Fantasy football managers love chasing the next breakout, but that can cause proven veterans to become some of the best values on the board. Every year, players get pushed down draft boards because of age, injuries, new competition, or simply because they aren’t as exciting as the younger options being selected around them.
That appears to be happening again in 2026. Patrick Mahomes is somehow being drafted as a mid-range QB2, while multiple veteran running backs and receivers are available several rounds after players with much less proven production. These aren’t necessarily players I’m expecting to finish at the top of their positions, but their current prices leave plenty of room to outperform expectations. Here are six veterans I continue targeting at ADP.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes being drafted around QB15 might be one of the strangest prices in fantasy football this season. Before tearing his ACL and LCL in Week 15, Mahomes was the QB2 in fantasy points per game while throwing for 3,587 yards and accounting for 27 total touchdowns across 14 games. He led the NFL in money throws while ranking fifth in EPA and sixth in QBR despite playing alongside the 28th-ranked supporting cast in efficiency. Mahomes also supplemented his passing production with a career-high 422 rushing yards and five touchdowns, averaging more than 30 yards per game on the ground. That rushing production will likely decline coming off the knee injury, but fantasy managers are now pricing in an enormous drop from a quarterback who was producing elite numbers before getting hurt.
The most important development is that Mahomes has been fully cleared for training camp, removing much of the uncertainty that originally pushed him down draft boards. Kansas City also improved the environment around him by adding Kenneth Walker while bringing back Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Travis Kelce. I don’t expect Mahomes to run nearly as often early in the season, but he shouldn’t need to if the supporting cast performs better than it did last year. We’ve seen him finish as QB10 or better in seven of his eight seasons as a starter, yet fantasy managers can currently draft him outside the top 12 at the position. There aren’t many quarterbacks being selected this late who have already demonstrated overall QB1 upside, making Mahomes one of my favorite veteran values in drafts.
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jaylen Warren finally received the largest workload of his career last season and responded with another incredibly efficient campaign. Warren set career highs with 211 carries, 958 rushing yards, and eight total touchdowns while finishing as the RB16 overall. His receiving ability remained one of his biggest strengths, as Warren ranked near the top of the position in yards per route run while catching another 40 passes. He also finished seventh among running backs in yards created per touch and remained one of the league’s better backs at generating additional yardage on his own. After spending years being viewed primarily as a passing-down option, Warren proved he could handle more than 250 opportunities without sacrificing the efficiency that made him valuable in the first place.
Pittsburgh did add Rico Dowdle this offseason, but that shouldn’t automatically push Warren back into a secondary role. Warren has already successfully shared a backfield throughout his career while consistently outperforming his draft price, and Dowdle doesn’t bring the receiving ability necessary to completely remove him on passing downs. Kenneth Gainwell’s departure also leaves additional receiving opportunities available after he finished among the league leaders in running back receptions last season. Warren doesn’t necessarily have the massive ceiling of some younger backs being selected around him, but at approximately RB27, he doesn’t need one. Another season of 250-plus opportunities with his efficiency and receiving ability should give Warren a strong chance to return RB2 value again.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson quietly played some of the most efficient football of his career last season, yet he’s being drafted nearly two rounds behind TreVeyon Henderson. Stevenson averaged 5.9 yards per touch while ranking fourth among running backs in fantasy points per opportunity and 10th in yards per route run. On the ground, he ranked fifth in explosive run rate, missed tackle rate, and yards after contact per attempt. Stevenson ultimately averaged slightly more fantasy points per game than Henderson despite missing three contests, and New England continued trusting him with meaningful work when the games mattered most.
The Patriots’ usage entering 2026 suggests Stevenson isn’t ready to disappear from this backfield either. He has consistently worked alongside Drake Maye and the first-team offense throughout camp, while Henderson has also dealt with an injury. New England leaned even more heavily on Stevenson during last year’s playoff run, when he averaged 17.8 touches compared to just 8.8 for Henderson. Henderson’s explosiveness will keep him heavily involved once healthy, but Stevenson remains the better between-the-tackles option and has proven he can contribute as a receiver and pass protector. In an offense that should once again create plenty of scoring opportunities, I’m willing to take the discount on Stevenson at RB28 rather than pay significantly more for his backfield mate.
