It’s never too early to look at who to target in the late rounds of fantasy football drafts. Taking a flyer on one of these players could end up giving you a coveted playoff spot or better. While the ADP for these players will likely change come August, it shouldn’t change drastically in either direction. With that said, let’s look at some late round fantasy draft steals to keep an eye on.
Alec Pierce (Colts – WR) | ADP – 167.7 | WR67
Alec Pierce had a somewhat quiet 2022. You can say that about the Indianapolis Colts offense overall. Jonathon Taylor was a letdown and Michael Pittman couldn’t build on his breakout 2021 season. You could partially blame that on bad quarterback play and offensive play calling. Matt Ryan and Frank Reich are no longer there and Anthony Richardson looks poised to take over the QB1 role.
If you go back and watch the tape, Pierce showed flashes of talent, especially as a down-the-field threat. He averaged 11.8% air yards per reception and had a 13.5% target share. He was clearly the #2 wide receiver behind Pittman. In steps Richardson and new coach Shane Steichen to try and help revive the stagnant offense. The Colts also drafted Josh Downs and recently signed journey receiver Breshad Perriman. I am not too worried about these two jumping ahead of Pierce as the WR2. Expect some early lumps from Richardson but once the offense revs up Pierce will benefit.
Cordarrelle Patterson (Falcons – RB) | ADP – 209.3 | RB63
If you drafted Cordarrelle Patterson last year you are probably screaming at your screen right now. Before his knee injury, Patterson had two 20+ fantasy point outings including rushing for 141 yards in week 3. He was not able to replicate the early success post-injury. Patterson has become the forgotten man with the arrival of Bijan Robinson and the emergence of Tyler Allgeier.
I am not yet ready to give up on Patterson despite the now crowded backfield. He is a true position flex player which many teams are now coveting. Robinson is still a rookie and the gadget role will be Patterson’s for the foreseeable future.
Curtis Samuel (Commanders – WR) | ADP – 198.3 | WR75
We recently brought up Curtis Samuel in our latest best ball rankings and it’s worth bringing up again. Samuel has a similar type of role to Patterson where you will see him lining up in the backfield a good amount. Last year, he had 92 targets and 68 of those were catchable. Sam Howell although raw will be an upgrade over Taylor Heinicke. On top of better quarterback play, the Commanders now have Eric Bieniemy who will find creative ways to get him the ball.
Tank Bigsby (Jaguars – RB) | ADP – 159.3 | RB51
When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Tank Bigsby in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL Draft it got our attention. Travis Etienne is clearly the lead back and James Robinson was no longer there. The Jaguars brought in Jamycal Hasty and D’Ernest Johnson this offseason and they now have a crowded RB room. I am not worried about those two backs jumping Bigsby for the #2 role. Bigsby will get his chances in the red zone for reasons we pointed out in this article. At this current ADP, he is worth grabbing late in your draft as the upside is too big to ignore.
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