The 2026 NFL Draft is here, so you better believe I’m starting to think about fantasy football drafts. The incoming rookies will shake things up a bit and news will trickle in as well. You’ll start hearing more and more about OTAs, then training camp, then ADP movement.
Fantasy football sleepers aren’t going anywhere. The guys I start this article with might change over the course of the next few months, but I’ll just update this list as needed. Ever 2026 fantasy football sleeper pick I choose is available in round 10 or later and in my opinion, they could be league-winners that you need to go get your championship.
This is for redraft leagues only and to keep it simple, we’re operating under the assumption that most people play in full point PPR with a 12-man league size in the interest of covering all bases, I’ll keep it 1QB.
It’s important to nail your elite picks in the first three rounds, but landing fantasy late round sleepers is just as crucial to a championship season. Let’s see which fantasy sleeper picks need to be on your radar in 2026 drafts.
Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins (ADP: 12.2)
I expect the fantasy ADP to rise significantly for Malik Willis, but there’s also some understandable trepidation for a variety of reasons:
- Unproven talent
- New team
- Lack of weapons
All of that is true. Willis basically got handed starter-level money after what amounts to three good games, he’s in a new system, and Miami cut Tyreek Hill and traded away Jaylen Waddle.
That’s the bad. The good news? Bobby Slowik is a revered offensive mind calling the shots as OC, Willis looked great in his small sample size, specifically cooking the Ravens to the tune of 31.5 fantasy points in week 17 of last year.
Oh, and he does still have De’Von Achane as an elite offensive weapon to work with.
The fact that his passing game weapons aren’t pristine isn’t the end of the world, either, as Willis can only reach his ceiling if he’s actively using his legs.
Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints (ADP: 12.9)
Potentially more stable than Willis and available almost a full round later is second-year Saints quarterback Tyler Shough. You’re almost definitely saying his name wrong, but we have way more tape on him than Willis and he shockingly might be just as useful in the rushing department.
Shough is also a more natural passer by comparison, while we can have slightly more confidence in the fact that he’s going to war with a proven weapon in Chris Olave, and operating out of a Kellen Moore-led offense that he’s had a year to break himself into.
Whether or not Shough is the answer for the Saints in real life is open for debate, but for fantasy, he got results. From weeks 10-18 last year, he was QB9 in fantasy points per game.
Shough has risk to him; that’s why he’s lasting this long in drafts, but he’s an elite fantasy sleeper due to his rushing floor and the clear upside if that connection between him and Olave can be taken to the next level.
Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings (ADP: 12.12)
Normally I don’t get excited about a running back who doesn’t catch passes, but Jordan Mason has flashed really nice ability as a pure runner.
First he was doing it with the San Francisco 49ers, posting four straight weeks of 10+ fantasy points in 2024 when Christian McCaffrey got hurt. That helped land him a job in Minnesota, where he shared the workload with Aaron Jones and still managed to churn out 758 rushing yards and six scores.
Mason isn’t a guy I have to own as things stand, but he might be one Aaron Jones injury from a monster workload. And there’s a slight chance Minnesota only brought an aging Jones back as insurance.
The 26-year old Mason is an effective rusher that has posted 4.7 yards per carry or far greater in all four of his seasons in the NFL. Just imagine a world where his workload increases, he actually catches passes, and the red-zone work is all his.
For a 12th round pick, the risk is non-existent for a guy who has serious fantasy sleeper appeal and could be a league-winner if things go his way.
Rachaad White, RB, Washington Commanders (ADP: 14.1)
Another compelling late round fantasy football sleeper is Rachaad White, for a variety of reasons. The two big ones are that we’ve seen him produce before and that opportunity can mean everything.
White is a better receiver than pure rusher, but he put together quite the complete campaign back in 2023, when he finished as the RB. The efficiency (3.6 ypc) wasn’t there, but the workload and PPR impact sure was.
White is still just 27 years old and presently walks into a situation in D.C. where nobody is running away with the RB job just yet. Washington could add help in the draft or give the ball to Jacoby Croskey-Merritt, but it could just as easily be the more reliable White that ends up taking over.
JCM flashed potential last year, but he was also far from perfect. White is an interesting speculative add late in drafts because he fills a role for the Commanders on third downs and has a possible path to a much bigger role.
Chris Rodriguez, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (ADP: 15.1)
Rodriguez is interesting for the same reasons. Hailing from D.C. last year, C-Rod made a name for himself by dropping career highs in touches (115), rushing yards (500), and touchdowns (6).
He’s been a shifty and efficient back his entire career, but opportunity hadn’t knocked for the former Wildcat until 2025. Washington split the workload up all season, but Rodriguez ran well and was productive when called upon, topping 10+ fantasy points four times in the second half of the year.
