The The end of your draft isn’t just for defenses and kickers—it’s where championships are won. This is the zone for sneaky upside, late-round sleepers, and hidden gems everyone else is sleeping on. I’m breaking down four guys I can’t stop drafting who keep falling to the late rounds.
Late-Round Draft Targets:
Christian Kirk, WR, Houston Texans
Often going undrafted, former top-15 fantasy wide receiver Christian Kirk is someone you need to target. You should add him on waivers if you’ve already drafted or can draft in the last 2 rounds if you still are drafting. Kirk isn’t the same version of himself that we saw back in 2022. during his lone 1,000-yard season. He missed 14 games over the last two years, but he’s fully healthy now and ready to roll.
With everything we’ve seen from him during training camp and preseason, he’s been the clear WR2 on the Texans Offense. In week 2 of the preseason, he played the first 2 series and acted as the WR1 in this game while Nico Collins sat out. He was ahead of rookie Jayden Higgins on the depth chart. In that game, he only had 2 targets in the 2 series he was out on the field for, but they had him lineup as WR1, clearly showing their investment in him.
He’s not a sexy name, I get it, but when you get the WR2 on a team that is going to be throwing the ball a lot, and I mean a lot. With starting running back Joe Mixon out for at least the first four weeks of the year and the backup Nick Chubb not looking like his old self, the Texans are going to need to rely on the pass game. In training camp, the Texans don’t just have Kirk lining up in the slot, but as the actual WR2 on the team. I love Jayden Higgins in dynasty formats and think he’ll end up taking the WR2 role at some point, but for the foreseeable future, it’s Christian Kirk. In PPR formats where target volume is critical, I’m all over him at the end of my drafts.
Michael Pittman, WR, Indianapolis Colts
After a disappointing 2024 campaign, Michael Pittman has slid down to outside the top-50 wide receivers in fantasy. I don’t understand how he’s that far down when he finishes as WR41 in PPR leagues, and his QB situation actually improved with Daniel Jones being named the starter. Danny Dimes is an upgrade over the wildly inconsistent Anthony Richardson. Pittman’s current ADP is around the 120 mark, but I’d take him around the 90-100 mark.
I have Pittman pegged as a top-35 receiver in fantasy this year and more closely resembling the receiver we saw from 2021-2023. I have him higher than guys like Cooper Kupp, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel, and Jayden Reed, who are all ranked higher than him. He has a higher floor than all those guys, but his ceiling might not be as explosive as them or even his own teammate Josh Downs, but I like the predictability that I’ll get with Pittman. I’ll happily take Pittman in any double-digit fantasy round.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns
With the uncertainty surrounding the Cleveland Browns running back room, the Browns are going to be turning to the pass game. At quarterback, they have Joe Flacco, and he’s a gunslinger. He might be entering his age-40 season, but if it’s one thing you can count on with Flacco, he’s going to be chucking the ball down the field. From a fantasy perspective, Flacco is the best option out of their crazy quarterback room to elevate the receiving corps.
We already know that Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku are guys you need to target, but one that is not getting talked about enough is Cedric Tillman. He’s the #3 receiving option on this team behind those two, but he’s not even being drafted in many leagues. Tillman hasn’t done much in the first two years he’s been in the league, but I have high expectations that this will be his breakout year.
This year, he enters the year as the 3rd option, where the last two years, he had to compete with veteran Amari Cooper. If Flacco remains the starter for the majority of the year, Tillman will have a more consistent quarterback that can throw the deep ball. Last year, when Jameis Winston started for that short stretch was when Tillman had the best games of the season, including 3 games in a row with 75+ yards and 9+ targets. With Flacco, who plays similar to Jameis, Tillman can very likely end up having a 600-yard season as the 3rd option on this Browns team.
Especially with how much they are going to be playing from behind, Flacco is going to be throwing a lot in garbage time, and Tillman has the opportunity to put up some meaningless points for your fantasy team. In the last couple of rounds, I’m making an effort to scoop up Cedric Tillman.
Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Although he’s never been a true starting running back in the NFL, Jordan Mason might finally earn that role this year. The Minnesota Vikings brought Mason in to split duties with incumbent starter Aaron Jones and have made it clear that they want a 50-50 approach. Jones is the better receiving back, but Mason should see a higher usage, especially on the early downs. In the 6 games that Jordan Mason started for the 49ers, he was very effective, averaging 91 yards per game on an impressive 5.23 yards per carry.
If Christian McCaffrey were out for the full season, I’d be confident that Mason would have done a fine job the remainder of the year in his place. In those 6 games, he averaged over 13 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues. Knowing this, with a prominent role looming in Minnesota, I see him averaging over 10 fantasy points per game on the year. Even with splitting duties with Jones. His ADP is climbing up, but he’s still going around round 10, and I’d be willing to reach for him as early as round 7, depending on running back availability.