When the term "sleeper" comes up in fantasy leagues, it can elicit an eye-roll or two. We get it. Your mileage may vary on where these players fit in your draft plan, but for us, it's all about value relative to draft position.
The Rotoworld Football crew put together their list of 2026 sleepers below, which runs the gamut from familiar names to ones where you have to scroll down a bit in your draft room. Stay tuned for our "bust" selections later this week.
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David Montgomery — RB, Texans
Let's count the number of third or fourth-down snaps that Woody Marks played last year: It was 34. Dare Ogunbowale was getting third-down work for the Texans over Marks in most situations last year. Now I'm supposed to believe that the Texans, who traded a fourth-round pick for David Montgomery and gave him a new contract, are going to split third-down snaps off to a guy that did little empirically last year and who they clearly didn't trust? I'm sure Marks will have a role here, and I'm sure Montgomery won't play 85 percent of the snaps. But he might play 80, and the volume role in an offense that wants to run has me very optimistic that Montgomery will smash his RB20-ish ADP as long as he stays healthy. - Rivers McCown
Keaton Mitchell — RB, Chargers
As the resident Keaton Mitchell truther, I have no choice but to tout him as a sleeper for this upcoming season. Mitchell has been one of the most explosive players in the league since making the Ravens as a rookie UDFA in 2023. His career 6.8 yards per touch, which comes on a limited 140-touch sample, is tied for the highest in the league among 84 RBs with 140 or more touches, and now he has a chance to work with a coach who will value his abilities both as a runner and a pass-catcher in Mike McDaniel. Mitchell was underutilized during his time with the Ravens. Despite a college profile that included 60 receptions over three seasons, Mitchell managed just 19 receptions in three seasons with the Ravens and was used almost exclusively as a runner. Early training camp reports have suggested he will be much more involved in the passing game, which could make for a decent floor in PPR leagues, especially if he operates at the clear No. 2 back behind Omarion Hampton. - Zachary Krueger
Josh Downs — WR, Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. is no longer in Indianapolis, and Alec Pierce always remains one catch away from an injury, even when he's healthy. As of right now, Pierce isn't even on the field at practice. That leaves Downs competing for WR targets with Ashton Dulin, Laquon Treadwell, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and the newly-signed Keenan Allen. Even though NWI is inevitable, if people are moving Downs down the rankings because of Allen, that makes me feel even better about this pick. At 34 years old, Allen’s aDOT continues to fall, and he’s gonna operate close to the line of scrimmage. Downs has the talent to be a full route-tree receiver, so, if anything, the signing of Allen could help Downs.. - Eric Samulski
Bucky Irving — RB, Buccanneers
I’ll spare you the numbers because anyone who drafted Irving experienced them firsthand: Irving was otherworldly as a rookie and dreadfully inefficient. He both missed time and played through various injuries and it showed. Despite that, Irving ranked 18th in PPR points per game among running backs. The team loaded him up with over 20 touches per game during a season in which he wasn’t even healthy. We have seen Irving be hyper-efficient in 2024 and a workhorse in 2025. If he is either of those things in 2026, he’s a small win. If he’s both... - Kyle Dvorchak
Michael Pittman Jr. — WR, Steelers
It's not that Pittman is going to be a particularly exciting fantasy producer in 2026. His reliability as an intermediate and short-area pass catcher matches well both with head coach Mike McCarthy's scheme and with 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers' check-down tendencies. I like Pittman to soak up a bunch of easy button targets in a Steelers offense that will likely be far more pass-heavy than it was under Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith. I could see Pittman becoming an every-week fantasy option in PPR formats right away. - Denny Carter
Jaydon Blue — RB, Cowboys
Few picks burned me worse than Blue last season. I’m also an emotional player. When I get burned, I tend to shy away the following year. But the same dots we connected for Blue last summer — his pre-draft pedigree, the Cowboys’ rather acute need for a third-down back — remain for this season. Javonte Williams, free agent scrap heap hero that he was, was an absolute zero as a pass catcher in 2025. Blue, of course, was a zero everywhere, but the Cowboys’ coaching staff swears he’s seen the light. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Blue is "a huge part of what we want to do” before shockingly going as far as calling Blue “football brilliant.” It’s obviously possible Schotty is being fooled by the same things that tricked fantasy managers in 2025. Blue’s profile says he should be good. Maybe he just isn’t. It happens. But the Cowboys are giving him a second chance, and fantasy managers should be prepared to be as forgiving as Schotty for a running back who could be a PPR secret weapon reeling in third-down receptions for one of the league’s most pass-happiest attacks. - Patrick Daugherty
Wan’Dale Robinson — WR, Titans
Robinson has seen 140 targets each of the last two seasons and found success vertically last year, averaging double-digit yards per reception and reaching 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He joins the Titans as the starting slot receiver, working in the same Brian Daboll system he started his career with. Robinson will get favorable matchups from the slot and be a reliable safety valve in the flat. After a WR2 finish last year in PPR fantasy points per game, Robinson is being drafted as a WR4 and certainly can exceed that draft slot. - Aditya Fuldeore
Dallas Goedert — TE, Eagles
Goedert isn’t going to catch 11 touchdowns again like he did in 2025, but he’s still going to be involved in an offense that lost WR A.J. Brown (121 targets) and didn’t add compelling target competition. Free agent signing Dontayvion Wicks’ career-high in targets in 76, first-round receiver Makai Lemon is off to a slow start thanks to a hamstring injury and rookie TE Eli Stowers is running with the third-string offense. Will Goedert be a top-8 tight end again? Maybe not, but he should be top-12 and he’s being drafted as the TE15. - Nick Shlain
Cyrus Allen — WR, Chiefs
Aside from a training camp shin bruise, Chiefs fifth-round rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen has generated positive reports throughout spring and summer practices. Prior to his arrival, the team lacked a reliable wide receiver capable of beating man coverage and winning over the middle of the field on downfield throws. The Chiefs also promisingly dialed up screen pass usage for him in their preseason Week 1 game against the Rams as well. Allen is a quintessential low-risk, high-reward late-round target, capable of smashing his average draft position if his rapid development continues. - Nic Bodiford