SportsLine Model Tabs LaPorta, Smith as 2026 Sleepers
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- De'Von Achane produced 1,838 scrimmage yards (6th in the NFL) and 12 touchdowns in 2025, landing exactly on SportsLine's RB6 projection after the model flagged him as a sleeper with an ADP of RB12 the year prior.
- Lions TE Sam LaPorta is identified as a 2026 sleeper at ADP 69 after regressing from TE1 as a rookie to TE26 in 2025; his 54.3 receiving yards per game was a career high, and the model projects him to absorb the red-zone role vacated by David Montgomery, who averaged 11 touchdowns per season over three years in Detroit.
- Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is named a sleeper at ADP 38 after posting a 1,000-yard season in 2025 within a bottom-10 passing offense; with A.J. Brown traded to New England and the offensive coordinator replaced, Smith assumes the top wideout role — a situation the model likens to Jaxon Smith-Njigba ascending after DK Metcalf's departure, an arc that ended with JSN winning OPOY.
- SportsLine's model has a track record calling Derrick Henry (2019), Jonathan Taylor (2021), and Daniel Jones (2025) while correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would regress in 2024; it has now simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and projects a veteran wide receiver as a top-10 Fantasy option ahead of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown — though his identity is paywalled.
- NFL training camps are underway with the Hall of Fame Game set for August 6 and 2026 Fantasy drafts going on the clock; the model's top CBS PPR ADPs are Jahmyr Gibbs (1.62), Bijan Robinson (1.94), and Ja'Marr Chase (3.38).
Why it matters: Sam LaPorta (ADP 69) and DeVonta Smith (ADP 38) are both projected as top-15 Fantasy options in 2026, so drafters landing them at current cost get starter-level production at a meaningful discount. The model's biggest call — a veteran WR ranked ahead of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown — sits behind SportsLine's paywall, making the full rankings the actual product.