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin’s last two seasons have been defined by injuries, but his finish to 2025 showed that there is still plenty left when he’s healthy. After working his way back from the devastating ankle injury he suffered in 2024, another fibula issue delayed Godwin’s return to a full-time role until Week 13. From that point through Week 18, he averaged nearly 50 receiving yards per game while producing 1.88 yards per route run and a 21.2% first-read share. He also finished as the WR32 in fantasy points per game over that stretch. Those aren’t the numbers of the elite receiver Godwin was at his peak, but they are significantly better than what his WR39 price suggests.
The departure of Mike Evans also creates an opportunity for Godwin to remain heavily involved alongside Emeka Egbuka. Tampa Bay can continue utilizing Godwin primarily from the slot, where his route running and ability underneath don’t require him to win with the same explosiveness he possessed earlier in his career. The Buccaneers also have the third-easiest projected schedule for fantasy wide receivers, giving him another favorable path to outperforming ADP. Age and durability prevent me from projecting a return to his peak production, but fantasy managers aren’t paying anything close to that price. If Godwin stays healthy and gives Tampa Bay something resembling a full season, WR39 should prove far too low.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Washington Commanders
Stefon Diggs might not be the explosive receiver he was during his peak years in Buffalo, but his 2025 season showed that he can still consistently win routes and command targets. Diggs finished as the WR23 in fantasy points per game despite running a route on only 65.4% of New England’s passing plays. He still averaged nearly 60 receiving yards per game while ranking eighth among qualified receivers with 2.53 yards per route run. Diggs also posted a 25% target rate and ranked near the top of the league in first downs generated per route. The big plays have declined, but his underlying efficiency suggests he’s still capable of being a productive NFL receiver.
Washington gives Diggs a chance to turn that efficiency into considerably more volume. The Commanders desperately needed another reliable option alongside Terry McLaurin and now pair Diggs with a healthy Jayden Daniels in an offense that should be much more explosive than the situation he left behind. McLaurin will remain the No. 1 receiver, but Diggs doesn’t need to reclaim that role to beat his WR41 price. A full-time route share alone would represent a significant increase from what he received last season. At this stage of his career, I’m not expecting another 1,500-yard season, but 75-plus receptions with consistent weekly volume is firmly within his range of outcomes. That’s more than enough to make him an appealing veteran WR3 at his current ADP.
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson is coming off easily the best season of his career, yet fantasy managers are still treating him like a borderline TE2. Johnson set career highs with 102 targets, 77 receptions, and 889 receiving yards while finishing as the TE9 overall. He ranked fifth among tight ends in yards after the catch and was one of New Orleans’ most frequently targeted options on first reads. His production also became more consistent once Tyler Shough took over the offense, with Johnson averaging 9.6 half-PPR points per game from Weeks 9 through 17 despite receiving zero end-zone targets during that stretch.
That lack of scoring opportunity is actually part of what makes Johnson interesting this season. He scored only three touchdowns despite approaching 900 receiving yards, leaving plenty of room for positive touchdown regression if his role remains intact. New Orleans ranked fourth in pass attempts per game last season, and Jordyn Tyson’s hamstring injury creates an opportunity for Johnson to maintain a significant target share early in the year. The Saints added more competition this offseason, so I’m not expecting Johnson to suddenly challenge for the overall TE1. He doesn’t need to at TE16. Another season with strong route participation and 70-plus receptions would give him a legitimate opportunity to finish inside the top 12 again while costing almost nothing in drafts.
Don’t Forget About Proven Production
Drafting veterans isn’t as exciting as finding the next rookie breakout, but fantasy football is ultimately about finding value. Mahomes, Warren, Stevenson, Godwin, Diggs, and Johnson have all already demonstrated that they can produce at levels significantly higher than where they’re currently being drafted.
Each comes with a reason for the discount, whether that’s injury, age, backfield competition, or uncertainty surrounding their role. But those concerns are already reflected in their prices. Rather than spending every late-round selection chasing an unproven breakout, I’m willing to mix in veterans whose paths to beating ADP are considerably easier to project.
