7 Late-Round Picks Experts Love to Draft (2026 Fantasy Football)

The final rounds of a fantasy football draft are where free upside lives. Our analysts closed out their round-by-round value exercise with a rapid-fire stretch covering rounds 11 through 14, picking speculative names with real league-winning ceilings at close to zero cost. Here’s the full breakdown.

Late-Round Picks Experts Love to Draft in 2026 Fantasy Football

Round 11: Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)

Both analysts landed on the same running back to close out round 11: Jonathon Brooks. The pitch is essentially free access to real breakout upside at a backup-level draft cost. If he’s anywhere close to fully healthy, there’s a credible path to him taking over his backfield’s lead role by midseason. One analyst also points out that fantasy managers are already drafting other clear handcuff-caliber backups several rounds earlier than this, making Brooks a relative bargain even before accounting for his real shot at a full workload.

Round 12: Malik Willis (QB – MIA)

Malik Willis was picked almost entirely off his rushing floor. The case is that he shouldn’t be falling this far in drafts given how much he’s going to run the ball this season. That rushing floor alone supports treating him as a low-cost quarterback two with real top-12 upside if he stays on the field for a full season, a range of outcomes that’s tough to find this late in a draft at any other position.

Round 12: Jalen Coker (WR – CAR)

Jalen Coker was the counter-pick, preferred slightly over a similarly talented receiver in a different situation that was also under consideration for this range. The deciding factor was role certainty: Coker’s team gave him a real second-contract-level extension it didn’t have to make, an explicit signal that he’s locked in as the team’s clear number two receiver. The alternative receiver under consideration is also well-liked, but his path to a clearly defined role carries more internal competition.

Round 13: Cam Ward (QB – TEN)

Cam Ward was picked as a pure ceiling swing, a bet on a potential league-wide leap in a significantly improved offense. The philosophy here mirrors the earlier Tony Pollard pick from the same team’s situation: you can capture the returns of an improved offense through the quarterback position without needing to correctly guess which specific skill player benefits most from that improvement.

Round 13: Alvin Kamara (RB – NO)

Alvin Kamara was the counter-pick, valued for a secured roster spot and real passing-game role behind his team’s presumed lead back. This pick was made even before news broke confirming his contract situation had been fully resolved, removing any doubt about whether he’d remain on the roster. As a handcuff with standalone passing-down value, he offers real injury-replacement upside at a 13th-round price now that his job security is no longer in question.

Round 14: Stefon Diggs (WR – FA)

Stefon Diggs was picked with a clear expiration date in mind: as soon as he signs with a team, he won’t be available at this price anymore. Even in a limited, capped role last year, his per-route production still graded out as a true wide receiver two. His route share is expected to climb significantly once he’s back on a full-time role, whether that’s with a team that’s rumored to be pursuing him or elsewhere. Depending on the landing spot, he projects as a wide receiver three by draft-day price with real wide receiver two upside, or even higher if he lands somewhere as the clear top target. The advice for anyone in an early draft or best-ball format: draft him now, before he signs and this window closes.

Round 14: Keaton Mitchell (RB – LAC)

Keaton Mitchell was the counter-pick, valued for standalone flex upside in a backfield that could see a bigger time share than the market currently expects. His new offensive coordinator pursued him aggressively in the offseason, a level of interest that suggests a real role is coming regardless of who’s presumed to be the lead back. Even in a lopsided workload split, the presumed starter remains a strong RB1, while Mitchell still offers real standalone RB3 value at a 14th-round price.

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