SportsLine picks 2026 fantasy sleepers: LaPorta, Smith — SkimNews
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- SportsLine simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released fantasy rankings highlighting sleepers, breakouts and busts in the run-up to Thursday's Hall of Fame Game between the Cardinals and Panthers.
- De'Von Achane finished as the RB6 in CBS Sports PPR leagues with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns after the model flagged him as a sleeper at his RB12 ADP the prior year.
- Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is tagged as a 2026 sleeper at an ADP of 69 after setting the rookie TE touchdown record in 2023 and regressing to TE26 in 2025; the model cites Detroit's offseason loss of David Montgomery as opening more red-zone work.
- LaPorta averaged 0.7 touchdowns in six career games without Montgomery versus 0.4 TDs in 36 games with Montgomery playing, according to the model.
- DeVonta Smith is projected as a top-15 fantasy wideout despite an ADP of 37 after posting a 1,000-yard 2025 in a bottom-10 passing offense, with A.J. Brown's trade to New England elevating Smith to Philadelphia's WR1 role.
- SportsLine is also high on a veteran wide receiver it ranks as a shocking top-10 fantasy option ahead of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown, with that name gated to SportsLine subscribers.
- Jahmyr Gibbs (1.41 ADP) leads 2026 PPR ADPs via CBS, followed by Bijan Robinson (1.86), Ja'Marr Chase (3.95), Puka Nacua (4.27) and Jonathan Taylor (5.86).
Why it matters: Drafters who buy LaPorta at TE ADP 69 and DeVonta Smith at WR ADP 37 are paying outside-the-top-25 prices at their positions for a model projecting top-15 production, while the model's demonstrated track record — including Achane's 1,838-yard RB6 finish — is what gives those projections credibility ahead of Hall of Fame Game-week drafts.
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