Late Round Dynasty Gem: Eli Heidenreich

Within the Dynasty Fantasy Football community, most die-hard Dynasty enthusiasts have heard the name Eli Heidenreich. But the main question is: does he have potential? After being selected by his hometown Steelers in the seventh round (230th overall), he’s a very underrated player who would have gone a bit higher if he had played at a larger college football program and gotten more national recognition. Heidenreich will land on the Philadelphia Eagles’ schedule on November 22 and is an intriguing hybrid offensive player with elite pass-catching ability. When digging deeper into the analytics on Heidenreich, he’s actually an intriguing prospect who has all the talent to become a hidden gem of Dynasty rookie drafts. Let’s dive in! 

*Statistics Pulled from Sports Reference

College Production (2023 – 2025)

Heidenreich, at 6 ‘0”, 198, played his entire three-year collegiate career at Navy, where he displayed his dual-threat abilities. The majority of his production came in his last two seasons. During his second season, Heidenreich had 65 carries, 444 yards, and three touchdowns while also adding 39 receptions for 671 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. Then, in his final season, he had 77 carries for 499 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 51 receptions for 941 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. Throughout his collegiate career, he averaged an impressive 6.8 yards per rush and 18.3 yards per reception. 

He demonstrated he was a highly productive and reliable player in the American Athletic Conference. In Heidenreich’s final two seasons, he led the Navy Midshipmen with receptions and tied the school record for receiving touchdowns both seasons while being officially listed as a running back. He also set school career records with 1,994 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns, while earning Second-team All-American Athletic Conference.

Strengths

Heidenreich is a very talented, versatile, and productive player. He possesses good size and toughness and specializes in the run/catch from the backfield or slot. Heidenreich has good vision and uses lead blocks effectively and smoothly to change direction. He drops his hips, cuts sharply downhill, and has outstanding hand strength to secure and finish the catch. Heidenreich has proven to be durable and a solid route runner who breaks off routes with adequate sharpness and adds special teams potential. Most impressively, Heidenreich has a highly competitive football nature as he finishes strong and fights for every last yard from each run. 

Weaknesses

The biggest red flag I see with Heidenreich is that he doesn’t pop off the tape with one specific athletic trait. He’s just a well-rounded football player who simply gets the job done. He has below-average burst to spring past first-level defenders and lacks speed to outflank run pursuit or push coverage onto its heels. Additionally, his short arms limit opportunities to grab off-target throws, and he specifically needs to improve at carving out catch space through force. When watching this tape, most of his production came on jet sweeps from the Navy’s option offense, so I would also like to see him in a more expanded and complex offense. 

Future Outlook

Overall, Heidenreich is a player who offers a very intriguing combination of offensive versatility to his game that plays in today’s NFL. The value that the Steelers got by drafting him late in the 2026 NFL Draft is undeniable. Heidenreich has often been compared to All-Pro 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. For this reason, the chart below outlines pre-draft testing for both players. 

The similarities catch your attention. While I’m not saying Heidenreich is McCaffrey, this is all very intriguing in addition to his versatility. Now let’s take a look at him analytically. Heidenreich’s 3-cone drill ranked in the 99th percentile. He just does everything on the football field and can contribute to an NFL team by playing RB, FB, slot WR, and special teams. In my view, these intangibles make him the biggest sleeper value in Dynasty Fantasy Football drafts. Additionally, if you play in a PPR league, you must absolutely consider him in your rookie drafts. 

Interesting as well is that among 129 qualified WRs and RB’s in 2025 with a minimum of 69 targets, Heidenreich finished first in yards per route run (4.72) and second in yards per reception (19.1). On 16 contested targets, he secured 13 (81.3%). No other receiver with 16 or more contested targets posted a higher catch rate, all while he led Navy with a 44% target share in 2025, and he had a 13.5 average depth of target (aDot). Additionally, in 2025, Heidenreich had a strong 3.5 yards after contact per attempt and a 26.3% avoided tackle rate. He has proven himself, going from a zero-star recruit out of high school to being only the second player in the FBS since 1956 to rush for at least 475 yards and record at least 925 receiving yards in the same exact season. All of these analytics and predictive metrics flash a potential elite profile, and for Heidenreich, in the player he can become. 

We all know the Steelers have a crowded running back room with Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, and Kaleb Johnson, so Heidenreich has an uphill battle on the depth chart in addition to low draft capital being taken in round seven. However, both Warren and Dowdle are signed to short-term contracts for only two more seasons. If Heidenreich can show potential, there’s a very real possibility he can be a part of the Steelers’ offense of the future. Also, if the Steelers use him in motion or in space as a quick-pass game outlet, his road to relevance could be much sooner than later. The Steelers need a Swiss Army Knife weapon after losing Kenneth Gainwell in free agency, and with an opportunity, there’s no reason to think that Heidenreich can’t be that player at some point this season.

It’s safe to assume that Heidenreich will enter his rookie year with a big chip on his shoulder, but he has an opportunity with his elite analytical profile to have a role in an offense that craves playmakers. It would be foolish to brush Heidenreich off as a late-round afterthought with no chance of becoming an important piece of the puzzle. The Steelers are a team in win-now mode and must play their best players. The question is, can Heidenreich earn snaps? If so, the Steelers might have pulled off a major draft heist. I believe that the Steelers need to allow Heidenreich to showcase his skills and prove if he can be part of their plans. 

Conclusion

There’s little doubt that Heidenreich would have been drafted higher if he had played at a larger college football program, but he offers a very intriguing profile that has drawn elite athletic comparisons to the best fantasy football weapon, Christian McCaffrey. While he might not come close to reaching this ceiling for a player being selected in the late 3rd to 4th round of Dynasty rookie drafts, he has the potential that few others in this range of rookie drafts have. Keep in mind, there are always diamonds in the rough. 

Knowing this, he’s very much a player that everyone in the Dynasty community needs to be watching carefully as we near training camp and the preseason. He’s a tremendous late-round Dynasty Fantasy Football target, and a player I would choose to invest heavily in, as there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to pick Heidenreich up with one of your final rookie picks in your Dynasty rookie drafts, either in the late 3rd or 4th round range. At this price, a player with this much upside is worth taking a shot at and could become much more than the dart-throw that he’s currently viewed as within Dynasty rookie drafts. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you gained some valuable information. If you have any questions or you’d like additional insight and analysis, please follow me on Twitter/X at @MonicasHubby. #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding