Fantasy football: Must-have players outside of the early rounds

Who is the one player you just have to have in fantasy football this season?

If you’re a fantasy manager who has taken part in enough mock drafts this summer, you likely have a quick answer to this question. It might even be hard for you to pick just one player. But that’s what we are asking our ESPN Fantasy analysts to do.

Because draft position can often preclude you from landing a player you covet in the first couple of rounds, we’ve asked our analysts to list one player they are targeting outside of those early rounds.

Players are listed in order of average draft position (ADP) as of Aug. 18.

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Stephania Bell

Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Recency bias is alive and well when it comes to Jones … sort of. People remember that he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 last season, which cost him several weeks. Or they recall an MCL injury that forced him to miss three additional weeks. But no one seems to talk about the fact he finished the season with five consecutive 100-yard games. And that was just on the ground! Yes, the Vikings love the passing game, but Jones has also proven his abilities there. The value for this talented player is in where you can draft him (ADP of 63.3, which is RB18) … and I’ll gladly add him to my roster.

Matt Bowen

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens: Flowers has breakout potential heading into his second pro season after averaging 12.9 fantasy points per game as a rookie in 2023, while scoring 19 or more points in four of his final five games played. Remember, Flowers has the dynamic traits to be deployed as a three-level target in Baltimore. Plus, his ball-carrier vision and sudden acceleration create opportunities to win in space, as 45.1% of Flowers’ total receiving yards came after the catch. And with a current ADP of WR25, I’m getting both value and upside here. I see Flowers as a flex in 10-team leagues, with the potential to produce lower-tier WR2 numbers.

Mike Clay

Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: Engram has been a top-five fantasy TE in both of the past two seasons and is coming off a year in which he finished fourth in the NFL in receptions (his 114 were 19 more than any other tight end). He paced all tight ends in routes, targets and receptions last season after finishing in the top five in both categories in 2022. Engram is a top-five fantasy tight end who can be had several rounds after unproven commodities at the position. That makes him an easy selection on draft day.

Tyler Fulghum

Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons: I cannot, and will not, quit on Pitts. Many fantasy managers who selected him the past two seasons will not be willing to make this pick again, but I absolutely love it. Arthur Smith and his insufficient QBs are gone. Kirk Cousins and a derivative of the Los Angeles Rams’ offense are in. Pitts is now two full seasons removed from his debilitating knee injury. The fourth-year pro provides the rare upside of 1,000-plus yards at tight end. I’m back all-in.

Tristan H. Cockcroft

George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: Among players currently going outside the overall top 60 (on average), Pickens provides as high a ceiling as anyone. He finished 2023 as a top-30 fantasy wide receiver and had four games of 20-plus points, despite shoddy quarterback play — as well as the presence of Diontae Johnson as the team’s No. 1 receiver. With Johnson now in Carolina, Pickens’ opportunity should spike, and there’s a very real chance he’ll deliver top-15 positional numbers at a discounted cost.

Liz Loza

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders: Despite being saddled with truly unremarkable quarterback play for the entirety of his five-year career, McLaurin has cleared 1,000 receiving yards for four straight campaigns. The offense figures to improve considerably with Kliff Kingsbury picking up the pace and the dynamic Jayden Daniels leading the charge. McLaurin remains the team’s uncontested No. 1 WR and is projected to draw upward of 120 targets. He registered 130 looks in 2023 and finished inside the top-30 fantasy producers at the position (WR29, 12.3 PPG). Given similar volume and an expected boost in efficiency, McLaurin is a high-floor bargain as the 34th receiver coming off draft boards in the early 10th round of 10-team exercises.

Daniel Dopp

Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers: Reed put forth a masterful showing for fantasy managers late last season, scoring at least 15 fantasy points in seven of his final eight games and finishing as No. 10 wide receiver over that stretch. Color me optimistic about the Packers’ offense, but I think both Reed and Christian Watson could thrive in this scheme. My biggest reason for being on the Reed train is Watson’s hamstring issues. He has missed 10 games through his first two seasons, so give me the guy who is capable of similar production without the risk of missed games due to hamstring flare-ups.

Eric Moody

Diontae Johnson, WR, Carolina Panthers: Johnson is being drafted outside the top 30 receivers in ESPN leagues, and I just don’t get it. He’s one of the few players at his ADP (104.6) who’s projected to lead his team in targets. The Panthers brought in Johnson to help Bryce Young and boost their struggling offense. New head coach Dave Canales revived the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, and I’m confident he can do the same for Young and the Panthers. Johnson has had at least 85 targets and 50 receptions every season of his career. He’s a solid WR3 with WR2 upside.

Field Yates

Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos: Williams is being drafted at the back end of the 11th round in 10-team ESPN leagues. While questions remain about the exact dispersal of touches in the Denver backfield, I think it is overlooked that Williams was 15th in the NFL in total touches last season and the clear top option for the Broncos. I’m also convinced his inefficiency last season was mostly tied to the major knee injury he suffered back in 2022, making me optimistic that Williams is ready for a step forward this season. Relative to other backs with a clear role around the NFL, Williams is one of the best values on the market.

Eric Karabell

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns: It seems a bit nonsensical to covet a 28-year-old running back returning from ACL and MCL tears in his left knee, one who might miss September games, but hear me out. Chubb will recuperate. He has done it before with the same knee. Chubb averaged more than 1,300 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns over his past four full seasons and, while the Browns should be cautious, missing a few weeks early — when we fantasy managers don’t have to deal with bye weeks — is not a big deal based on the value of his underwhelming ADP (115.8). Those drafting rookie Jonathon Brooks multiple rounds earlier are making a mistake. Chubb might play first. He might be better. If his ADP was in the first five rounds, investing would be silly, but Chubb is a massive bargain after the overall top 100, and I will keep investing at that paltry price.