The Fantasy Football Roundtable runs each week during preseason, with RotoWire football writers answering the most important questions facing fantasy managers this draft season. Their advice and insights will help you win your leagues.
A fantasy football draft has many stages, from picking first-round league winners, to choosing an RB or WR build, to diving in on a QB and so on. The late rounds are important too, even if they're sometimes given short shrift in draft strategy discussions. These rounds offer an opportunity to swing for the fences on upside players, who, if they hit, can make a team a winner. Of course, the odds are long on late-round players panning out, but the first step is to study late-round picks, rather than blindly throwing darts. Which brings us to the question at hand ...
This week's question: Who is the best late-round target for 2026?
Terrance Ferguson, TE, Rams
Terrance Ferguson might have only had 11 receptions last season as a rookie … but they were a fun 11 receptions!
Overall, nobody averaged more yards per reception (21) at the position, and a whopping 52 percent of his targets came on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield — no other tight end reached 21 percent. Having such a heavy downfield role isn't necessarily the best thing in the world in fantasy land if it limits other opportunities, but it's a skill that many at the position simply don't have in the first place. Theoretically, it's easier to forecast someone catching more underneath passes than trying to talk yourself into someone having the requisite athleticism and talent needed to stretch the field.
Coach Sean McVay has certainly had some nice things to say about Ferguson throughout the offseason, and T-Ferg getting rest with the starters throughout the preseason has also helped. Throw in the Rams' current lackluster pass-catcher depth chart behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and we could be looking at a situation where Ferguson essentially works as the WR3 and TE1 in this high-flying offense.
Ultimately, Ferguson is a LATE-round dart worth throwing because we are *one* quality Week 1 data point away from him skyrocketing up the fantasy ranks. We're talking about someone potentially being ranked inside the position's top 10, if not higher, as early as Week 2 if we see a route rate north of 70 percent to start the season. Sign me up!
-- Ian Hartitz
Ian's 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings
Streamline your draft-day decisions using our printable cheat sheet and stay ahead of the competition with our up-to-date rankings for all formats.
Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers
Although I usually prefer backup RBs with my late-round picks, Deebo Samuel is worth making an exception for when in need of something entirely different: a WR3 or flex starter for September.
Last year, he averaged 13.8 PPR points through the end of November for the Commanders, ranking 16th among WRs in fantasy scoring. His per-route production actually held steady in December/January, but Samuel's route volume fell by 25 percent and he didn't score — a combination that dropped him to WR25 for the season.
Now drafted around WR50 in most leagues, Samuel is on track for a starting role back on the 49ers and getting best-shape-of-his-life hype from living legend Trent Williams. The buzz around rookie De'Zhaun Stribling doesn't mean he'll get more snaps or targets than Samuel come Week 1. In fact, Stribling is most likely to start off in the "F"/slot role, functioning something like a pre-breakout Jauan Jennings with a turbo button.
Samuel and Mike Evans figure to get most of the snaps in two-wide formations, and the cumulative WR target share could be higher than usual for San Francisco's offense if TE George Kittle (Achilles) is absent or limited. Samuel's unique skillset means missed time for Kittle or RB Christian McCaffrey might actually matter more than an injury to Evans or Stribling.
-- Jerry Donabedian
Jerry's 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings
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Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens
For those who like to wait on tight end, Mark Andrews is an ideal target. The tight end is often going well after 120 picks are off the board. The market seems convinced that Andrews is no longer a major factor, as he's right near the 15th tight end selected. Despite playing 17 games last year, Andrews posted just 422 yards and five touchdowns, his worst full-season output since 2018. The 2025 context is critical in understanding why his stats cratered. The coaching staff asked Andrews to block more, especially early in the season with fullback Patrick Ricard out, leading to four targets in the first two games combined. Soon after, Lamar Jackson suffered a hamstring injury, and the quarterback was unable to play at a high level the rest of the season.
So why is Andrews a late-round target this year? The main point is that the Ravens clearly see him as part of the solution. In December, the team gave Andrews a three-year contract extension for $39.3 million with $26 million guaranteed. Not enough? The team let tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar leave in free agency. Now, the only tight-end competition is blocking specialist Durham Smythe and draft picks Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas. With Baltimore having an unimpressive wide receiver group behind Zay Flowers, Andrews seems locked in as the second option for Lamar Jackson. Don't forget that before last year's lost season, Andrews posted per-game averages of five receptions, 58 yards and 0.5 touchdowns. Extrapolated over a full season, that pace is squarely low-end TE1 production. You could get a TE1 on the cheap when you draft Andrews.
-- Jim Coventry
Jim's 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings
Check out our fantasy football ADP report for a comprehensive tool with live-updated ADP data for multiple league formats and sites.
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Dominate your fantasy football league this season with our 2026 RotoWire fantasy football draft kit. Packed with expert insights, rankings and strategy tips, the kit features our interactive mock draft simulator to prepare you for every scenario. Streamline your draft-day decisions using our printable cheat sheet and stay ahead of the competition with our up-to-date rankings for all formats.
