X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Five Must-Have Targets in the Middle Rounds

If you've been playing fantasy football for long enough, you are well aware of the value of middle-round draft picks. Maybe some of your less-invested league mates mail it in after the big names are off the board, but you know the players taken in the middle rounds have the potential to alter the course of your season. Patrick Mahomes's ADP in a 12-team PPR league in 2018 was in the 10th round, as was that of Calvin Ridley. Both players were drafted, on average, after the Minnesota Vikings defense. Nick Chubb was taken in the 11th round, and George Kittle was taken in the 12th.

Depending on your spot in the draft order and how the rest of your league's picks unfolded, you could theoretically have wound up with all four of these players in a 2018 draft. Imagine being able to pair them with the guys you got in rounds 1-5. Imagine if you swung and missed on your early draft picks, but you had these guys to save the day. Of course, these instances of unproven players skyrocketing to the top of the league are few and far between. So while it's fine to scour the player pool in the middle rounds of your fantasy draft for guys who might break out, the most important objective at this juncture is to build the deepest roster possible. If a couple of the players you get turn out to be superstars, that's just an added bonus.

With this in mind, I'll now discuss five players with middle-round ADPs that I will be targeting in all of my fantasy drafts for 2019. My selections are based on a 12-team PPR league with one starting quarterback and 16-man rosters. For the purposes of this discussion, we will be using rounds 6-12 as the "middle rounds." My thinking here is that rounds 1-5 are almost always going to include five players who start for your fantasy team in Week 1--unless you go rogue with a Zero RB strategy, or something along those lines. Rounds 13-16 are where you grab your last two lottery tickets and (should) wrap things up with a defense and a kicker. Rounds 6-12 are where you win your league by building depth and nabbing players with breakout potential. Let's get to it. Note: All ADP information courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator.

Editor's Note: Discover RotoBaller’s top Fantasy Football Sleepers to gain an edge in your drafts. Our free who to draft tool and expert picks spotlight undervalued players, breakout candidates, and late-round gems for all league formats.

 

D.J. Moore - WR, Carolina Panthers

ADP 57.2

Alright, you got me. His ADP is prior to the sixth round. But I'm including D.J. Moore here because it's at the end of the fifth, and if he makes it to me at any point in the sixth, I'm all in. He's the number-one wide receiver in Carolina's offense, and he didn't have to wait for someone else to leave in order to earn it. He wrestled it from an ineffective Devin Funchess in his rookie season and became Cam Newton's favorite target not named Christian McCaffrey.

Moore led all Panthers wideouts and tight ends in targets (82), receptions (55), and yardage last season (788), with a lack of touchdowns (2) being his only bane. His 9.6 yards per target was the 21st-highest such number in the league in 2018, among all players.

Funchess is gone, along with all 79 of his targets from last year. Even if Moore only gets a quarter of what's leftover from that this year, he is staring at a 100-target season. Based on what he did in 2018 and the expected volume increase in 2019, Moore's ceiling is significantly higher than his WR26 ADP.

 

Vance McDonald - TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

ADP 83.7

I'm not crazy about drafting tight ends this high, but Vance McDonald is the first one with an ADP I can live with. McDonald's 2018 stat line was solid for a mid-tier tight end: 50 receptions on 72 targets for 610 yards and four touchdowns. Even if he only repeats that exact output in 2019, he's not torpedoing your roster at a position where most guys aren't very consistent or reliable to begin with. But he should be in line for more than "solid" this season.

He's now the unchallenged lead dog on Pittsburgh's tight end depth chart with Jesse James having moved on, and Antonio Brown's 168 targets from last season aren't all going to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Not all targets are created equal either. Ben Roethlisberger attempted 94 passes inside the 20-yard-line in 2018, fourth-most in the league.

Of those 94 attempts, 53 of them were shared between Brown and Smith-Schuster, while McDonald had the next-highest target share with 10. Smith-Schuster is the only proven wide receiver in Pittsburgh's offense now, and while some combination of James Washington, Ryan Switzer, and Donte Moncrief may emerge as viable options, McDonald has already earned the trust of his quarterback.

The Steelers tight end could be looking at a 70-catch season with an increased role in scoring position, and we might be kicking ourselves by Week 3 for letting him fall this far in fantasy drafts.

