At the end of last season, I highlighted 32 players who had fantasy impacts despite having preseason ADPs outside the top 300. They ranged from occasional spot starters like Ryan Flournoy (864 ADP) and Jawhar Jordan (866) to more frequent spot starters like Kimani Vidal (713) and Chimere Dike (718) to weekly contributors like Christian Watson (336) and Jacoby Brissett (685).
The year before, Tucker Kraft (301 ADP), Jauan Jennings (308), and Alec Pierce (466) were among the "undraftable" guys to break through. The summer before that, Trey McBride (317) was somehow overlooked by almost the entire fantasy market.
We generally don't even consider drafting these players because they're usually facing multiple obstacles to fantasy relevance. Most of us don't have the bench space to draft longshots. But that doesn't mean we should completely ignore them. If we know (with some certainty) that x number of non-top-300 preseason players will help managers during the season, then we should at least learn who they are before they become the next trendy waiver add.
Here are a few guys I'm doing extra digging on, just in case they look like more than longshots later this season. And if you think a particular non-top-300 player has a good shot at achieving fantasy relevance, drop your thoughts below so we can all get a little smarter.
- WR Devontez Walker (308 ADP) -- Mentioned him the other day in the context of Baltimore potential #2 wideout battle. Walker is a 2024 fourth-round pick who probably has about a 30% chance of cracking the top 60 WRs.
- RB Emari Demercado (327) -- On a podcast episode last week, I shared 30 years of RB data to show why rookie RB Emmett Johnson (200) was a very risky Year 1 contributor. I'm now much higher on Demercado to serve as Kenneth Walker's handcuff.
- WR Cyrus Allen (111) -- Hyped him a couple weeks ago. The rookie could push into the starting lineup with a strong camp, and he could do a lot more if Rashee Rice or Xavier Worthy is ever sidelined.
- TE Eli Raridon (354) -- The third-round rookie could enter the season as 31-year-old Hunter Henry's backup. Not a bad spot for a dynamic tight end.
- WR Xavier Legette (380) -- Is the 2024 first-rounder an NFL bust? Sure, so far. But with rookie Chris Brazzell out for the season, Legette has a chance to claim a starting job and challenge Jalen Coker for the #2 role.
- RB D.J. Giddens (402) -- The presumed handcuff (or co-handcuff) for Jonathan Taylor, who missed three games in 2024, seven in 2023, and six in 2022.
- RB Isaac Guerendo (411) -- With Jordan James injured, Guerendo could take at least co-ownership of the #2 job in the short term alongside rookie Kaelon Black. Really, any of those three guys might back up Christian McCaffrey. Maybe more than one. But Guerendo is the only one with an NFL carries under his belt.
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