Under-the-Radar Fantasy Football Names You Need to Know

The big day is finally almost here. 

This weekend is the last of fantasy draft season—the weekend savvy drafters wait patiently for.

There won't be any last-minute preseason injuries gumming up the works here.

Waiting as long as possible also allows drafters the maximum amount of time to prepare. By now, you've pored over research materials. You've examined draft trends and scoured lists of both sleepers and potential busts.

You've even dusted off a place on the mantle for your 2017 championship trophy.

Still, no matter how much research fantasy owners do, it seems there are always players who slip though the cracks. Some aren't "sleepers" per se—they're just undervauled significantly. Others are just the kind of late-round dart throws for whom fantasy's favorite word was invented.

Make no mistake: It isn't the early-round picks such as David Johnson of the Arizona Cardinals and Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers who win fantasy leagues.

They're supposed to perform well.

No, it's the middle-round picks who go on to top-10 finishes and the late-round guys who become fantasy starters who are the difference between a disappointing season and a fantasy championship.

So, as you prepare for this last big weekend of fantasy drafts, commit these names to memory.

If you want to win, you need to know them.

Average draft position data courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

Honorable Mentions

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Jay Cutler's back on the fantasy radar.

Jay Cutler, QB, Miami Dolphins

Cutler looked good in the Dolphins' dress rehearsal, passing for 105 yards and a score against the Eagles. It's been several years since the 34-year-old was much of a fantasy option, but given the skill position talent at his disposal in South Florida, the potential's there for Cutler to at least serve as a spot starter.

Shane Vereen, RB, New York Giants

The Giants had one of the worst ground games in the NFL in 2016, and if the preseason was any indication there won't be a huge improvement this season. Look for the Giants to be one of the more pass-heavy teams in the league in 2017, which will mean more time on the field for Vereen, a veteran passing-down back.

Kendall Wright, WR, Chicago Bears

Before this past weekend, Wright wasn't so much under the radar as off it entirely. But the sixth-year pro appears to have developed something of a rapport with Bears quarterback Mike Glennon, and with top wideout Cameron Meredith now out for the season with a knee injury, someone will have to fill that role. In deeper PPR leagues Wright's now worth a late look.

Jesse James, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Teammate Xavier Grimble told the Associated Press (via The Gazette) he expects a breakout season from James in 2017. "I see Jesse getting better each year because that's the type of player he is," Grimble said. "He's always working hard and he's really good with the offense, especially with another year under his belt. I would expect nothing less than a breakout season from him."

Buffalo Bills Defense/Special Teams

Given the personnel losses they've endured (well, created actually) I wouldn't want to trust the Buffalo defense for an entire season. But if you're the type of fantasy owner who likes to "stream" defenses based on matchup (and if you aren't you should be), Buffalo's Week 1 matchup against the corpse of the New York Jets should be all you need to know.

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals

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OK, so it might be semantically inaccurate to call Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer an under-the-radar player. He's been in the National Football League 37 years.

OK, so it might be factually inaccurate to say Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has been in the NFL 37 years. It's actually only been 14.

He's practically a rookie.

It is, however, accurate to say Palmer's expected to be a non-factor in fantasy football in 2017. He's coming off the board in the 13th round of 12-team fantasy leagues on average, per Fantasy Pros, as the 19th quarterback.

Granted, Palmer had a relatively disappointing 2016 season, throwing for just 26 touchdowns and finishing 18th in fantasy points at the position in NFL.com default fantasy scoring.

The season before, however, Palmer took the Cardinals to the NFC Championship Game and posted top-five fantasy numbers—throwing for almost 4,700 yards and 35 touchdowns.

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Yes, Palmer's 37 years old, but per ESPN's Mike Sando at least one NFL coach believes Palmer remains a top-tier quarterback.

"He is tough, he is smart, he is accurate," the coach said. "He has every throw in his arm."

