SportsLine Model Tabs Likely, Pollard as 2026 Fantasy Sleepers
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- SportsLine's computer model correctly projected Dolphins RB De'Von Achane as RB6 last year, matching his finish with 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 TDs despite going off the board as RB12 in ADP.
- The same model simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and released Fantasy football rankings, sleepers, breakouts, and busts — with a hit record dating to 2017 that includes Derrick Henry (2019), McCaffrey and Kamara (2018), A.J. Brown (2020) and Jonathan Taylor (2021).
- Isaiah Likely is flagged as a sleeper TE after following coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore to the Giants; SportsLine ranks him TE9 ahead of Sam LaPorta and George Kittle despite an ADP of 97 — nearly two rounds later.
- Tony Pollard is identified as a sleeper after four straight 1,000-yard seasons and averaging 100 yards per game with three total touchdowns in the last five weeks of 2025; the model slots him in the same tier as backs picked earlier like TreVeyon Henderson and Rico Dowdle despite a pick-73 ADP.
- An unnamed veteran wide receiver is described by the model as a "shocking top-10 option" ahead of stars like CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown, with the identity gated behind SportsLine.
- Lamar Jackson, Alvin Kamara, and Sam LaPorta are cited as potential 2026 bounce-back candidates in the same mold as Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey, and Puka Nacua last year.
- Top 2026 PPR ADPs via CBS open with Jahmyr Gibbs (1.33), Bijan Robinson (1.94), and Ja'Marr Chase (4.01), followed by Puka Nacua, Jonathan Taylor, and McCaffrey.
Why it matters: With the NFL regular season under four weeks away, the model that nailed Achane's breakout is naming players ranked well above where they're being drafted — Likely at TE9 vs. an ADP of 97 and Pollard in a top tier vs. an ADP of 73 — giving drafters a concrete value gap if its past accuracy (Henry 2019, Taylor 2021) holds. The model's boldest call is the unnamed WR projected top-10 ahead of Lamb and Brown, whose identity sits behind SportsLine's paywall.
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