2026 Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers: Best Late-Round Values at QB, RB, WR and TE
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Every fantasy football draft has a moment when the obvious names are off the board and the real differentiation begins. That is where deep sleepers live.
These are the players going in the double-digit rounds, sitting outside the consensus top tiers at their position, yet carrying real paths to relevant volume if one or two dominoes fall the right way. A new contract, a crowded depth chart with no clear leader, an offense replacing departed targets, a rookie waiting in the wings behind an aging starter.
None of these situations guarantee production, but they create the kind of asymmetric value that wins fantasy leagues. You can also find more fantasy football sleepers throughout Fantasy On SI.
QUARTERBACK DEEP SLEEPERS
Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Once he took over as New Orleans' starter in Week 8, Shough finished as the QB10 in total fantasy points and QB16 in points per game the rest of the way. Over his final stretch of starts, that number climbed even further, as he ranked QB6 in fantasy points per game while averaging 25 rushing yards per contest, a workload that would have ranked 12th-best among all quarterbacks had he sustained it across a full season.
He closed his rookie campaign completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards on a 10:6 touchdown to interception ratio, adding 186 rushing yards and three scores on the ground across 11 games. New Orleans added receiver Jordyn Tyson and running back Travis Etienne this offseason, giving Shough more juice around him entering Year 2.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
Efficiency, not volume, defines the case for Willis. Across his past two seasons as Jordan Love's backup, he completed 78.7% of his pass attempts for 976 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions in 11 games with three starts, adding 261 rushing yards and three scores on 42 carries. His average depth of target jumped to 9.7 yards in 2025, evidence that he was operating as a genuine downfield passer rather than a gadget arm.
He has also averaged the league's fourth-most yards per scramble (8.9) over that span, with no quarterback topping his 10.6 yards per rush on read options. Since 2014, 31 of the 34 quarterbacks who hit 100-plus rush attempts in a season finished as a top-12 fantasy QB in points per game, a 91 percent hit rate. Now guaranteed Miami's starting job after signing a three-year, $67.5 million deal, Willis brings a rushing floor alone that could carry him into weekly streamer territory.
Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
A tale of two seasons sums up Ward's rookie campaign. He averaged just 10.2 fantasy points per game over his first 12 starts, but over his final four outings, he averaged 15.5 fantasy points per game. Things turned noticeably after the Titans' Week 10 bye, when his completion rate climbed to 62.4 percent while he accounted for 12 touchdowns and just three turnovers over the final eight games.
Ten of his 15 total touchdowns came from Week 11 onward, underscoring the late-season trajectory. The Titans signed Wan'Dale Robinson off a 92-catch, 1,014-yard season and drafted Carnell Tate fourth overall, giving Ward real weapons after spending most of his rookie year throwing to other rookies.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
A foot injury limited Murray to just five games in 2025, but his per-game rushing pace stayed intact, as he averaged about 35 yards on the ground in those starts, a near 600-yard full-season clip. That floor matters given his track record when healthy: across 17 games in 2024, he threw for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding 572 rushing yards and five scores.
Now signed with the Vikings on a one-year deal, Murray lands in a favorable system under Kevin O'Connell alongside Justin Jefferson, arguably the best supporting cast and play-calling environment of his career, all at minimal roster cost.
RUNNING BACK DEEP SLEEPERS
Kenneth Gainwell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A career year in Pittsburgh set the stage for a bigger role in Tampa Bay. Gainwell logged 537 yards and five touchdowns on 147 carries while adding a career-high 73 catches for 486 yards and three more scores on 85 targets, finishing as the overall RB16 in full PPR. After signing a two-year, $14 million deal with the Buccaneers, head coach Todd Bowles labeled Gainwell the "1B" to Bucky Irving's "1A," a notably bigger commitment than the role Rachaad White previously held behind Irving.
Gainwell ranked third in target share and second in receiving yards per game during his best stretch last season, and with Irving's extensive injury history, Gainwell carries real standalone flex appeal even in weeks Irving plays.
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
Efficiency defined Corum's second NFL season. He amassed 746 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 145 carries while averaging 5.14 yards per carry, a number that climbed even higher late in the year as he ranked as the overall RB19 from Week 13 through 18 behind Kyren Williams. He scored at least 13.1 PPR points in four straight games from Weeks 13 through 16, a stretch that proved his ceiling when given volume.
Reports out of Los Angeles now suggest Corum and Williams could approach a 50/50 workload split in 2026, positioning him as one injury away from true RB1 value in one of the league's most explosive offenses.
Jordan James, San Francisco 49ers
A fifth-round pick in 2025, James matched Bucky Irving's production while at Oregon and was reportedly ahead of Isaac Guerendo on San Francisco's depth chart entering the offseason. James is the most likely bet for the No. 2 running back role behind Christian McCaffrey, and he rushed for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry in his final season at Oregon.
With McCaffrey pacing the NFL with 413 touches last year and entering his age-30 season, James offers a virtually free path to real volume if the workhorse back needs a breather.
Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in two different cities have made Dowdle one of the more proven veterans available. He racked up 1,373 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns on 275 touches across 17 games with Carolina last season, following an identical breakout in Dallas the year before. He ranked 23rd in explosive run rate, 17th in missed tackle rate, and 10th in yards after contact per attempt before reuniting with Mike McCarthy, who once called him "a bowling ball full of butcher knives."
Steelers backs ranked eighth in the league in "RB Supporting Cast Rating" last season, with the team's offensive line returning four of five starters, giving Dowdle a runway to repeat his early-season Carolina form in a more stable offensive environment.
