I did my first round of sleepers in May following the NFL Draft, and now it’s time for Round 2 as training camp is set to start later this month. Your Fantasy Football draft will be here before you know it, and you need to be prepared.In case you missed the first sleepers column, here are the players I wrote about it:
Kyler Murray
Bo Nix
Tony Pollard
Rhamondre Stevenson
Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Jonathon Brooks
Makai Lemon
Parker Washington
Josh Downs
Matthew Golden
Travis Kelce
Mark Andrews
I used the Average Draft Position data on FantasyPros for that version of sleepers. Now, we’ll go with the CBS Sports ADP here. The criteria is the same, and all these players must have an ADP after pick No. 100 overall.
These are players you should target on Draft Day, and I expect them to be difference makers in 2026.
Quarterbacks
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Malik Willis
MIA Miami • #2 Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Willis is unproven and has terrible receiving options in Miami. But he also could be a top-10 Fantasy quarterback given his rushing ability, and he’s the perfect high-upside player to draft at his CBS Sports ADP of 147.5. In two appearances late in 2025 with Green Bay against Chicago in Week 16 and Baltimore in Week 17, Willis combined for 19 carries for 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns. And in two starts in 2024, he had 12 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. Now, in the two games in 2025, he was also 27-of-32 passing for 409 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and hopefully he can continue to improve throwing the ball. The problem with that is the receiving corps in Miami is potentially awful since it’s headlined by Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell and Greg Dulcich, while rookies Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell (who is coming off a torn ACL) and Kevin Coleman will compete for roles. We’ll see who emerges to help Willis in the passing game, but I’m confident he’ll make plenty of plays with his legs. I don’t want to draft him as a starter in one-quarterback leagues, but I definitely want a player like him on my bench who could develop into a Fantasy star as the season goes on.
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Tyler Shough
NO New Orleans • #6 Age: 26 • Experience: 2 yrs.
Shough took over as the Saints starter in Week 9 last year as a rookie, and he scored at least 20.1 Fantasy points in six of his final eight games while averaging 20.3 points over that span. He has several things working in his favor that should make him attractive to Fantasy managers, especially his cost with a CBS Sports ADP of 131.4. New Orleans gave Shough three additional weapons this offseason with free agent running back Travis Etienne, first-round rookie receiver Jordan Tyson and third-round rookie tight end Oscar Delp. Along with Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson, Shough’s group of pass catchers looks solid. He also showed good rushing prowess with at least 32 yards on the ground in three of his final five starts, including two touchdowns, and we hope to see more of that this year. And coach Kellen Moore’s history is also a plus for Shough. As an offensive coordinator for Dallas (2019-22), the Chargers (2023) and Philadelphia (2024), Moore’s quarterbacks (Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts) have scored at least 20.4 Fantasy points in each season and averaged 24.2 points over that span. We’ll see if Shough can perform at that level for a full season, but he looked good in his debut in 2025. And things are looking better for him already in 2026.
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Other sleeper quarterbacks to consider: Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Jordan Love
Running Backs
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Rachaad White
WAS Washington • #1 Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs.
White signed with Washington this season, and he should prove to be a valuable weapon for the Commanders. He might end up being the best running back on the roster, especially in PPR, and he’s a great value pick at his CBS Sports ADP of 111.4. White will compete with Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kaytron Allen, Jerome Ford and Jeremy McNichols for playing time, with Croskey-Merritt presumably being the favorite to start. But White has the most experience of the group and the best resume, especially when it comes to catching passes. White caught at least 50 passes from 2022-24 in Tampa Bay, and he averaged at least 12.5 PPR points per game in two of those seasons. He struggled as a rusher early in his career, but he averaged 4.3 yards per carry in each of the past two years with the Buccaneers. Most likely, Croskey-Merritt will work on obvious rushing downs, with White being a change-of-pace rusher and playing on passing downs. But White could end up getting the most touches in this backfield for the season, and he should definitely help Jayden Daniels in the passing game — which is needed. White has 37 games in his career with at least 10 carries, and he has averaged 14.2 PPR points per game over that span. I like Croskey-Merritt as a flex option, but I would be OK if White were the best running back for the Commanders this season.
