Model That Called Achane Names 2026 Fantasy Sleepers — SkimNews
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- SportsLine simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released fantasy rankings, sleepers, breakouts, and busts as the season opens with a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl rematch.
- The model correctly predicted De'Von Achane would outperform his RB12 ADP last season — he finished as RB6 with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Isaiah Likely, who followed coach John Harbaugh from the Ravens to the Giants, is flagged as a tight end sleeper; now the clear No. 1 option and reportedly a favorite target of QB Jaxson Dart, he's ranked TE9 ahead of Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce.
- Tony Pollard is flagged as a running back sleeper despite being 29, with four straight 1,000-yard seasons and a late-2025 surge of 100 yards per game with three touchdowns over the final five weeks; he goes around pick No. 78.
- The model's multi-year track record also includes A.J. Brown (2020 sleeper), Jonathan Taylor's 2021 breakout, C.J. Stroud's 2024 step-back, and Daniel Jones's 2025 breakout season.
- A third sleeper — a wide receiver being drafted in rounds 3-4 — is ranked a top-10 option by the model ahead of CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, and A.J. Brown, though his identity is behind SportsLine's paywall.
- Current top fantasy ADPs: Jahmyr Gibbs (1.09), Bijan Robinson (2.10), Ja'Marr Chase (4.00), Puka Nacua, Jonathan Taylor, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Christian McCaffrey, Amon-Ra St. Brown, James Cook, and Chase Brown.
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters with picks in the next 24 hours get a model with a verified multi-year hit rate pointing them toward players the market is undervaluing — Likely at TE9 ahead of Kelce, Pollard at pick 78 despite four straight 1,000-yard seasons, and an unnamed round-3-4 wide receiver the model ranks top 10 ahead of Lamb, Jefferson, and Brown. If any of those calls hit, they're league-winning swing picks; the identities (especially the WR) live behind a SportsLine paywall.
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