Yes, you can't win a title in the first round, but you can lose a title. There are occasional hit players in the middle rounds, but most of those players were drafted with the intention of being starters. Then there are the rounds after that.
Yes, players past No. 100. These are sleepers that seem like afterthoughts, on the cut line for early-season FAAB pickups. Then there are players like CJ Stroud, Kyren Williams, Tank Dell and Puka Nacua. All were picked up in the later rounds and sometimes acquired off the waiver wire, and all produced anything from solid performances to winning the league for many fantasy managers last year.
Who are the likely late winners in 2024? We asked the Fantasy Life staff to name their favorite players with fantasy football ADPs above 100 across most league formats. This is a mix of mostly up-and-coming rookies and veterans who may be dropping down in the draft position despite having a solid chance to turn these players into bargains during the season.
Keep in mind that this is the busiest time of the fantasy football draft, so other fantasy managers may make arbitrary moves or read this article and raise the draft prices of these players, so if a player you like is just above 100th place, be prepared to take him a few spots ahead of his ADP, especially if you expect him to outperform his ADP.Let's start with the rookies who are on a roll heading into peak draft season.
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Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
When my editor suggested this roundtable article, I quickly looked over the synopsis and made the case for Jayden Daniels. That’s why he’s so popular as a sleeper among our staff. If you look at our free Fantasy Life bet tracker, you’ll see I’m betting on Daniels to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+650) and surpass my season-long props of 525.5 yards rushing (-112) and 3,025.5 yards passing (-112). I feel like I talk about him on every episode of the Betting Life show. Last year, he led FBS QBs with 1,134 yards rushing (including sacks) in just 12 games and was the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the 2019 high school recruiting class. With his high-end rushing ability, he has a solid fantasy floor and a theoretical ceiling to finish as a top-three player at his position. – Matthew Friedman
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
McConkie played inside and outside (69%) at Georgia and attacked every depth of the field. He was above average against man coverage (23% of targets) and deadly against zone (25%). Under Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers will be a run-heavy offense, but with little competition for targets. (Read more about Dwayne's WR strategy article here) – Dwayne McFarland
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Will this season finally be the season Trevor Lawrence puts it all together and takes the next step? I definitely think so, and he has the weapons to make it happen. The Jaguars took Thomas with the 23rd overall pick last spring, and he has all the makings of a true No. 1 WR. His RAS score of 9.97 out of 10.00 ranks 10th out of 3,063 WRs from 1987-2024. Last season, Thomas went 68-1,177-17, tied with Malik Neighbors. What about now? His biggest competition is slot wide receiver Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, who is still riding the coattails of his four-touchdown performance in the playoffs two years ago. He shouldn't be playing this late. – Sam Wallace
Cam Akers, Houston Texans
When players show what they can do and teams show their cards, we should take notice. That's certainly how I feel about Texans running back Cam Akers as he recovers from his second torn Achilles in the last four years.
This may seem crazy, but I believe he is Houston's full-fledged RB2 behind Joe Mixon (not Damion Pierce). Dwyane was all over the place last week, and now Akers finished the preseason with 112 yards on 24 attempts (4.6 yards per play), 8 receptions for 61 yards and 1 TD, and this really exciting play over the weekend:
It may be hard to get excited about an RB2, but this is the same team that quickly swapped an inefficient Pierce for a capable veteran in Devin Singletary last year. – Pete Oversett
Will Revis, Tennessee Titans
Levi showed great arm talent in his rookie season. He had 4 TDs in his debut and led the league in average depth of target with 10.6 yards. He'll be playing in a new offense led by former Bengals OC Brian Callahan, whose first priority was to shore up a terrible offensive line and surround Levi with better players. His current ADP leaves little room for upside, making him a perfect QB2 target in a superflex draft or a late-round stacking option in best ball, easily pairing with Calvin Ridley or DeAndre Hopkins. –Jeff Ulrich
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
