There are no secrets anymore. Fantasy football managers are more aware of the player pool than ever. There are reasons players are drafted in the order they are. Unknowns are mostly a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue the search for value. Each year there will always be some late-round lottery tickets that return positive value. Heading into the 2024 NFL season, let’s take a look at some of those options.
With this exercise, the intention is to consider options that are being drafted beyond pick 150 so far in August. While you likely can’t draft them all, and you don’t want to reach, a few of these players will likely make sense. We will detail two players per position, and if they aren’t drafted, they could ultimately be one of the first waiver wire acquisitions of the new season.
Late-Round Lottery Tickets
Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets
Regardless of how weird Aaron Rodgers may have become, he is still a Hall of Fame quarterback. Yes, he did miss all of last season, and he is 40 years old, but his track record precedes him.
By all indications, Rodgers is completely healthy and extremely motivated entering 2024. When we last saw Rodgers in 2022, he threw for 3,695 yards and 26 touchdowns. There’s no reason why, at a minimum, we can’t expect Rodgers to repeat that performance. Between Garrett Wilson out wide, Breece Hall in the backfield, and an improved offensive line, Rodgers is in position to succeed. Mike Williams was added as a deep threat, and Rodgers won’t have a shortage of directions to go in as he looks to move the ball downfield.
While Rodgers isn’t going to completely turn back the clock, he is, at worst, a strong streaming candidate most weeks.
Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
It was an interesting rookie campaign for Will Levis in 2023. Levis worked his way up from third string to starting and wasted no time bursting onto the scene. In his first game, Levis threw for four touchdown passes. The problem though, is that Levis needed eight games to throw his next four touchdowns.
From a fantasy perspective, it was a good thing that Levis took so many shots downfield. The problem though, is that he finished last in the league in both accuracy and completion percentage. Both of these numbers have no place to go but up. The expectation is that experience, a fresh offense led by new coach Brian Callahan, and an improved approach will help. Levis entered the offseason, and subsequently the season, as the starter. That means the offense will likely be refined. While Levis can now focus more on shorter and more intermediate passes, it will help to establish the deep ball.
The additions of Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to the receiving corps will help here. We can say the same about Tony Pollard joining the backfield alongside Tyjae Spears after Derrick Henry signed with Baltimore. Tennessee’s offense will now be built more around Levis. We know that he has a big arm. Getting his adjustments to the NFL out of the way will also prove to be beneficial.
Jordan Mason, RB, San Francisco 49ers
I hate doing this, but once again Christian McCaffrey isn’t healthy. I know that it’s preseason, and there is no reason not to exercise extreme caution. Right now, all indications are that McCaffrey will be ready for the regular season and we should prepare as such. However, you can never trust calf injuries. It also behooves the 49ers to keep McCaffrey fresh, and that will require reinforcements. To this point, between health issues and ineffectiveness, it doesn’t appear to be Elijah Mitchell. While he might be the popular option, he only rushed for 281 yards last year and he is dealing with a hamstring injury.
That brings us to Jordan Mason. Even if it was by default, Mason got the start in San Francisco’s first preseason game. Mason took advantage of the situation by gaining 34 yards on six carries while scoring a touchdown. In 40 carries last year, Mason averaged 5.2 yards per carry while also scoring three touchdowns. Mason does well after contact.
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
Trying to find a late-round lottery ticket that makes sense, prior to the start of the season isn’t easy. I’m not making excuses, but instead pointing out the emphasis fantasy managers put on the position. However, if you follow some signs, we might be onto something with Kendre Miller.
We were in this position last year with Miller after he was drafted in the third round. Instead, injuries and poor performance doomed Miller and he was never really able to get started. There were flashes though as Miller rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in the season finale. Miller also had a Week 5 game that saw him catch four passes for 53 yards while picking up another 37 yards on the ground with 12 carries.
Alvin Kamara isn’t what he used to be as a ball carrier and Jamaal Williams struggled in his first year with the Saints. Perhaps this represents an opportunity for Miller to step up?
Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Considering he was a rookie and the Cardinals’ quarterback position was less than stellar, averaging around 50 receiving yards per game to begin his career wasn’t all that bad. After an injury, Wilson found some chemistry with Kyler Murray as he caught 10 passes, on 12 targets, for 130 yards and a touchdown in the last two games of the season.
Wilson is lining up with the starters so far in Training Camp for what can be a sneaky fantasy offense. Marvin Harrison and Trey McBride are ahead of Wilson, but they should also open up space for him in the passing game. When you add in the fact that Murray had a full off-season to recover from his ACL surgery, things become more attractive in Arizona. With Wilson entering his second NFL season, there is also an opportunity for improvement here as well. The Arizona defense should support multiple highly targeted options.
Roman Wilson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Someone needs to start at receiver opposite George Pickens, and at this point, it appears to be Roman Wilson. While the Steelers aren’t going to have the most prolific passing offense, Russell Wilson (or Justin Fields) should make things serviceable. There is also something to be said for opportunity, and that is something Wilson has.
As opposing defenses focus their attention on Pickens and the run game, opportunities should abound for Wilson. Speed and athleticism both work in Wilson’s favor, and that should be on full display. If you needed any proof of that, the rookie had a 4.39 second time in the 40-yard dash.
While Wilson’s college statistics, especially through his junior year, don’t leave a lot to be desired, I wouldn’t hold it against him. Instead, it’s more of a symptom of Michigan’s abundance of talent, reliance on the run, and game flow in general. In his senior year though, Wilson was quite efficient turning 48 receptions into 789 yards. Wilson also found the end zone on 25% of those catches which was noteworthy.
Tyler Conklin, TE, New York Jets
If we are interested in Aaron Rodgers, it only makes sense to target one of his receivers. There is little competition for Tyler Conklin at the tight end position, and there is room in the receiving hierarchy for Conklin.
Conklin has been remarkably consistent in the last three years, two of which were spent with the Jets. In each season, Conklin was targeted 87 times. Last year, Conklin caught 61 of those passes for 621 yards in what was just a disaster of a season for New York’s offense. To say that Conklin had to deal with inconsistent quarterback play would be an understatement. To that point, Conklin failed to record a touchdown.
Historically, Conklin has not been a huge touchdown asset with just three each in 2021 and 2022. That’s not to say that Conklin will explode in that area this year, but the Jets’ offense should be the best it has been in his time with New York. Conklin has a secure role in the Jets’ offense and could deliver a career year.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The addition of new offensive coordinator Liam Coen should help Code Otton take the next step in year three of his career. While Otton is likely fourth in the pecking order for Tampa Bay, he did begin to emerge last year. Otton finished second on the team with four receiving touchdowns in 2023, and that should increase this year.
Otton caught 47 passes for 455 last year with just two drops. In two postseason games last year, Otton truly generated some positive momentum. The tight end caught 13 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown as he took advantage of his extended role. Playing time wasn’t necessarily a problem for Otton last year. In Coen’s offense, increased targets should follow.
Which late-round lottery tickets are you targeting? Drop some names in the comments below and then make sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.