver if you focus early on running backs.”
– Mauricio Gutierrez (Estadio Fantasy)
“As the ECR’s 20th-ranked wide receiver and someone who is routinely available in the fifth round of best ball drafts, Terry McLaurin is shaping up to be one of 2020’s best values. I expect him to challenge for the league lead in targets as Washington’s undisputed go-to receiver in an offense bound to be playing from behind often this season. Not only should McLaurin be the focal point of the passing attack, but double-digit scores are within his range of outcomes after having secured seven of Washington’s receiving touchdowns as a rookie in 2019. I’m buying McLaurin as often as I can as a potential WR1 at a WR2 price tag.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)
D.K. Metcalf (WR – SEA): Consensus Rank: 53rd Overall | WR24
“Seahawks OC Brian Schottenheimer says he is looking to expand Metcalf’s versatility in the passing game this season. Schottenheimer went on to say, ‘He kind of got stuck at the ‘X’ receiver last year. This year we know we can move him around quite a bit more. I just think the flexibility of moving him around and introducing some different route concepts that we can kind of get him up to speed on will complement the things that he’s already put on film.’ Expect Metcalf to build on 2019’s success in a big way! He tallied 900 receiving yards, seven touchdowns, and 58 receptions on 100 targets last year and put an exclamation point on his rookie season with a rookie record-breaking playoff performance of 160 receiving yards and one touchdown against Philadelphia during Round 2 of the NFL Playoffs. In fact, Metcalf totaled two touchdowns in his three playoff games and averaged 100 yards, eight-plus targets, and five-plus receptions throughout. Russell Wilson has been vocal about Seattle’s need to establish a heavier passing attack this season with the ‘Hawks’ defense and ground game both deteriorating. Look for Metcalf to take another step forward in 2020.”
– Tozzi Brothers (Legion Report)
Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE): Consensus Rank: 62nd Overall | RB27
“Let us not lose sight of what Hunt was prior to him being placed on the Commissioner Exempt List before Week 12 of 2018. Hunt was a top-five fantasy running back during his rookie campaign in 2017 and again through the 11 games he played in 2018. Despite playing behind Nick Chubb, Hunt was a fringe RB2 over the last eight games of 2019 and, in fact, scored more fantasy points than Chubb in six of those eight games. We shouldn’t be looking at Hunt as the backup, and especially not as a handcuff, to Chubb, but more of a 1B to Chubb’s 1A. Even with limited opportunities, Hunt is a player you can confidently play as a flex option each week and could be a top-five running back if Chubb is ever forced to miss any time.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)
A.J. Green (WR – CIN): Consensus Rank: 68th Overall | WR29
“It’s Green for me. You might be rolling your eyes thinking, ‘How can he stick with Green? He’s old and always hurt.’ Well, for one, he came into the league at the same time as Julio Jones. You aren’t fading him, are you? As for the injury question marks, I won’t argue with you, but that’s built into his price. Are we really going to pretend that guys like DeVante Parker weren’t labeled as ‘injury-prone’ before 2019? Since 2000, here’s the list of wide receivers who’ve posted WR2 or better type numbers at a higher percentage than Green: Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, and Odell Beckham. That’s the end of the list. He’s played his entire career with Andy Dalton. I’ll take him with his discounted cost because even if he doesn’t stay on the field, it doesn’t ruin my chances of a fantasy championship. If he does, well, you know the upside.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Hayden Hurst (TE – ATL): Consensus Rank: 97th Overall | TE10
“I want Hurst on all my teams. As somebody who likes to wait on tight end, he is my main target. Hurst is the replacement for last year’s No. 1 tight end through Week 10, Austin Hooper. No, I don’t expect him to be that good, but Atlanta loves to target the tight end position as Hooper proved last year with 7.45 targets a game. If Hurst can get anywhere near that, there is a very real possibility that he could be a top-five tight end and a steal in drafts.”
– Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)
Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND): Consensus Rank: 54th Overall | RB24
“Not getting Taylor in drafts leaves me bawling like Elliott at the end of E.T. Taylor has perfect NFL size, sub-4.4 speed, and the footwork of Mikhail Baryshnikov. He landed in a great spot with the Colts, who have one of the best offensive lines in the league and eagerly traded up to land their running back of the present and future. No, Taylor won’t be on the field on third-and-long (he wasn’t at Wisconsin either), but the idea that Marlon Mack is going to prevent the best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley from seeing significant early-down work is woefully misguided.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)
Christian Kirk (WR – ARI): Consensus Rank: 103rd Overall | WR38
“Like most drafters, I’m loading up on running backs early, and that forces me to play a bit of catch-up at wide receiver through the middle rounds. My favorite wide receiver target in that vein is Kirk. His overall stat line from 2019 looks lackluster on the surface because he only played 13 games and that recency bias makes Kirk very affordable, even if you jump ahead of his ADP. He’s an ascending player with a skill set tailored for success in Kliff Kingsbury’s air raid concepts.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
Thank you to the experts for giving us their must-have players. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and subscribe to our podcast below for advice all year round.
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