If Palmer can get better line play in 2017, he has the weapons at his disposal to make opponents pay—dearly, given the aggressive vertical tendencies of Bruce Arians' offense in the Valley of the Sun.

Even if all Palmer does is repeat last year's so-so numbers he'll justify his modest asking price in 2017. There's an excellent chance he'll do better than that, making the old man a fine choice as either a backup or even a platoon option for fantasy owners who like to wait at quarterback on draft day.

Brian Hoyer, QB, San Francisco 49ers

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Stop laughing.

Seriously, knock it off.

I'm trying to explain something here.

To call San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer a fantasy afterthought in 2017 is being kind. His average draft position is QB32—behind such luminaries as Trevor "The Master of Mediocrity" Siemian of the Denver Broncos and Blake "Wait I Still Have a Job?" Bortles.   

No one will confuse Hoyer with Aaron Rodgers anytime soon. The 31-year-old is probably best known for a playoff performance for the Houston Texans in 2015 that ranked somewhere between "cataclysmic" and Battlefield Earth.

However, if you look past the perception that Hoyer's a bad quarterback for a worse team, there could be something there.

Over the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans, Hoyer has started 14 games. He played most of two more in 2015 with the Texans. Over that that 16-game "season," Hoyer passed for 3,973 yards with 25 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

In NFL.com default fantasy scoring (six-point passing touchdowns, minus-two points for interceptions), that would equate to about 295 fantasy points, which would have slotted Hoyer inside the top 20 at his position last year.

There's room for optimism that Hoyer could do better. Hoyer's first big season (and his career best from a yardage perspective) came in 2014 in Cleveland. The offensive coordinator for the Browns that year was Kyle Shanahan, who is now head coach in San Francisco.

There's also the matter of two words that are a favorite of fantasy football fiends: garbage time.

The 49ers will be playing from behind a lot. That means a lot of second-half passes that could have little meaning in the NFL but quite a lot in fantasy football.

Ask the folks who had Bortles on their teams two years ago what that could mean.

Rob Kelley, RB, Washington Redskins

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As a rookie, Washington Redskins tailback Rob Kelley earned a nickname that wasn't all that flattering.

Fat Rob.

Kelley's girth was but one of the reasons many fantasy owners expected rookie Samaje Perine to quickly claim the lead job in the Washington backfield. Kelley was OK for the Redskins last year, topping 700 rushing yards and averaging 4.2 yards a carry. But he wasn't much more than that. He wasn't exceptionally quick or exceedingly powerful.

However, a slimmed-down Kelley showed up at Redskins camp, and as Stephen Czarda of the Redskins' website reported, that didn't escape the notice of head coach Jay Gruden, who said:

"I've seen a lot of progress from Rob. Confidence, number one, and knowledge of the system. He's done a nice job, really. I think he only had a couple carries [against the Ravens], didn't get a very good look either carry and he had one catch. But watching him out here, I think he's got great vision and he's got [a] very low center of gravity, he's hard to bring down with the first guy. I haven't really seen the first guy bring him down very often, which is good. I like where he's at. He's another one of those second-year guys that has really improved."

Perine remains a factor, and Chris Thompson will siphon off some passing-down work. But so far this summer there's been zero question who the No. 1 tailback is in the nation's capital. Kelley has received close to 100 percent of the first-team reps, and he was the clear lead guy in Washington's third-week dress rehearsal against the Cincinnati Bengals.

He also looked good in the game, rushing for 57 yards and a score on 10 totes.

As things stand, Kelley's ADP in PPR scoring systems at Fantasy Pros is RB37. He's coming off the board after passing-down backs such as Theo Riddick of the Detroit Lions and Duke Johnson of the Cleveland Browns.

Anytime you can snag a lead back in Round 8 or 9, said back should be on your draft-day radar.   

Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks

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The Seahawks backfield is about as clear as the sky on a typical Seattle day.

