Maximizing your return on investment is the whole draft strategy behind taking high-upside players in the later rounds. Regardless of what kind of league you play in, it’s important to go into each draft with several sleeper targets at every position so you can ensure you wind up with a few of your guys once it’s all said and done. Hitting on a couple of those can dramatically increase your title chances, but who should fantasy managers target? Our featured pundits have hand-picked several athletes who boast league-winning potential. Read on below to see which sleeper candidates are worth your attention in the final rounds!
- Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
- Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
- Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Late-Round Steals
John Metchie III (WR – HOU)
“Wide receiver John Metchie III is currently a WR outside the top 60 and ranked as the 80th WR. He spent his rookie season in Houston fighting cancer, and now he’s been all but forgotten in fantasy rankings. He is a great talent, and I will always fight for someone who has beat cancer (leukemia). There is not a lot of competition in Houston for targets, and if he can develop great chemistry with QB C.J. Stroud, I believe John Metchie III could be the steal of the draft.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
“Nico Collins owns an ADP right around the WR60 threshold. But that price is ridiculously cheap, considering his main competitors for targets include Dalton Schultz, John Metchie, Robert Woods, Tank Dell and Noah Brown. Collins led the 2022 Texans in air yards share and in target rate per route run (23%). He also finished 20th in expected yards per route run (1.94). With a quarterback upgrade coming in the form of C.J. Stroud, you need to be all over the Texans No. 1 discounted big-bodied wide receiver.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
DJ Chark (WR – CAR)
“DJ Chark is the clear WR1 in Carolina. With Adam Thielen looking almost washed and Jonathan Mingo fighting even to earn the WR3 role, Chark will get all the volume he can handle. While the offense will likely lean on its running backs at times, the Panthers will likely be losing more often than not and need to air it out to chase games. Chark is the guy they’ll be going to over and over. If you don’t trust me, trust the $5 million guaranteed contract for 2023.”
– Ben Wasley (The Fantasy First Down)
Jonathan Mingo (WR – CAR)
“After trading D.J. Moore and picks to get the number one overall draft pick this offseason, the Panthers got to work in free agency. But I don’t think a nearly 33-year-old Adam Thielen and often injured DJ Chark is going to keep Jonathan Mingo off the field for long. The rookie out of Ole Miss is likely the best red zone target this team has, and the new coaching staff drafted him to pair with Bryce Young. If you’re looking for upside in the late rounds of your draft, he’s one of my favorite rookie wide receivers who could play significant snaps by October.”
– Bart Wheeler (Hail to Fantasy Football)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio