Five ultra-deep sleepers push past the usual late-round names: Higgins, Johnston, Strange, Rodgers, and Smith. Higgins could surge in Houston if Nico Collins and Christian Kirk miss time, while Xavier Hutchinson offers growing intrigue behind a banged-up WR mix. Johnston finally shows real upside in Los Angeles with Keenan Allen back, but the range-pick appeal remains clear. Brenton Strange steps into Engram’s vacancy in Jacksonville, with a pass-game bite that could yield steady targets. Aaron Rodgers provides a back-end QB2 with upside in Pittsburgh, and Brashard Smith offers upside as a Chiefs’ late-round flyer in a high-efficiency offense. Injuries and uncertain depth in surrounding castes temper risk, but the landing spots are ripe for fantasy intrigue.

Pathways to value hinge on opportunity: Higgins’ trajectory depends on Texans’ injury luck; Johnston is a leap-of-faith bet with a clear path to volume; Strange benefits from TE scarcity and a rookie head coach’s offensive taste for tight ends; Rodgers’ veteran pedigree meets a Steelers system that can camouflage aging wheels; Smith’s speed and versatility could carve a niche on passing downs in KC. These players sit outside the top 150 in consensus, yet offer meaningful upside in best-ball and dynasty formats.