Fantasy football drafts will begin in earnest in the coming weeks. We all know who will go in the first three rounds but what about after that?
Here are fifteen players you should target in rounds four through twelve that could help you win your league.
1. Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings: Cook is coming back from a torn ACL. He has been cleared and ready to go. With Kirk Cousins and a more balanced passing game, Cook could have a big year as a three down back.
2. Derek Carr, QB, Raiders: Carr was a huge disappointment last season but he gets a fresh start in Jon Gruden’s west coast offense. Carr has the physical tools and the skill group around him to put up big numbers this season.
3. Evan Engram, TE, Giants: Engram had a fantastic rookie season catching 64 passes for 722 yards and six touchdowns. He is a great fit in Pat Shurmur’s offense as a move tight end. Engram is a TE1 candidate, especially in 12 team leagues.
4. Will Fuller, WR, Texans: Will Fuller was a Pro Bowl caliber receiver before Deshaun Watson got hurt. Watson is back and Fuller will be his primary deep target once again. Fuller won’t rack up the catches but he could end up with 8 to 10 touchdown catches.
5. O.J Howard, TE, Bucs: Howard was a disappointment as a rookie last season but with Jameis Winston suspended for the first three games, Howard could become Ryan Fitzpatrick’s security blanket early on and that could put him on track to produce as an TE1.
6. Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals: Mixon was also a disappointment as a rookie but with Jeremy Hill gone, Mixon will handle the bulk of the touches for the Bengals on first and second down.
7. Mike Williams, WR, Chargers: Williams missed his entire rookie season with an injury. He is back and healthy. Williams has strong hands and a wide catch radius. Williams has the skill set to develop into one of Phillip Rivers top options in the passing game.
8. Eric Ebron, TE, Colts: Ebron was the forgotten man in the Lions passing game the last two seasons. Ebron is athletic, runs good routes and has strong hands. He needs to be more consistent. Look for Andrew Luck to target Ebron early and often.
9. Mitchell Trubisky, QB, Bears: Trubisky has struggled thus far in camp but I’m still buying on him. Trubisky finished last season strong and playing in Matt Nagy’s system makes him a low end QB1 option.
10. David Njoku, TE, Browns: The Browns will feature Njoku a lot more in Todd Haley’s offense than they did last season. Njoku’s freakish athleticism and his ability to create match ups, especially in the red zone make him a potential TE1 candidate.
11. Michael Crabtree, WR, Ravens: Crabtree is going to be the number one option in the Ravens passing game. He should see plenty of targets, especially in the red zone versus man coverage. He is certainly a WR2 or FLEX option.
12. Kenyan Drake, RB, Dolphins: Drake will have competition in the form of Frank Gore. Gore will cut into Drake’s red zone touches but Drake should make up those points in the passing game. Drake is a quality flex option, especially in PPR leagues.
13. Andrew Luck, QB, Colts: Luck has been cleared but there are obviously a lot of questions that need to be answered before he can be considered an elite starting quarterback again. Could be a sound invest in rounds through ten.
14. Allen Robinson, WR, Bears: Robinson is coming off a major knee injury in Jacksonville but he is healthy and should benefit from the move to Chicago. Playing in Matt Nagy’s offense makes Robinson a WR1 candidate.
15. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos: I am going to give Thomas a pass for the past two seasons. We’ll blame the quarterbacks. If he struggles with Case Keenum, then we know it’s Thomas and not the quarterbacks. Until then, you treat Thomas like a WR2 or a Flex.