Mike Washington Jr. Tops 2026 Fantasy Rookie Sleepers
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Mike Washington Jr. is ranked Round 12 by the author and currently has no ADP in recent CBS drafts, despite being the Raiders' likely RB2 behind Ashton Jeanty
- Washington averaged 6.4 yards per carry and totaled nearly 1,300 rushing yards at Arkansas last season on a two-win team before posting a 4.33-second 40-yard dash and a 10-foot-8 broad jump at the NFL Combine
- Washington faces almost no competition for the RB2 role, with Dylan Laube, Chris Collier, and Roman Hembry the only other backs on the roster at the start of camp
- Klint Kubiak, the new Raiders offensive coordinator, "will run a functional (at worst) offense" with an improved line anchored by center Tyler Linderbaum, potentially giving the RB2 more work than last year's Raiders did
- KC Concepcion, a Round 1 Browns pick, headlines the rest of the sleeper list, though his Fantasy value hinges on whether Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders can produce and whether Concepcion solves his drops issues
- Antonio Williams (Commanders) and Chris Bell (Dolphins, recovering from a torn ACL after averaging 87 receiving yards per game in his first 10 games at Louisville in 2025) round out the list, with all five rookies available after pick 100 at the end of July
Why it matters: Fantasy managers targeting Ashton Jeanty in Round 1 have a free hedge in Washington: a Round 12-or-later pick who averaged 6.4 YPC at Arkansas, posted elite combine numbers, and sits behind just one starter on a depth chart. If Jeanty misses time, Washington could legitimately see 20 touches per game on a retooled Raiders offense, making him arguably the cheapest high-upside handcuff in this year's class.
