Best Ball Fantasy Football Dart Throws: Round 18 Underdog Targets and Sleepers to Draft

July 23, 2025

Dan Fornek's favorite fantasy football last round targets at all positions in Underdog best ball drafts. His top late-round sleepers and value picks, including Dontayvion Wicks.

Finding late-round players that can enter your lineup throughout the season is key to building a strong best ball roster. Just two seasons ago, we saw the Best Ball Mania winner on Underdog take down the final week thanks to a massive week from their 18th-round running back, Kyren Williams.

Drafting players in the final round of best ball drafts is an opportunity for fantasy managers to gain an edge (taking players that aren’t frequently drafted) or exploit an opportunity (selecting a player who has a bigger role than expected). Either way, the goal is to identify a player who can find their way into a lineup on any given week.

This article identifies some of my favorite final round targets on Underdog at each position this summer.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

There aren’t many quarterbacks that we expect to have fantasy value in the 18th round, but New Orleans Saints’ second-round pick Shough is the exception.

Shough had a college career mired by injuries, but had a big season in his final year with Louisville. He completed 62.7% of his passes for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Shough is mobile enough to tactically scramble even if his collegiate rushing totals (246 carries for 733 yards and 11 touchdowns) are underwhelming over a seven-year sample.

Tyler Shough? pic.twitter.com/nYPOoPwEqB

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) February 24, 2025

Shough is expected to be the starter in New Orleans after the team used the 40th overall pick on him in the 2025 NFL Draft. On paper, the Saints' offense could be interesting in fantasy if the rookie can acclimate to the speed of the NFL quickly.

New head coach Kellen Moore has a history of designing and calling strong offenses from his time with the Cowboys, Chargers, and Eagles. He will now take over an offense that has (hopefully) solved their offensive line woes with 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga (right tackle) and 2025 first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr. (left tackle).

Additionally, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are both healthy after season-ending injuries in 2024. The team also returns Alvin Kamara and Juwan Johnson and added a veteran receiver in Brandin Cooks in free agency.

Nobody will mistake the Saints with a top 10 offense heading into the season, but they can be an average unit if Shough can operate an NFL offense with a solid supporting cast.

Brashard Smith, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

In the 18th round, we are looking for players who are on good offenses who can contribute, or players who can take over a role with some injury luck ahead of them. Chiefs rookie running back Smith is a player who could carve out a role in a good offense in 2025.

Smith was a wide receiver at Miami before transferring to SMU and moving to running back in 2024. He carried the ball 235 times for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns in his lone season at running back. He also had the best receiving production of his career (39 receptions for 327 yards and four touchdowns) despite moving away from wide receiver.

Every Brashard Smith breakaway run (15+yards) from 2024 #NFLDraft2025 pic.twitter.com/UAjbx36rBX

— Ray G (@RayGQue) March 21, 2025

The Chiefs have a stable of veteran running backs (Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Elijah Mitchell), but lack receiving ability out of the backfield. That skillset could prove even more valuable in 2025, with Rashee Rice likely to miss games due to a suspension after accepting a plea deal for his 2024 high-speed highway accident.

Rice is slated to have his hearing with the NFL on September 30, which will put him in a position to suit up during the first four weeks of the season. However, he could then be in danger of missing games during the final weeks of the season, which could open up more targets for the rest of the team.

Andy Reid isn’t afraid to play late-round or undrafted rookies if they can help the team win games. Smith will need to have a good summer to build rapport with Patrick Mahomes, but if he does, he offers an explosive element in space to a backfield that has plenty of downhill runners.

It is a risk worth taking in the final round of drafts.

Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears

Many expected the Chicago Bears to invest early-round draft capital in the running back position during the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, Chicago loaded up their other skill positions and took Rutgers running back Monangai in the seventh round.

Monangai is a power runner who had excellent rushing production during his final two seasons with Rutgers (498 carries, 2,541 yards, and 21 touchdowns). He offers absolutely nothing in the receiving game (38 receptions for 252 yards and one touchdown in five seasons), so he will have to make his mark in the NFL as a touchdown specialist.

Kyle Monangai isn’t your typical 7th round pick. pic.twitter.com/qK9x2zP7b2

— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) June 9, 2025

Thankfully for him, Ben Johnson, the Bears' new head coach, has a history of splitting his backfield between an explosive pass-catching threat and a power runner to finish drives. Johnson was the offensive coordinator the year Jamaal Williams scored 17 rushing touchdowns in a backfield with Bears’ running back D’Andre Swift. Johnson also helped David Montgomery rack up 404 carries for 1,790 yards and 25 touchdowns in 28 games over the last two seasons.

