Fantasy Football: Justin Boone's deep (and super deep) sleepers at each position for 2026

· Yahoo Sports

Hopefully you've already checked out my main sleepers going over some of the late-round targets who could drastically outproduce their ADP in 2026.

Visit newsbetting.bond for more information.

Now, we're diving even deeper into players with average draft positions outside the top 150, who could emerge as fantasy-relevant if everything falls into place for them this season.

These aren't players you necessarily need to draft, but names you should have on your waiver wire watch list so you're ready to pick them up when their opportunity arrives. 

Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season

Brissett played well enough last year to get a re-worked, fully guaranteed one-year contract this offseason — signaling the Cardinals' plans to start him once again. Though the 33-year-old's actual play on the field was average, his willingness to throw the ball around the yard while trailing, led to immense volume and inflated stats. That made him the QB9 in fantasy points per game once he took over as the starter in Week 6. It's possible this offense could be more efficient in 2026 with a new offensive-minded head coach in Mike LaFleur and the return of a healthy Marvin Harrison Jr. Whether lighting can strike twice in Arizona remains to be seen, but Brissett could be a sneaky fantasy option until the team falls out of playoff contention and turns to rookie Carson Beck down the stretch. 

Penix is in the midst of a tough road to recovery as he attempts to get back to peak form after his third ACL tear (two suffered in college during the 2018 and 2020 campaigns). That likely means Tua Tagovailoa will begin the season as the Falcons' starting quarterback, but based on the reports coming out of Atlanta Tua's time atop the depth chart might not last long. Once Penix is ready, he should get an opportunity to start once again and as a pocket-passer, we don't need to worry about the ACL tear impacting his rushing production. We do have to monitor his rehab process and how it might affect his ability to get comfortable in the system implemented by new head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who will be the play-caller. However, Penix finished as a top-12 fantasy QB three times despite only playing half the season last year and has more than enough talent around him (Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts Sr.) to have fantasy success. 

Subscribe to Fantasy Ultra to unlock our Strategy Lab, 150+ page Draft Playbook and more!

Singleton is a fifth-round rookie who broke his foot during Senior Bowl week and missed the majority of the pre-draft process. The result was far less hype than he deserved from the fantasy community. His landing spot in Tennessee also seems crowded at the moment with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears already forming a nice one-two punch in the Titans' backfield. However, both players are entering the final year of their contracts, with Pollard on the backside of his career at 29 years old and Spears never proving he was worthy of the starting job. That's where Singleton could win over the new coaching and carve out a role in Year 1. After all, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has a history of giving us some fantasy surprises with Day 3 backs over the last couple years. Two seasons ago, it was Tyrone Tracy Jr. (fifth-round pick) overtaking Devin Singletary in the Giants' backfield. Then last year, Cam Skattebo (fourth-round pick) stole Tracy's lead back role. Singleton has three-down potential, with serious straight line speed through the line. He's a surprisingly explosive big-play threat for his size (6-foot, 219 pounds) and is a capable pass-catcher. We should get a better idea of where he stands in training camp, even if he's just insurance in case one of the backs ahead of him on the depth chart gets hurt. But if the Titans fall out of the playoff picture, they might want to see what they have in the rookie down the stretch.  

Don't be fooled by Claiborne's smaller frame (5-foot-10, 188 pounds), the Vikings' sixth-round pick is an intriguing big-play threat with lightning quick burst who's even earning praise from the man he might replace. Aaron Jones Sr. turns 32 in December and has dealt with a long list of injuries over the last six years, including missing at least five games in two of the past three seasons. Whether those durability concerns will pop up again is unclear, but he's already shining the spotlight on his young teammate. If Jones were to miss time, Jordan Mason would be the lead back, but Claiborne would immediately get involved. The rookie has game-breaking ability that fantasy managers search for and could form a nice pairing with Mason, who could handle some of the dirty work. A couple things need to fall right for Claiborne to hit, but he's a free square in fantasy drafts with plenty of potential. 

Gordon ended up being the No. 3 back on the Dolphins depth chart, behind De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright last season. However, a new coaching staff brings a fresh opportunity to prove yourself and entering his sophomore season Gordon could emerge as the immediate backup. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound back is more of a power complement to the smaller, quicker Achane. We already know Miami's offense will be built around the run, with dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis under center. So, it's not hard to imagine the team leaning on Gordon in certain situations — like around the goal line — to help keep Achane fresh for the whole season. This is far from a condemnation of Achane, he's actually held up quite well over the last two years. But Bobby Slowik is likely to be run-heavy with this roster and working someone like Gordon into the mix makes sense. If you're trying to find an unheralded one-injury-away RB with weekly flex value, Gordon is an intriguing target — as long as he can beat out Wright.

