SportsLine Model Names Likely, Smith 2026 Fantasy Sleepers
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- SportsLine simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released fantasy football rankings flagging sleepers, breakouts, and busts, available through its membership
- De'Von Achane finished as the RB6 in CBS Sports PPR leagues with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns last year — exactly where the model had slotted him after flagging him as a sleeper at RB12 ADP
- Isaiah Likely, now with the Giants after following coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore, is ranked TE9 by the model despite an ADP of 97, ahead of Sam LaPorta and George Kittle who are being picked nearly two rounds earlier
- DeVonta Smith is projected as a top-15 fantasy WR despite an ADP of 38, with the model citing the A.J. Brown trade to New England and Smith's promotion to Philadelphia's top wideout role
- The model's past hits include flagging A.J. Brown as a 2020 sleeper, Jonathan Taylor's 2021 monster season, C.J. Stroud's 2024 step-back, Daniel Jones' 2025 breakout, and sleepers Derrick Henry (2019), Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara (2018), and Davante Adams (2017)
- Jahmyr Gibbs tops the 2026 Fantasy football ADP at 1.48, followed by Bijan Robinson (1.87), Ja'Marr Chase (4.04), Puka Nacua (4.59), and Jonathan Taylor (5.54)
Why it matters: For drafters, the model is betting that Isaiah Likely — now the Giants' unquestioned TE1 with Malik Nabers limited — will outproduce tight ends taken two full rounds earlier, and that DeVonta Smith will absorb A.J. Brown's vacated targets in Philadelphia's reshuffled passing game. Smith's projected top-15 WR finish represents a meaningful gap from his current outside-top-25 ADP, a delta the model frames as the exploitable edge for 2026 drafts.
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