Value is the name of the game for fantasy football. Being able to snag a top-10 wide receiver or running back in Round 9 gives you a massive advantage over your leaguemates. Sounds like a great plan, right? However, deciphering which players are and are not league-winners can be difficult.
This year, there is tons of value to be found in later rounds. With guys like Kyler Murray, Evan Engram, and Diontae Johnson all ripe for the picking past the fifth round, you can grab some very solid starters later in your draft. Here are the best values in your fantasy drafts this year. All rankings listed determined by USA Today.
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Murray is currently ranked 95th in USA Today's rankings. Sure, Murray no longer has DeAndre Hopkins or Marquise Brown, but he just got one of the greatest wide receiver prospects of all-time and his tight end, Trey McBride, showed incredible promise at the end of last season.
Based on his rank, you could get Murray in the late seventh round in 12-man leagues. However, you could select Murray as early as the fifth and not feel bad. Murray averaged 18.9 fantasy points per game in 2023, which ranked 9th last year, but that includes Joe Flacco's miracle run and Kirk Cousins' short stint before getting injured. Murray could very well finish top-5 at the position and has been one of the most consistent performers at the quarterback position when healthy.
Cousins has finished as a top-12 quarterback in seven of his last nine full seasons. That doesn't include last year where he ranked seventh in fantasy points per game. Sure, he no longer has Justin Jefferson, and the Falcons could be a very run-heavy team, but given that Cousins is going outside the top-15 quarterbacks, you would likely be drafting Cousins as your QB2. There aren't many safer backups around.
In each of the last five years, the top running back taken in the NFL draft has finished as an RB1 three times. Those two times it didn't happen were 2020 (Travis Etienne – injured all of rookie season) and 2019 (Josh Jacobs – finished as RB14 in points per game). So, barring any injuries, the worst finish of the top-drafted rookie RB is 14th, making them a high-end RB2.
Right now, Brooks is being drafted outside the first eight rounds. He will miss the first 3-4 weeks of the year, but after that, he should be in for massive games as the Carolina Panthers' feature back.
Volume is king in fantasy football. That's what made Rachaad White such a viable fantasy option last year despite atrocious efficiency. Singletary is set to be the Giants' lead back, and he is reuniting with head coach Brian Daboll, who made Singletary one of the most efficient backs in the NFL through Singletary's first three seasons.
Singletary was remarkable as the Houston Texans' lead back in 2023. He clearly has a lot of gas left in the tank, and given his current ADP, being able to snag any team's RB1 in Round 10 or 11 is an absolute steal.
It's easy to think about how disappointing Kupp has been the last two years dealing with injuries, but it's hard to forget just how good he is when he is healthy. Reports from Rams' training camp have noted that Kupp is fully healthy for the first time in a long time, and some reports have even hinted that Kupp could return to the forefront of this Rams' offense, even ahead of Puka Nacua.
Given what we know Kupp is capable of, the fact that you can snag Kupp in the early fourth round is an absolute steal.
In PPR leagues, Johnson tends to be a very safe bet. He eats receptions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and with new head coach Dave Canales, who just revived Baker Mayfield's career in Tampa Bay and gave Mike Evans a career year after he showed signs of regression, Johnson could have the best season of his career.
In PPR leagues, Engram finished as the TE2 a season ago. He finished tied for fourth in points per game. He's being drafted in the sixth round this year. That's a travesty. Couple that with the fact that both Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones are out of town now, and there's plenty of reason to like Engram. While the Jaguars went ahead and drafted Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round, and added Gabe Davis, they should only recoup the targets that Ridley and Jones left, leaving tons of work for Engram still.
Ben Sinnott has been receiving all sorts of hype during training camp, and rightfully so. He's been an absolute monster, and there isn't much competition ahead of him for targets in Washington's offense.
Yes, Terry McLaurin will get his fill, but with Jahan Dotson gone, who else is getting the rest of Jayden Daniels' targets? Zach Ertz? Dyami Brown? No.
It may take some time for Sinnott to carve out a role in this offense, but he's going to break out huge when his moment comes.
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