In the eyes of fantasy owners at least, the belief is that free-agent acquisition Eddie Lacy is the back to own. Lacy's ADP at Fantasy Pros is RB35. He's coming off the board in the eighth round, about two full rounds ahead of Thomas Rawls.

That gap has narrowed considerably in recent weeks—largely because someone forgot to tell Rawls he was supposed to cede lead-back duties to the new guy.

As recently as August 12, Michael-Shawn Dugar of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote that Rawls had emerged as the clear leader in the Seahawks backfield. Head coach Pete Carroll lauded the third-year back, who suffered through an injury-plagued second season in 2016.

"He's really on his game. He's been hitting everything right," Carroll said. "He's very confident, he's playing fast, he looks like he's raring to go and I'm really fired up for him because it was a really difficult start last year. ... So to see him so clear and so prepared—so well prepared and he's applied himself beautifully. I feel like he's got a really good chance to have a good start to the season."

Recently Rawls suffered a minor ankle injury, which opened the door for Lacy to stake his claim as the top dog in Seattle's run game. Instead Lacy struggled and rookie Chris Carson shined in the preseason.

As often happens (OK, always happens) when a rookie shines in exhibition action, Carson has generated a ton of buzz of late, with some pundits speculating that it could be the youngster who comes from nowhere to claim the starting job.  

But so long as Rawls' ankle injury is as mild as it's being made out to be, my money's on him to open the season as the starter.

If he can come anywhere close to recapturing his rookie form (5.6 yards per carry) he'll represent highway robbery in the 10th round of fantasy drafts.     

Jamaal Williams, RB, Green Bay Packers

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Last year, Jordan Howard of the Chicago Bears went from fifth-round draft pick to second in the National Football League in rushing. Fantasy owners who spent a late pick on the rookie were handsomely rewarded with a 10th-place PPR fantasy finish.

That sort of value late in drafts is like a winning lottery ticket.

Now, Jamaal Williams of the Green Bay Packers probably won't finish second in the league in rushing. But with an ADP in the 11th round, per Fantasy Pros, the former BYU standout could pay off big in his first NFL season.

Williams stood out in training camp, and per ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Green Bay offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett lauded his all-around skill set.

"Obviously running the football, that's important," Bennett said. "Catching the football as a receiver out of the backfield as well, [and] going back to the pass protection, you can't stress it enough as far as the overall importance of being able to be in sync with that protection unit, the offensive line and understanding the role they play in the protection game."

Rookie backs who can pass block are also a rarity, which will help keep him on the field.

There's also the matter of starter Ty Montgomery's struggles. Through the first two weeks of the preseason, Montgomery carried the ball three times for a grand total of zero yards. He also lost a fumble.

Montgomery did better in the dress rehearsal against the Denver Broncos, posting a 3/31/1 line on the ground. Williams outdid him in total yardage, however, as the rookie touched the ball six times for 50 yards.

Williams may not be the lead back in Week 1, but it's looking more and more like he could get a chance in the not-too-distant future.

If he makes the most of that opportunity, fantasy drafters who rolled the dice on Williams will hit the jackpot.

If he doesn't, they're out an 11th-rounder…big whoop.

Jonathan Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills

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There are essentially two types of under-the-radar running backs in fantasy football. There are youngsters in unsettled backfield situations (Jamaal Williams) and "handcuff" types who could see their fantasy value skyrocket after a teammate's injury.

Jonathan Williams of the Buffalo Bills fits into that latter category.

A minor knee injury has slowed him of late, but earlier in August offensive coordinator Rick Dennison praised Williams' development while talking to Chris Brown of the team's website.

"I think he's ironing some things out," said Dennison. "In the spring we had some discussions (with him), Kelly (Skipper) and I, to get a few things straightened out. I think he has really done that. I think he's focused on the things that we thought would help him out. He's done those and become a much more consistent football player."

LeSean McCoy is the unquestioned lead back. But McCoy is also a 29-year-old with 2,280 career touches. He's also been the subject of trade rumors, although the team, per ESPN's Mike Rodak, did its best to shut them down.

