SportsLine model tabs 2026 Fantasy football sleepers
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- SportsLine's projection model simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released Fantasy football rankings, sleepers, breakouts, and busts with the regular season roughly three weeks away.
- Isaiah Likely is the model's top tight-end sleeper, ranked TE9 — ahead of Sam LaPorta and George Kittle despite an ADP of 97 that puts him nearly two rounds later; he followed John Harbaugh from Baltimore to the Giants and has reportedly been a favorite target of QB Jaxson Dart with Malik Nabers limited by a knee injury in camp.
- Tony Pollard is the model's running-back sleeper, placed in the same tier as backs being drafted ahead of his RB27 (pick ~75) ADP; the 29-year-old has cleared 1,000 rushing yards in four straight seasons and averaged 100 yards per game with three total touchdowns over the last five weeks of 2025.
- The model also flags a veteran wide receiver as a 'shocking top-10 option' ahead of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown, though his identity is kept behind the SportsLine paywall.
- De'Von Achane's 2025 finish validated the model — he was slotted RB6 and finished RB6 in CBS Sports PPR leagues with 1,838 scrimmage yards (sixth-most in the NFL) and 12 touchdowns, well above his RB12 ADP.
- The model's past calls include A.J. Brown (2020), Jonathan Taylor (2021), C.J. Stroud's 2024 step-back, Daniel Jones's 2025 breakout, Derrick Henry (2019), Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara (2018), and Davante Adams (2017).
Why it matters: Drafters get two named late-round sleepers with concrete ADP edges — Likely going roughly two rounds after comparable tight ends, Pollard going after backs in his model tier — plus a teased top-10 wide receiver whose identity is a paywall reveal. The Achane track record (RB12 ADP → RB6 finish, 1,838 scrimmage yards, 12 TDs) is the credential driving SportsLine's pre-draft traffic push before kickoff in roughly three weeks.
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