Late-Round Fliers: Fantasy Football Upside Draft Picks for RB, WR, TE (2026)

July 18, 2026

Nick's late-round fantasy football breakouts, draft fliers and value picks for 2026. His running back, wide receiver and tight end sleepers to target late.

This premium article is part of our 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit and a free sample of the expert analysis loaded up in RotoBaller's Draft Kit. Enjoy this premium article for free for a limited time. All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard.

Fantasy football drafts are typically defined by the superstar names at the top of the board, though you can put some serious distance between yourself and the competition by striking it rich in the late rounds. Let us help you to the promised land by discussing some favorite late-round fliers at running back, wide receiver, and tight end who can do more than provide empty calories. We aim to spend small and win big, without getting so invested that we're frozen during the first in-season waiver run.

As is tradition, I'd advocate skipping K/DEF picks so that you can fill out all available preseason slots with late-round RB/WR fliers. Hitting on those positions can be far more difficult to achieve, and stumbling there cannot be easily recovered from through streaming as K/D can. For today’s purposes, we're using aggregate ADP data from half-PPR drafts as of 7/14/2026. Let's dig in!

Late-Round Fliers - Running Backs

Tank Bigsby (PHI), RB53
Brian Robinson Jr. (ATL), RB54
Sean Tucker (TB), RB55

This is my tripod of later RB handcuff-with-upside picks that I feel compelled to get at least one leg of onto every roster.

Bigsby came alive in Philly, turning 58 rushes into 344 yards and two TDs (5.9 YPC). This came after he averaged 4.6 YPC during a 168-766-7 rushing campaign for Jacksonville in ‘24, but 2025 saw his broken tackle rate more than double with the Eagles. Perhaps no A.J. Brown will mean more rush volume to split with Saquon Barkley if the newer aerial attack takes a while to settle. This talent is special.

Tank Bigsby to the house to extend the @Eagles lead!

PHIvsWAS on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/z03j4zKAKm

— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025

This particular run of his remained seared in my brain throughout the offseason, as I remember thinking how cooked the play was, only for him to break off a touchdown. The edge defender was five yards in the backfield in no time, yet Bigsby showed poise in turning it upfield and taking advantage of a capable Eagles line washing out other pursuers. And then the speed that made him a plus returner and drew Philly to him in the first place showed up for the TD.

Robinson also did well spelling a superstar rusher, compiling a 92-400-2 line (4.3 YPC) behind Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. This has led to a job as Atlanta’s No. 2 rusher for ‘26, which Tyler Allgeier’s 157 touches last year showed can have standalone value.

And Tucker battled through a decimated Tampa Bay offensive line to deliver seven rush TDs (and an eighth receiving) with Bucky Irving injured. Most assume that a healthy Irving will be the guy, and much attention is flocking to Kenneth Gainwell after his ‘25 breakout in Pittsburgh. But don’t misread Tucker’s poor efficiency as a complete reflection.

He turned 50 carries into 308 yards and two TDs behind a more complete O-line in 2024 (6.2 YPC), and we’re not going to obsess over raw yardage chunks for a potential short-yardage specialist. And if he’s buried as a backup, then we move along! In general, Tampa Bay feels undervalued going into ‘26 based on the widespread injuries that doomed their 2025.

Jaydon Blue (DAL), RB63

Blue stands to make an impact as the No. 2 RB in Dallas, who saw Javonte Williams grind down under 287 touches over 16 games last year. He seemed to run afoul of the coaching staff due to immaturity as a rookie, though all reports have been positive on that front going into Year 2.

The talent is not a question mark, what with his 4.38 40-yard dash time that can turn limited looks into sizeable production. He’ll have to prove himself in pass protection to earn the right to display his ability running angle and wheel routes, which would torment any linebacker stuck in coverage.

We can appreciate how Malik Davis carried himself when Williams was hurting down the stretch, but some plays resulted in his being caught by a defender when Blue’s speed would’ve gone to the house. Even if Davis starts as the No. 2 on the depth chart, we’re targeting upside throughout the preseason.

Late-Round Fliers - Wide Receivers

Zachariah Branch (ATL), WR74

Sorry, Jahan Dotson truthers, but Branch is the guy we want to speculate on beyond Drake London in this receiving room. As someone who was deeply affected by Darnell Mooney’s Houdini act in ‘25 after an enjoyable 64-992-5 line the year before, this writer is thrilled to see ATL’s next big-play threat emerge. We'll likely start with shorter "gadget" work, but his speed can lead to downfield strikes.

