2026 Fantasy Sleepers: LaPorta, DeVonta Smith Flagged by Model
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- SportsLine's model simulated the NFL season 10,000 times to produce 2026 Fantasy football rankings, building on a track record that includes calling De'Von Achane as the RB6 (he finished RB6 with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 TDs), A.J. Brown in 2020, Jonathan Taylor's 2021 breakout, and Daniel Jones' 2025 season.
- Lions TE Sam LaPorta (ADP 69) is flagged as a sleeper after regressing from TE1 as a rookie to TE26 in 2025, though his 54.3 receiving yards per game in 2025 was a career high and he averaged 0.7 TDs in 6 games without David Montgomery versus 0.4 in 36 games with him.
- Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (ADP 37) posted a 1,000-yard season in 2025 while playing in a bottom-10 passing offense; the model projects him as a top-15 Fantasy WR this year after Philadelphia traded A.J. Brown to New England and replaced its offensive coordinator.
- The model draws a direct comparison between Smith's situation and Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 2025 in Seattle, where JSN won Offensive Player of the Year after DK Metcalf's departure, suggesting Smith could see a similar target boost as Philly's new top wideout.
- SportsLine also identifies an unnamed veteran wide receiver it ranks as a top-10 Fantasy option ahead of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown, with the specific name gated behind a SportsLine subscription.
- The top 10 in 2026 PPR ADP via CBS: Jahmyr Gibbs (1.41), Bijan Robinson (1.86), Ja'Marr Chase (3.95), Puka Nacua (4.27), Jonathan Taylor (5.86), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (6.18), Christian McCaffrey (7.18), Amon-Ra St. Brown (8.68), De'Von Achane (11.36), and James Cook (11.77).
Why it matters: For Fantasy players drafting now, the actionable picks are LaPorta at TE6-or-better value and DeVonta Smith as a potential top-15 WR at a WR2 price (ADP 37) — both because of vacated target share (Montgomery gone in Detroit, Brown traded in Philly) that the model says ADP hasn't yet priced in.
