- Greg Dulcich could lead the Miami Dolphins in targets: One of the league's most efficient tight ends per route last season, Dulcich is the favorite to lead a thin Miami passing game with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Darren Waller gone.
- Jalen Nailor may be the Las Vegas Raiders‘ top wide receiver: Nailor out-graded Jordan Addison in Minnesota last season and fits new quarterback Fernando Mendoza‘s strengths, giving him a case to pace a weak Raiders receiver room.
- Ryan Flournoy is a big-play third receiver worth stashing: Behind only CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in a pass-heavy Dallas offense, Flournoy flashed 100-yard games even at full health and profiles as a prime waiver target.
It can be difficult, but not impossible, to find someone who can help your fantasy team in the last few rounds of the draft. Typically, these players don’t end up working out and end up getting released for the top waiver wire candidates.
However, there are a few players worth taking a chance on. That’s true either because their odds of panning out are higher than most people think, or if, in the small chance they work out, it could happen in a significant way. These are the players you should be considering once you reach the end of your fantasy draft.
A player’s average draft position listed is a consensus from ESPN, Sleeper and Yahoo! for where the player is picked on average in a 12-team, redraft league.
Last updated: Tuesday, July 21
TE Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins (ADP: NA)
Dulcich impressed as a third-round rookie in 2022 with 33 receptions for 411 yards, including five games of at least 11 PPR points. Hamstring injuries derailed the start of his career, costing him the first five and final two games of his rookie season, and all but 32 offensive snaps of his second. He fell down the Denver Broncos’ depth chart below Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull, then spent two weeks as a healthy inactive before Denver released him. The New York Giants claimed him, but he didn't tally a reception during his time there.
Dulcich was released shortly before the 2025 season, then claimed by the Dolphins. He made his debut in Week 8 and became a regular part of the Miami offense by Week 9. He never played more than 60% of offensive snaps, but was an effective receiver when given the opportunity. His 2.31 yards per route run ranked third-best among tight ends last season. Dulcich wasn't used much on first down, but his 2.84 yards per route run on second and third downs led the position.
Miami re-signed Dulcich to a $3.25 million deal while moving on from Darren Waller, Julian Hill and Tanner Conner, replacing them with Ben Sims and rookies Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore. Former head coach Mike McDaniel typically relied on a heavy tight end rotation, while new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik featured Dalton Schultz in 2023 and 2024.
New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan pointed to Dulcich as a player poised to make a leap this season. Miami let go of wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, filling those spots with third-round rookies and free agents making less than $1.5 million. Dulcich is the favorite to lead Miami in targets.
Dulcich should have a high floor given his situation. The question is how many touchdowns he can score, and that will largely depend on the quality of the Dolphins‘ offense.
WR Jalen Nailor, Las Vegas Raiders (ADP: 20.06)
Nailor was a sixth-round pick in 2022 and played more than 50% of the Vikings' offensive snaps as their No. 3 receiver in each of the past two seasons, holding off Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield in 2024 and Adam Thielen in 2025. Jordan Addison ranked second on the team in snaps and targets, but Nailor posted a higher PFF receiving grade than Addison in 2025.
This offseason, Nailor joined the Raiders, whose receivers ranked third-to-last in receiving yards and second-to-last in receiving touchdowns last season. Las Vegas added head coach Klint Kubiak and quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, all of whom should help the passing game. Still, the team made minimal changes at receiver, with Nailor in and Tyler Lockett out. That leaves Nailor and Tre Tucker projected as starters, while Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton compete for the No. 3 role.
According to PFF's draft guide, Mendoza performs best on short and intermediate throws outside the numbers. On those routes last season, Nailor turned six of 11 targets into first downs or touchdowns, compared with Tucker's nine of 28. Tucker was the Raiders' primary option in that area, while Justin Jefferson and Addison filled that role for the Vikings, which helps explain the gap in volume.
Both receivers fit Mendoza's strengths, but Nailor has earned the better PFF grades so far, even though Tucker carries an earlier average draft position (ADP) on most sites. Based on his play to date, Nailor should be the first Raiders receiver off the board in fantasy drafts.
