5 Fantasy Football Later-Round Lotto Tickets: Joe Nicely's Favorite 2025 Draft Sleepers

August 27, 2025

Joe's later-round fantasy football draft sleepers, ADP values for 2025. His top fantasy football lotto tickets with upside include Bhayshul Tuten, Tyler Warren, more.

There are different levels of satisfaction we can get from fantasy football drafts. Hitting on a first- or second-round pick is always nice, but at the end of the day, those are guys we're supposed to get right.

The middle rounds are where the rubber meets the road in fantasy football, as it's where we target solid, dependable options for our roster. Nabbing a nice value a round later than you should've been able to, or slightly reaching for a player you believe in, can pay serious dividends throughout the season.

While those rewards are certainly pleasant, real fantasy junkies know that the good stuff comes in the later rounds. After the 10th round or so, drafting strategies can often shift from science into art, and there's perhaps no better feeling in this wild and wonderful game of fantasy football than nailing a late-round pick. As we enter another draft season, yet again chasing that dopamine rush that comes with getting it right with one of "your guys" at the tail-end of a draft, here are my five favorite late-round lotto tickets for the 2025 fantasy football season.

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Yahoo ADP: 120

The third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft showed enough promise in his rookie season to put New England’s rebuild into high gear during the offseason. The Patriots replaced head coach Jerod Mayo with Mike Vrabel, who brought in Josh McDaniels to revamp the offense.

In addition to the coaching changes, New England made big upgrades to Maye’s supporting cast with offseason moves that included drafting offensive lineman Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and wide receiver Kyle Williams, as well as bringing in veterans such as Stefon Diggs, Morgan Moses, and Garrett Bradbury in free agency.

Fantastic job by #Patriots QB Drake Maye here, keeping the play alive and his eyes downfield. pic.twitter.com/G6cqBaNXKR

— Patriot RedZone (@PatriotRedZone) August 16, 2025

Despite playing behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines and throwing to a group of no-name receivers in 2024, Maye averaged 17.3 fantasy points in the 10 games he was healthy and played the majority of New England’s snaps under center.

In addition to his strong arm and playmaking instincts, he flashed very serious dual-threat capabilities as a rookie. Maye averaged 32.4 rushing yards per game last season -- good for seventh in the NFL among qualifying QBs.

His rushing ability gives us a nice fantasy floor, while his upside falls into the “higher-than-you-think” category for me. If you are waiting on the quarterback position in 2025 fantasy drafts, there is a very real chance that grabbing Maye in the later rounds solves all your QB issues.

Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts

Yahoo ADP: 129

Warren is one of those guys who almost everyone agrees is a special talent, but who also landed in a less-than-ideal offensive environment with the Indianapolis Colts. If you close your eyes, clear your mind, and think back to this time last year, it all sounds very similar to the concerns most analysts in the fantasy industry had for Brock Bowers with the Raiders.

Now, I’m not saying Warren can match or even come close to Bowers’ record-breaking 2024 rookie production, but I am saying that maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the Mackey Award winner’s fantasy potential in 2025, despite the fairly grim-looking situation in Indy.

Tyler Warren down the sideline from Daniel Jones!

Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/S0wrhDePFD

— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025

With first-round draft capital invested, all signs point to the Colts getting Warren on the field a lot this year. We can’t put tons of stock in preseason games, but the rookie logged a 100% snap share with Indy’s starters in its first preseason action. Half the battle for rookie tight ends is getting on the field, and it appears as though he’ll check that box.

Yes, the QB situation isn’t pretty, as Daniel Jones is not an option Warren’s fantasy managers are going to get excited about. However, I could see Warren -- who broke Penn State single-season records for receptions and yards last season -- developing into a reliable, quick-option target for either.

I’ll be taking plenty of swings on him at the tail end of my 2025 drafts, especially in situations where I’m unable to snag a premium-level TE in the early rounds. Simply put, I believe the dude is just really good at football ... and sometimes that trumps even terrible situations.

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Yahoo ADP: 183

The Tuten drum has been banged loudly inside fantasy circles this offseason, but the gospel hasn’t yet been spread to the home-league congregations, as the Jaguars rookie still has a Yahoo ADP outside 175.