I don't have high hopes for Jim Harbaugh's return to the NFL, but I do know he loves to run. Edwards signed from Baltimore this offseason and has quietly been one of the most efficient backs in the league since entering in 2018. Among 44 running backs with at least 500 carries in that span, he's first in succession percentage, fourth in EPA per rush, and sixth in yards per carry. Of course, he'll need to prove he can be just as efficient without playing behind Lamar Jackson, but he should get a chance in this backfield. The only people competing for carries are a guy who can't stay on the field (J.K. Dobbins) and a sixth-round rookie (Kimani Vidal). -Matt LaMarca
Jalen Wright, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins traded a 2025 third-round pick to acquire Wright. Wright's athleticism and size make him the best handcuff in fantasy football this season. Wright may be third in the official depth chart, but Devon Achan is hardly the epitome of durability right now, and Raheem Mostert was alive when Billy Ray Cyrus had a hit song on the Billboard charts. It's my contention that Wright has a good chance of eventually hearing his name called. And I want everything I can get from this ultra-efficient backfield. -Jake Trowbridge
Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
The Bills cleaned out their WR slots in the offseason, with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis gone and (mostly) Curtis Samuel, Keion Coleman and Shaquill in their place. I can’t judge Joe Brady as an OC, since he’s been dealt some weird cards in his short NFL career (Matt Lue made Stefon Diggs less valuable in the middle of last year), but Shaquill surprisingly quietly had a 600-yard season in 2023. Half of those yards came in three big games, but he also had to compete for targets with two WRs (and one TE) who were clearly higher than him in the pecking order. As of now, Shaquill could be the Bills’ WR1 in the system we saw in person late last year. This isn’t as deep or interesting as my Plans B and C (Audric Estime and Bryce Young), but Shaquill is the one most likely to break out. –Ferdinando Di Fino
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
It’s hard to say Jameson Williams hasn’t lived up to the expectations and draft capital in his first two seasons. But it’s not about talent. The explosive WR has shown the ability to make big plays on the NFL field (see his 42-yard rushing TD in last year’s NFC Championship). Injuries, gambling suspensions and mental mistakes have limited his playing time and impact, but that could change in 2024. The reports from the Lions’ training camp have been very positive about the progress he’s made heading into his third year, and there were some very encouraging highlight videos. With Detroit not making any major additions to its WR room, Williams should be a full-time player on one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. He should easily break his career highs in all major statistical categories and has the potential to be a league-winning player who can be drafted in double-digit rounds. – Jonathan Fuller
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
The fastest man alive (wink) joins a Chiefs offense that has been stressing all offseason about its desire to start partying downfield again like it was in 2018. His preseason first-team usage reflects the reality that Worthy will immediately assume a starting role alongside Ruchie Rice and Hollywood Brown (when healthy). Yes, Travis Kelce is probably the de facto No. 1 passing game option here, too. And yes, Worthy, you know, is a major deep-threat profile for the best QB alive. Worthy's price as a make-or-break WR3 feels like a floor, and the ceiling certainly looks a lot like Tank Dell in 2023. That is, a guy you don't want to take out of your starting lineup, even if you're on fire. -Ian Hartitz
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
In the later rounds of the draft, we look for upside. While not at the top of Green Bay’s depth, Dontaevion Wicks has the ingredients to be an interesting late-round ceiling play. In GB’s first preseason game of 2024, he turned one target into a 65-yard TD. Not a bad showing. With guys like Christian Watson, Romeo Dubs and Jayden Reed, will Wicks get a ton of targets? No. But he has the ability to bring big plays in an offense led by Jordan Love, who threw for 4,159 yards (QB7) and 32 TDs (QB2) in 2023. Elite offense. Big-play ability. Late-round ADP. Given Wicks’ ADP, I’m willing to take a gamble. Sign me. – Cooter Doodle
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
The good: Sutton finished with 10 touchdowns last season. The bad: He scored all of those touchdowns on just 90 targets, catching only 59 yards for 772. Sutton is clearly the No. 1 wide receiver in an offense with two young receivers still finding their way in Marvin Mims and rookie Troy Franklin. Looking at Sutton's game record, it's odd to see him get just five targets in the final two games of the season. He left a game midway through, missed one with a concussion, and injured his ankle in the season finale. So, if healthy, he should top 100 targets. With rookie Bo Nix at the helm, he'll need targets, but they can rely on the veteran Sutton. He could be a WR4 or WR5 safety blanket on fantasy rosters, or at least a replacement for a bye week or injury. -Jorge Martin
