2026 NFL Deep Sleeper Team

For my sleeper and deep sleeper articles, I focus on players drafted in rounds 11 to 15 as sleepers, and anyone after that range falls into the deep sleeper range. Each fantasy football draft season, there will be a couple of late quarterbacks and tight ends that climb into the top 10 in scoring at their position.

The running back position can offer the most help in the sleeper area due to the high number of injuries to backs each football season. The trick is identifying the best all-around player that develop in winning starter late in the season. The most challenging position later in drafts is at the wide receiver position.

Quarterback

Cade Klubnik, New York Jets

Other than deep BestBall fantasy football leagues, Klubnik will go undrafted this summer. His lifeline to a starting job hinges on the win column by Geno Smith. The Jets' coach-speak has been positive about their new veteran quarterback, but in the second half of the year, New York should turn to their hopefully franchise quarterback.

His highlight year at Clemson came in 2024 (3,649 passing yards with 36 touchdowns via the air). He also added value in the run game (119/463/7), which helps his fantasy floor. Klubnik underperformed expectations last year, leading to a sharp decline in his stats (2,943/16 passing and 83/94/4 in the run game). The regression of his NFL stock allowed the Jets to steal their rookie quarterback in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

New York upgraded their receiving corps in this year’s draft class (Omar Cooper and Kenyon Sadiq), and a healthy Garrett Wilson paired with Breece Hall gives the Jets the tools to be much better offensively in 2026 if their quarterback position is up to the task. The combination of Klubnik’s mobility and his passing potential sets up for him to be winning waiver wire add (once he gets a starting job) for the fantasy teams that whiffed on their quarterbacks on draft day or suffered multiple injuries to the position.

Running Backs

Nicholas Singleton, Tennessee Titans

I’m putting Singleton in the category of my Deep Sleeper Breakout Player of the Year. He comes into 2026 with an RB3 role in the Titans’ offense behind Tony Pollard, who comes off four consecutive seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards but produced only 10 touchdowns across his last 33 starts. His floor in the passing game (39 catches or more from 2021 to 2024) helps raise his floor, putting him more into the flex conversation in PPR format rather than expecting a push toward a starting RB2.

In addition, Tyjae Spears has been active in Tennessee’s passing game over the past three years (52/385/1, 30/224/1, and 45/264) while averaging six rushing attempts a game since arriving in the NFL.

Singleton is a big back (6’0” and 220 lbs.) with elite speed (4.35 40-yard dash), which scream goal line opportunity and short-yardage carries. He also has a reasonable pass-catching floor coming into the NFL (102/987/9), highlighted by his success in 2024 (41/375/5 on 53 targets). Over 53 college games in a split role with Kaytron Allen, Singleton scored 54 times.

His 2026 NFL draft value (fifth-round selection) takes some shine off his name in the fantasy market. I view him as a thorn in the ceiling of Tony Pollard due to stealing in-close rushing chances, and his foundation skill set on passing downs could easily push him past Spears, who already has some injury risk based on his missing nine games over the past two seasons. Spears gained only 3.9 yards per carry and 5.9 yards per catch last year.

In 2017, Alvin Kamara came into the Saints' regular season third on their running back depth chart behind Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson. He finished the year with 1,554 combined yards, 13 touchdowns, and 81 catches, ranking him third in PPR fantasy points (320.40). His success helped fantasy teams win many league and overall championships.

Singleton slips into a much weaker offense, and the Titans’ pass-catching ceiling is much lower than that of a receiving option in Sean Payton’s offense with Drew Brees driving their offense in 2017. His ADP (180 or higher in most formats) puts him in the free zone, and I don’t see many drafters handcuffing him with Pollard or Spears. I expect Singleton to be a fantasy difference-maker late in the season, while falling into the must-own category in 2026.

Demond Claiborne, Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have two backs with experience standing in front of Claiborne on their depth chart, but both veteran players have injury risk coming into 2026. Jordan Mason is drafted as Minnesota’s RB1, but he brings a low ceiling in the pass game, and his NFL body of work at age 27 doesn’t scream impact player. Mason is a big back, so goal-line opportunities should favor him when on the field.

As for Aaron Jones, he starts the year at age 31 with a risk/reward profile. His NFL success and experience will give him the Vikings’ pass-catching chances, with the talent to eat into Jordan Mason’s carries.

