5 Late-Round Fantasy Football Targets Entering 2025 NFL Training Camps

We won't see a snap of meaningful NFL action until July 31st, but it'll likely be until mid-August before we see many faces that are supremely relevant in fantasy football.

Yet, as usual, we'll see average draft position (ADP) data shift in all formats based on news, reports, and highlights from training camp. Keeping up with usage expectations from camp is actually a massive part of preparing for the late rounds of your draft.

With that said, here are five players that I think have the potential to rise dramatically before that week or so before the regular season when most drafts occur. I'd take advantage of their current ADP if your league is choosing players early.

Note: A player's ADP data comes from FantasyPros' half-PPR data. The basis for rounds used in this piece is from 12-player leagues.

Late-Round Fantasy Football Targets Before Training Camp Starts

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots

ADP: 115.0 (QB16)

As we inch toward Labor Day, I'm guessing that the secret of Drake Maye's fantasy appeal will be out.

We all want a rushing option at the position, and Maye has a chance to make a much larger splash in that regard under new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

According to FantasyPoints, Maye actually led the NFL in fantasy points per game on scrambles (4.4 FPPG). However, he totaled 1.7 fantasy points all season on designed runs without much creativity from the 2024 New England Patriots offense.

Maye ran for 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns in his last two seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels, so it's not a total surprise he can contribute in this area.

Now, there is a lot of projection for the sophomore signal-caller when he averaged just 13.4 FPPG overall last year, ranking as the QB33 on that basis.

However, the rushing upside is tangible, and it's reasonable he could improve from his poor standing in Next Gen Stats' expected points added per drop back (-0.07 EPA/db) with McDaniels, Stefon Diggs, and Day 2 rookies Kyle Williams and TreVeyon Henderson all in the mix as potential upgrades to the Pats' 28th-ranked schedule-adjusted passing offense last year.

Travis Etienne, RB, Jaguars

ADP: 97.0 (RB34)

Ambiguous backfields between two options are old news. How about a four-horse race with the Jacksonville Jaguars that we have no idea about before camp?

With new head coach Liam Coen coming into the team, we'll see if he opts to lean on incumbent options from the prior regime, Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, or he and James Gladstone's pair of rookie selections, Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen.

Given both rookies were just Day 3 picks, it'll probably be some combination of all. Coen, though, was a master of getting his running backs involved in the passing game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024, so we're going to want whoever is getting work. Bucky Irving and Rachaad White combined for 6.7 targets per game.

I think Etienne is sort of the "boring" option that should be the top guy by a mile. Etienne is just a year removed from an RB3 season in 2023 where he handled 4.3 targets per game (12.1% share) himself.

Coen's default of wanting pass-catchers should really seperate Etienne from his two closest competitors. Tuten handled just an 8.7% target share in college last year, and Bigsby has just eight catches in two NFL seasons.

If there's a running back we know will be pretty heavily involved here, it's Travis Etienne.

Jerome Ford, RB, Browns

ADP: 163.0 (RB55)

If you're willing to take on some risk, there could be a starting running back in the final rounds via the Cleveland Browns.

It's starting to seem second-round rookie Quinshon Judkins' legal trouble is going to impact this situation in 2025. In addition to Judkins officially out of the start of training camp, it's plausible that, if the process concludes in a reasonable time frame, that Judkins could be suspended for up to six games this season.

The surviving members of the Browns' backfield are Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr., and fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson.

In nine games where Nick Chubb didn't play in 2024, Ford averaged 9.4 FPPG, but he just wasn't getting the work needed to shine. Strong and D'Onta Foreman combined for 10.3 carries per game to Ford's 8.4 -- even though the latter was the most efficient rusher (0.10 EPA/c).

That could be a case for Sampson to be the lead rusher as Ford works on passing downs. Sampson's 6.9% college target share was incredibly low. Ford's 3.5 targets per game (10.4% share) could stick this season -- or improve as Cleveland's downfield passing attack struggles.

Plus, it's possible you still get some value out of Ford's third down role even when Judkins returns. Sampson may be resigned to the bench.

Tre Harris, WR, Chargers

ADP: 144.0 (WR58)

I really tried to avoid the obvious argument for rookies as late-round targets before training camp. As was the case for Brian Thomas Jr., "this rookie exploded!" will be a caption for several as they intermingle with veterans for the first time.

However, I can't understand and process why Ladd McConkey is a fringe second-round pick, and Tre Harris is basically free in early drafts.

I have been mystified by the lack of interest in Harris as a boundary receiver all the way through the 2025 NFL Draft. Harris was my WR1 in this weak class as the only FBS wideout ever to average north of 5.00 yards per route run (YPRR) with a minimum of 200 targets. Other than a few injury concerns and a 4.58 40-yard dash, he was a monster in college for the Mississippi Rebels.

McConkey was the Los Angeles Chargers' only reliable target a year ago, but the slot receiver isn't an organic fit for the 12 personnel that Jim Harbaugh wants to run. He was extremely efficient last year on 67.3% of the snaps and 7.4 targets per game, but Quentin Johnston and Josh Palmer still combined for a superior 10.3 targets per game outside.

Now, one of the most productive college receivers ever is now signed to man the Bolts' boundary, and no one is interested? Suit yourself.

Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens

ADP: 154.0 (TE18)

Isaiah Likely needs one thing to happen to post a top-eight season at tight end. That's not a bad bet with perhaps the last pick of the draft.

That one thing is Mark Andrews to get out of the way. Trade rumors for the accomplished veteran didn't pan out (yet), but a serious injury elsewhere in the league could change that. Plus, Andrews has missed nine games in the last three seasons entering his age-30 season.

In six games without Andrews in 2023, Likely posted 12.1 FPPG on just a 16.0% target share. We thought an epic 2024 could be on the way after "the toe game" as he battered the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 for 9 catches on 12 targets, 111 yards, and a touchdown. He was inches from more, too.

Andrews was held to just two targets in last season's opener, but the snaps and opportunities flipped his way as the season progressed. Will that be the case this year? Will the vet stay healthy? Do the Baltimore Ravens finally want to transition to a player that John Harbaugh apparently thinks has a higher ceiling?

I love taking the chance that any of those questions break Likely's way in drafts where I miss out on the top handful of options at the position.

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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.