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Thunder Dan Palyo looks at 2025 fantasy football draft sleepers picks for the later rounds of drafts. These players are hidden gems who could help you win a championship.
The late rounds of fantasy drafts provide us with gems every year. While nailing early picks creates a high floor for your team, hitting a late-round pick that turns into a weekly contributor to your team is what can take you to the next level.
While other managers who haven't done their homework rely on the default rankings in these rounds, you can ditch the rankings and go for upside. Each player's NFFC Average Draft Position (ADP) is listed to give you an idea of how late they are being taken.
In this article, I'll give you my six favorite late-round picks who are primed to be major values at their current ADP.
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Braelon Allen, RB - New York Jets
- NFFC ADP: 176
- Baller Move: 145
The fantasy football community is falling in love with Braelon Allen, and the opportunity to get him on the cheap may not last much longer. Allen has Jets fans and fantasy managers buzzing with this preseason. His combination of size and speed is even drawing comparisons to the likes of Derrick Henry.
Braelon Allen ADP outside the top 50 RBs seems foolish.
This is Derrick Henry type of stuff right here.. size & explosiveness 🧨
pic.twitter.com/EUyTaH7Zih— LaQuan Jones (@RealDealFantasy) August 10, 2025
Allen had a storied career in Wisconsin before being drafted by the Jets last season. He got some work (111 touches) behind Breece Hall, but managed just 3.6 yards per carry in his rookie season. However, the Jets' offense struggled badly to run the football successfully and was largely underwhelming for most of the season.
With Justin Fields under center and an improved offensive line, New York may have a formidable run game in 2025. The Jets' staff has already mentioned using Hall more as a receiver this season, and Allen's physical running style could earn him plenty of early-down work.
He's a popular breakout pick for this season, but it's easy to see why. Allen is a physical specimen who runs over and around defenders. There's simply no reason he shouldn't be going much earlier in drafts, even with his ADP on the rise.
Jaylen Wright, RB - Miami Dolphins
- NFFC ADP: 171
- Baller Move: 156
Devon Achane may be the fantasy darling that managers have their sights set on early in drafts, but Wright is set for a bigger role in his second season as Achane's backup and as a potential short-yardage back.
I wouldn't read too much into his 3.7 yards per carry average from last season, as we saw Miami struggle to run the football for much of the year, especially when Tua Tagovailoa was injured and defenses could load up to stop the run.
Jaylen Wright bursts through for a TD
Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/QLvpcc7IKA— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2025
I still maintain that Achane is not built for 25 touches a game and will break down if Miami rides him that hard this season. I think the Dolphins know that, too, which is why Wright is expected to see more early-down work.
He's going to have a tough time maintaining stand-alone value in standard leagues without an Achane injury, but Wright is a must-own handcuff in fantasy leagues this season.
Zach Ertz, TE - Washington Commanders
- NFFC ADP: 182
- Baller Move: 158
If you ignore his age (and maybe you shouldn't, he's entering his age-34 season), what's not to like about Zach Ertz in Washington this season? The 12-year veteran had a huge bounce-back season in 2024 and finished the year as one of Jayden Daniels's most trusted targets.
Ertz should resume that safety blanket role this year, and if he can stay healthy, there's a clear path to replicating his 654 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.
Highest average separation among TEs [2024]
1. Mark Andrews [0.158]
2. Sam LaPorta [.095]
3. ZACH ERTZ [.094]Ertz has survived so long in the league because he's a route-running savant. pic.twitter.com/cKr9MzXPGX
— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) August 4, 2025
The trendy thing to do is target his backup, Ben Sinnott, but the Commanders have to consider themselves contenders in the NFC this season after advancing as far as the conference championship last year. They brought back Ertz for his leadership and dependability. If they were a rebuilding team, then I'd be more inclined to invest in the younger Sinnott and his elite athleticism.
Brenton Strange, TE - Jacksonville Jaguars
- NFFC ADP: 199
- Baller Move: 162
I am all in favor of drafting tight ends late this year. The days of Travis Kelce outscoring everyone at the position by a million points are over, and I think Brock Bowers is going to be hard-pressed to replicate his record-breaking rookie season this year.