The former Virginia Tech Hokie is an electrifying athlete with elite speed. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry during his two years in Blacksburg and totaled 29 all-purpose TDs while hauling in 50 catches in the passing game.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Round 4 RB Bhayshul Tuten

Every preseason touch pic.twitter.com/goRio4et5q

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 11, 2025

Unfortunately, Tuten’s path to playing time doesn’t appear quite as easy as we’d like -- at least on the surface -- as he’s currently battling both Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby for work in the Jacksonville backfield.

However, it wouldn’t be shocking to see some movement on the Jags’ RB depth chart, be it through the organization making a move or via good old-fashioned merit-based decisions when it comes to playing time.

Etienne’s efficiency has plummeted over the last two seasons, with an average of just 3.75 yards per carry since 2023. Bigsby has had some nice moments, but has consistently been a non-factor in the passing game -- an area where Tuten excels.

We should also keep in mind that this new Jaguars coaching staff, headed by Liam Coen, has no real investment in Etienne or Bigsby and will be more likely to get the dynamic rookie on the field sooner rather than later.

Christian Kirk, WR, Houston Texans

Yahoo ADP: 196

It’s fun to talk about rookies and unproven players with juicy potential -- and we’ve certainly done that a bit in this article -- but there’s also something to be said for considering guys who have been around the block a time or two.

After steadily showing potential early in his pro career with the Arizona Cardinals, Kirk signed a surprisingly large deal with Jacksonville ahead of the 2022 season.

He proceeded to be one of the NFL’s biggest breakout stories, racking up career highs in receptions (84), yards (1,108), and TDs (eight). Unfortunately, what followed for Kirk in Duval County were two injury-plagued seasons, which led to a dip in his production.

Texans WR Christian Kirk has been called a “Slot Demon” by some of the defensive backs on the team…Watching him operate on a daily basis throughout training camp…I see why…#Texans #Sarge #TexansTailgateTalk pic.twitter.com/8lFP9dDSox

— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) August 2, 2025

He was acquired by the Texans this offseason in a rare in-division trade. Perhaps the most interesting note is that Houston gave Kirk $14 million in guaranteed money as part of a contract restructure. In other words, the Texans are heavily invested in their new wide receiver.

It’s a prime spot for a bounce-back season, as Kirk figures to see heavy usage behind Houston star Nico Collins while manning the slot. C.J. Stroud looked like a legitimate superstar two years ago, and though he took a step back in 2024, he is still a QB who’s capable of elevating his pass-catchers. With a Yahoo ADP of 196, we’re essentially getting a free roll with Kirk, a proven performer when healthy.

Dont'e Thornton Jr., WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Yahoo ADP: 225+

One for the deep leaguers here. Thornton is essentially free in 2025 fantasy football drafts. However, I think the rookie -- a 6’5’’, 205-pound physical freak who runs a 4.3 40-yard dash -- can make some noise in his first pro season.

I spent last season watching Thornton routinely torch SEC secondaries while playing for my Tennessee Vols, only to be consistently missed on deep throws by freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. However, the two did connect often enough for Thornton to lead the nation with an eye-popping 25.4 yards per reception in 2024.

1 minute of the #Raiders 6’5 4.3 WR Dont’e Thornton Jr 👀🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/rpA8CoFX4e

— ShifftttyyyQB1🏴‍☠️ (@raiders1022) April 27, 2025

He’ll populate the same downfield role in the Raiders offense this season, as he has virtually no competition for the classic X role in the Las Vegas passing attack on a roster that’s littered with slot receivers. In Geno Smith, Thornton has a QB who is not afraid to attack down the field. Smith ranked fifth in the NFL in deep-ball attempts (68) and third in the league in deep-ball completion percentage (44.1%) last season.

Sure, there’s a world where Thornton spends the majority of his rookie season simply running wind sprints and decoy duty in this Raiders offense, but there’s also a scenario in which he makes enough splash plays, on a frequent enough basis, to smash his current ADP. He’s the definition of a no-risk, high-reward late-round flier.

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