 

Kenyan Drake - RB, Miami Dolphins

ADP 68.4

Of course the minute I begin to write this, reports surface that Kenyan Drake is likely to miss the remainder of the preseason with a foot injury. We know NFL teams play their injury reports pretty close to the vest, but it's worth noting that the Dolphins haven't made a determination one way or the other on Drake's Week 1 availability. In any case, his situation should be monitored very closely as we enter the heart of the draft season.

One indirect consequence of this development is that Drake's ADP is likely to drop in the coming days and weeks, especially if his Week 1 outlook grows grim. That means everything I'm about to discuss will still be true, but there will be more value in his later ADP.

Drake had to share the Miami backfield with ageless wonder Frank Gore last season, receiving just 120 carries to Gore's 156. Drake averaged 4.5 yards per carry, which would've translated into a nice end-of-season total if he had gotten more than 7.5 carries per game.

Where Drake truly shined in 2018, however, was in the passing game. Drake was second on the entire team in targets (73) and receptions (53) behind Danny Amendola and only Kenny Stills had more receiving touchdowns than Drake's five.

Gore is gone, which means Drake will now presumably share the rushing workload with fellow youngster Kalen Ballage. Tack another 70 or so carries (and that's erring on the conservative side) onto his 2018 total in addition to his passing-game work, and Drake could be looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,300 all-purpose yards this season. Sprinkle in a couple of touchdowns here and there, and his RB32 ADP seems a little low.

Keep an eye on his injury situation, especially considering the body part in question is his foot. But at full health, the passing-game work and an increased rushing workload should have Drake outperforming his ADP in 2019, whether it drops significantly or not.

 

Devin Singletary - RB, Buffalo Bills

ADP 118.7

Rookie Devin Singletary sits at third on Buffalo's running back depth chart, according to ESPN.com. In front of him are LeSean McCoy and the aforementioned Gore. Behind him is T.J. Yeldon. Gore probably deserves a little more credit than I'm giving him; despite his age, last season was the first time since 2010 that he didn't play in all 16 of his team's games, and the fact that he can still handle 150-plus carries is impressive. But he is 36 years old.

McCoy averaged 3.2 yards per carry last year and had his worst all-around pass-catching campaign since joining the Bills in 2015. It's not all his fault, of course; the Bills were a mess on offense for most of last season. But like Gore, he isn't getting any younger. If 2018 was the beginning of McCoy's decline--and it very well could've been--it's hard to imagine he'll be very productive this season.

Yeldon is theoretically young enough to conjure up a career year out of nowhere, but to this point he has never thrived as a lead back. Outside of some moderately impressive receiving numbers while Leonard Fournette was absent from Jacksonville's backfield last season, Yeldon has been largely underwhelming.

So by process of elimination, we arrive at Singletary. He has to take down two veterans on the wrong side of 30--neither of whom looked like they could carry an offense when we last saw them--and a career backup whose lifetime high in touches (218) came in his rookie season four years ago. Is it really that far outside the realm of possibility that Singletary takes over this backfield at some point in the season?

The problem is that even if the answer to that question is yes, it might be a while before he does. The counterpoint is that at a 10th-round ADP, you can afford to wait. I'm comfortable taking the gamble on the idea that Singletary's uphill-yet-clear path to regular playing time yields results in 2019--even if it doesn't happen right away.

 

Philip Rivers - QB, Los Angeles Chargers

ADP 120.5

For the wait-on-quarterback crowd, Philip Rivers is the embodiment of why it's perfectly fine to be one of the last people in your league to draft a QB. I continue to be amazed by how undervalued he is from year to year. His "worst" season in the last 10 years was a 2012 campaign in which he threw for 3,606 yards and 26 touchdowns.

In every year since then, he's thrown for at least 4,286 yards and 28 touchdowns, eclipsing the 30-touchdown mark four times in this span including last season. What more do you want from the guy? A Super Bowl ring would be ideal, I guess, but from a fantasy perspective, he is as consistent as they come. And yet he continues to be available in the later rounds of drafts.

Rivers lost underrated wideout Tyrell Williams to his division rival in Oakland this offseason, but he's getting Hunter Henry back, Keenan Allen is still hanging around, and Mike Williams was impressive (though very boom-or-bust) in his rookie season. Even if Melvin Gordon turns out not to be a part of the equation any longer, Austin Ekeler has proven to be a serviceable pass-catching replacement in the Chargers backfield.