"There's no trade talks," McCoy said. "I talked to my coaches. I talked to Sean [McDermott] and Brandon [Beane], the GM. I have a lot of respect for the guys. We had a great conversation. I'll leave it at that."

If for whatever reason McCoy were to leave the backfield picture, even temporarily, Williams would become the No. 1 tailback for a Bills team that has run the ball more than any other squad over the past two seasons. Per Alex Gelhar of NFL.com, over 60 percent of the Bills' plays in the red zone over that span were runs.

Given the state of the Buffalo passing game, that percentage probably isn't going to decrease in 2017.

Tyrell Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

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In 2016, there wasn't a bigger surprise among fantasy wide receivers than Tyrell Williams of the Los Angeles Chargers. In his second NFL season, Williams came from nowhere to reel in 69 passes for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns. Williams finished that breakout season 18th in PPR fantasy points among wide receivers.

He was the sort of surprise star that wins fantasy leagues.

So what was the young receiver's reward for that breakout from the fantasy community?

An average draft position of 40th among wide receivers per Fantasy Pros—after players such as Corey Davis of the Tennessee Titans, whose next NFL catch will be his first.

That's not a pat on the back. It's a kick in the butt.

Yes, the Chargers get Keenan Allen back in 2017. The same Allen who missed almost the entire 2016 season with a torn ACL and half the year before that with a kidney injury.

The Chargers also drafted Clemson's Mike Williams seventh overall in 2017, which will all but certainly cost Tyrell Williams a bundle of targets.

Well, it might. Maybe. If Mike Williams ever gets on the field. He has a herniated disk in his back and no one's exactly sure when (or even if) the rookie will get on the field.

Meanwhile, teammate Isaiah Burse told the Associated Press (via the New York Times) he thinks Williams' big 2016 is only the beginning.

"He still kills everybody, but you don't understand how unstoppable you can be if you just use your speed to its full potential every single rep," Burse said, "He's got to continue to pound that in his head. Your speed, use your speed, use your speed. And I feel like he's starting to get it. Dude, he's fun to watch."

How Williams is falling as far as he is in as many drafts as he is rates as one of the great fantasy draft mysteries of 2017.

Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

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According to Fantasy Pros' ADP info, the Minnesota Vikings' Adam Thielen is coming off draft boards 44th at wide receiver.

That's a low-end WR4 in 12-team fantasy leagues.

Thielen burst onto the scene a year ago, rising from obscurity to catch 69 passes for 967 yards with five touchdowns—numbers that placed him 29th in PPR fantasy points.

That's 15 slots higher than where he's being drafted.

The Vikings rewarded Thielen's third-year success with a three-year contract extension, and as quarterback Sam Bradford told Andrew Krammer of the Star-Tribune, they are experimenting with kicking Thielen inside to get him even more involved.

"[Thielen] has been playing a little bit more in the slot, so just trying to develop that chemistry with some of those routes on the inside," Bradford said. "It's a little bit different in there, coverages are a little bit different, especially in zone coverage. It's kind of finding voids, finding openings and having a feel for how to get open."

Stefon Diggs is the preferred target of fantasy drafters in 2017, coming off the board over five full rounds ahead of Thielen.

This isn't meant as a knock on Diggs, who could be set for a fine season. But Thielen had both more yardage and scores last season than Diggs (903, three), and over the second half of last season Thielen had more fantasy points and ranked as a top-10 receiver in formats that award a point for receptions.

From a points-per-game perspective over that span, they were nearly identical. So tell me again why Diggs is worth a sixth-round pick but Thielen's being drafted in the 11th?

I'll wait.

Kenny Britt, WR, Cleveland Browns

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OK, let's be honest: The Cleveland Browns are hardly going to be an offensive powerhouse in 2017. Head coach Hue Jackson has named rookie DeShone Kizer the team's starting quarterback.

