Five Late-Round Sleepers For 2025 Fantasy Football

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter:

At the risk of sounding like a braggart, in fifth-grade kickball, I was a juggernaut. I only weighed 80 pounds, but 79 of the 80 pounds were in my right leg. I had a cannon, the likes of which Forest Hills Elementary hadn't seen, and still hasn't. Even today, students speak in hushed tones about my deep homers over the left field swing set.

When our kickball captains drafted players, I was always 1.01, and I enjoyed a smug feeling of superiority. But as the draft went along, I simultaneously felt bad for the uncoordinated kids who were picked last.

Poor Stephanie Stills was always the last person chosen in those drafts. On offense, she couldn't even make contact with the ball. On defense—God bless her for trying—she broke her glasses (twice!) trying to catch fly balls.

I'd love to give you a Hollywood ending to Stephanie's story, about how she came up to the plate with the bases loaded and uncorked a stunning grand slam to win the game. But she was an auto-out, and that never happened.

Today, I celebrate the Stephanie Stills. And the fantasy players you'll want to target with the last pick of your draft. Here’s the first (four more below):

Last Pick Of Your Draft Candidate No. 1: NO RB Devin Neal, ADP 288

Under brutal conditions, Alvin Kamara played gallantly last year, with no semblance of an offensive line or passing game. So, I'm not shoveling dirt on his grave, but he's had 2,200 career touches, and he turns 30 next month.

And after Kamara, the Saints’ depth chart is really thin, with just Kendre Miller, Clyde Edwards-Helaire … and rookie Devin Neal. In a very deep running back draft class, Neal was Thor Nystrom's No. 8-ranked runner, and the Saints got a steal in the sixth round. Neal could easily win the backup job.

And stylistically, he’s the closest Saints player to Kamara. Neal doesn't have Kamara's speed, but he's ultra-shifty, with amazing footwork. He runs with vision and patience, instinctively staying on schedule behind his line. If a cutback lane opens, he’s going to find it.

And he can catch, as evidenced by his 51 receptions over the last two years at Kansas.

WHO ELSE IS GOING AFTER PICK 200?

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4 More Who Are Going Late

Last Pick Of Your Draft Candidate No. 2: NO TE Juwan Johnson, ADP 205

Do you see a pattern here? Last March, Juwan Johnson signed a surprisingly large three-year, $30M contract with New Orleans, which told me that he's clearly part of the Saints' plans for the future. Remember, Taysom Hill tore his ACL in December, and at age 34 it’s unclear if Hill will play again. Backup Foster Moreau suffered a knee injury in January and wasn’t able to participate in OTAs.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s coming off career highs in targets (66), catches (50), and receiving yards (548) last season. And that production figures to climb, because the list of viable pass catchers in New Orleans gets real thin, real fast after Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

Rookie QBs love their dump-off tight ends, and it’s easy to see Johnson getting a lot of easy catches from Tyler Shough.

Lastly, I'll note that new head coach Kellen Moore has a solid history with tight ends.

2024, as Philly’s OC: Dallas Goedert was TE11 in PPR points per game.
2023, as the Chargers OC: Gerald Everett was TE22 in PPR points.
2022, as the Cowboys OC: Dalton Schultz was TE7 in PPR points.

Last Pick Of Your Draft Candidate No. 3: BAL RB Justice Hill, ADP 186

Arguably, the year's highest-priority handcuff is Justice Hill, playing behind Derrick Henry. I'll credit Hill (and the Ravens' coaching staff) for his evolution over his five seasons, leading to his career-best PFF rating last season. He's gone from "just a guy" to "whoa, look at that guy!"

But Hill is more than just a handcuff. He's quietly turned into a terrific pass-catching specialist. Last year, he finished as PFF's No. 3-ranked receiving running back, with 42 catches, zero drops, 3 receiving TDs, and 10 yards after the catch. He's a legit PPR helper on a bye week, even when Henry is healthy.

