Note: ADP in this article is taken from DraftKings.
The Stars Get You There. The Nobodies Get You Paid.
The term "league winner" gets thrown around so much in fantasy football these days that it's hard to know what it even means anymore.
Except in best ball, where last year's tournament results tell us exactly who they were.
There were plenty of early-round league winners in 2025. Teams that reached the playoffs on the backs of Derrick Henry and Jaxon Smith-Njigba can attest. The middle rounds also had their fair share. Chris Olave and Travis Etienne Jr. were mainstays in winning lineups last year, for example.
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Unfortunately, in Best Ball tournaments, a roster loaded with the season's top early- and mid-round picks can only take you so far. Most of the teams you're trying to beat in the playoffs are built around those same players. Teams that reach the finals with a legitimate shot at first place also need meaningful contributions from a couple of players drafted well into the double-digit rounds. Last year's biggest tournament winners got playoff spike weeks from guys like Blake Corum and Juwan Johnson, who were routinely available in the final three rounds of drafts.
There is no exact science to uncovering late-round league winners before they happen, but there are clues if you know where to look. Former elite prospects who have fallen out of favor. Talented players who were previously buried on the depth chart. Injury contingencies no one is counting on. These are all threads worth pulling as we search for the players available after Pick 170 on DraftKings with the best chance to become this year's late-round league winners.
TE Greg Dulcich (DraftKings ADP 172)
No late-round tight end fits the 2025 Kyle Pitts Sr. profile more closely than Greg Dulcich.
While never close to Pitts' elite level as a prospect, Dulcich is a former Round 3 pick who has size, athleticism, small-sample NFL production, and potential target volume in his favor. Many of those same traits pointed us towards Pitts before last season's breakout.
It's easy to forget how quickly Dulcich's game translated from college to the pros in 2022. Since 2000, Dulcich and Jordan Reed are the only two rookie tight ends to exceed 400 receiving yards while appearing in 10 or fewer games.
Of course, it's been mostly downhill ever since. Recurring hamstring injuries led to several stints on Injured Reserve before the Broncos eventually moved on in late 2024. After an uneventful stint with the Giants, Dulcich resurfaced in Miami, where he quietly posted some intriguing numbers down the stretch last season.
Over the final five weeks, only seven tight ends topped Dulcich's 222 receiving yards. He commanded targets on 21% of his routes. For perspective, Trey McBride and George Kittle were each targeted on 23% of their routes in 2025. Dulcich was also extremely efficient on those targets, posting 2.26 yards per route run, which trailed only Dalton Kincaid (2.77) and Tucker Kraft (2.27) among qualifying tight ends.
The drumbeat on Dulcich has been steady this spring. He was cited as one of the team's top performers at OTAs and has reportedly emerged as a primary target for Malik Willis in spring practices. Questions about Willis' ability to sustain drives and Miami's overall offensive outlook are keeping Dulcich's ADP buried, but those questions are already more than baked into his price.
If Dulcich finally stays healthy, he's set up for the quintessential fantasy zombie season.