As such, it's not a huge surprise that Kenny Britt isn't generating a ton of fantasy interest. Still, it's puzzling that a No. 1 receiver for an NFL team is barely being selected inside WR4 territory.

After all, as Daniel Kelley reported for the Washington Post, it's not like Britt's not used to catching passes from quarterbacks who are, um, let's go with less than stellar.

"Here's the list of names who have thrown Britt passes so far in his career," Kelley wrote. "Vince Young, Kerry Collins, Rusty Smith, Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion and Jared Goff."

Ouch and double ouch.

Despite that menagerie of mediocrity, Britt still managed to reel in 68 Goffers for 1,002 yards last year. In PPR scoring systems the 28-year-old ended the season just outside the top 25 in fantasy points.

Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Britt has confidence in Kizer's ability to lead the Cleveland offense.

"If he keeps going, focuses on the track that he's on, to tell you the truth, he could be one of the great ones," Britt said. "He's learning fast and he's got a strong arm."

I don't know about one of the great ones, but it's not out of bounds to think Britt can at least come close to his 2016 production.

And that makes him a steal given his modest asking price.

Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots

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In the wake of the season-ending ACL injury suffered by New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, the fantasy hype surrounding Chris Hogan has ramped up to the point that it would be awfully hard to label him an under-the-radar player.

However, Hogan isn't the only Patriots pass-catcher whose fantasy value got a boost from Edelman's unfortunate injury.

It's been a long while since Danny Amendola was a name fantasy owners needed to know. Since signing a five-year, $28.5 million free-agent contract with the Patriots back in 2013, Amendola's been known more for his inability to stay healthy than anything he's done during the rare times he is. The 31-year-old has missed time in three of four seasons with the Pats and caught just 23 passes in 2016.

That Amendola has taken a pay cut in each of the last three seasons just to stay on the team tells you all you need to know.

However, Edelman's injury changes Amendola's role significantly. The ninth-year pro has a skill set that's similar to Edelman's, and Amendola's snap count will likely increase greatly.

Granted, this is all moot if Amendola gets hurt (again). Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell also have experience playing in the slot. But Amendola looked good in last week's preseason victory over the Detroit Lions, reeling in a 31-yard catch where he showed the sort of quickness that got him that contract back in 2013.

Will Amendola return to his 85-catch heyday with the St. Louis Rams? Probably not. But consider this: It was a Wes Welker ACL tear all the way back in 2009 that first allowed Edelman to show the Patriots what he could do.

Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons

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In 2016, Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper caught 19 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Those are not the sort of numbers that give fantasy drafters the vapors.

Still, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan told Kelsey Conway of the team's website he expects Hooper to take a big step forward in his second NFL season.

"I think Hoop has done a great job for us," Ryan said. "He played at a high level for us last year as a rookie, and I think having this offseason [for him to] be able to spend time in the facility, catch his breath a little bit from that first year, too, and learn from that experience. I think he is going to do great things for us."

For his part, Hooper thinks being more acclimated in an Atlanta offense loaded with firepower can only help him.

"You have a guy like Julio [Jones] who demands so much attention, a guy like Taylor Gabriel, a guy like [Mohamed] Sanu," Hooper said. "All those guys are so talented it allows me being the tight end—the ability to know I'm going to get the teams' possibly second-, third-, fourth-best man-to-man cover guy, which allows me to be in a better matchup."

Hooper's modest numbers as a rookie weren't surprising—first-year tight ends often take time to get their sea legs in the NFL. They also don't tell the whole story with the 6'3", 254-pounder, who's seen comparisons to former Atlanta great Tony Gonzalez.

That comparison may be a bit Gonzo (so-to-speak), but with an ADP in the 14th round in PPR leagues Hooper's a great late flier—especially for teams that wait before drafting a tight end.

Ben Watson, TE, Baltimore Ravens

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It's been a rough offseason for tight ends in Baltimore.

