Boring Players That Will Get You Into the Fantasy Playoffs

Fantasy football is sometimes a simple game that we make way harder by accident. Drafters get overexcited about rookies, breakouts, sleepers, and even those rare post-hype bounce-back guys. We want to roster the most intriguing and interesting players – it’s just the nature of the game. Why draft players we aren’t excited for?

Well, it’s because they usually do exactly what they are expected to do. And that’s boring. 

But boring can still be useful, if not something we can exploit to win our fantasy matchups. Boring players end up falling in drafts and quickly become discounted assets. These are your flex plays and depth pieces. You don’t normally notice them during the year, but they provide meaningful fantasy points all the same. Putting hype and excitement to the side can open up new avenues that your league mates won’t find. Let them take the riskier players while you scoop up the players people forgot about during the off-season.

There was a brief period where folks were very happy to take Tony Pollard early in drafts. He had shown out in Dallas and was a running back we all thought would break out once he was out from under Ezekiel Elliot’s shadow. A pair of 1,000-yard seasons later, Pollard signed with Tennessee ahead of the 2024 season, where he once again surpassed that crucial 1,000-yard threshold. His additional 238 yards on 41 catches helped secure Pollard’s top-24 spot at the position for fantasy. These stats would have been a bit better as well had he not sat out the last game of the season. 

There isn’t much hype around Tony Pollard, oddly enough. He essentially has the backfield by himself on an offense that should look much better this year. In fact, at this moment, Tony Pollard is going as the RB24 in drafts per the Fantasy Pros ECR. I don’t know if it gets more boring than the very last RB2 in the league. His ADP can swing drastically between platforms (4th round on Fantasy Pros vs. 6th/7th on Sleeper), which is indicative of drafters not really caring about Pollard’s potential. I do think that as more drafts go on, more folks will be kicking themselves for skipping the layup of Pollard’s guaranteed 15+ opportunities a game. Clicking Tony Pollard’s name on draft day won’t spark joy, but you will be happy with a consistent producer as your RB2 or in your flex.

It might not feel like much, but Aaron Jones finished as the RB16 last year. He had the seventh most receiving yards at the position – more than Bucky Irving, Chase Brown, and Saquon Barkley. He had a career-best 1,138 rushing yards and a career high in carries. Aaron Jones was plenty fine for fantasy last year, even if we didn’t necessarily realize it. As we head into the new year, though, he just doesn’t have that same shine as he used to. 

A few things are going against Aaron Jones that make him less trendy than other backs. The main issue is the addition of Jordan Mason to the Minnesota backfield. I don’t blame anyone for being worried about the splits between the two. Jordan Mason was fantastic in his stint as the 49ers’ starting back, and now he is sitting behind a much older Aaron Jones, waiting for his chance to take over. We also have to worry about Jones’ age, as most running backs don’t find much success after age 30.

Why should we trust Aaron Jones then? Jones is still the 1A at the moment for this good Vikings offense. The defense is fantastic, which would place the Vikings in positive game scripts regularly. When the Vikings are down, Jones offers receiving upside that helps boost his fantasy output. His ADP sits in a spot right before a bad stretch of running backs, giving you an opportunity to snag one last reliable RB before it gets too hairy. Jones is sitting in the 6th round (RB26) and is going right before Jaylen Warren, Tyrone Tracy, and Travis Etienne. At ADP, Jones is fine. Sometimes “fine” is all we need to make it to the playoffs.

I’m not quite sure if Sutton should be honored or annoyed that he was the player who sparked the idea of this whole article. Last year’s WR13 in HPPR was somehow both very helpful in fantasy and yet very forgettable. The start of the season was rough as Bo Nix worked to find his way in the NFL. The pair found their connection in the middle of the season, when most folks are fatigued or checked out because their team started poorly. Sutton’s 1,081/8 stat line didn’t really register on most folks’ radar. It could be because everyone was trying to figure out who should play between Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin. 

Sutton is sitting at around WR22 before the season starts, and that is why I call him boring. He has the chance to be a consistent presence on your fantasy roster, but you don’t want to rely on him having spike weeks to win. He’s certainly going to take a step further with Bo Nix and maybe even reach new career highs in yards and touchdowns. He’s being drafted in the middle of the 5th round, and that is just about where you would want to take him. I think folks are conceding that he is a good option in fantasy without really giving him much fanfare.

