There is never a bad time to draft a best-ball team in fantasy football, but it’s crucial to have a plan before diving into the depths of the best-ball world. While it’s pivotal to connect on your early-round selections, leagues can be won or lost based on which players you elect to take in the latter part of drafts.
Just a season ago, players like Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Chuba Hubbard, Jerry Jeudy, and Jonnu Smith were among the late-round picks in best-ball drafts who experienced plenty of success. With a league championship in mind, which late-round players — with an average draft position (ADP) of 125.0 or later — should we set our sights on during fantasy football best-ball drafts for the 2025 NFL season?
All stats come from PFF, ProFootballReference, and NextGenStats unless noted otherwise. The average draft position (ADP) used in this article comes from FantasyPros’ Best Ball Consensus ADP across all sites and formats.
Late-Round Best-Ball Targets
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
2024 Fantasy Football Finish: QB27
2025 Best Ball ADP: 126.5 (QB20)
There aren’t many quarterbacks who have had a better offseason than Trevor Lawrence, as the former No. 1 pick will have a new head coach and playcaller (Liam Coen) and an exciting arsenal of weapons that features Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Even though we can’t always project a new coach carrying over his success from his previous team to his new squad, Coen helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers record the fourth-most points per game (29.5) and third-most total yards per game (399.6) in 2024.
Coen was crucial in Baker Mayfield finishing with career-highs in completion percentage (71.4%), passing yards (4,500), passing touchdowns (41), and rushing yards (378) en route to him finishing as the overall QB3 in fantasy football last season. While we’ve been waiting for Lawrence to produce consistent results — in real life and fantasy football — the environment around him has never been better.
Entering the 2025 campaign, I’m going to be heavily invested in the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ offense, and I still have confidence in Lawrence having the tools to evolve into a talented signal-caller in the NFL.
Ray Davis, RB, Bills
2024 Fantasy Football Finish: RB38
2025 Best Ball ADP: 140.5 (RB46)
At the moment, there is some uncertainty surrounding the future of James Cook and the Buffalo Bills. Following a 2024 season where Cook totaled a career-high 18 touchdowns and finished as the overall RB8 in half-PPR formats, I expect the Bills to do whatever they can to make sure Cook remains a key fixture of the offense in 2025.
That being said, Ray Davis shouldn’t be overlooked ahead of his sophomore campaign in the NFL. As the backup to Cook, Davis concluded last season with only 8 fewer missed tackles (29) than Cook (37) despite having 94 fewer rushing attempts.
Although the Bills have Josh Allen as a lethal rushing weapon once they get into the red zone, they likely want someone else who excels in short-yardage and goal-to-go situations. Whether it be due to an increased role alongside Cook or being a valuable handcuff behind Cook, Davis is a premier late-round target at running back in a fantasy-friendly offense.
Isaac Guerendo, RB, 49ers
2024 Fantasy Football Finish: RB47
2025 Best Ball ADP: 141.8 (RB47)
One of the biggest decisions to make in fantasy football this offseason is whether or not to prioritize Christian McCaffrey in drafts. There is undoubtedly plenty of upside from one of the most productive running backs in fantasy football history, but there is also plenty of risk surrounding a 29-year-old back who has 1,871 career touches and dealt with multiple leg injuries in recent years.
With McCaffrey suffering a season-ending PCL injury in Week 13 of last season after spending the first eight weeks of the year on injured reserve due to having Achilles tendinitis and Jordan Mason sidelined with an ankle sprain, Isaac Guerendo saw 55.0% or more of the offensive snaps in three of his final four games in 2024. Across the four games he got 55.0% of the offensive snaps as a rookie, Guerendo finished as the RB12 or better in three of those weeks., while he also tallied the eighth-most yards per attempt (5.0) among backs with 50-plus attempts last year.
During the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers have traded Mason, and Elijah Mitchell signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Seeing that the 49ers didn’t use a draft pick on a running back until the fifth round of this year’s draft by taking Jordan James, Guerendo seems locked in as the immediate backup to McCaffrey.
Dyami Brown, WR, Jaguars
2024 Fantasy Football Finish: WR97
2025 Best Ball ADP: 201.0 (WR78)
On the surface, Dyami Brown is far from a safe pick, and his role with the Jaguars remains a mystery. At the same time, he’s basically free in best-ball drafts, and Liam Coen continues to speak highly of the former third-round pick ahead of his first season in Jacksonville.
While Brown has never eclipsed 400 receiving yards in a single season, we got a glimpse of what he can do in a functional offense with a decent-sized role during the Washington Commanders‘ postseason run in 2024. After logging 50.0% or more of the offensive snaps in only six regular-season contests a season ago, Brown was thrust into a starting role where he earned 61.0% or more of the offensive snaps in each of the team’s three playoff games, resulting in him totaling 14 receptions, 229 receiving yards, and a touchdown during that span.
Of the players in the postseason who saw 5-plus targets, Brown had the 11th-most yards per reception (16.4), 13th-most yards after the catch per reception (6.6), and 10th-most yards per route run (2.44). Despite Brian Thomas Jr. and rookie Travis Hunter being the top two receiving threats in the Jags’ new-look aerial attack, we’ve seen Coen’s offense support a trio of plethora of pass catchers before, and Brown can provide us with some spike weeks due to his vertical ability — making him worth a dart throw in the later rounds.
Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens
2024 Fantasy Football Finish: TE16
2025 Best Ball ADP: 148.0 (TE17)
When watching the Baltimore Ravens throughout the 2024 season, it’s evident that Isaiah Likely has the skill set to evolve into one of the better tight ends in the NFL. Similar to situations we’ve seen in the past, Likely’s only roadblock stems from having to share the field with another fantasy-viable tight end, as Mark Andrews has been extremely productive in his career.
However, Andrews is set to turn 30 years old when Week 1 of the 2025 campaign kicks off, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next offseason, which has led to him being involved in trade rumors this offseason. Even if Andrews remains on Baltimore’s roster, it’s only a matter of time before Likely sees an uptick in usage after he notched the 7th-most yards per reception (11.4) and 13th-most yards per route run (1.55) among tight ends with 50-plus targets in 2024 despite playing alongside Andrews.
The one thing that Likely brings to the table that Andrews doesn’t is the ability to create after the catch, with Likely earning the 4th-most yards after the catch per reception (6.2) in the same sample from above, while Andrews finished 28th (3.6) in the same metric. Lamar Jackson continues to make massive strides as a passer each year, and Likely can undoubtedly become one of his go-to targets moving forward.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