And if, God forbid, anything happens to Henry, you have a top-10 running back in one of the best offenses in the league.

Last Pick Of Your Draft Candidate No. 4: TEN WR Elic Ayomanor, ADP 223

An ultra-thin Tennessee depth chart should give rookie receiver Eli Ayomanor every opportunity to get reps early in his career. The only guy who stands in his way is Van Jefferson, whose primary skill is losing his starting status.

Ayomanor hit national prominence when he roasted Colorado's Travis Hunter two years ago, posting almost 300 receiving yards. He's evolved into a strong, physical athlete, known for making eye-popping catches. He uses his body to box out defenders and win contested catches. And unlike a lot of physical receivers, he's got very good speed, posting a 4.4 40-yard dash at the combine.

Rookie quarterback Cam Ward will be developing simultaneously with Ayomanor, and head coach Brian Callahan could decide to pair them on the field early in the season.

THE Last Pick Of Your Draft Candidate No. 5: KC RB Brashard Smith, ADP 209

There are a lot of question marks in the Chiefs backfield. When Isiah Pacheco returned from his broken fibula last year, he looked plodding and lifeless—uncharacteristic for a normally punishing runner. Hopefully, Pacheco will return to form this season. But what if he doesn't? Or what if his grueling running style continues to put him at injury risk?

With Pacheco down, Kareem Hunt got a lot of reps last season. But he wasted many of them, looking utterly replaceable. Among rushers with Hunt's 200 carries last year, Hunt ranked dead last in yards, yards per carry, avoided tackle rate, and second-to-last in yards after contact.

Enter Brashard Smith, stylistically different from any player on the Chiefs roster. He's a converted wide receiver with tremendous speed, 4.39 in the 40. He generated big plays for SMU last year, including 19 plays of 20+ yards. Despite being thinner than most running backs, he plays big and fights off tacklers. And his pass-catching skills make him a viable third-down option immediately … ⬇️

COULD THEIR PROJECTIONS OFFER A HINT?

A Hollywood Season Incoming?

Paul’s right, the Chiefs backfield has a lot of question marks. But you know what has nearly as many question marks? Their receiving core. Yes, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy are slated to have significant roles. And we’d like to assume the same about Travis Kelce, but Father Time seems to have taken the lead in their head-to-head last season.

With Kelce’s involvement looking rather ambiguous and two receivers ahead of him, how much room is there for Hollywood Brown? As Kendall Valenzuela laid out …

“The last time we saw Hollywood Brown have a standout year was also the only time in the past few years he was able to stay healthy throughout the entire season. That was his 2021 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens, where he finished with 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. Now, Brown vows to get back to his best self. Here's what he had to say earlier this week at mandatory minicamp …

‘Healthy season … It's my number one goal. Just being able to really showcase what I can do. That's all I'm looking to do.’''

If Brown stays healthy, can we expect him to cross the 1,000-yard threshold? That remains to be seen, but if he does, he’d be a massive steal at ADP.

Join Kendall as she breaks down the Chiefs’ (and Brown’s) upcoming season, as well as some tight end updates from the newscycle last week. ⬇️

COULD THIS NEWLY PAID TE FINISH TE1?

Starting To Make Some Hits In Music City

With the drafting of Cam Ward at No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans hope to be turning a page and are working toward returning to contending in the AFC North. Ward’s comps are wide-ranging from Jordan Love to something resembling Billy from Stranger Things (look that up later). He has a No. 1 target in Calvin Ridley, who’s coming off a 1,017-yard season with subpar QB play. Could Ward lift Ridley up?

Ian Hartitz is back with a deep dive on the Tennessee Titans, with a look at the RB position to determine if Tony Pollard will return as the lead back or if he’ll get some competition in Tyjae Spears. And, what would a look at the Titans be without getting a little Chiggy with it? All that and more. ⬇️

DON’T SLEEP ON RIDLEY IN THE 5TH ROUND