The Dolphins' backfield isn't the only place you can find discount fantasy options. Their receiving corps might have the least star power of any WR room in the league. Washington failed to make a consistent impact after Tyreek Hill went out with a season-ending injury last year, but the passing attack struggled as a whole en route to a quarterback change. While we have seen flashes of Washington's playmaking ability during his first two years in the league, he'll need to make a big leap forward this offseason if he's going to emerge as a fantasy option. Fortunately for Washington, the departures of Hill and Jaylen Waddle have left him as the new No. 1 target in the offense. The 25-year-old is definitely headed towards a career year in this third season, the only question is whether his stats will reach high enough to make him a weekly fantasy starter. With his current ADP of WR70, I'm willing to find out. 

Incumbent veterans DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert will be the main beneficiaries of A.J. Brown's departure from Philadelphia, while early-round rookie Makai Lemon expected to help fill the void once he gets back up to speed after the hamstring issues that kept him out of OTAs and the start of training camp. However, few people are considering Wicks' potential with the Eagles. The 25-year-old was a strong contributor for the Packers over the past few years, flashing significant potential mixed with a tendency to drop catchable balls. If he cleans up some of the miscues, there's no reason why Wicks can't be a quality starter and possibly even a fantasy star. If that's going to occur, he'll need to challenge Lemon for targets this season, before the rookie takes over. We'll keep an eye on how the Eagles' WR depth chart is shaking out prior to Week 1, but don't write off Wicks just yet. 

Another Dolphins wideout? Yes, because when you have a completely unproven WR room, there's opportunity for fantasy value to emerge. Bellis working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in late November. While we've seen players return from serious knee injuries the following season, there's no guarantee the rookie will get an immediate shot. In fact, the Dolphins aren't realistic contenders this year, so slow-playing Bell's return would make sense. At the moment, he's been activated from the non football injury list which will allow him to begin practicing with the team. How long before he gets fully up to speed is unknown. However, in this year's receiver class he was one of the few picks outside the first round with the ceiling to be a difference-maker. The 22-year-old is a physical receiver with a strong frame who isn't afraid to mix it up over the middle of the field. Though he might lack some of the elite skills you normally find in top wideouts, Bell is difficult to bring down and dangerous after the catch. In a wide-open WR room, he could rise into a meaningful role during the season.

After training all offseason in hopes of continuing his career at 33 years old (turns 34 in September), Waller finally found a home in Carolina. The veteran tight end didn't look like he lost a step last year while playing for the Dolphins and scoring four touchdowns in his first three games. Had it not been for an injury, we would have been talking about as one of the best waiver wire pickups of the season. Even after five weeks on the sidelines, Waller came back and topped 40 yards in three of his last five outings, finding the end zone twice during that stretch. If you're looking for a last-round deep stash or potential early-season waiver add, Waller is a forgotten man in fantasy at the moment. 

Though it sounds like George Kittle's recovery from a torn Achilles is going well, we still can't trust a player's optimism about their own injury. It's possible Kittle could be ready for Week 1, but it's also possible he misses time or isn't quite himself to start the year. Remember, Kittle's injury occurred in January during the Wild Card game. It's a tall task to expect a 32-year-old tight end (turns 33 in October) to be fully ready for the opener, which is taking place in Australia. That's why Tonges has to be on your radar. He was the TE13 in fppg while filling in for Kittle over the first six weeks last year. It's not impossible to think the 49ers might sit Kittle out for the first game to avoid major travel, then ease him back in over the next few weeks. Either way, Tonges is a name to consider at the end of drafts.

Yahoo Fantasy Ultra includes the Strategy Lab and Playbook.

Yahoo Fantasy Ultra includes the Strategy Lab and Playbook.

Want Justin Boone's sleeper candidate for all 32 teams? Sign up for Fantasy Ultra and unlock over 150 pages of advice with our Draft Playbook, including ...

  • Top targets and players to avoid from Justin Boone (the top in-season ranker of 2025) , Matt Harmon, Josh Norris, Joel Smyth, Scott Pianowski and Hayden Winks

  • In-depth positional advice and strategies for every draft pick range

  • 32 sleeper and 32 breakout candidates

  • Cheat sheets

  • Half and PPR rankings

  • Half and PPR positional tiers

  • More than 125 player profiles

An Ultra subscription also comes with access to several top-notch tools like Yahoo's Draft Strategy Lab to mock draft like a champ with tons of features, including filtering by each analyst's rankings or a draft strategy style (like robust WR).

If you're looking to up your game this season, consider Fantasy Ultra.

Read full story at source