How time flies! We are now just over a week away from the kickoff of the 2025 season!

Dynasty managers play the long game for different reasons and find various aspects of it joyous. For me, the rookie draft is, without question, the pinnacle of delight. Sure, I love the strategy involved in building dominant dynasty squads, but that pales in comparison to the hype, promise and activities surrounding rookie evaluation and, ultimately, the rookie draft.

I’ve always done some of my best work outside the top two rounds of dynasty rookie drafts — Rounds 3-5. Later rounds are where careful attention to detail, assessment of drafted situation and a certain degree of luck can turn a Day 3 selection into a starting fantasy asset. I also find it helpful to eschew mainstream social media herd mentality and focus, instead, on the opportunity available to these late-drafted prospects.

After all, every season provides a number of surprise producers, sometimes as significant as Puka Nacua and Bucky Irving. Below are some of my favorite Day 3 sleepers now that training camps have nearly wrapped up.

Before diving in, just a quick reminder that all of my dynasty-related rankings can be found on FantasyPros.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB WAS (Round 7)

If you haven’t been following the rise of JCM this preseason, you’ve been locked in a closet. While I believe the dynasty community has gone too far in their predictions for JCM, he has a significant opportunity. The six-year (yes, six-year) collegiate running back is already 24 years old, but the Commanders jettisoned starting running back Brian Robinson largely due to what they saw in JCM. Croskey-Merritt will see touches from the jump with only Austin Ekeler above him on the depth chart. His collegiate résumé calls into question his ability to be a productive third-down player, but I’ve seen plenty of light-résumé players produce. Don’t get carried away here, but I’d target him somewhere near Round 11 in a start-up draft.

Tory Horton, WR SEA (Round 5)

Horton is still a free agent in many dynasty leagues, and he shouldn’t be. In his final season at Colorado State in 2024, Horton sustained an unspecified knee injury to end his collegiate career. In his two years prior, he produced a combined 167 receptions, 2,267 yards, and 16 touchdowns. It was unknown if he would work out at the NFL Combine as he recovered, but then he blazed a 4.41 official 40-yard dash at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds. The Seahawks’ depth chart at receiver is wide open, and Horton has continued to turn heads in camp. He’s already appearing as the WR3 behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. As a Seattle homer, I’m excited to see Horton run as a starter. As a dynasty opportunist, I’m adding Horton in any league where I have space. In a start-up draft, I’m looking to add him in or around Round 11.

Isaac TeSlaa, WR DET (Round 3)

I will break my rule of using only Day 3 picks in this piece. My argument for this is that when his name was called early in the third round, the resulting “Who is Isaac TeSlaa?” search string crashed the Internet. OK, that may be hyperbole. In all seriousness, though, TeSlaa would have likely been available in Round 6-7, but Detroit didn’t wait on selecting him. And I think the Lions have a player here. At 6-foot-4, 214 pounds, with legitimate 4.43 speed and a quality quarterback within a quality scheme, I don’t think it’s out of the question that TeSlaa is running with the first team early in the season.

His size and speed profile from a big-slot role could be a nightmare for secondaries already trying to stop the trio of Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Target share will be an issue, but I’m playing the long game with Tesla. You may be able to get him as late as Round 20 in a start-up draft.

Jaydon Blue, RB DAL (Round 5)

Blue’s first training camp has been largely nondescript, and there was early talk that the Cowboys’ coaching staff wasn’t happy with Blue’s work ethic. But that talk has faded, and Blue is in play for greater snaps than first anticipated. Blue is a dynamic back with receiving ability, but he isn’t a slouch with the ball in his hands as a runner. The Cowboys did little to secure a top back via free agency or the NFL draft, obviously buying into the approach that production at the position can come from lesser-valued players. Matched against Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in competition for snaps, it’s hard not to like Blue’s chances of garnering a heavier workload if he can show early-season production.

Woody Marks, RB HOU (Round 4)

“A chip and a chair,” as I like to say when it comes to rookies on their new teams. Veteran Joe Mixon seems doubtful for early-season impact, and veteran Nick Chubb is playing in his age-30 season, although he doesn’t turn the big “3-0” until late in December. Marks is no great runner, appearing at the bottom of YAC production from this year’s rookies. His pedestrian 40-time of 4.54 doesn’t raise his stock either. That said, Marks shines as a receiver and, by all appearances, he was drafted for that purpose. But with two aging backs ahead of him, and Dameon Pierce a free agent in 2026, Marks could see enough snaps in 2025 to garner a larger role. Should the injury bug bite above him on the depth chart, Marks’ role could be expanded.

Oronde Gadsden, TE LAC (Round 5)

In most circumstances, I don’t look to overdraft tight ends, nor do I look to late-round draftees. The position has an enormous learning curve at the next level, and even highly drafted tight ends can struggle to make an impact in the NFL. At the same time, I have also learned that most of the NFL’s top tight ends, at least until very recently, come from outside the NFL’s first round. In most cases, I’ll wait for a mostly-anonymous player to rise midseason and quickly use my FAAB dollars to acquire him. If I draft a late-round rookie tight end, I’m looking for a combination of player profile, quarterback quality and offensive scheme that favors the position. All these lines intersect well for Gadsden and his prospects with the Chargers. I don’t expect a near-term payoff, but he could be in play for 2026 as the Chargers potentially move on from Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly.

I hope you enjoyed this look at a few of my potential late-round dynasty gems. I’ll be back with one more article before we kick off. If you have questions or comments, you know what to do. Please follow me on Twitter and Threads: @DLF_Jeff.

(Photo of Tory Horton: Steven Bisig / Imagn Images)