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Kenneth Gainwell
TB Tampa Bay • #1 Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Gainwell was awesome in 2025 when he averaged a career-best 13.1 PPR points per game with the Steelers, but it’s hard to expect a repeat performance this season with the Buccaneers. That’s baked into his price tag with his CBS Sports ADP of 100.1 overall. But Gainwell has a chance to outperform his ADP while playing in tandem with Bucky Irving, who struggled to stay healthy last year and was still dealing with a shoulder injury this offseason. Tampa Bay will likely deploy Gainwell in the passing game, and he was exceptional in Pittsburgh last season with 73 catches for 486 yards and three touchdowns on 85 targets. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson called plays in Atlanta in 2025, and he gave Bijan Robinson 103 targets, which was second among running backs behind only Christian McCaffrey (129). The Buccaneers also have to replace Rachaad White, who had three seasons of at least 50 catches from 2022-24. Gainwell could also be a productive rusher and had 37 carries for 114 yards and five touchdowns for the Steelers last year. I’m hopeful Irving will have a bounce-back campaign in 2026, but I plan to target Gainwell as early as Round 8. in all of my leagues.
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Jordan Mason
MIN Minnesota • #27 Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Matthew Coller, who covers the Vikings for Purple Insider, predicted that Mason will become the “bell cow running back” and rush for 1,010 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Coller wrote that if Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell “is serious about getting down to business with the running game, he will be leaning on Mason more, even if it comes along with pass protection/receiving shortcomings.” Mason will share work with Aaron Jones and potentially Demond Claiborne, but Jones is 31 and Claiborne is a sixth-round rookie. Mason likely won’t play much on passing downs (he has 28 career catches in four seasons), but he has averaged 5.1 yards per carry in his career. In 2025, he had nine games with at least 10 carries, and he averaged 10.5 PPR points over that span. And in five games without Jones, Mason averaged 13.5 PPR points per game. Mason is a great running back to target at his CBS Sports ADP of 113.9, and he could emerge as a weekly flex option if Minnesota makes him the starter for the majority of the season.
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Blake Corum
LAR L.A. Rams • #24 Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Kyren Williams remains the Rams running back to covet for Fantasy managers, but Corum is a great player to stash on your bench in the majority of leagues, especially given his CBS Sports ADP of 101.6 overall. In 2025, Corum had 145 carries for 746 yards and six touchdowns and caught eight passes for 36 yards on 14 targets. He averaged 7.2 PPR points per game, but he scored at least 13.1 PPR points in four games in a row from Weeks 13-16. He also had seven games during the season when he had at least 10 carries, and he averaged 10.9 PPR points over that span. Corum likely won’t see an uptick in his role in the passing game, but he should continue to take carries away from Williams. And if Williams were to miss any time then Corum would be a top-20 Fantasy running back in all formats. But even in tandem with Williams, Corum proved that he could be a potential flex option, and we expect the Rams to keep giving him chances to succeed, much like they did down the stretch in 2025.
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Other sleeper running backs to consider: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jordan James, MarShawn Lloyd, Keaton Mitchell and George Holani
Wide Receiver
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Quentin Johnston
LAC L.A. Chargers • #1 Age: 24 • Experience: 4 yrs.
Once a bust, Johnston is now a playmaker for the Chargers — and Fantasy managers — and he could have a career season in 2026. Johnston was terrible during his rookie campaign in 2023 when he averaged just 5.5 PPR points per game. He played better in Year 2 in 2024 at 11.7 PPR points per game. And he looked explosive at times in 2025 at 12.2 PPR points per game, which will hopefully carry over to this year. Johnston is a tremendous value pick at his CBS Sports ADP of 102.1. In 2025, when offensive tackle Joe Alt (ankle) was healthy to open the season, Johnston averaged 19.9 PPR points in the first four games of the year. That indicates that when Justin Herbert had time to throw, Johnston was able to make plays. Alt and Rashawn Slater (knee) should be healthy for Week 1, which is a plus for Johnston and Herbert. Keenan Allen is also gone for the Chargers, so Johnston and Ladd McConkey should lead the Chargers in targets. And new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has indicated he’s excited to work with Johnston this year. He may never develop into a consistent Fantasy receiver, but he’s scored eight touchdowns in each of the past two years. He could score double digits in touchdowns and surpass 1,000 receiving yards if everything breaks right in 2026.
