De’Zhaun Stribling needed one half of football to make Ian Cummings look early instead of wrong. San Francisco’s rookie caught seven passes for 63 yards against Tennessee on Thursday night, all of it before halftime, and he was the No. 3 name on Cummings’ Hot List rundown of deep sleeper rookies for 2026 fantasy football drafts.
The list ran five deep, four of them receivers. The sorting logic wasn’t talent. It was the gap between what a rookie costs in August and how thin the veteran in front of him actually is.
Why De’Zhaun Stribling Leads the Deep Sleeper Rookie Class
Stribling went 33rd overall to the 49ers out of Ole Miss, and by Cummings’ count that landed 52 picks ahead of his consensus big board ranking. He never cleared 1,000 yards in a college season and finished 2025 with 55 catches for 811 yards. Cummings sees the discount as the opportunity.
“If I can leave you with one phrase, do not be scared off by Stribling,” he said. “This is a player who has the explosive element, who has the three-level threat framework, who has the schematic insulation with his blocking ability, and he fits Shanahan’s scheme to a tee.”
The circumstances moved faster than the ADP did. Ricky Pearsall is on injured reserve after season-ending PCL surgery, Christian Kirk has been managing a calf strain since camp opened, and San Francisco brought Deebo Samuel back on a one-year deal. Mike Evans, who turns 33 this month, was a March signing. Stribling is the only long-term answer in that room.
Cyrus Allen (No. 4) is a similar bet. Kansas City took him 176th overall out of Cincinnati, where his 13 touchdown catches led the Big 12.
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“He’s the man coverage separator that Patrick Mahomes desperately needs, and the Chiefs have been looking for for a long time,” Cummings said. “Rashee Rice is on the straightened arrow for now. That’s the key phrase there.”
That framing aged well. Ian Rapoport reported Aug. 12 that the NFL isn’t expected to add a suspension for Rice’s probation violation, which closes the fastest path to Allen’s volume. But Rice is in a contract year, coming off May knee surgery, with 30 days of jail time behind him this summer. Allen was taking first-team reps before a shin bruise cost him practice days.
Skyler Bell (No. 5) is the deepest cut. Buffalo’s fourth-rounder caught 101 passes for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns as a consensus All-American, and Cummings had him inside his personal top 75. Bell sits outside the Bills’ top four, behind DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer. Coleman has called this a make-or-break year for himself, and Palmer managed 303 yards last season.
Jonah Coleman and Brenen Thompson Are Two Very Different Bets
Brenen Thompson (No. 2) is the pure speed play. The Chargers spent pick 105 on him after he led the SEC with 1,054 receiving yards, and he ran a 4.26 40 at the combine. Mike McDaniel arrived as offensive coordinator this offseason.
“It might be brash to say that Mike McDaniel handpicked Brenen Thompson, but clearly he had some say in deciding which receiver the Chargers took at the top end of the fourth round,” Cummings said. “He’s not just a pure speed guy. He has the twitch, fluidity and stem IQ to be a multilevel separator.”
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One wrinkle on the path. Cummings described the WR3 job as wide open behind Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. Los Angeles’ first unofficial depth chart lists 2025 second-rounder Tre’ Harris ahead of Thompson, though Johnston has been out of practice with a minor issue. Thompson caught two of six targets for 30 yards Thursday and added a 12-yard punt return, and returns may be the faster route to snaps.
Then Coleman, the No. 1 name and the priciest of the group.
“Jonah Coleman will be in the rotation. It’s a deep rotation, but he is going to be in it,” Cummings said. “He has the ability to lock down the lead job in a well-structured offense sooner rather than later.”
J.K. Dobbins limped off Monday with what Sean Payton called a soft-tissue issue. Payton has called Coleman one of camp’s pleasant surprises. He isn’t a sleeper anymore. He’s a starter you can still buy at a discount.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.