Every best ball roster needs a few picks in rounds 15 through 20 that cost nothing and carry real upside if a depth chart breaks open. The names below are not top rookie picks. Every one of them currently sits third or worse on their own depth chart, and none of them cracks our top 150 best ball model. What they do have is real draft capital and a real, verifiable path to snaps if the guys ahead of them get hurt, get benched, or simply lose a training camp battle. We pulled this list straight from our rookie database and cross-checked every name against our live best ball model rank, position rank, and current depth chart slot, so nothing here is a guess.
1. Denzel Boston, WR (CLE)
Photo: ESPN
Boston was a second-round pick, No. 39 overall, which is real capital for a receiver who is currently the third man on Cleveland's outside receiver depth chart. Our model has him at wide receiver No. 64 overall, tier 15, which is well outside most best ball draft rooms right now. A team that used a second-rounder on a receiver usually intends to play him, and third on the chart in August is not the same as third on the chart in Week 1.
2. De'Zhaun Stribling, WR (SF)
Photo: ESPN
Stribling also went in the second round, No. 33 overall, to a San Francisco offense that has historically found a role for its outside receivers. He is currently fourth on the depth chart and sits at wide receiver No. 65 in our model, tier 15. That draft slot is the entire case here: teams do not spend a top-40 pick on a receiver they plan to keep buried all season.
3. Antonio Williams, WR (WSH)
Photo: ESPN
Washington took Williams in the third round, No. 71 overall, and currently lists him as the No. 2 slot receiver. He checks in at wide receiver No. 67 in our model, tier 15. A slot role with a path to more snaps is exactly the profile that turns into a real target share the moment an injury opens a window.
4. Zachariah Branch, WR (ATL)
Photo: ESPN
Branch went in the third round to Atlanta, No. 79 overall, and is currently the No. 2 slot receiver on the depth chart. Our model has him at wide receiver No. 76, tier 17. Atlanta's receiver room is not settled beyond its top two names, which is the kind of situation worth a free late pick.
5. Germie Bernard, WR (PIT)
Photo: ESPN
Bernard is the best pure draft capital play on this list at receiver: a second-round pick, No. 47 overall, currently third on Pittsburgh's slot depth chart. Our model has him at wide receiver No. 82, tier 18. Day 2 receivers who start on the bench in year one are common; Day 2 receivers who stay buried all season are not.
6. Kaytron Allen, RB (WSH)
Photo: ESPN
Allen was a sixth-round pick, No. 187 overall, and is currently fourth on Washington's running back depth chart. Our model has him at running back No. 60, tier 15. This is a lower-capital, pure-lottery-ticket profile, but running back is the position where a single camp injury reshuffles a depth chart fastest, and Allen costs nothing to roster against that chance.
7. Nicholas Singleton, RB (TEN)
Photo: ESPN
Singleton went in the fifth round, No. 165 overall, to Tennessee and is currently the No. 3 back on the depth chart. He sits at running back No. 63 in our model, tier 16. Tennessee's backfield has not settled into a clear bell cow, and a No. 3 back with real college production is a cheap way to be attached to that if it shakes out.
8. Demond Claiborne, RB (MIN)
Photo: ESPN
Claiborne was a sixth-round pick, No. 198 overall, and is currently third on Minnesota's running back depth chart. Our model has him at running back No. 67, tier 17. Minnesota's backfield behind its top option is thin enough that a third-string rookie with a real draft slot is worth the very last pick in a 20-round best ball draft.
Why We're Still Interested Despite the Box Score
None of these eight players have produced a single meaningful fantasy point yet, and our model correctly has all of them ranked as afterthoughts today. That is not the point of a late-round dart throw. The point is that every name above cost a team a real Day 2 or Day 3 draft pick, which is a much stronger signal of organizational intent than a depth chart snapshot taken in early August. Depth charts move constantly through camp and preseason games, and a rookie with legitimate draft capital is one injury or one bad performance from a teammate away from a real role. Rostering all eight of these names costs almost nothing in a 20-round best ball format, since they typically go in the final few rounds if they get drafted at all. For the full underlying model, including every player currently ranked ahead of this group, check our rookie rankings and our best ball rankings for the complete tier breakdown.
Methodology Notes
Every player above was cross-checked against three real, current data points: actual NFL draft round and pick number, current depth chart slot at their position, and their rank inside our best ball model, including tier and position rank. We did not include any rookie whose draft capital, team, or depth chart slot we could not verify. For readers who want to sanity-check depth chart movement themselves as camp continues, Pro Football Reference is a good outside source for tracking roster and snap count changes as preseason games are played. We will revisit this list once preseason snap counts start coming in, since that is usually the first real signal a buried rookie is about to move up a depth chart. Our full player rankings update continuously as that data comes in, so check back before your next draft.