Veteran Dennis Pitta, who was expected to start for the Ravens in 2017, dislocated his hip again—an injury that likely ended his career. Youngster Maxx Williams, 23, has been battling a knee injury. And Ben Watson has been trying to make it back from a torn Achilles at the age of 36.

There's some optimism on that front, however. Both Williams and Watson were on the field in the team's second preseason game, and Watson told Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun that it felt good to be back on the field after a lost 2016 season.

"It was huge," said Watson. "To get back out there after the road of recovery and rehab was a great satisfaction."

Watson has just one reception for 11 yards in the preseason, and that production won't cause a fantasy stampede of drafters rushing to snag the 14th-year pro. Rolling him out there as an every-week fantasy starter wouldn't be an ideal situation...to put it mildly.

But things are set up nicely for the tight end position in Baltimore. Joe Flacco has long favored throwing to his tight end—Pitta led all tight ends in 2016 with 86 catches.

If Flacco's back prevents him from taking the field in Week 1 and Ryan Mallett starts? Can you say checkdown? How about safety valve?

When last we saw Watson in the regular season, he was making 74 catches for 825 yards and six touchdowns two years ago for the New Orleans Saints—production that slotted him sixth at his position in PPR fantasy points.

Watson probably won't repeat that finish, but even if he can sneak into the back end of the top 15, he'd be a bargain given his nonexistent asking price.

Nick Folk, PK, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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If you've been watching HBO's Hard Knocks this year, then you know the kicking competition in Tampa Bay is over. After missing a field goal and an extra point in the team's first preseason game, second-year pro Roberto Aguayo was shown the door.

Some second-round pick that turned out to be.

That left veteran Nick Folk as the de facto winner of the battle, but as Jenna Laine reported for ESPN, Folk didn't win any points with head coach Dirk Koetter when he had an extra-point attempt blocked in Tampa's preseason win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"Nope, not quite what we were looking for," Koetter said, before remarking that perhaps he should have some reporters take the field to try their hand at being the Buccaneers' kicker.

Koetter's frustrations aside, for the most part Folk has been a reliable kicker over his 10-year NFL career. His 87.1 percent success rate with the New York Jets last year was the third-best of his career, and the 32-year-old has missed only two of 337 extra-point attempts that counted.

Folk ranked 20th in fantasy points last season in NFL.com default fantasy scoring, but that was on a Jets team whose offense was, in the immortal words of Charles Barkley, turrible.

The Buccaneers, on the other hand, are brimming with offensive firepower, giving Folk a solid chance at top-10 fantasy production that can be had on the cheap in the last round of drafts.

And the last round is the only time you should ever draft a kicker.

Atlanta Falcons Defense/Special Teams

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The Atlanta Falcons are loaded with offensive firepower, whether it comes from quarterback Matt Ryan, tailback Devonta Freeman or wide receiver Julio Jones.

But Atlanta's young athletic defense quietly finished inside the top 10 in NFL.com default fantasy scoring last year. The Falcons ranked inside the top 10 in fumble recoveries and tied for the league lead with five defensive touchdowns.

Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel told Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com what he needs from his defense for it to improve.

"I want to see the overall consistency week in and week out," said Manuel. "The will to compete for a true 60-minute game. The will to sacrifice and reload every week. I've done something different in that I've let them set our goals. Usually, it's the coaches saying, 'We want to accomplish X, Y and Z.' No. This is their team. We are player-led, and that's one of the biggest things they talked about."

Atlanta's defense has talent at all three levels, whether it's 2016 sack king Vic Beasley and rookie Takkarist McKinley up front, second-year linebackers Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell or cornerback Desmond Trufant and safety Keanu Neal.

There are other favorable considerations as well. The Falcons will play six divisional games this year against a trio of quarterbacks in Cam Newton, Jameis Winston and Drew Brees who combined to throw 47 interceptions last year.

The Falcons' schedule also includes a number of favorable matchups, whether it's a home date against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 or a trip to New York to face the Jets a month later.

A Week 1 journey to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears is just the icing on the fantasy cake.