Swift will be the pass catcher and explosive runner out of the backfield, but the power complement to him is still undecided. Many expect Roschon Johnson to reprise the role in 2024, but he’s had middling levels of success (and health) as a professional. The Bears also stayed out of the late-stage free agent market (Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins), which suggests they believe Johnson or Monangai can fill the role.

We aren’t drafting for certainty in round 18, but we are searching for upside. If Monangai can have a strong camp and earn the short-yardage role in Chicago, he could have weekly scoring upside in an offense we expect to be improved next season. At worst, he will be the backup to a player (Johnson) with a checkered injury history at the NFL level.

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers

Pop quiz: Who led the Packers in targets during the 2024 season?

If you answered Wicks, you are correct (and read the header).

The Packers' passing attack was spread out in 2024 between a host of solid weapons. Four different pass catchers (Wicks, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Tucker Kraft) all had 70+ targets in 2024, led by Wicks (76). Unfortunately, he was extremely inefficient catching them (39 receptions for 415 yards and five touchdowns).

Dontayvion Wicks adjusts to make the catch downfield 🙌

📺: #GBvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/2gmZBJtNbf

— NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2025

Green Bay added a first-round wide receiver to their offense in the NFL Draft (Matthew Golden), but they also won’t have Christian Watson to start the year as he recovers from his Week 18 torn ACL. Golden wasn’t a big-time target earner in college, so it would be shocking if he is one the second he steps on an NFL field.

The Packers believe in Wicks' talent, evidenced by his team-leading target share despite making just five starts on the season. The Packers may have the worst secondary in the NFL after releasing Jaire Alexander, so the team will likely be in shootout game scripts next season.

Green Bay has plenty of weapons, but they’ve also shown that they are willing to get everybody involved, even if it doesn’t allow one player to emerge as a consistently fantasy-viable wide receiver. While that is bad for the higher drafted players, it does give late-round options like Wicks a chance to beat their ADP.

Elijah Moore, WR, Buffalo Bills

Moore has never become the player many expected when he was taken in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. However, he is coming off two solid seasons with a Browns offense with terrible quarterback play.

In two seasons with Cleveland, Moore averaged 103 targets, 60 receptions, and 589 receiving yards per season. He only scored three touchdowns, which has suppressed his impact in fantasy. Moore quietly signed with the Bills this offseason on a one-year deal, which sparks some interest in fantasy.

Elijah Moore is going to be a massive get for the Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/qq6SXmd9co

— SleeperBills (@SleeperBills) June 28, 2025

Buffalo’s passing attack doesn’t have a true target dominator. Instead, they have several players who play roles and contribute, like Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Keon Coleman, and Dalton Kincaid. Moore fits that mold and adds an element to the passing attack (speed and elusiveness in space) that is different than the rest of the group.

There is a real chance that Elijah Moore is buried on the depth chart and only relevant in case of an injury. However, he is also a former second-round pick who has been buried on offenses (the Jets and Browns) with bad quarterback play his entire career. He’s a gamble worth making in the final rounds now that he’s tied to one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

Elijah Arroyo, TE, Seattle Seahawks

There are a lot of late-round tight end options that are intriguing, but one player going completely under the radar is 2025 second-round pick Arroyo.

Arroyo had his best season with Cam Ward, catching 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2024 season with the Miami Hurricanes. Arroyo is a big, dynamic weapon in the passing attack, who is a strong route runner who flashed separation skills in college. He was dominating the Senior Bowl as well before suffering a knee injury that disrupted his draft process.

Inject this Elijah Arroyo TD into my veins pic.twitter.com/5jn4ybzI3y

— SleeperSeahawks (@SleeperSeahawks) June 17, 2025

The rookie tight end does have a checkered injury history (he tore an ACL in 2022 in addition to the Senior Bowl injury), but nothing that should limit him in 2025. He joins a receiving room that features Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

With Fant gone, Arroyo could be heavily involved in the offense early on, and the rookie also has enough ability to earn targets thanks to his route-running ability. Outside of Smith-Njigba, there isn’t much competition for targets on the depth chart.

There is massive upside here, especially at the tight end position. That is a gamble worth taking in the final round of drafts.

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