Fantasy Football Sleepers 2026: A Must-Have for NFL Regular Season

The 2026 NFL regular season is just around the corner, and with it, the Fantasy football draft season is officially in full swing. Finding those hidden gems, or sleepers, is crucial, regardless of the type of league you’re in.

Hitting on a few sleepers can make all the difference in your Fantasy football draft strategy. It’s essential to take chances on injury-prone players with the hope that they’ll bounce back. Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey, and Puka Nacua all shook off the injury bug last year to come up huge for those who took chances on them.

Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, and Terry McLaurin could have similar bounce backs from injury-plagued seasons this year and be steals as picks, relative to their 2026 Fantasy football ADPs.

Before finalizing your 2026 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2026 Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Proven Track Record

Last year, the model accurately predicted that Dolphins running back De’Von Achane would comfortably outperform his ADP (RB12). The result: Achane produced 1,838 scrimmage yards — sixth most in the NFL — to go along with 12 touchdowns. SportsLine’s model slotted Achane as the RB6, and that’s precisely what he finished as, ranking sixth among RBs in Fantasy points in CBS Sports PPR leagues.

The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020, nailing Jonathan Taylor’s monstrous season in 2021, correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024 and calling Daniel Jones’ breakout season in 2025.

Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

Top 2026 Fantasy Football Sleepers

One of the 2026 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely, who followed coach John Harbaugh from the Ravens to the Giants this offseason. Likely, who has an ADP of 97 this year, showed big-play capability in Baltimore, but always battled Mark Andrews for targets.

Now the clear-cut No. 1 tight end, Likely has reportedly been a favorite target of quarterback Jaxson Dart, especially with Malik Nabers (knee) limited in camp. He had two catches for 11 yards in the preseason opener. SportsLine’s model has Likely as TE9 in its Fantasy football rankings, ahead of players such as Sam LaPorta and George Kittle, both of whom are being picked nearly two rounds earlier.

Another sleeper that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2026 have identified: Titans running back Tony Pollard, who is dealing with a minor foot injury in camp, but not expected to miss game time. The 29-year-old has now cleared 1,000 rushing yards in four straight seasons — two of those with the Cowboys and two with the Titans.

Backs approaching age 30 often fall out of favor in Fantasy, but Pollard actually surged late in 2025, averaging 100 yards per game and scoring three total times in the last five weeks of the season. The Titans could take a big step forward in the passing game this year, possibly opening up more room for Pollard.

He’s going off the board around pick No. 75, making him the RB27, but SportsLine’s model has him in the same tier as backs being picked earlier like TreVeyon Henderson and Rico Dowdle.

2026 Fantasy Football ADP

Here’s a look at the top 2026 Fantasy football ADPs, according to CBS Sports PPR leagues:

• Jahmyr Gibbs (1.30)
• Bijan Robinson (1.93)
• Ja’Marr Chase (4.02)
• Puka Nacua (5.02)
• Jonathan Taylor (5.25)
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (7.05)
• Christian McCaffrey (7.10)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (9.23)
• James Cook (11.06)
• De’Von Achane (11.70)
• Ashton Jeanty (12.89)
• Chase Brown (13.09)

Head to SportsLine now to see the latest Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called De’Von Achane’s huge season, and find out which sleepers to target and which wide receiver shocks the NFL with a top-10 performance.