Model Flags LaPorta, Smith as 2026 Fantasy Sleepers
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- SportsLine's model simulated the NFL season 10,000 times to release 2026 Fantasy football rankings, sleepers, breakouts, and busts after correctly predicting Dolphins RB De'Von Achane would outperform his RB12 ADP — he finished as the RB6 with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns
- Sam LaPorta is flagged as a top sleeper with an ADP of 72, coming off a TE26 finish in 2025 (down from TE1 as a 2023 rookie) but posting a career-high 54.3 receiving yards per game; he should see more red-zone work after David Montgomery's departure, averaging 0.7 TDs in six career games without Montgomery versus 0.4 in 36 games with him
- DeVonta Smith is projected as a top-15 Fantasy wideout despite an ADP outside the top 25 at his position, following a 1,000-yard 2025 in a bottom-10 passing offense; the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to New England, and Smith now assumes the WR1 role — a scenario compared to Jaxon Smith-Njigba winning OPOY after DK Metcalf's Seattle departure
- Bounce-back candidates Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey, Chris Olave, Joe Burrow, and Malik Nabers are highlighted as injury-plagued players who could return value relative to their 2026 ADPs, following Prescott, McCaffrey, and Olave shaking off injuries to post big years in 2025
- The model also projects a veteran wide receiver as a 'shocking top-10 option ahead of stars like CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown,' though that specific player and the full rankings are gated behind SportsLine's subscription
Why it matters: For Fantasy drafters, late-round targets like LaPorta (ADP 72) and Smith (ADP outside the top 25 at WR) offer league-winning upside — Smith's expanded target share after the Brown trade mirrors the Smith-Njigba path that produced an OPOY in 2025, giving the model a concrete recent precedent for its 2026 projections rather than purely speculative reasoning.