WIDE RECEIVER DEEP SLEEPERS
Jalen Nailor, Las Vegas Raiders
A $35 million free agent investment signals real confidence in Nailor's upside. He signed a three-year deal that could push him into the Raiders' WR1 conversation, and last season, while playing behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, he averaged 15.3 yards per catch (WR10) and posted a surprising 72.7% contested catch rate, good for fifth-best among all receivers.
There isn't much behind him on the Las Vegas depth chart, giving Nailor a very real chance to be the No. 2 target earner behind tight end Brock Bowers. With an improved offense around him, the per-catch efficiency he flashed in Minnesota could translate into a far bigger role.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
PFF graded Downs as the 20th-best wide receiver in the league last season, and he was hyper-targeted at a 24% clip, the highest mark among Colts wideouts and tight ends. He has averaged a respectable 97.7 targets across his first three NFL seasons, but the Colts traded Michael Pittman Jr., who drew at least 111 targets in each of his last five campaigns.
Per Fantasy Points Data, Downs ranked 20th in average separation score last season. Colts GM Chris Ballard called Downs "freaking good" and believes expanded opportunity will unlock more of the special play fantasy managers have seen in flashes.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders
Career highs across the board marked Tucker's breakout 2025 campaign. He finished the regular season with 57 receptions for 696 yards and five touchdowns on 92 targets, setting new bests in targets, receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. He generated 292 yards after the catch and posted a 10.7 average depth of target, evidence of his role as both a possession option and downfield threat.
He operated as the Raiders' clear WR1 in 2025, and with an improved offensive line and new starting quarterback expected in Vegas, Tucker's per-target efficiency could climb in a more functional passing attack.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants
History offers a useful preview of Slayton's ceiling when given expanded volume. He recorded 14 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown on 22 targets across the two games Malik Nabers missed in 2024. Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 4 of 2025 and the recovery timeline for Week 1 remains uncertain, which again puts Slayton in line for the No. 2 role.
Despite playing just four games, Nabers still finished third on the Giants in target share at 13.9%, underscoring how much volume is available behind him for whoever fills the gap.
Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders
College production paints a far rosier picture than Williams' modest rookie-year ADP suggests. He caught 55 passes on 72 targets for 604 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, but in his stronger 2024 season he hauled in 75 passes on 100 targets for 908 yards and 11 touchdowns. He topped 600 receiving yards in three of his four seasons at Clemson, finishing with 2,320 yards and 21 scores on 207 receptions.
Commanders GM Adam Peters envisions Williams helping out significantly on third down opposite Terry McLaurin, giving the rookie a real runway as Jayden Daniels' No. 2 option in an offense starved for proven pass catchers.
TIGHT END DEEPS SLEEPERS
Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
Consistency has been the calling card of Okonkwo's career, even if touchdowns haven't followed. He has caught at least 50 passes from 2023 through 2025, finding the end zone eight times in that stretch. He led the Titans in receiving last season with 56 catches on 79 targets for a career-high 560 yards.
Zach Ertz was targeted 91 times by Jayden Daniels in 2024, so this position has a recent history of productivity. With concerns remaining about Washington's receivers behind Terry McLaurin, Okonkwo could become the No. 2 option in the passing game. That volume now shifts to a tight end whose 4.52 speed gives him a different dynamic than Ertz ever offered.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Despite missing five weeks with a hip injury, Strange caught 46 of 60 targets for 540 yards and three touchdowns last season, setting career highs across the board. After returning in Week 12, he played his final seven games on a full-season pace of 63 receptions, 816 yards and seven touchdowns, good enough to rank as the fantasy TE8 over that stretch.
His 77.6 PFF grade ranked ninth among 37 qualified tight ends. Jacksonville rewarded that ascension with a three-year extension worth up to $48 million, cementing him as the unquestioned TE1 entering Year 2 of his breakout.
Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
Years of buried potential behind Mark Andrews never stopped Likely from producing when given the chance. He caught all 146 of his 198 career targets for Harbaugh's Ravens, totaling 1,744 yards and 17 touchdowns, and his best stretch came in 2024 when he posted 49 catches on 65 targets for 603 yards and seven scores including the postseason.
New York signed him to a three-year, $40 million deal that can reach $47.5 million, making him the centerpiece of an offense led by the coach who always wanted to feature him. Reunited with Harbaugh, Likely now becomes Jaxson Dart's clear No. 2 option.
Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins
Advanced metrics paint Dulcich as one of the most efficient tight ends in football, even in a tiny sample. His 2025 numbers in limited action were elite, ranking in the 97th percentile in yards per route run (2.31) and 98th percentile in yards after catch per reception (7.5) among qualified tight ends. That 2.31 mark ranked third-best among all tight ends, and his 2.84 yards per route run on second and third downs led the position.
With Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and Darren Waller all gone, three of Miami's top six pass catchers have departed, leaving Dulcich as the clear favorite to absorb a meaningful chunk of an offense desperately searching for a go-to target.
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Matt De Lima has been covering fantasy sports for more than 15 years, contributing to top outlets such as Sports Illustrated, DraftKings, GiveMeSport and The Game Day. Known for his straightforward, actionable analysis, Matt specializes in start/sit calls, waiver wire pickups, IDP, and season-long strategies. His work has reached millions of readers and listeners through articles, podcasts, SiriusXM radio appearances and social media. Respected across the fantasy sports community, Matt combines deep football knowledge with a sharp editorial eye, delivering insights that help players win their leagues.
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