New Fantasy Football 2026 Rankings for Top Sleeper and Bust Candidates

The opening of the 2026 NFL preseason slate should've sounded alarms for managers all across the fantasy football world.

Fantasy draft season is officially here.

While managers all have their own ways of going about this, their aim is all the same: Maximizing the value of each and every draft pick. One of the best ways of making that happen is by snagging the right sleepers and avoiding any season-sinking busts.

Sleepers and busts are both broad-strokes labels, but the basic idea is that their draft cost doesn't align with their projection. That's assuming, of course, that managers don't reach too early on a sleeper. Conversely, busts aren't players that should be entirely avoided, so managers shouldn't pass up an obvious discount that's staring them in the face.

PPR Player Rankings

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Top 40

1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN
2. Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL
3. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET
4. Puka Nacua, WR, LAR
5. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET
7. Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF
8. CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL
9. Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN
10. Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND
11. Ashton Jeanty, RB, LV
12. James Cook III, RB, BUF
13. Drake London, WR, ATL
14. Nico Collins, WR, HOU
15. Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI
16. Derrick Henry, RB, BAL
17. Trey McBride, TE, ARI
18. Brock Bowers, TE, LV
19. De'Von Achane, RB, MIA
20. Jeremiyah Love, RB, ARI
21. Chris Olave, WR, NO
22. George Pickens, WR, DAL
23. Omarion Hampton, RB, LAC
24. Kenneth Walker III, RB, KC
25. Josh Allen, QB, BUF
26. A.J. Brown, WR, NE
27. Tee Higgins, WR, CIN
28. Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL
29. Josh Jacobs, RB, GB
30. Zay Flowers, WR, BAL
31. Breece Hall, RB, NYJ
32. Emeka Egbuka, WR, TB
33. Malik Nabers, WR, NYG
34. Chase Brown, RB, CIN
35. Drake Maye, QB, NE
36. Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ
37. DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI
38. Kyren Williams, RB, LAR
39. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, CAR
40. Rashee Rice, WR, KC

Sleepers

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Quarterback: Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings

While Murray is technically part of a quarterback competition with J.J. McCarthy, ESPN's Kevin Seifert recently reported that "Murray remains the heavy favorite to win the job." If Murray is the starter (and stays healthy), he could push for top-10 status among fantasy quarterbacks given his rushing ability and chances to make plays in a passing game overseen by Kevin O'Connell and supplemented by playmakers like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings.

Running Back: Rachaad White, Washington Commanders

White is one of the better pass-catching backs in fantasy, having topped 200 receptions over his first four NFL seasons. In Washington, he might be even more active. He has a familiarity with quarterback Jayden Daniels (they played together at Arizona State) and limited competition from starter Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who had nine receptions in 17 games as a rookie.

Wide Receiver: De'Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers

Rookie receivers haven't always had the easiest time finding the field under Kyle Shanahan, but Stribling could be a mold-breaker. His blend of speed and route-running feel like perfect system fits, and the Niners need to improve their yards after catch. With Ricky Pearsall out for the season, and Mike Evans already battling the injury bug, opportunity could knock early and often for Stribling.

Busts

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Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

While Jackson has authored a few huge passing seasons, his elite status as a fantasy quarterback has often stemmed from his dynamic rushing ability. Well, Baltimore has really backtracked that part of his game, as his 5.2 rushes per game and 26.8 rushing yards per contest last season were easily career-lows. His ceiling remains among the highest at the position, but there is a lot more risk than his draft price allows (second among quarterbacks, per FantasyPros).

Running Back: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Speaking of towering highs and crushing lows, McCaffrey has experienced both over his career. It feels like things could be trending toward the latter in 2026, as he's now on the wrong side of 30 and coming off of a colossal 413-touch campaign. The two previous times he tallied 330-plus touches, his following seasons were ravaged by injuries. The Niners figure to carefully handle his exposure the best they can, but that's just another threat to his volume. As high as his ceiling is, there's just too much risk to make a mid-first-round investment.

Wide Receiver: Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals

It'd be fascinating to see how the fantasy community would feel about Harrison if he wasn't the son of a Hall of Famer and a recent top-five pick (No. 4 in 2024). From tools to talent, he might look the part of a go-to target, but here's his reality: 1,493 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns across two seasons. He is solid, but fantasy managers keep chasing that theoretically special breakout. Given what he has done to date and the state of Arizona's passing attack, he isn't being discounted enough as the 32nd receiver off the board.