I don't have anything against guys like Baker Mayfield (ADP QB5) or Kyler Murray (ADP QB9), and I'm all in on this new, creative direction the NFL is heading in terms of how quarterbacks are utilized. But Rivers isn't even being drafted as a starter in 12-team leagues, while a rookie and a second-year quarterback with 13 career starts are being valued as consensus top-10 picks at the position.

I'd say I'm tired of it, but the fantasy world's refusal to acknowledge the excellence of Philip Rivers has continually allowed me to wait, wait, and wait some more for my quarterback on draft day. So by all means, please keep ignoring the future Hall-of-Famer.

More ADP Values and Sleepers




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
NFL

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
Max Scherzer

Cleared to Start on Saturday
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Kodai Senga

Could be "in Play" to Return Before All-Star Break
Ha-Seong Kim

Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim From Injured List
Christian Moore

Placed on Injured List With Thumb Sprain
Luis L. Ortiz

the Subject of Gambling Investigation
Jordan Lawlar

to Miss Multiple Weeks With Hamstring Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Receives Encouraging News on his Hand
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Jacob Monk

Sees Plenty of Work With Starters
Avonte Maddox

has Impressed Dan Campbell
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Chicago Bears

Ruben Hyppolite Shows Notable Improvement
Toronto Raptors

Sandro Mamukelashvili Heading to Toronto
Daron Payne

Commanders Coaches Impressed With Daron Payne
Danny Gray

Makes Impression During Offseason Workouts
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dane Belton

Should Have a Role in 2025
Kaiir Elam

Flashes During Offseason Workouts
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Riley Greene

Homers Twice, Drives in Six on Wednesday
Max Muncy

Exits With Apparent Knee Injury
Christian Moore

Exits Early with Thumb Irritation
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Josh Naylor

Returning to Diamondbacks Lineup
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Oronde Gadsden

an Active Pass-Catcher This Offseason
Brashard Smith

Speed Could be Put to Use
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Pat Bryant

Off to a Good Start
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
Cody Barton

Quickly Becoming a Leader With his New Team
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
Montaric Brown

has Worked With Starters
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Ryan McLeod

Inks Four-Year Extension with Sabres
NAS

Predators Bring in Nick Perbix on Two-Year Deal
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
LA

Cody Ceci Moves to Los Angeles
DET

James van Riemsdyk Joins Red Wings on One-Year Contract
Viktor Arvidsson

Traded to Boston
Charlotte Hornets

Spencer Dinwiddie Lands With Charlotte
Josh Jung

Sent to Triple-A
Jurickson Profar

Officially Reinstated and Hitting in Five-Hole on Wednesday
Spencer Schwellenbach

Going on Injured List With Fractured Elbow
Maxwell Hairston

Facing Sexual-Assault Lawsuit
Tai Felton

Rookie Season Likely to be Spent on Special Teams
LeQuint Allen Jr.

to Have Receiving Role for Jaguars?
Justin Walley

Turning Heads Going into Rookie Season
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
Jamari Thrash

Establishing Himself as Reliable Option
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Brandon Woodruff

Likely to Pitch on Sunday in Miami
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
PHI

Dan Vladar Links Up With Flyers on Two-Year Deal
Zac Gallen

Fans 10 in Tuesday's Win
Hunter Goodman

Hits Two More Homers Tuesday
Milwaukee Bucks

Taurean Prince Staying in Milwaukee
Jeff Green

Signs One-Year Deal to Remain in Houston
Los Angeles Lakers

Jake LaRavia Lands with Lakers
Orlando Magic

Tyus Jones Signs One-Year Deal With Magic
Golden State Warriors

Kevon Looney Heads to New Orleans
Milwaukee Bucks

Jericho Sims Staying in Milwaukee
Denver Nuggets

Tim Hardaway Jr. Joins Nuggets
Detroit Pistons

Duncan Robinson Lands With Detroit
Charlotte Hornets

Tre Mann Remaining in Charlotte
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Milwaukee Bucks

Gary Harris Inks Deal With Bucks
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Daniel Suarez

and Trackhouse Racing Parting Ways After 2025 Season
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF