The first five rounds are vital for establishing the core of your fantasy team, but you’re not winning your league without some mid round bargains who can take you from a fantasy contender to a fantasy winner. That means avoiding low-upside pot shots like Cam Skattebo and Cooper Kupp and targeting these five must-have mid round values.
Travis Hunter – ADP: Round 6/7 Turn, My Rank: WR23
I have confidence that Travis Hunter will start the season as the Jaguars slot receiver, playing about 70% of snaps, a number which should grow as the season goes on according to HC Liam Coen. For reference, last year Chris Godwin was the slot receiver for the Buccaneers (Coen’s 2024 offense) and he was the WR2 on a per game basis. This is a valuable fantasy role, but Hunter is going as the WR30 off the board. Now I will acknowledge that obviously Hunter comes with a lot of risk. His exact role is a total unknown and we haven’t seen Trevor Lawrence support two star fantasy receivers in the past (though we have if you include Evan Engram). But the middle rounds are for upside and trying to win your league, and Hunter gives you more chance of doing that than the other receivers in this range.
David Njoku – ADP: Round 8, My Rank: TE6
He’s been a top five tight end on a per game basis each of the last two years, but David Njoku is going over three rounds after Sam LaPorta, a player he outscored by nearly three points per game last year. Njoku returns to an offense that lacks a consistent quarterback, has major holes at wide receiver and will likely still struggle in the run game. But that only helps an already tight end centric offense; the Browns have been Top 7 is tight end targets every year since 2019. Njoku remains a PPR menace who still has plenty of half-PPR upside if he can improve his per-target efficiency, which dropped by three yards-per-target last year. But heck, even if that doesn’t improve, Njoku had 40 targets in his last three healthy games combined. He’s eminently safe but has major upside if his efficiency and touchdown numbers return to 2023 rates. I’d happily take him in the seventh round just to lock him in.
Zach Charbonnet – ADP: Round 9, My Rank: RB33
Zach Charbonnet started five games during last year’s fantasy season, averaging 19.32 half-PPR points per game in those starts. That’s better than everyone not named Saquon Barkley. Now you can reasonably argue that this was skewed by his explosive RB1 effort in Week 14, but even if we take his median score of 15.4 points per game, he’s still the RB11. There is no other player going in the middle rounds who offers the upside of Charbonnet. Now he does have a far lower floor than most players going in his range as he needs a legitimate Kenneth Walker injury to pay off (but remember that Walker has missed games every year of his career so it’s not crazy to imagine it happening again). And even without a Walker injury, Charbonnet still brings some value, as he was the RB27 last season, often playing 50% of snaps in Walker’s healthy games. So to summarise, that’s a potential top twelve running back who can be used as a bye week replacement at a pinch, but you can get him in the ninth round as the 37th running back off the board. If Charbonnet is available, he’s the first player I want on my bench.
Caleb Williams – ADP: Round 9, My Rank: QB8
Caleb Williams struggled in his rookie year behind a porous offensive line that allowed a league high 67 sacks. While Williams’ poor decision making and some questionable play calling certainly didn’t help, bad pass blocking was a key factor in the Bears’ offensive struggles. But the O-line has been revitalized and should now allow for the more positive, downfield passing offense we can expect from Ben Johnson. Pass-catching additions Luther Burden and Colston Loveland will also help spark the second year quarterback, while a lack of quality every-down rushers means this is likely to be a primarily aerial attack supplemented by Williams’s quietly good run game, which gave him the seventh most rushing yards among quarterbacks last season. The upside is a top five quarterback while the cost is the 14th passer off the board. This is an easy decision if you miss out on the early round options.
Matthew Golden – ADP: Round 10, My Rank: WR36
I will start by saying that I did not love the Matthew Golden pick in the NFL Draft. I feel he isn’t the alpha receiver the Packers needed and just gives them another deep speed guy. But it’s also clear that Jayden Reed is simply a part-time slot receiver and Romeo Doubs was running empty routes for much of last season. With Christian Watson likely out for the season and no other clear threats, Golden has a real chance to come in as the lead receiver, and opportunity often trumps talent in the NFL. He could easily finish as a top 20 receiver but even if he disappoints, you’re getting him as the 46th receiver off the board so there’s practically no risk.
If you have questions on your drafts and leagues, make sure you hit me up on Instagram @TheFantasyFirstDown or on Twitter @FantasyFirstDwn. Also make sure you check out my dynasty, rookie and redraft rankings and my video analysis of all positional hit rates.
