Spinning the Last-Round Circle

One of my favorite moves on fantasy football draft day is taking a late-round gamble and letting everyone else laugh at me. You can have the first round, just let me pick late. To illustrate, here's an actual message board post last season after one of my drafts: "Commish Snyder purposefully did not draft a kicker so he could take a flier on yet another long shot (Steve Slaton of the Texans). I'm sure he'll say it will pay off in the long run."

My response? "I'll end up dropping Patrick Crayton (my fifth WR) for a kicker before week 1 when Slaton wins the Houston gig -- unless someone suffers a season-ending injury, in which case I'll drop that person."

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As Vince McMahon once said, "he who laughs last, laughs loudest." Bwah ha ha ha.

Slaton is actually a perfect example of how this exercise can pay off. I also nabbed DeSean Jackson the round before Slaton in that same draft. They were high-upside guys where I could have been drafting my kicker, a backup D/ST, Isaac Bruce, Justin Gage or a fourth quarterback. [It's just a shame the rest of my draft sucked, but I won't go into the gory details]

Remember, you don't win your league in the first round -- though you can lose it there. You win your league by filling a complete roster, stacked with the most talent possible. If you are drafting with three weeks or so until the season starts (as I was in the above example), take chances and fill your less important positions after injuries and camp battles have sorted themselves out. There's no reason to hold David Akers and the Texans D/ST on your roster for three weeks, especially when there's a chance Jamal Lewis could get hurt and move Jerome Harrison into starting position in Cleveland.

With this in mind, here are some guys I'd consider in the last round of deep leagues (12-14 team leagues), deeper leagues (14-16 team leagues) and the deepest of fantasy leagues (20 or so team leagues).

*ADP = average draft position, as posted currently on Mock Draft Central

Deep

Jerome Harrison, RB, Browns (ADP: 171) - He averaged 7.2 yards per carry last season in limited duty. Sure, that figure is skewed by a 72-yard touchdown romp, but can Jamal Lewis do that anymore? Harrison has the chance to take over the aging Lewis, and you can get him dirt cheap.

Sage Rosenfels, QB, Vikings (ADP: 199) - There's no question in my mind he's winning the Vikings job. He's not going to light up the scoreboard, but he'll be a serviceable bye-week/injury replacement guy.

Josh Morgan, WR, 49ers (ADP: 181) - The longer Michael Crabtree plays diva, the more value Morgan gains. The second-year Virginia Tech product made solid progress during his rookie year and has continued the growth this offseason. He's got lots of promise.

Joey Galloway, WR, Patriots (ADP: 187) - At 37, Galloway is old. If he has anything left, though, he's in a great position to rack up some quality stats. Wes Welker and Randy Moss will be the focal points of opposing defenses, so if Galloway is savvy enough to find his spots, he'll end up a nice late-round add.

Earl Bennett, WR, Bears (ADP: 194) - In case you haven't been beaten over the head with it enough yet, we'll remind you that Bennett racked up some serious stats with Jay Cutler in college. Now they are reunited and Bennett has been getting rave reviews from Bears camp.

Deeper

JaMarcus Russell, QB, Raiders (ADP: 241) - There are some fears -- which I'll admit are warranted -- that Russell loses the starting job to Jeff Garcia. If you get Russell in the last round, though, he'll be your QB3. The Raiders do have a great running attack to take pressure off the quarterback, and they are building a young, speedy receiving corps. There is potential for a breakout campaign from the strong-armed 24-year-old.

Robert Meachem, WR, Saints (ADP: 227) - He has innate ability. It's his third season in the league. He's motivated. Oh, and Drew Brees thinks he's going to have a big season. That's good enough for me.

Devin Thomas, WR, Redskins (ADP: 231) - In order for the Redskins offense to maximize balance between run and pass, they need a possession receiver opposite Santana Moss, which would slide Antwaan Randle El into the slot. Thomas can be that guy.

Limas Sweed, WR, Steelers (ADP: 240) - For as much as the Steelers are a blue-collar running-and-defense team, they utilitize the slot receiver well. Nate Washington had 40 catches for 631 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. He's now gone and Sweed is likely to replace him. He has better speed and is three inches taller than Washington, too.

Chansi Stuckey, WR, Jets (ADP: 245) - Looks like he can be a home run hitter from the slot as the Jets look to the future on offense.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Deep

Bernard Scott, RB, Bengals (undrafted) - There's a reason he's still getting a shot at the NFL after five arrests. He's insanely talented. He's reportedly coming into camp saying he's got something to prove. None of the other running backs in Cincy, including starter Cedric Benson, can come close to matching his ability. If he gets a shot -- and there's no guarantee he will even make the team -- he has a chance to make some legitimate noise.

Arian Foster, RB, Texans (undrafted) - Like Scott, we aren't even completely sure Foster will make the team. Slaton doesn't have a legitimate backup, though, and Foster has reportedly been very impressive in camp.

Austin Collie, WR, Colts (undrafted) - There are at least three receiving options before Collie (Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez), but you know how easily Peyton Manning can get someone involved from the slot. Brandon Stokley had a 1,077-yard, 10-TD season for the 2004 Colts in the same role. Gonzalez had 57 catches for 664 yards and 4 touchdowns in the role last year. If Collie wins the WR3 job out of camp, he's definitely worth a look.

Dennis Northcutt, WR, Lions (undrafted) - Being the slot with Calvin and Bryant Johnson on the outsides should work out really well for Northcutt, who has game-breaking speed.

Dwayne Jarrett, WR, Panthers (undrafted) - It took the Panthers a while to warm up to DeAngelo Williams, so maybe Jarrett will break out in a similar fashion this year? He's slated to be their third receiving option, but Muhsin Muhammad is really getting up there in age (36).

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Now, you probably aren't going to find a Slaton in this mix. After all, he's a first-rounder this year. It is possible, though, that you'll find someone who puts up the kind of production DeSean Jackson did last season. Obviously these aren't studs, but we're talking about your last or second-to-last roster spot here. There is no risk, but lots of possible reward should your pick hit.

Just because there is no risk doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about the pick. Shoot for the stars and make it count.