SportsLine model names 2026 Fantasy sleepers
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- SportsLine's model accurately projected Dolphins RB De'Von Achane as the RB6 in 2025 Fantasy rankings, a year he finished exactly with 1,838 scrimmage yards (sixth in the NFL) and 12 touchdowns despite an RB12 ADP.
- Isaiah Likely is flagged as a top 2026 sleeper at tight end after following coach John Harbaugh from the Ravens to the Giants; the model ranks him TE9, ahead of Sam LaPorta and George Kittle, who are being drafted nearly two rounds earlier than his ADP of 92.
- Tony Pollard is identified as another sleeper at age 29, with four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons and a late-2025 surge (averaging 100 yards per game and three total TDs in the last five weeks); the model has him in the same tier as TreVeyon Henderson and Rico Dowdle despite a pick-around-70 ADP.
- Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Bucky Irving are cited as bounce-back candidates after injury-plagued seasons, with the article noting Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey and Puka Nacua all shook off injuries last year to return top-tier value.
- The model is also extremely high on a veteran wide receiver as a "shocking top-10 option" ahead of stars like CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown, though the player's identity is gated behind the SportsLine paywall.
- The model's track record includes calls on A.J. Brown (2020), Jonathan Taylor's 2021 breakout, C.J. Stroud's 2024 regression, Daniel Jones' 2025 season, Derrick Henry (2019), Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara (2018), and Davante Adams (2017).
Why it matters: Drafters targeting mid-round values get concrete, named targets — Likely projected as a top-9 TE at an ADP of 92, and Pollard slotted in the same tier as backs picked ahead of him at pick 70 — with the model's multi-year hit rate (Achane, Taylor, Henry breakouts; Stroud regression) giving the calls some weight beyond the standard sleeper pitch.
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