Fantasy Football: 8 Late-Round Lottery Tickets for 2017

As someone who spent a hot second as a stats major in college, it's hard for me to justify purchasing a lottery ticket.

The lottery system is crafted in a way where the expected value is always negative. Otherwise, how would it serve as a source of income for the government? And why would I spend a whole dollar when I know my expected return is 75 cents?

With the lottery, I don't have to spend that dollar. Nobody's forcing me to hand them that money that I could easily blow playing Justin Hunter in daily fantasy instead. It's a choice that I'm allowed to make myself.

With a fantasy football draft, things are a bit different. There, you're making a pick no matter what, so the cost to you is non-existent. While the upsides of picking the right guy may not equal a lifetime of riches, they can get you a snazzy little trophy. And, honestly, which would you rather have? I trust you'll make the right call.

If there's little cost, and the upsides of hitting are sickly, that's a lottery ticket I can endorse.

But exactly which guys fit this mold? Which players can we target who have the potential to catapult us to the top of the end-of-season standings?

Let's try to answer that question today. We're going to limit ourselves exclusively to players going in the 12th round or later in 12-team, point-per-reception (PPR) drafts, according to Fantasy Football Calculator. We'll pick two players at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end, all of whom have the ability to produce a significant return on investment.

Which guys have the upside we want when we're getting toward the end of a draft? Let's check it out, starting with the quarterbacks.