Sleepers by Position
Every year, a player emerges to become league-winning fantasy football gold. They key is knowing to draft them before it happens…
QB: Tyler Shough (NO)
Shough's late-season surge showed everyone what New Orleans is building around, and a full offseason in Kellen Moore's system could make him one of the most undervalued QBs on your board.
He closed 2025 with back-to-back 300-yard games and three straight outings of 272, 308, and 333 passing yards. That was the version that earned him the confirmed 2026 starting job.
The Saints surrounded him with real weapons: 8th-overall pick WR Jordyn Tyson joins Chris Olave, and Travis Etienne (4 years, $52M) pairs with Alvin Kamara in a two-back system built for play-action efficiency.
In 11 games he produced 2,384 passing yards, 10 TDs, and 186 rushing yards (4.09 carries/game) with a 7.3 yards-per-attempt mark (13th among QBs), and that was with zero offseason as a starter in this offense.
A full offseason with the first-team offense, the 6th-easiest QB schedule in 2025 now stretching to 12th-easiest, and a dramatically upgraded supporting cast make a 4,000-yard, QB1-range season a legitimate ceiling at an ADP of 113.
WR: Jalen Coker (CAR)
Coker spent most of 2025 flying under the radar before an injury-delayed season ended with a playoff breakout that may have permanently raised his floor.
In the Wild Card round, he posted career highs across the board: 9 receptions, 134 yards, and a TD. It was the kind of performance that moves the needle with coaching staffs and fantasy managers alike.
HC Dave Canales publicly named him the team's clear WR2 behind Tetairoa McMillan, and all three of his regular-season TDs came in the final five games after returning from a hamstring injury.
Coker ranked 19th in yards per target (9.2) in 2025 and logged 259 slot snaps while also proving he can win outside… he hauled in a 32-yard TD from the perimeter in Week 15.
With a clear WR2 designation, elite per-play efficiency, and a cheap ERFA contract keeping him locked in Carolina, Coker is a high-upside stash at ADP 134, the volume just needs to catch up to the talent.
TE: Isaiah Likely (NYG)
Likely spent three seasons in Baltimore waiting for his turn behind Mark Andrews… and the Ravens picked Andrews in the end. Now Likely’s signed a $40M deal with the Giants and has the clearest path to targets of any TE at his ADP.
His efficiency metrics in 2025 were elite despite the limited role: 6th in target separation (2.27 yards), 13th in yards per target (8.3), and 14th in yards per reception (11.4).
The Giants are projecting him as a slot replacement for Wan'Dale Robinson, an ideal fit alongside QB Jaxson Dart, whose style on scramble drills specifically suits how Likely wins routes.
The schedule is a massive tailwind: New York's TE strength of schedule jumps from 27th easiest in 2025 all the way to 2nd easiest projected in 2026… one of the biggest single-season swings of any player in this newsletter.
With Daniel Bellinger gone, a full-time role on the way, and an elite efficiency floor already established, Likely has all the ingredients of a breakout. And ADP 126 is a gift for what he could become in New York.
RB: Jadarian Price (SEA)
Price arrives in Seattle as the 32nd overall pick and the Seahawks' designated RB1, stepping into a championship-caliber offense that just lost its starting back and needs a new centerpiece in the backfield.
At Notre Dame, he racked up 11 rushing touchdowns on only 113 carries (elite scoring efficiency) while leading the country in kickoff return yards per attempt (37.5), proving his Achilles recovery is fully behind him.
He walks into a Seahawks offense that ranked 3rd in points scored (483) and 11th in rushing yards (2,096) in 2025, with Kenneth Walker departed for Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet sidelined by an ACL injury.
Seattle's RB strength of schedule improves dramatically, from 22nd easiest in 2025 to the 3rd easiest projected in 2026. It’s one of the most favorable schedule swings for any running back heading into the season.
There are real flags to monitor: early split with George Holani, limited pass-catching in college, and some goal-line fumble issues. But in one of the NFL's top offenses with the 3rd-easiest RB schedule, Price's ceiling at ADP 63 makes the risk worth taking.
That's the list: sleepers to target at every position. Some of these guys could end up swinging weeks… or even entire leagues.
-Joe