16 Fantasy Football Sleepers Experts Love to Draft (2026)

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable fantasy football sleepers below. And check out all of the fantasy football sleepers experts love in our consensus sleeper rankings.

Fantasy Football Sleepers Experts Draft

Here are fantasy football sleepers the experts love to target in drafts.

Who are Fantasy Football Sleepers?

Fantasy football sleepers are players who have a strong chance to exceed expectations and become surprise difference-makers for fantasy managers.

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Running Backs

Running Backs	Team	ECR	ADP
Isiah Pacheco	DET	47	50
Keaton Mitchell	LAC	46	54
Emanuel Wilson	SEA	56	66
Dylan Sampson	CLE	51	53
Tank Bigsby	PHI	54	55
Chris Brooks	GB	78	87
MarShawn Lloyd	GB	64	70
Jaylen Wright	MIA	68	71

Isiah Pacheco lands with the Lions as the change-of-pace back/handcuff for Jahmyr Gibbs. Pacheco’s health has been an issue for the last three years. In a complementary/goal-line role, he could pay dividends for Detroit. If he can recapture any resemblance to the player that posted a 5.4% explosive run rate and 2.77 yards after contact per attempt in 2023 in Detroit, he should pay off for the Lions in 2026 (per Fantasy Points Data). If Gibbs were to miss any time, Pacheco would likely be an RB2 option for fantasy gamers.

Keaton Mitchell landed with the Chargers this offseason and should be solid competition for Kimani Vidal for the RB2 role. Mitchell flashed with the same big-play ability that he has been known for in his short career with the Ravens last season. Last season, he had only 68 touches, but he had a 10.2% explosive run rate and a respectable 1.37 yards per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). I don’t know if he’ll have a ton of bankable standalone value week-to-week with the Bolts, but he will offer some flashy big plays for Mike McDaniel’s offense when called upon in 2026. I wouldn’t be surprised if he works his way into an ancillary role as the season moves along that offers some flex value, but we’ll have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.

Tank Bigsby is one of the best handcuffs in the NFL, and he won’t get mentioned at the top of the conversation many times. Last year, among 65 qualifying backs, he ranked fourth in explosive run rate, second in missed tackle rate, and first in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). In the one game that he played more than 40% of the snaps (Week 18), we got to see what his fantasy value could be if Saquon Barkley missed any time. He logged 17 touches with 106 total yards as the RB9 for the week in PPR scoring. If you’re looking for handcuffs to stash, Bigsby is one of the best.

Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide Receivers

Wide Receivers	Team	ECR	ADP
Denzel Boston	CLE	56	57
Antonio Williams	WAS	65	66
Omar Cooper Jr.	NYJ	57	60
Ryan Flournoy	DAL	71	80
Jaylin Noel	HOU	63	86
Adonai Mitchell	NYJ	64	70
Jauan Jennings	MIN	59	61
Dontayvion Wicks	PHI	76	107

Denzel Boston lands in Cleveland with intriguing draft capital and a skill set that fills a clear need in the Browns offense. The 6-foot-4 receiver brings size, physicality, and contested-catch ability to a WR room lacking true boundary presence. However, Boston faces an uphill battle for immediate fantasy relevance while competing with first-round pick KC Concepcion and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for targets in an offense with lingering quarterback concerns. His profile suggests more boom-or-bust production early in his career, relying heavily on downfield plays and red-zone opportunities.

Antonio Williams is a sneaky Day 2 value who projects into an immediate slot role in Washington’s offense. The former Clemson standout broke out at 19 and has consistently flashed strong efficiency (2.27 YPRR in 2025) despite battling injuries and an underwhelming team environment. With Deebo Samuel gone and the Commanders ranking top-3 in vacated targets, there’s a clear path to volume behind Terry McLaurin. Williams’ slot-heavy usage, versatility on special teams, and strong production profile make him a strong late-round sleeper in PPR formats.

Jaylin Noel barely made an impact statistically as a rookie, but Houston always viewed him as more of a long-term option behind its veteran receivers. With Christian Kirk now gone, Noel has a realistic path to a much larger offensive role after flashing whenever he received extended playing time in 2025. He was Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) seventh-highest graded returner on 72 combined kick/punt returns in 2025. He flashed on multiple occasions as a receiver in Year 1. In the games where Noel ran at least 17 routes, he averaged almost four receptions per game.Tank Dell’s eventual return could create some overlap, but Noel is firmly on the radar as a Year 2 breakout candidate in Houston’s offense.