
Sneaky Late-Round 2025 Fantasy Football Draft Picks: Drake Maye, Ray Davis, And More
Kendall Valenzuela identifies three players who are potential league-winners and being selected after pick 100 in 2025 fantasy football drafts.
If you are drafting today or in the near future, congratulations on being an absolute fantasy football sicko! WE LOVE YOU! Drafting in June is never easy because we truly do not have the full scope of what some NFL depth charts will look like, but that doesn't stop us.
My best advice to anyone who is drafting this early is to embrace the uncomfortable—and check our latest rankings. Drafting in June usually means you're in more than three leagues and this is a great opportunity (if the stakes are low) to navigate a draft like you wouldn't normally. Go the bully tight end route. Don't be afraid to draft back-to-back stud running backs in the first and second round. We know that practice in the early months will eventually help us in the long run when we get closer to the season.
Today we're going through three sneaky late-round picks to make in your drafts that hopefully pay off their ADP and overall make you look like the smartest person in your league (but you're already using Fantasy Life so you probably already were). Here are some favorite targets that are going outside the top 100 based on Underdog ADP …
Late-Round Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Jordan Mason (RB32, ADP: 103)
The Minnesota Vikings are going into the 2025 season with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, who they picked up this offseason on a two-year, $12 million contract that included $7 million fully guaranteed. People might remember Mason as a waiver wire darling last season and now in a new environment I really like targeting him later in drafts.
Mason finished the 2024 season with 789 yards and 3 touchdowns in 12 games while Christian McCaffrey was sidelined. He also forced a missed tackle on a league-high 37.3% of his carries last season (min. 150 carries), according to Next Gen Stats. In Weeks 1-8 (before McCaffrey's return), Mason also led the NFL with 51 missed tackles forced.
There also wasn't much production behind Jones in 2024. Cam Akers had 297 yards on the year compared to Jones' 1,138 (the Vikings ranked 19th in rushing overall). Minnesota knew it needed to improve the run game for J.J. McCarthy and Mason put them in the right direction.
Mason is a perfect complement to Jones and that's why I have been targeting him in recent drafts. We can expect Mason to be more of the early-down grinder, with Jones getting more of the pass-catching work. Mason can handle that physical role and now the Vikings can hope that Jones will stay healthy throughout the entire season as well. We never want injuries, but right now Mason not only has standalone value in fantasy, but if Jones were to go down then he would immediately step in and give fantasy managers RB2 production.
Drake Maye (QB15, ADP 124)
The quarterback who could really turn things around (for the better) this season is Drake Maye. He definitely flashed his skills at times during 2024 and even showed some rushing upside, which we always want to chase in fantasy football. Maye averaged 223 passing yards and 36 rushing yards in 10 complete starts last season.
In the 12 games that he started, he completed 67% of his passes for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was able to do all that with arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL, too. No, really! According to PFF, New England's offensive line ranked 31st in pass blocking and 32nd in run blocking. His receivers also weren't top of the line either—Hunter Henry had 66 receptions and led the team with 674 yards.
There was also hype for Ja'Lynn Polk, but according to ESPN's advanced receiver ratings, Polk ranked as the league's 111th-best WR out of 113 qualified pass catchers.
Thankfully, the Patriots addressed the wide receiver room this offseason by adding Stefon Diggs, and while I wish they added a little bit more to the receiver room, the presence of Diggs will still help Maye. They also drafted running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round and wide receiver Kyle Williams in the third, both of whom could develop into high-end fantasy starters.
At his current QB15 ADP on Underdog, it feels safe to take a swing on Maye, especially because of the upside he brings with his legs—he rushed 54 times for 421 yards and 2 TDs in 13 games (12 starts). This could be more of a sophomore boom.
Ray Davis (RB44, ADP: 140)
Here's the thing, even though James Cook is not at OTAs I still believe that he is going to get paid by the Buffalo Bills. What he was able to accomplish last season was unbelievable, but as Dwain McFarland pointed out, there will probably be some regression coming his way. Cook scored 16 touchdowns on the ground, scoring on 7.7% of his attempts. Ray Davis is an excellent handcuff option who should be on your radar in fantasy this season.
While he continues to push for playing time in 2025, last season Davis had 113 carries for 443 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even though it was a limited role, there is upside with Davis, who would more than likely be the lead back if Cook missed any time. I mean, we saw the upside during the Jets game! Davis had 20 carries for 97 yards and 3 receptions for 55 yards!
I'm not fading Cook outright this season, but Davis is a handcuff I want to have pieces of before the season starts. Right now Fantasy Life has Davis projected for 409 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns alongside 131 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown.
