SportsLine 2026 Sleepers: LaPorta and DeVonta Smith
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- SportsLine's projection model simulated the NFL season 10,000 times to release its 2026 Fantasy football rankings and sleeper picks, correctly calling De'Von Achane's 2025 breakout (1,838 scrimmage yards, 12 TDs, RB6 in CBS Sports PPR despite an RB12 ADP).
- Lions TE Sam LaPorta (ADP 70) is flagged as a 2026 sleeper, having posted a career-high 54.3 receiving yards in 2025 and averaging 0.7 TDs per game without David Montgomery vs. 0.4 in games with him.
- Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (ADP 41) is another 2026 sleeper — he logged a 1,000-yard season in 2025 in a bottom-10 passing offense, now becomes Philly's top wideout after A.J. Brown's trade to New England, and is projected as a top-15 Fantasy WR despite an ADP outside the top 25 at the position.
- Past model calls include Derrick Henry (2019), A.J. Brown (2020), Jonathan Taylor's monster 2021 season, Daniel Jones's 2025 breakout, and a correct prediction that C.J. Stroud would regress in 2024.
- Top 2026 PPR ADPs via CBS are led by Jahmyr Gibbs (1.67), Bijan Robinson (1.94), and Ja'Marr Chase (4.22), with De'Von Achane at 12.39 and James Cook at 12.83 rounding out the top 10.
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters weighing projected value against consensus ADP are eyeing LaPorta and Smith as high-upside picks ahead of Thursday's Hall of Fame Game. Smith's projected top-15 finish despite an ADP outside the top 25 at his position reflects the model's history of calling past breakouts like Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, and Achane — and those hits historically decide league championships.
