It's that time of the year again. The NFL preseason is now over and we're all patiently waiting for opening night, as we will see Lamar Jackson and the Ravens take on Patrick Mahomes and the defending back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Of course, this means that fantasy football drafts are not that far away. Throughout the offseason, you have probably done your fair share of research to find early round draft targets, but late-round drafting is arguably even more important. A couple of hidden gems that can outperform their ADPs can easily be the missing piece for your team to win your fantasy leagues.
Without further ado, let's look at four players (QB, RB, WR, and TE) who can shine for your team. ADP data is from Underdog ADPs as of August 27, 2024.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024 fantasy football drafts:
- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiverfantasy football rankings
- Tight endfantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Fantasy football rookie rankings
- Best ball fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- Dynastyfantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young's rookie season was an absolute nightmare. He was expected to improve a team that almost won the division in 2022 and take it to the playoffs, but he failed miserably. He saw C.J. Stroud have one of the best rookie seasons ever while he was called a bust after a few weeks. But it wasn't all his fault.
Have a day Bryce Young! 😎 pic.twitter.com/L05euaVW8H
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 24, 2024
Young had to deal with a woeful offensive line, a lack of real offensive weapons, and a coaching change midway through the season. And of course, many great former first overall pick QBs such as Peyton Manning, Jared Goff, and Trevor Lawrence struggled as rookies.
His situation right now is more stable than it was last year. Dave Canales is the new head coach, and he has helped Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, and Baker Mayfield become Pro Bowlers.
The additions of Diontae Johnson, Robert Hunt, and Xavier Legette will also help Young tremendously. Jonathon Brooks will miss at least the first four games of the season, but he is an exciting running back who will boost the offense when he returns.
And let's not forget about Ja'Tavion Sanders, one of my favorite rookies heading into the season. With these additions, a new system, and a better understanding of how NFL defenses work, Young can have a big year in 2024 and outperform his QB28 ADP.
Bucky Irving - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have just placed Chase Edmonds on season-ending injured reserve, which is great news for Bucky Irving. Now, he's the favorite for the RB2 job and will try to impress new Bucs OC Liam Coen and steal some touches from Rachaad White.
White had a breakout 2023 campaign, becoming the overall fantasy RB4 (total PPR points) and an established name. That fantasy success is due to his elite catching skills, but we must not forget his deficiencies as a pure runner.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie RB Bucky Irving was given the rock six times in his second preseason game and gained 4+ yards every time. pic.twitter.com/KJnLmjuZWE
See Also11 fantasy football sleepers to queue up in your draft: The final, definitive list of 2024Fantasy Football Rankings 2024: Sleepers from same NFL model that nailed Breece Hall's huge season3 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Running Backs (2024)Fantasy football rankings 2024: Sleepers, busts, breakouts from model that nailed Deebo Samuel's weak NFL year— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 18, 2024
He had the same amount of rushing attempts as Christian McCaffrey last year but only managed to rack up 990 yards, an average of just 3.6 yards per carry. Only 7.7% of White’s carries in 2023 gained more than 10 yards.
Irving can shine if he can use White's inefficiency on the ground to his advantage. In his two seasons at Oregon, Irving put up 2,238 rushing yards and 16 TDs, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
Unlike White, Irving is a big-play threat and can turn any carry into a touchdown. Coen seems to agree.
"The nice thing I like about Bucky is he gets to his top speeds early," Coen said."He bursts and accelerates through the hole and can make people miss in space."
If Irving can produce a few magical moments, the current RB52 could get a solid workload near the fantasy playoffs.
Marvin Mims Jr. - Denver Broncos
Marvin Mims Jr. made the Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro as a kick returner, but he could have achieved more success as an every-down WR if the Broncos had more faith in him. Now, it seems like the Broncos will trust him more moving forward.
During a news conference, Sean Payton stated the obvious. "I really think the only thing that stopped [Mims'] progress as a receiver was us."
Marvin Mims Jr.'s fantasy value:
pic.twitter.com/39tf8lOIs7 https://t.co/Np7n7lrcww— Jordan Loupe (@CantALoupe_FF) August 26, 2024
The Broncos have entered a new era (for what seems like the seventh time since Peyton Manning retired), and want to rely on Mims and rookie WR Troy Franklin.
In an unexpected turn of events, they announced that they would be moving on from Tim Patrick, and are making the WR room smaller. Because he has more experience than Franklin, Mims is expected to be a starter alongside Courtland Sutton and Josh Reynolds.
Last year, Mims only had two games (yes, two) with three receptions. He caught 63 and 73 yards in those games and never had a game with more than three catches. He can easily take a large part of Jerry Jeudy's 54 vacated receptions and make a name for himself. He's currently valued as the WR80.
Taysom Hill - New Orleans Saints
Is Taysom Hill a tight end? He is eligible as a TE on several fantasy platforms, so he'll be included here. In the standard format, Hill finished as the TE7 last year and as the TE2 in 2022, so his current draft value is extremely perplexing.
Underdog lists him as a QB, but he is the TE21 in other fantasy platforms, which makes no sense at all.
The Taysom Hill checklist ✅ pic.twitter.com/8qH1qsDwWh
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 23, 2024
Yes, his usage is very inconsistent, as sometimes he gets one rushing attempt and no catches in a game, while other times he goes off for multiple rushes, catches, and passes.
Very few TEs can match his fantasy output when he goes off, which makes him an appealing option. From Week 6 to Week 13 last year, Hill comfortably finished as the standard TE1, even though his bye week was right in the middle of that stretch.
Yes, he won't give you elite week-to-week production, but he will win you a lot of fantasy points throughout an entire season. Investing heavily in your other positions and then drafting Hill late could be a very viable strategy.
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