SportsLine model tabs Likely, Pollard as 2026 fantasy sleepers
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- SportsLine's model simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and pegged Giants TE Isaiah Likely as TE9, ahead of Sam LaPorta and George Kittle despite Likely's ADP of 97; he followed coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore and became Jaxson Dart's favorite target with Malik Nabers limited by a knee injury
- SportsLine also tabbed Titans RB Tony Pollard as a sleeper after the 29-year-old cleared 1,000 rushing yards for a fourth straight season and averaged 100 yards per game with three total touchdowns over the final five weeks of 2025
- SportsLine's model ranked Dolphins RB De'Von Achane as RB6 last preseason despite an RB12 ADP; Achane finished exactly RB6 in CBS Sports PPR scoring with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns
- The model previously called A.J. Brown as a 2020 sleeper, Jonathan Taylor's 2021 monster season, C.J. Stroud's 2024 step back, Daniel Jones' 2025 breakout, Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017
- SportsLine is also bullish on a veteran wide receiver it ranks as a top-10 fantasy option ahead of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown, though the player's identity is gated behind the site's paywall
- Top 2026 ADP (PPR, via CBS) is led by Jahmyr Gibbs (1.32), Bijan Robinson (1.94), Ja'Marr Chase (4.03), Puka Nacua (5.10), Jonathan Taylor (5.33), and Christian McCaffrey (6.86)
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters weighing early-round talent against late-round value get an outside-model ranking to cross-check their boards; if SportsLine's 2026 sleepers hit, players like Likely (TE9 vs. TE pick ~97) and Pollard offer multi-round ADP discounts that could swing league outcomes — but the wide-receiver pick most outlets will headline is locked behind the paywall, forcing readers to SportsLine to see it.
Ask SkimNews