None of that guarantees he’s a stud in 2026, but at 15.1 this is one late round fantasy football sleeper that comes with next to zero risk. Plus, he’s walking into a better situation in Jacksonville, where the Jags handed him stop-gap money as they try to figure out what life post-Travis Etienne will look like.
He also reunites with former college coach Liam Coen:
The Jags undeniably are hoping Bhayshul Tuten can take over and run with the starting gig, but what if he can’t?
That could ultimately be Rodriguez’s gig to lose, but even if it ends up being a timeshare this could be a worthwhile Flex option we’re looking at, depending on the week.
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers (ADP: 16.1)
One of my favorite 2026 fantasy sleepers is Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks. Anytime a guy has elite talent and a potential path to a big role but costs nothing, we should be taking notice.
There’s no denying that Brooks is far from a sure thing. He does have draft capital working in his favor, of course, as Carolina invested a 2nd round pick in him two years ago. Sadly, he tore his ACL in his rookie year.
But just consider how this dude would stack up against the incoming draft class at RB:
Carolina allowed Brooks to sit out all of 2025 to make sure he’d be fully recovered, and I doubt they did that just for fun. The Panthers also let Rico Dowdle walk in free agency and I tend to think they’d like to at least work Brooks into their running game, which otherwise would only be leaning on Chuba Hubbard.
Brooks is an injury risk with no NFL track record. But he’s also a guy the Panthers have a big investment in and they could use his help. Shifty and explosive, Brooks has the skill-set to take on a huge load. We just may need to wait a bit before being able to tap into it.
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Seattle Seahawks (ADP: 17.1)
One more fantasy football running back sleeper for the road, as new Seahawks rusher Emanuel Wilson is tough to ignore in the 17th round.
A lot of the ADP we’re seeing now will adjust and this list of fantasy sleepers will need to be updated, but for the moment, it doesn’t seem like a lot of people are smitten with Wilson. I understand that from a sheer talent perspective, but Wilson could be walking into a big role if things break just right.
Here’s what we know:
- Kenneth Walker left in free agency
- Zach Charbonnet is coming off a knee injury
- Competition is week
- Wilson flashed nice ability in Green Bay
His head didn’t always look to be screwed on straight while with the green and gold, but Wilson served as a solid change of gear behind Josh Jacobs, totaling over 900 rushing yards the last two seasons.
More notable, Wilson crushed to the tune of 26.5 fantasy points when thrust into a huge workload against Minnesota with Josh Jacobs banged up last year.
One big game doesn’t tell the full story, but Wilson might be the best Seattle has to offer in the offensive backfield until Charbonnet can return to the field. I’m game for taking a stab at that late in fantasy drafts.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (ADP: 11.6)
I recently broke down Christian Watson’s fantasy value and I like Jayden Reed for a lot of the same reasons that I am into Watson.
In fact, there’s a very real argument that based on price, Reed is simply the better investment. Much like Watson, Reed is in a contract year not only will he want to show he deserves a big second deal, but Green Bay will also want to see if he’s worth that money.
I tend to think he’s someone they should keep around, as he’s quite effective when healthy. And for fantasy football purposes, he was WR29 and WR25 in his first two seasons.
There was plenty of optimism surrounding Reed heading into last year, too. Christian Watson wasn’t available initially, while those aforementioned top-30 finishers showcased his production and suggested there was upside to tap into.
A collarbone injury wiped out half of Reeds’ season. By the time he was ready to rock, Watson was back in the fold and Green Bay wasn’t going out of their way to overwhelm Reed in the way of targets.
By default, that should change in 2026, specifically because Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are now gone. Reed’s fragility is something that can be debated, but this is a proven performer that is in a strong offense and will have a key role.
Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans (ADP: 12.3)
Jayden Higgins is a bit less reliable than Jayden Reed out of the gates, and that’s because unlike the Packers, the Houston Texans have a very defined WR1 in Nico Collins.
Assuming Collins is at full strength, this is not a situation where everyone is competing for the pecking order. That’s established. Higgins’ ceiling is the second option in the Texans’ passing game.
That said, he has the inside track to lock that role down and that might not be the worst place to be. Christian Kirk was in his way last year, but Higgins eventually moved past him and now Kirk is out of town.
Down the stretch, Higgins was an impact player with 10+ fantasy points in six games over the final nine weeks. He’s going to hold reasonable value no matter what, but in the event Nico Collins gets hurt he’d be a league-winner. This late in drafts, there’s zero risk in seeing if 2026 is his breakout year.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (ADP: 13.1)
Someone who nobody seems to be talking much about is Josh Downs. He’s tiny and has never finished above WR35, but until now he’s really never had the opportunity to show what he can do at a high level.
