2026 Fantasy Sleepers: LaPorta, DeVonta Smith Top SportsLine Model
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- SportsLine's projection model simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released updated fantasy football rankings, with Sam LaPorta flagged as a sleeper at TE ADP 69 after the Lions lost David Montgomery — LaPorta averaged 0.7 TDs in six career games without Montgomery versus 0.4 in 36 games with him.
- DeVonta Smith is highlighted as a top-2026 sleeper at WR ADP 38 after producing a 1,000-yard season in 2025 despite playing in a bottom-10 passing offense; the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to New England, clearing Smith into the top wideout role.
- The model drew a direct parallel to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who won OPOY after ascending to Seattle's WR1 role once DK Metcalf departed, suggesting Smith's target jump could fuel a career season.
- De'Von Achane finished as the RB6 in CBS Sports PPR leagues last year with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns, validating the model's pre-season call that he'd outperform his RB12 ADP — SportsLine had him ranked RB6.
- The model's track record includes calling A.J. Brown as a 2020 sleeper, Jonathan Taylor's 2021 monster season, C.J. Stroud's 2024 step-back, and Daniel Jones' 2025 breakout.
- The 2026 top-10 PPR ADPs via CBS are led by Jahmyr Gibbs (1.71), Bijan Robinson (1.94), Ja'Marr Chase (3.41), and Puka Nacua (4.65), with the model also teasing an unnamed veteran WR it projects as a top-10 option ahead of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown.
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters gain an edge by targeting players stepping into vacated roles — LaPorta inherits Montgomery's red-zone work, and Smith takes over as Philadelphia's clear WR1 after Brown's trade — both at ADPs that price them as backups, not starters. The model's 10,000-simulation approach and prior accuracy on Achane, Taylor, and Stroud give its sleeper list weight that raw ADPs don't capture.
