As I make my projections, there are always unique discrepancies between the consensus rankings and my own. Sometimes, they can be negligible, and others are vast. There are also potential league winners who are drafted in the double-digit rounds or not drafted at all. We won't always identify them, but if we try, we may get lucky and find one. Here are a few names of some guys I'm interested in drafting with my last couple of picks as potential flex options depending on my team's situation.
Entering his "rookie" season, he joins an offense that had over 4,300 passing yards and 35 touchdowns last season with Sam Darnold. While it's reasonable to expect the passing volume to take a step back while McCarthy gets some experience, 3,800 yards and 28 touchdowns is within the range of outcomes and would be around the same yardage with eight more touchdowns than C.J. Stroud and five more than Justin Herbert. He may not be a top 12 QB in the first few games, but he will be a weekly streaming option in the second half of the season and is one of my QB2 options in superflex leagues.
With new Head Coach Ben Johnson, he may utilize two RBs similar to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in DET. The CHI offense is not on the same level as DET, and the split won't be as even, but Swift could be an RB2/RB3 in the Gibbs role, while Johnson can be a TD-dependent flex option depending on matchups. Last season, Swift surpassed 250 carries for the first time in his career, but also had his lowest yards per attempt. Even if they give Johnson a slightly larger role (30+ touches), he is an interesting RB to target with your last pick to see their roles in Week 1.
With the injury to Jayden Reed and Christian Watson (combined 128 targets last season), this opens up a large opportunity for Markus Golden to have an immediate role as a top-three receiving threat in the offense. Tucker Kraft and Romeo Doubs are likely to compete for the primary receiving threat, but Golden can have a consistent role, which could grow throughout the season. If you miss out on some of the top rookie WRs like Emeka Egbuka or Travis Hunter, I wouldn't mind taking a shot on the potential WR2 on a decent GB offense that should throw the ball more compared to last season.
Over the last three seasons, Likely's role has gradually increased despite not surpassing 60 targets or 500 receiving yards in a season. The injury has slowed down his momentum so far. Still, if he only misses a game or two, he could be a streaming option by the second half of the season if Mark Andrews takes a step back or if Likely takes another step forward and competes for the third receiving option with Andrews and Rashod Bateman. He's been available as my TE2 in leagues with a larger bench or if I draft Andrews in the mid rounds and lock down the TE position in BAL.