- Look to Travis Hunter in Year 2: Hunter’s cheap cost must be exploited.
- Jaylin Noel could take on a bigger role in Houston: The Texans wideout has a chance to become the team’s top slot option.
Maximizing value via the average draft position (ADP) at one’s draft pick spot is critical for achieving apex outcomes in best ball formats. While some player profiles are imperfect, their upside — ideally coupled with a reliable floor — qualifies them as must-draft fantasy football assets.
The article below breaks down five must-draft players in Rounds 3-5 across two commonly used best ball platforms. Underdog Fantasy implements half-points-per-reception (half-PPR) scoring, while DraftKings uses PPR scoring. ADPs are listed for one or both of the corresponding websites.
RB Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys: 18.06, RB63 on Underdog Fantasy, 19.05, RB69 on DraftKings
Blue’s immaturity supposedly derailed his 2025 rookie season. His demeanor and work ethic reportedly improved after a “very candid” exit interview with Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer at the end of the year. Schottenheimer has been impressed with Blue’s mental acuity this year, and as long as Blue maintains the expected professionalism level, he will be “a huge part” of what the Cowboys “want to do.”
Dallas will once again contend for the league high in offensive plays per game. The Cowboys’ expectedly excessive play volume would allow a worthy backup and passing-game specialist to handle an above-average workload.
Albeit via a small, six-snap sample, Blue (5-foot-9, 196 pounds) earned an 82.1 PFF pass-blocking grade, ranking third among 96 NFL running backs with at least six pass-protection snaps. He logged just 78 offensive snaps in 2025.
During his final college season at Texas in 2024, Blue produced a 77.1 PFF rushing grade via 135 rushing attempts and added a 64.7 PFF receiving grade while catching 41 passes and averaging 1.41 yards per route run (YPRR).
Blue’s range of outcomes ranges from being a game-day inactive to operating as the team’s change-of-pace rusher and passing-down specialist. Betting on his upside while playing in an elite offense makes sense.
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Noel performed well in spring workouts and is expected to handle starting slot duties in his second NFL season. Houston upped its 11 personnel usage from 61.4% in 2023-24 to 71.0% in 2025 after hiring offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
Caley served as the Los Angeles Rams’ tight ends coach in 2023 before adding pass-game coordinator responsibilities in 2024. Whether he will follow the Rams’ shift toward heavy personnel packages is unknown, but the variable clouds Noel’s 2026 outlook.
Among six current Texans pass-catchers with at least 35 targets in 2025, Noel ranked first in slot-target rate (12.0%) and deep-target rate (25.7%), yet just fourth in target rate (16.8%). His 74.3% catch rate slotted second, and he averaged 1.83 YPRR while earning a 75.2 PFF receiving grade on 26 first-read targets last season.
Noel will generate explosive gains and turn in useful fantasy performances, though his weekly box score results could be highly volatile.
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Hunter is still recovering from LCL reconstruction, and the Jaguars plan to use him on both offense and defense this season. The two variables create an abnormally large range of potential outcomes.
Hunter suffered last year’s season-ending knee injury in practice following a Week 7 breakout in which he caught eight of 12 targets for 101 receiving yards and one touchdown. His receiving snap sums increased in each of his final three games, going from 30 to 47 to 53.
Among Jaguars pass-catchers during that span, Hunter garnered a team-high 11.6% slot-target rate while producing a team-high six missed tackles forced receiving and grading out as the team’s best pass-catcher (70.1 PFF receiving grade). Hunter averaged 1.49 YPRR in those three games, yet sat at 1.98-plus in two of those three contests.
Hunter is substantially more talented than all available wide receivers in this ADP range. While his role and injury are causes for concern, betting on receiving talent is always a smart idea.