That is likely to change in 2026, as the Colts traded Adonai Mitchell to the Jets last year and then moved Michael Pittman to the Steelers. Now freshly signed big-play threat Alec Pierce is on the shelf after surgery:
I tend to think Pierce will be fine (and is also someone to target in drafts) and we can’t ignore the role of tight end Tyler Warren. But Pierce’s role aside, Downs is going to eat up a lot of the targets vacated by Mitchell and more importantly Pittman.
Downs has the athleticism to be a serious force and the one time he saw over 100 targets he responded with a WR35 finish. A more defined role is going to cause Downs’ draft value to heat up, but if he’s available anywhere after the 10th round we need to strike.
Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers (ADP: 15.3)
I like Watson and Reed, but the best WR value for the Packers may very well be Matthew Golden. He did not make a big impact during his rookie season, but I’m willing to ignore history in that regard and simply trust both what the Packers are saying, as well as what they’re doing.
Green Bay has been openly high on him, after all.
Obviously investing a premium draft pick on a player speaks volumes, but Green Bay also let Romeo Doubs walk in free agency and then traded away a disgruntled Wicks. These are not moves a franchise does unless they plan on replacing those departed players with someone.
By default, Golden is going to walk into a bigger role than what we saw from him as a rookie. He also flashed star potential at different times in year one, and no moment was bigger than that electrifying score against the Bears.
Golden isn’t a lock to out-produce Watson or Reed, but he’s part of a truncated offense and he’s a cheap dart late in drafts. Not many players with his talent or ceiling are going to be available as late as he is right now.
Isaiah Likely, TE, New York Giants (ADP: 10.1)
I definitely expect Isaiah Likely’s stay on ym 2026 fantasy sleepers list to be short-lived. He’s already barely hanging around in the 10th round, and depending on your league size and format – as well as the hype he’s sure to get – I think he climbs quite high, and in a hurry.
Still, he’s not valued enough as things stand, and I’m not entirely sure why. First, the Giants did not sign this guy to play behind Theo Johnson. Johnson is good, but Likely is better and he was brought in to be the guy.
Likely may very well still take a backseat to someone like Malik Nabers, but there’s a world where he’s New York’s #2 receiver. The 26-year old has flashed league-winning upside in the past, but the undying presence of Mark Andrews – not to mention Baltimore’s run-first ways – have both held him back.
When Likely actually had enough runway to show what he could do in 2024, he responded with a TE16 finish by hauling in 42 balls for 477 yards and six scores. He can do even more than that in an expanded role, so we’re talking about a path to a top-10 season and nobody is drafting like it yet.
Chig Okonkwo, TE, Washington Commanders (ADP: 13.6)
Are we that desperate for fantasy tight end sleepers that I’m getting excited about Chig Okonkwo? Not really, but I do think there’s reason for hope here.
For starters, Zach Ertz shredded his knee last year and probably is gone. Ben Sinott was a dev darling, but he never materialized. The fact that Washington went out of their way to bring Chig in speaks volumes as to where both of those guys are at.
To me, that tells us Chig is Washington’s new starting tight end. He lacks size, but he’s an elite athlete that has flashed high-level fantasy ability in the past. He hasn’t been part of many great Titans offense, and yet he’s done enough to finish as TE25 or better every year of his career.
This is where Chig (potentially) blows up.
Washington still has a very good quarterback in Jayden Daniels, but he doesn’t have a ton to go to work with beyond Scary Terry. His tight ends are dried up and Deebo Samuel might be gone. Insert Chig, who could take advantage of a system that made Ertz the TE7 just two seasons ago.
The talent and opportunity are both there, but the ADP hasn’t caught up to it yet.
Jake Tonges, TE, San Francisco 49ers (ADP: 16.1)
One more fantasy football sleeper to talk about is Jake Tonges. He’s the tight end stud nobody seems to know about, which is weird since we already saw him crush in an expanded role last year.
George Kittle was hurt to start the year and all this dude did was post four 10+ fantasy point outings. He was busy again in week 17 (19 fantasy points), and was involved in the playoffs before getting hurt, himself.
Tonges has proven he can be relied upon, and we know how good the 49ers system can be. With George Kittle set to miss a big chunk of next year thanks to a torn Achilles, this is a no-risk flier that nobody is going to be drafting (but probably should be).
That does it for my list of fantasy football sleepers for 2026. The NFL Draft will impact this list, while ADP will start climbing for a lot of these guys as quickly as May. If you draft that early, be sure to take advantage. If you don’t draft until mid-summer or August, bookmark this post and I’ll update as we go so you can keep targeting quality 2026 fantasy sleepers and win your draft.
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