WR Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys (ADP: 20.11)
Flournoy was a sixth-round pick by Dallas in 2024. He played sparingly as a rookie, catching 10 passes for 102 yards while buried down the Cowboys' depth chart. He started 2025 fifth on the depth chart behind CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin.
Several early injuries led Flournoy to play over 50% of snaps for the first time in Week 5, where he caught six passes for 114 yards. He continued to see more playing time once the other receivers were healthy, typically playing between 40% and 45% of snaps. In a Week 14 shootout with the Detroit Lions, Flournoy caught nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown despite the other Dallas receivers all being healthy.
Flournoy received an 80.3 overall PFF grade last season, which would usually be good enough to be the second option in an offense. But Dallas still has Lamb and Pickens, so Flournoy is locked into the third receiver spot. Dallas ranked sixth in 11 personnel usage last season, and most of the teams ahead of them invested in tight ends this offseason. That means the Cowboys could lead the league in 11 personnel rate in 2026.
Flournoy should be among the top third receivers in the NFL. He will likely go undrafted in most redraft leagues. Other third wideouts will likely get selected because they will have more opportunities to move up their respective depth charts without an injury. However, if Lamb or Pickens suffers a serious injury at some point this season, Flournoy would be one of the top waiver wire targets of the year.
In deeper leagues and best ball leagues, Flournoy is worth rostering, as he will have a few big games throughout the year.
RB Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys (ADP: 22.03)
Blue was a fifth-round pick by Dallas in 2025. He was a common sleeper target because many thought he had a chance to win the starting job for the Cowboys ahead of veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Instead, he was behind both at the start of the year. They had fullback Hunter Luepke, who could also play halfback. Most weeks, Dallas kept only three active running backs, leaving Blue as a healthy inactive.
When Sanders suffered a season-ending injury, Blue saw limited playing time from Weeks 5 to 8. He ran 22 times for 65 yards and caught one pass. He lost the backup job to Malik Davis, but got to see significant playing time in Week 18, running 16 times for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke glowingly of Blue's approach heading into his second season throughout OTAs, saying it's “night and day from where he was last year.” He added that Blue is “going to be a huge part of what we want to do, but he's got to continue to do his part, which he's doing great right now.”
Blue is competing with Davis and Phil Mafah for the backup job, but Dallas seems to want Blue to win it. Williams remains the clear-cut starter, but Blue has handcuff value if he can win the backup role during training camp and the preseason.
RB MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers (ADP: NA)
The 2024 season was supposed to be a changing of the guard at running back for Green Bay, moving on from Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon and replacing them with free-agent addition Josh Jacobs and third-round pick Lloyd. Instead, Lloyd suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason that cost him Week 1 of his rookie year. He played in Week 2 but hurt his ankle, landing on injured reserve. He was activated in November, only to develop appendicitis that ended his season.
In 2025, another preseason hamstring injury saw Lloyd miss the entire year. He tried to return but reinjured it and went back on injured reserve. Through two NFL seasons, he has played a small role in one regular-season game.
Despite the string of injuries, the Packers still intend for Lloyd to be their primary backup this season. Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson have handled that role recently, but Wilson left for the Seattle Seahawks in free agency. Brooks has been working at fullback in OTAs, suggesting he will be on the field in two-back sets but may not see much single-back work outside of third downs. The only other notable backs on the roster are Pierre Strong Jr., who spent a few years as a Cleveland Browns backup and most of last season on Green Bay's practice squad, and Damien Martinez, a 2025 seventh-round pick by the Seahawks who also landed on the Packers' practice squad late in the year.
There is a path for Lloyd to be a top-10 fantasy running back. Jacobs has typically ranked in that range, and an injury or suspension could hand Lloyd the keys to the backfield, where his production profile is similar. The catch is that Green Bay could just as easily add another back if Jacobs misses time, and Lloyd carries obvious injury risk himself.
That makes Lloyd a deep-league sleeper, though enough training camp and preseason hype could push him into late-round consideration in standard-sized leagues.
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