Fantasy Football: 5 Under-the-Radar Players to Target

Finding players who are truly "under-the-radar" is tough to do in the fantasy football world. The avid fantasy football enjoyer knows who most players are while those who play it casually may learn about certain players due to a variety of channels (television, social media, or the internet).

It gets tougher and tougher each year to discover gems in drafts as the fantasy football landscape grows sharper.

Before diving into who could be under-the-radar targets in 2024, we must classify what an under-the-radar player is. Within this article, we'll be defining an under-the-radar player as someone who is being selected outside of the top 100 picks that should be going earlier in fantasy football drafts, according to FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP) for half-PPR scoring leagues.

With that in mind, here are five under-the-radar players to set your sights on when drafting your fantasy football squad.

Fantasy Football Under-the-Radar Players to Target

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks

ADP: WR44 (105.3 Overall)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba burned plenty of people in 2023 as his rookie season began with him needing to wear a wrist brace because of undergoing surgery for a fractured wrist. As a result, Smith-Njigba was limited to a 65.4% route rate, 16.5% target rate, and 0.70 yards per route run (via NextGenStats) while scoring 5.9 or fewer fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats in each of the first four weeks of the year.

Following Seattle's bye week in Week 5, Smith-Njigba saw his route rate (76.3%), target rate (17.2%), and yards per route run (1.55) all increase in the final 13 weeks of the season. Even though those aren't elite numbers, the former first-round pick should have an opportunity to drastically improve those numbers as he's fully healthy entering the 2024 campaign.

Despite sharing the field with D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Lockett isn't getting any younger as he'll turn 32 years old before the end of September, and JSN gets to play under a new offensive coordinator with Ryan Grubb joining Mike Macdonald's coaching staff. Grubb was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Washington Huskies, who advanced to the national championship last year with an offense that utilized three receivers plenty while incorporating a lot of motion and play-action concepts.

Washington supported two 1,000-yard wideouts a season ago with Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan all being effective in the aerial attack. With our fantasy football projections forecasting Smith-Njigba for a WR37 finish with 81 receptions, 876 receiving yards, and 5.7 receiving touchdowns -- and the downfall of Geno Smith being overblown -- the second-year wideout is potentially in store for a breakout year.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars

ADP: WR48 (116.0 Overall)

Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones combined for a 40.8% target share in 2023 for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and both of them are now on new teams entering the upcoming season. While Christian Kirk and Evan Engram will be reliable options in the short-to-intermediate range of the field for Trevor Lawrence, there is a vacant role for someone who can stretch the field and earn the valuable vertical routes.

Brian Thomas Jr. was selected by the Jaguars with the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft following his final year at LSU where he posted 68 catches, 1,177 receiving yards, and 17 receiving touchdowns. According to PFF, Thomas registered the 8th-best reception rate (78.2%), 18th-most yards per reception (17.3), and 25th-most yards per route run (2.61) on the 23rd-highest average depth of target (13.9) among WRs with 75-plus targets in college football last year.

Some may view Gabriel Davis as a downfield threat in Jacksonville's offense after being signed in free agency, but he was likely brought in to do the "dirty work" at receiver. Although Davis can have explosive performances on deep passes from time to time, he's an excellent blocker in the run game, so he doesn't need to have a consistent pass-catching role to be effective in this offense.

Of the receivers on the Jags, Thomas possesses the highest ceiling due to his vertical prowess. Our own Kenyatta Storin mentioned Thomas finishing as a top-20 WR in fantasy football as his bold prediction in 2024, and it's certainly a reasonable take.

Blake Corum, Rams

ADP: RB41 (122.3 Overall)

Everyone thought the sky was falling when Sean McVay recently announced that Kyren Williams will start the season as the punt returner for the Los Angeles Rams. While the news doesn't really alter my outlook on Williams too much, everyone should have already been on board the Blake Corum train throughout the offseason.

From the moment the Rams selected Corum in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan, McVay continuously pointed out how similar Williams and Corum were. Corum is a tough-nosed back that excels in pass protection, and he accumulated 3,660 rushing yards and 56 rushing touchdowns on 648 carries in his final three seasons for the Wolverines.

There is certainly plenty of tread on Corum's tires -- especially with him suffering a torn meniscus in 2022 -- which should incentivize McVay even more to utilize him early in his career before all of those touches begin to take a toll on the rookie rusher. At the same time, giving touches to Corum can help Williams -- who has missed 12 games in his first two seasons in the NFL -- remain on the field when it matters most.

Even if Corum doesn't have a definitive role early in the season, he's a valuable handcuff in a McVay offense that took a more balanced approach in 2023. The Rams have made a concerted effort to improve their offensive line and become more physical in the trenches in recent years, so it's tough to predict Corum being a non-factor in 2024.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

ADP: QB16 (125.7 Overall)

Trevor Lawrence is a polarizing player as everyone holds differing opinions on whether or not he's a good real-life quarterback. While I'm in the group that believes he's an extremely talented signal-caller, he's also being underrated in the fantasy football realm.

The former No. 1 overall pick fell to QB17 in fantasy points per game in 2023 after concluding the 2022 season as QB14 in fantasy points per game. Lawrence tallied only 21 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions a season ago, but he did record a career-best mark in rushing yards (339) while tacking on another 4 rushing scores.

Even though Lawrence isn't considered a true dual-threat quarterback, he produces enough with his legs to provide a bonus to his passing production. Lawrence has aired the ball out for 4,000-plus yards in back-to-back years, and he's a candidate to throw more touchdowns in 2024 despite underperforming in the touchdown department in each of his first three seasons.

Losing Ridley and Jones could be viewed as negatives for Lawrence, but the Jaguars still have a formidable pass-catching unit with Thomas, Kirk, Davis, Engram, and Travis Etienne. It also helps that Jacksonville has attempted to improve the offensive line with all five current starters being first or second-round picks.

Dontayvion Wicks, Packers

ADP: WR59 (161.0 Overall)

My affinity for Dontayvion Wicks knows no bounds. The Green Bay Packers are expected to field an electric offense with Jordan Love at the helm, and taking a swing on one -- or multiple -- of the receivers from their offense could be invaluable in fantasy football.

Wicks is my favorite sleeper pick and one of my favorite late-round wideouts to target, and it all stems from how he ended his rookie campaign in 2023 and Green Bay's personnel at wide receiver. Of the receivers on the Packers who were active for 10-plus games, Wicks notched the second-most yards per route run (2.03) in the 17 games he was available (including the playoffs) despite having just a 49.7% route rate.

Even though Wicks wasn't an every-down player, he still was the WR31 in fantasy points per game from Week 11 through 18. There's no chance Green Bay can keep Wicks off of the field as much as they did in 2023, as he boasts a skill set that no other wideout on the Packers does.

Jayden Reed will get manufactured touches and see plenty of snaps out of the slot, Romeo Doubs can win in contested-catch situations, and Christian Watson is a dangerous vertical threat that has experienced injury concerns early in his career. But Wicks can do a little bit of everything, and if he sees an expanded role in the Packers' passing game, he'll clear his ADP by miles this year.

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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.