2026 Fantasy Football Sleepers

Mike Evans is a 34-year-old with hamstring issues. Ricky Pearsall is always hurt. George Kittle is hurt right now. De’Zhaun Stribling is a big, strong receiver who can make plays downfield. It’s possible that he could emerge as the No. 1 in San Francisco at some point this year.

Rashid Shaheed was a great special-teams threat for the Seahawks, but didn’t do much offensively. However, Shaheed was a solid receiving threat for the Saints. With an entire offseason to work with Sam Darnold, Shaheed should be more productive offensively, especially with Cooper Kupp continuing to regress due to age.

It would be shocking if Christian McCaffrey were to last the entire season. He led the NFL in carries last year, and he has a habit of having one year on and one year off. He’s also 30 now. One of Jordan James or Kaelon Black is worth owning. Black was just drafted in the third round, but Kyle Shanahan has a habit of ignoring rookie running backs. Reports indicate that James has been the better of the two in OTAs thus far.

We can say that Ryan Flournoy should have a solid season serving as Dallas’ third receiver because we’ve seen him put together some nice performances. But what if either CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens gets hurt? What if Pickens’ contract negotiations go awry? Flournoy will suddenly find himself in a position where he’ll be able to post big numbers.

Kalif Raymond is gone, so Isaac TeSlaa is the clear No. 3 option at receiver. TeSlaa is a dynamic athlete who has shown that he has a nose for the end zone, making him an intriguing late-round target.

Jonah Coleman is a quick and strong back who could start some games for the Broncos down the stretch. It’s a crowded backfield, but J.K. Dobbins is very injury-prone, while R.J. Harvey simply sucks.

The Falcons have just two dynamic receiving threats in Drake London and Kyle Pitts. After that, there’s no one – except for maybe Zacharian Branch. The third-round rookie receiver is a spark plug who can go the distance any time he touches the ball. There’s a good chance he’ll start in the slot and be productive in his first season.

Zach Ertz was productive for the Redskins despite being in his mid-30s. Now, the Redskins have a younger, more-athletic player at the position. The Redskins also have just one viable receiving option at the moment in Terry McLaurin, so Chig Okonkwo could serve as Jayden Daniels’ second target.

Tre Tucker is the No. 1 receiver in Las Vegas, and yet, he’s being drafted in the middle of the 14th round. Tucker is a better player than Jalen Nailor, and he had some solid performances last year despite his miserable quarterback not having any sort of time in the pocket. The Raiders have improved their offensive line, so Tucker should have a strong year.

Last year, we loved Drake Maye if he got to the double-digit rounds. This year, it’s Tyler Shough. The Saints quarterback was given a boost in the draft via Jordyn Tyson, and he already looked great. He scored 17-plus fantasy points in each of his final six games, thanks in part to his rushing ability.

There are so many value tight ends this year, making an early pick of one irresponsible unless you can get amazing value. Brenton Strange has posted huge numbers recently when healthy. He, Hunter Henry, T.J. Hockenson, Juwan Johnson, Chig Okonkwo, Cade Otton, Gunnar Helm, etc. are all double-digit-round steals. I’ll emphasize it again. DO NOT DRAFT A TIGHT END EARLY THIS YEAR.

Malik Willis is another reason why you can pass on all the early quarterbacks unless you get major value. Willis was terrific in his brief action as a Packer, and he’ll be able to continue to use his rushing ability to post strong fantasy numbers.