The first five rounds of a typical fantasy football draft hold few surprises, as the top tiers of running backs and receivers soon disappear. Many casual fantasy footballers show up to their draft with fantasy football magazine in-hand and can figure out how to assemble a solid starting lineup in the early rounds. However, often times, the biggest producers at the end of each season were not in the top tiers at all. Fantasy football players who drafted Allen Robinson as a backup or took a flyer on Devonta Freeman in 2015 can attest to that.

In this article, we are going to focus on the portion of the draft where most leagues are truly won - the middle. Who are the mid-round options that could be this year's breakout player? Who will save your skin when your regular starter gets injured or underperforms? Here are some players that should be available between rounds 6-10 in standard 12-team leagues that are worth targeting on your draft board. Average Draft Position Data (12 team Standard, non-PPR) taken from Fantasy Football Calculator as of May 25th.

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• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Quarterback Draft Targets

Blake Bortles (JAX, Bye: 8, ADP: 6.10) - Entering his sophomore season, expectations were low for Bortles and the Jaguars offense. By mid-season, Bortles surpassed those expectations and became a weekly starter in fantasy leagues. He amassed 4,428 passing yards, averaging 276 per game. His 18 interceptions reflect his aggressiveness and lack of experience, but his efficiency should increase in year three, lowering the interception total. Expecting any progression from his 35 touchdown total of a year ago may be unrealistic, especially considering the Jags signed Chris Ivory to help with their red zone rushing attack. Bortles is a QB1 comparable to Drew Brees or Tom Brady, with the added upside of the ability to scramble for rushing yards. Bortles ran for 310 yards and two touchdowns in 2015, that combined with his youth, give him a slight edge over the elder statesmen.

Derek Carr (OAK, Bye: 6, ADP: 8.11) - Don't confuse him for David. Little brother wasn't a #1 overall pick, but he has already put up better numbers in his first two years than David Carr ever did. He came up just 13 yards shy of 4,000 passing yards last season and tossed 32 touchdowns in the air. While 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns aren't the milestones they used to be, you're still looking at a bonafied QB1 in the eighth or ninth round. One concern with Carr is a possible decrease in volume, if the Raiders defense continues to improve, the Raiders might not have to play catch up as often as they did in 2015. With Carr entering his third season and stud receiver Amari Cooper entering his second, the big play ability remains.

Eli Manning (NYG, Bye: 11, ADP: 9.04) - In a standard 12-team league, the two-time Super Bowl winner is being selected as the 12th quarterback off the board according to ADP. Considering he is throwing to one of the best wide receivers on the planet in Odell Beckham Jr. and the Giants added a reliable 2nd-round pick in Sterling Shepard, there is room for more optimism. Shepard steps into the role vacated by Reuben Randle who did more harm than good for the Giants offense during his time with the team. Manning finished 2015 as the 12th ranked QB in Yahoo! standard leagues, so his ADP is about right. You won't need to reach for him, but you will be able to spend those first eight picks bolstering your running backs and wide receivers before worrying about quarterback.

Running Back Draft Targets

Ameer Abdullah (DET, Bye: 9, ADP: 6.07) - Abdullah is bound to be a popular pick in PPR leagues considering his pass-catching ability. He may be slightly undervalued in standard leagues, however, due to a disappointing rookie season. With Megatron out of town, the Lions have no choice but to find a running game. Joique Bell's absence isn't critical, but it puts even more onus on Abdullah to carry the load. He maintained a healthy 4.2 AVG, but was greatly under-utilized at less than nine carries per game. His five fumbles didn't build a lot of confidence, but count on Abdullah playing up to his potential in year two in the NFL and I expect him to become a dependable RB2 in fantasy leagues.

LeGarrette Blount (NE, Bye: 4, ADP: 10.04) - Much like the Patriots themselves, he just won't go away. Blount will not be a bell-cow back who carries the ball 200 times in a season and in some games his involvement will be extremely limited. But when the calendar turns to November and December, the Patriots will feed him the ball early and often, especially when they get near the goal line. It's hard to trust any Patriots running back, but Blount can be a valuable bye week fill-in and late season stash.

Wide Receiver Draft Targets

DeVante Parker (MIA, Bye: 5, ADP: 6.12) - There are many valid reasons to give Parker a mulligan for his rookie year. Recovery from pre-season injuries, an overhaul in the coaching staff, limited usage and having Ryan Tannehill as a quarterback. While Tannehill isn't going away, new coach Adam Gase promises to deliver a much-improved offensive game plan and Parker will be a big part of that. Jarvis Landry will likely continue to lead the team in targets, but Parker has big play ability and length that make him a game breaker. Parker's 286 receiving yards in the last three games of 2015 are just a taste of what's to come.

Travis Benjamin (SD, Bye: 10, ADP: 9.02) - The former Miami Hurricane came within 34 yards of 1,000 despite playing in Cleveland with a combination of Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel at quarterback. He registered six catches of 40+ yards and scored five touchdowns in 2015. Now he moves to San Diego and will catch passes from Philip Rivers. Benjamin will thrive in the role as the #2 wide receiver in the Chargers offense and will be a big play threat all year long.

Markus Wheaton (PIT, Bye: 11, ADP: 9.09) - Wheaton should give Martavis Bryant part of his annual bonus, because he basically handed him the starting job opposite Antonio Brown with his suspension. Wheaton was projected as a breakout candidate last season, but Bryant stole the show. Still, Wheaton managed 749 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns and could improve on those numbers this season. At a ninth round ADP, Wheaton makes for a nice receiver to round out your starting lineup.

Tight End Draft Targets

Delanie Walker (TEN, Bye: 4, ADP: 6.04) - After Rob Gronkowski, who had the 2nd most receiving yards among tight ends? Delanie Walker, of course. Walker was one of only four TE to top 1,000 yards and he reached the end zone six times in 2015. With an improved running game and a more experienced Marcus Mariota, Walker remains a top option at the position and may be the most reliable fantasy tight end after Gronkowski.

Julius Thomas (JAX, Bye: 8, ADP: 9.05) - It's hard to imagine that Blake Bortles threw for nearly 4,500 yards and yet Thomas managed only 455. Early season injuries may have derailed his season, but he did have a stretch of scoring a touchdown in four straight games between weeks 11-14. He may never replicate the red zone success he had in Denver with Peyton Manning, but as a low-end TE1 Thomas still possesses great upside in a flourishing Jaguars offense.

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