Even though Georgia only got him five deep catches compared to 44 screens (per PFF), the long speed to motor under deep balls from Tua Tagovailoa could give us Tyreek Hill-esque flashbacks. But we won’t ignore the quick screens in the slot either, because that elusiveness and speed can lead to yards-after-catch galore. Look at these moves:

Route up, @zachariahbranch pic.twitter.com/UElUO4SpBN

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 8, 2026

He must prove that he’s capable of finding NFL polish in short order, rather than simply relying on the athleticism he possesses. But a thin WR corps should afford him early opportunity to prove himself, especially if Atlanta decides to protect Tagovailoa with quicker throws.

Rashod Bateman (BAL), WR91

Shiny new toy syndrome has attention moving to Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt, who were respective third and fourth-round picks in the 2025 Draft, but that’s Devontez Walker’s problem, not Bateman’s.

Between the wide receiver’s own injuries (notably a high-ankle sprain, which can ruin entire years) and Lamar Jackson’s dings, he only caught 19 balls for 224 yards and two scores last year. DeAndre Hopkins also came aboard to siphon downfield targets, but his mercenary run in Baltimore is over.

How easily we forget that Bateman amassed 756 yards and nine scores on 45 catches in ‘24 with a fully operational LJax at the helm. Both are healthy, and now the WRs should see a few more targets with the TE2 downgrade from Isaiah Likely to Durham Smythe. We all know Derrick Henry is the king, but Bateman was a top-36 WR!

If you’re high on the rookies, then fine. But I’d suggest taking advantage of this cheap Bateman price now that the roster and health situation is closer to 2024 conditions.

Late-Round Fliers - Tight Ends

Greg Dulcich (MIA), TE24

There’s no denying that the Dolphins offense will have to grind their way downfield with an unassuming roster surrounding star RB De’Von Achane. The 6-foot-4 Dulcich may very well be the No. 1 red zone target against a WR room comprising Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and a trio of Day 2-3 rookies.

Even during last year’s poor finish, Dulcich’s half-season in Miami led to 335 yards on 26 catches (33 targets). Darren Waller was also active in five of those games, though Dulcich still topped 40 yards in four consecutive games alongside him. And Waller caught six touchdowns, which could find their way to Dulcich! Tack that onto the promising target/yardage trends, and we're intrigued.

The following had > 0.25 TPRR and > 2.4 YPRR in the 2nd half of the 2025 season (includes playoffs):

- Puka Nacua
- Amon-Ra
- JSN
- Drake London
- Dalton Kincaid
- Colston Loveland
- Chris Olave
- Terry McLaurin
- Darnell Washington (wtf)
- Greg Dulcich
- Parker Washington

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) July 17, 2026

A couple of those names are not like the others! (I'm okay with a side of D-Wash propaganda mixed in here.)

While Malik Willis may rush a couple of those red-zone looks in himself, we need to follow the likely high-snap players to fantasy points. Dulcich has suffered from all sorts of medical limitations over his four-year NFL career, but this is a late price to see if a 17-game campaign is in the cards.

Terrance Ferguson (LAR), TE30

What if I told you that you can get Matthew Stafford’s No. 3 receiver into your TE slot? Is that something you might be interested in?

After running up an electrifying 18.3 average depth of target on 25 looks as a rookie next to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, the Rams made zero notable additions to the WR group. Sixth-round pick CJ Daniels is not moving the needle. While you may look at the four TEs that LAR ran out in ‘25 and ignore Ferguson due to the lowest target and catch total, that’s wayward reasoning.

Sean McVay’s penchant for 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TE) got plenty of buzz across the league, and it’s becoming clear that Ferguson plays a different role than Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, and Davis Allen. That trio all held an inline route rate of 55% or greater, while Ferguson sat at 28.4% thanks to a valuable 48% rate out of the slot.

Perhaps this was McVay’s plan all along, but Ferguson didn’t get a snap share north of 8% until Week 6, when Puka Nacua suffered a sprained ankle (and Atwell was already out due to a hamstring injury). Now, he’s had an offseason to ruminate on what could be, and the offseason decisions reflect a comfort with Ferguson operating outside.

You’re investing in the 2026 Rams championship push on a team that should mimic much of what led to Matthew Stafford throwing for an NFL-best 4,707 yards and 46 TDs. But now we don’t have to squint hard to see Ferguson as a WR3 who we can wedge into the TE slot, which should provide more juice than many TD-dependent late options.

More Fantasy Football Analysis