I prefer to roster Claiborne as the handcuff to Jones, as I would never draft Mason based on his price point in 2026. The Vikings rookie back is undersized, so I can’t see him developing into a higher-volume player this year. I’d be happy with 12 touches a game with a pass-catch-favoring opportunity if Jones had an injury. Jonah Coleman is a much more attractive player for me than Claiborne, as he has a much higher all-around ceiling.

Kaytron Allen, Washington Commanders

Allen comes into the NFL with a comparable college resume at Penn State (769/4,180/39 with 70 catches for 490 yards and four scores on 101 targets) with Nicholas Singleton, but his NFL opportunity looks much different.

The Commanders have a running quarterback who will snipe scores on the ground and fall below the league average in passing attempts. Washington added a pass-catching back (Rachaad White) but ranked below the league average in receiving usage by their running backs over the past two seasons (65/564/0 on 79 targets and 42/314/0 on 55 targets).

Allen has a high enough early down profile to steal Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s job, and he has been battling a lower-body issue (most like minor) in late August. White is also dealing with a hamstring issue. I like the potential of Allen, but his path to meaningful touches isn’t ideal, especially in the passing game. I have him only on my radar as a deep sleeper, but the fantasy market has Allen price over Singleton in most drafts, which I view as a mistake.

Wide Receivers

Kyle Williams, New England Patriots

Before the Patriots traded Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans, Williams went undrafted in most fantasy leagues. He put some shine on his name in New England’s last preseason game (2/55/1). Based on his big-play ability, I expect the Patriots’ second-year wideout to capitalize on most of the new opportunity created by their recent trade.

His rookie stats (10/209/3 on 21 targets) won’t move the needle for many fantasy drafters, but his body of work in his final year in college (70/1,198/14 on 103 targets – 17.1 yards per catch) paints a Jameson Williams-type player in New England’s offense once Kyle gains more targets.

Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns

This fantasy draft season, Jeudy has developed a draft plague. No one wants him until every other wideout with a pulse has been removed from the draft queue. Two years ago, he caught 90 balls for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns on 145 targets, ranking him 16th in PPR fantasy points (236.90). His catch rate slipped to 47.2% last year, leading to 50 catches for 602 yards and two touchdowns on 106 targets. His drops have been a problem in 2024 (9) and 2025 (10), and the Browns added KC Concepcion (24th overall) and Denzel Boston (39th overall) in the 2026 NFL Draft, giving drafters new bodies to add to their fantasy teams.

At the very least, Jeudy is worth a late dart to see what his role is in Week 1. If he secures WR1 snaps and has more targets than both incoming rookie wide receivers, his fantasy job survives for another week. Jeudy is a former first-round draft pick who starts 2026 at age 27. His starting fantasy value hinges on the quarterback play in Cleveland and a rebound in his catch rate. Jeudy’s failure last year is also partly due to the subpar quarterback play by Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Joe Flacco (57.9% completion rate and 5.6 yards per pass attempt combined).

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

A great finish to 2026 by Parker Washington, the addition of Jakobi Meyers, and right knee surgery have put Hunter in the forgotten fantasy columns. He now has the look of a low-volume WR4 with a defensive profile. In his rookie season, after getting second overall, Hunter caught 28 of his 45 targets for 298 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, his best game (8/101/1 on 14 targets) was followed by his season-ending injury.

Based on his talent and ceiling, Hunter could be one injury from a winning opportunity in the Jaguars’ passing. His best college season (96/1,258/15 on 126 targets) shines in the background and commands targets. When shopping at the back end of the player pool in fantasy drafts, finding potential impact players should be the goal, and Hunter brings that profile in a big way.

Tight End

Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers tight end rotation in 2026 looks a lot messier than expected a couple of months ago. David Njoku brings plenty of experience, and he will get his share of targets. Charlie Kolar has been getting some tight end buzz as a deep, deep sleeper, but he has been in the NFL for four seasons with only 30 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns on 41 targets. Los Angeles thought enough of his overall game to sign Kolar to a three-year deal for $24 million in March. Some fantasy sites have even moved him to number one on the Chargers’ tight end depth chart.

All of this side noise has led Gadsden to slide in drafts. He brings a pass-catching tight end profile to his sophomore season in the NFL, highlighted by an excellent rookie midseason four-game run (7/68, 7/164/1, 5/77/1, and 5/68). Based on potential, Gadsden should be an attractive buy-and-hold tight end, with the talent to post difference-maker games if/when game flow breaks his way.

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