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Michael Pittman
PIT Pittsburgh • #11 Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Pittman might seem like an afterthought now that he’s playing in Pittsburgh. After all, Aaron Rodgers, 42, is well past his prime, and Pittman has to share targets with DK Metcalf and rookie Germie Bernard. But Pittman’s role might help him become the No. 1 option for the Steelers since Rodgers wants the ball out of his hands quickly, and Pittman shouldn’t venture far downfield on most of his routes. And while Pittman has averaged 11.9 PPR points or less in each of the past two seasons with the Colts, he was great in 2025 when Daniel Jones (Achilles) was healthy. In the first nine games of the season, Pittman averaged 16.3 PPR points per game. For now, I’ll draft Metcalf ahead of Pittman, but I might move Pittman ahead of Metcalf in my rankings prior to Week 1. And I definitely want to draft Pittman at his CBS Sports ADP of 105.5. He could be the No. 1 Pittsburgh receiver for Fantasy managers in 2026 and a potential No. 3 option in all formats.
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Jalen Nailor
LV Las Vegas • #9 Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs.
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Tre Tucker
LV Las Vegas • #1 Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.
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Jack Bech
LV Las Vegas • #18 Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs.
It’s not a bad idea at the end of every draft, depending on the size of your bench, to take a flier on a Las Vegas receiver. One or potentially two of them could emerge as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, and all three are cheap. My favorite is Nailor (CBS Sports ADP of 139.3), who signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Raiders this offseason. He went to high school in Las Vegas and played with Kirk Cousins in Minnesota, and he should end up second on the team in targets behind Brock Bowers. Nailor didn’t do much during his time with the Vikings, but he had four games in 2025 with at least five targets and scored at least 19.5 PPR points in two of them. I’m excited to see what he can do in an expanded role with the Raiders. Tucker (127.6) is next in my rankings, and he has the best resume of this receiving corps after what he did in 2025 with 57 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns on 92 targets. He also added 11 carries for 51 yards, and he had four games with at least 11.1 PPR points in his first six outings of the season. He only averaged 9.5 PPR points in 2025, but he should improve this year with more chances. Bech (147.8) is the toughest to trust of the group since he only had 20 catches for 224 yards and no touchdowns on 29 targets as a rookie in 2025. But hopefully new coach Klint Kubiak can bring out the best in Bech in his sophomore campaign.
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Other sleeper wide receivers to consider: Jordan Addison, Jalen Coker, Jayden Higgins, Antonio Williams and Rashid Shaheed
Tight Ends
Sportsline
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Chigoziem Okonkwo
WAS Washington • #85 Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Put this one in pencil because we expect the Commanders to add another pass catcher prior to Week 1, but Okonkwo could be in a great spot after signing with Washington as a free agent this offseason. At the start of July, the Commanders have Terry McLaurin and not much else in their receiving corps, which could put Okonkwo in line to be No. 2 in targets for Jayden Daniels. Washington lost Deebo Samuel (99 targets) and Zach Ertz (72) from last year’s roster, so there’s plenty of available chances for Okonkwo. And Ertz was solid in 2024 with Daniels when he averaged 10.4 PPR points per game with 66 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns on 91 targets. Okonkwo was never really a target hog with the Titans, and he only has 16 games in his career with at least six targets. But he scored at least 9.4 PPR points in 11 of those outings and averaged 11.7 PPR points over that span. He’s a sneaky low-end starter you can draft late with an ADP of 140.6.
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Dallas Goedert
PHI Philadelphia • #88 Age: 31 • Experience: 9 yrs.
Goedert’s ADP is 99.6, so we’ll round up and add him to this list. He’s a solid tight end to wait for on Draft Day given his opportunity with A.J. Brown now in New England. Goedert has played three games without Brown over the past two seasons, and he scored at least 17.8 PPR points in two of them. It’s a small sample size, but we know Jalen Hurts will lean on Goedert, who could be second on the team in targets behind DeVonta Smith. We’ll see how quickly Makai Lemon, Marquise Brown or Dontayvion Wicks earn Hurts’ trust, but we know Goedert already has a strong rapport with his quarterback. And Goedert was great last season when he was the No. 6 tight end at 12.3 PPR points per game. Now, most of that production came from scoring 11 touchdowns, which tied Trey McBride for No. 1 at the position. But Goedert also had 60 catches for 591 yards on 82 targets in 15 games. He has been a top-12 PPR tight end for six years in a row, and he averaged at least 10.4 PPR points per game in five seasons over that span. Goedert should have another quality Fantasy campaign this year.
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Other sleeper tight ends to consider: Jake Ferguson, Greg Dulcich, Oronde Gadsden II, Brenton Strange and Gunnar Helm
