Just as the middle rounds of the NFL draft are often the key to championships, success in the middle rounds of fantasy football drafts can make the difference between winning and losing your fantasy leagues.
To assist with this, here is a group of the top mid-round draft targets by position. These reviews will detail why the player is worthy of selection and give you an idea of what round provides the optimal draft value for each player in 12-team leagues.
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins, MIN
You can find a deep dive breakdown of Cousins in my quarterback draft guide. The summary review is that Cousins ranks sixth in QB fantasy points over the past three seasons. He’s incredibly durable, having missed only one game due to a physical ailment in his eight years as an NFL starter. Few passers have the benefit of throwing to someone the caliber of Justin Jefferson — certainly a big reason why Cousins placed third among quarterbacks in plays of 10+ yards last season — and he now gets another big-play wideout in Jordan Addison. My fireworks points metric indicates that Minnesota is likely to mimic last season’s penchant of getting into a lot of high-scoring games.
Draft strategy: Fantasy managers who want to go the low-cost approach at the QB position should strongly consider selecting Cousins, as he is a safe, boring QB1 candidate who may be available as late as the ninth or 10th round in most draft rooms.
Running Back
David Montgomery
Detroit is apt to use Jahmyr Gibbs in a Christian McCaffrey-like utility role that leaves a lot of carries available for Montgomery. He’s up to that task, as Montgomery has rushed 200+ times in four straight seasons and ranks sixth in the league in carries since 2019. Montgomery will also likely get goal line work to save the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Gibbs for the passing game and open field scrimmage plays. Montgomery could also claim some of the aerial work, as he’s caught 155 passes over the past four years. Per my fantasy football draft guide (available here), Detroit has one of the easiest rush defense schedules in 2023, with six green-rated (favorable) matchups and only one red-rated (unfavorable) matchup.
Draft strategy: The fantasy football community just doesn’t seem to be on board with Montgomery’s potential upside, as he may be available as late as Round 7 in many leagues.
AJ Dillon, GB
Dillon is proof that platoon backs can get strong workload rates, as over the past two years he ranks 21st in the league in scrimmage plays and was only 60 plays behind Aaron Jones in that category. Head coach Matt LaFleur will likely want to lean on the run even more this season with QB Jordan Love in his first year as a full-time starter, so Dillon could see even more carries. Dillon had 10 of Green Bay’s 16 carries inside the 5-yard line last year, so he may be the goal line back this season. The Packers have one of the most favorable rush defense schedules in the league this year, with six green-rated matchups and only one red-rated matchup.
Draft strategy: Dillon has the capacity to be a borderline RB2/RB3 yet is valued as a low-end RB3 and thus should provide great return on investment as a seventh-round selection.
Jerick McKinnon, KC
McKinnon hasn’t lost his penchant for breakaway plays, as last year he ranked second among running backs (min. 100+ touches) in percentage of plays gaining 10+ yards. Isiah Pacheco has never generated 200+ scrimmage plays in any of his five college/pro seasons and Andy Reid doesn’t mind rotating backs, so McKinnon could see a solid workload level. McKinnon scored nine receiving touchdowns last year and should still provide plenty of additional value through the air even with a regression in scoring pace. Kansas City’s run blocking is top notch, as their 46.8 percent showing last year in my good run blocking rate metric is an elite mark. The Chiefs don’t face a red-rated rush defense until Week 14.
Draft strategy: McKinnon has the potential to be a RB3 yet will be available as late as Round 10 in a large number of draft rooms.
Wide Receiver
Drake London, ATL
London fared quite well when Desmond Ridder was behind center for the Falcons last year, as London racked up 25 receptions for 333 yards in the four games that Ridder started. Prorate that over a 17-game season and it equals a pace just short of WR1 status. London showed workhorse wideout capacity at USC, so he can hold up to a 150-target volume if Atlanta decides to utilize him as a true top wide receiver. London is a target magnet close to the end zone, having accounted for 32.1 percent of Atlanta’s pass attempts inside the 10-yard line last year, a pace that was seventh highest among wide receivers.
Draft strategy: London is closer to WR1 status than he is WR3 status and yet he will be available in the sixth round in many leagues.
Michael Pittman Jr., IND
Pittman didn’t miss a beat in the Colts’ dink-and-dunk passing game in 2022, as he landed a No. 5 ranking in PPR PPG at the short pass level (aerials thrown 10 or fewer yards downfield). That he did this despite a quarterback carousel speaks well for his ability to succeed in that area with the current Indianapolis quarterback situation. Pittman led all Colts receivers in red zone and inside the 10-yard scoring plays last year and should do so again in 2023. Pittman is also a high-volume pass catcher, rating 10th in the league in receptions over the past two seasons.
Draft strategy: Pittman ranked 20th in PPR scoring last year and could easily return to that level and yet will be available as a mid- to low-tier WR3 in the seventh or eighth round in a large percentage of draft rooms.
Jahan Dotson, WAS
Dotson displayed some superb long pass skills last year, as he placed 27th in PPR PPG at the stretch vertical level (passes thrown 21+ yards downfield). Dotson also led Washington in red zone and inside the 10-yard line scoring plays and thus should be a prime target in that area of the field in Eric Bieniemy’s highly aggressive offense. Dotson showed durability last year by scoring 76.4 PPR points in the final five games of the year after missing five games due to a hamstring injury. He also caught 91 passes in his senior year at Penn State, so a 75+ catch season is a reasonable goal.
Draft strategy: Prorate Dotson’s PPR production at the start and end of the year over a 17-game pace and it’s on the cusp of WR1 status, yet he is a borderline WR3/WR4 in many ADP rankings. That makes Dotson a fantastic value in Rounds 7 or 8.
Tight End
Dalton Schultz, HOU
Schultz did it all for the Cowboys last year, as he was tops on the club in targets, receptions, and touchdowns in the red zone and inside the 10-yard line. He ranks fourth in tight end receptions over the past three years and target volume shouldn’t be an issue in Houston, as Schultz may be the most consistent pass catcher on the team. Schultz also has a ridiculously favorable schedule that features nine green-rated matchups, with many of those stacking up at multiple points of the season.
Draft strategy: Fantasy managers who want to wait before claiming a starter-caliber tight end will be drawn to Schultz, as he can provide low- to mid-tier TE1 value for a ninth- or 10th-round investment.