If you're waiting to draft tight ends until the late rounds, then doubling up with two guys like Ertz and Strange makes a ton of sense. With Evan Engram missing so much time with injuries, we saw Strange emerge as one of Jacksonville's few reliable options in the passing game last season, along with Brian Thomas Jr.
Brenton Strange.
You might want to know that name before the season starts😤😤
📹: @Demetrius82
— SleeperJaguars (@SleeperJaguars) August 14, 2025
The former PSU big man finished with 400+ yards receiving and over 10 yards per reception. He was mainly catching passes from Mac Davis in what ended up being a lost season for the Jags, and this year should benefit from a big quarterback upgrade with a healthy Trevor Lawrence back under center.
Engram is now in Denver, and Strange is expected to be the Week 1 starter. He's not going to wow you with huge chunk plays, but Strange has shown excellent route-running and soft hands. I won't be surprised if he has a pretty significant role in the Jags' passing game and provides enough fantasy value to be worth starting more weeks than not.
DeMario Douglas, WR - New England Patriots
- NFFC ADP: 184
- Baller Move: 167
Douglas's 2024 campaign was a mixed bag of results, but his 2025 campaign looks promising with Drake Maye ready to make his first full season's worth of starts at quarterback.
Douglas stands just five-foot-eight but has the type of quick-twitch explosiveness that makes him a tough cover in the slot. He should see plenty of targets this season in Josh McDaniels's slot-heavy offensive scheme, and he's the type of player who can do damage after the catch.
#Patriots WR DeMario Douglas is a handful when you’re guarding him 1-on-1 👀
(🎥 @PatriotsCLNS)pic.twitter.com/M5b848s8Rn
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) August 13, 2025
Douglas is set to start the year as the WR2 behind only veteran Stefon Diggs, who is coming off an ACL injury. While I'm rooting for Diggs to have a big bounce-back year, he is now in his thirties and a potential injury risk at this point in his career.
But Douglas doesn't need to be the WR1 to be able to carve out value this year. If Diggs and others on the outside (Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins, Ja'Lynn Polk) can command the attention of opposing secondaries, then Douglas should be freed up to wreak havoc in the middle of the field.
This price on Douglas here is far too cheap for the opportunity that he should see this year in New England. If the Patriots take another step forward on offense, then Douglas could be primed for a huge season and he could be a monster in PPR formats.
Keaton Mitchell, RB - Baltimore Ravens
- NFFC ADP: 244
- Baller Move: 200
The Baltimore Ravens are primed for another big season and are one of the favorites to win the AFC. Their offense is propelled by one of the best rushing attacks in the modern NFL. Lamar Jackson is the best running quarterback in football, and flanked by one of the best power backs of all time in Derrick Henry.
Baltimore's offensive line is a strong unit, too, and you can't forget about the 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard, who functions as a lead-blocker as well. The Ravens want to run over teams and impose their will on defenses, and it's been a highly successful formula for them in the John Harbaugh era.
But one guy who could be getting overlooked this year is Keaton Mitchell, who is competing to be Henry's direct backup. Mitchell had an electric rookie campaign in 2023, rushing for 396 yards and a stellar 8.4 yards per carry. However, a torn ACL forced Mitchell to miss most of the 2024 season as he earned just 15 carries in the final two weeks of the season.
Every Keaton Mitchell touch - first preseason game (Year 3) pic.twitter.com/pDmsB8lmki
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 10, 2025
Justice Hill is best-suited as the pass-catching back on third downs, but Mitchell is well ahead of Rasheen Ali and far more explosive than veterans like Myles Gaskin (currently in Ravens camp) or Boston Scott (worked out for Baltimore recently).
Mitchell was dynamic in the preseason opener, and if he can stay healthy, he should be in the mix for touches to spell Derrick Henry this season. He has massive value as a handcuff as he'd be the most likely back to inherit the starting job if Henry were to miss time at all in 2025.
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