Jakobi Meyers finally cracked 1,000 yards receiving last year with a career high in receptions, and no one really noticed. The Raiders were a hard team to watch, and most of our attention was on the emergence of Brock Bowers. Meyers was also splitting work with Davante Adams to start the season. It’s tough to receive meaningful targets when your teammates are elite talents and your quarterbacks are just above-average backups. Despite this, he did see double-digit targets six times in 2024.

Meyers finished last year as the WR23. Most folks didn’t want to start him because he wasn’t that great for the majority of the season. The consensus feels like it’s more of the same for 2025 as he sits at WR37. I think he beats his ADP this season mainly thanks to the addition of Geno Smith. Bowers is still here, and Ashton Jeanty will throw a wrinkle into Meyers’ overall production. But for a wide receiver you can scoop up in the eighth or ninth round, he’s a pretty good bang for your buck.

I love Geno Smith in fantasy because he may simply go undrafted in your leagues this year. If you spent the entire draft loading up on talented skill players, only to find you need a QB in the last round, Geno Smith will be there to help you out. He’s a cool guy like that. 

Smith finished as the QB13 last year despite throwing for the fourth-most yards in the league (4,320). His downfall was his anemic 21 passing touchdowns and unfortunate 15 interceptions. It was a weird year for the Seahawks offense in 2024, so much so that the organization decided to move on from Smith, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and OC Ryan Grubb.

Now he lands in Vegas surrounded by elite talent and a familiar coach in Pete Carroll. He’s going as the QB24, and that is a rank usually saved for streaming options. Now, as we approach draft season, it’s important to note that Smith is probably just a streaming option for you. But as the year develops and more information is gathered, don’t be surprised to see Geno regularly providing QB1 value every week. He might end up being the QB you turn to when Justin Fields inevitably lets you down.

Name fatigue is one hell of a drug. Mahomes has been elite for years, and it’s almost been a given that Mahomes will finish as a QB1. However, the Chiefs’ offensive attack has felt a bit toothless the past two seasons. The team has leaned on its defense and its run game to close out games without much need for Mahomes to air it out. Fans have mulled over this change, and there are a few answers that could explain this downward trend for the Chiefs. Fantasy football managers are starting to feel as though Mahomes just isn’t worth the investment anymore, and may not have a top-12 finish in him this season. 

I’m here to tell you that Mahomes may be boring, and he may not be fun to root for, but he is still a safe quarterback you can rely on to have strong games once in a while. He is not the same player you draft in the 2nd round once Josh Allen is off the board. He’s not as exciting as Justin Herbert or Baker Mayfield. Mahomes is just another QB sitting around the sixth or seventh round of your draft – waiting to join a roster filled with better starters. 

For what it’s worth, Mahomes and company can turn it around at any point this season. There are a lot of reasons to like this Kansas City passing attack, even if Rashee Rice misses a large portion of the season. Mahomes serves as a perfect, safe QB that won’t let you down. It’s one less roster spot to worry about every week.

Hunter Henry is a great, real-life NFL player who has been a bright spot on this woeful Patriots offense for the past few years. The problem with the recent bad QB play is that even a safety-blanket guy like Henry can’t come through with consistent fantasy performances. After spending half the year with Jacoby Brissett, Henry still managed to finish as the TE12 on the year. He had a career high in targets but a career low in touchdowns. At the tight end position, we desperately need those touchdowns to be a difference maker on your roster. 

That’s where Drake Maye comes in. If we get the Drake Maye that we all think he can be, then Hunter Henry should be a big benefactor. A lot of folks are interested in the wide receiver room, wondering who will emerge as the top target and potential league-winner. Well, there is a world where the highest target earner is the tight end. Henry is effectively free in drafts, and is someone that people will need to draft when they realize they haven’t picked a tight end yet after 14 rounds.

Last year was tough for Jake Ferguson. He finished as the TE8 in 2023 in HPPR leagues, which gave some fantasy managers some hope that he could continue to ascend in year three. While an early knee injury slowed him down for the year, he was at least still able to get back on the field. When Dallas lost Dak Prescott, everyone’s value took a hit. It’s just one of those unlucky breaks that ends up defining a fantasy season. Ferguson was certainly not the same fantasy asset with Cooper Rush under center. 

Now with Dak back, a full offseason to recover, and a lot to prove after signing a four-year extension, Ferguson might be a great late-round tight end. Now this all does seem a bit too exciting for this article, so I want to make it clear: Jake Ferguson is still the third target in this offense. He will probably be someone who needs those short-area targets around the goal line to have great fantasy days. Without those, he will probably land somewhere around 7-10 points every Sunday. How’s that for boring but useful?