Fantasy Football 2026 Latest ADP for Top Sleepers and Tips to Strategize

With Week 2 of the NFL preseason set to wrap on Sunday, time is running out for fantasy managers to cram pre-draft preparation. Fortunately, this year's exhibition games have given managers a glimpse of some potential sleepers to target in the middle and late rounds.

It's always important to remember that championship fantasy rosters aren't built on top draft picks alone—though early busts can certainly derail an otherwise promising campaign.

Here, you'll find a few tips for targeting sleepers during the draft, along with a few upward-trending players. We'll dive into why these players could provide great value in 2026 and examine their current average draft positions (ADP).

All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Sleeper Strategies and Tips

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

George Holani

Preparation and accurate projections are the key to uncovering value at any stage of a fantasy draft. Top-tier players like Ja'Marr Chase and Bijan Robinson are targeted at the very top because managers know they'll have a high-volume role and can project elite production, provided they stay healthy.

Accurately projecting sleepers is a little trickier; otherwise they wouldn't be sleepers at all. The trick is to use all of the available information—including practice reports, preseason film study, depth charts, and supporting casts—to make educated guesses regarding roles.

For example, we know that rookie running back Jadarian Price is likely to see a fairly heavy workload for the Seattle Seahawks early in 2026. He's listed behind George Holani on Seattle's depth chart. However, he has a high-volume skill set and won't initially compete for touches with Zach Charbonnet, who is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in mid-January.

With an ADP of 69, Price isn't a true sleeper but could significantly outperform his draft position. Holani, meanwhile, is a legitimate sleeper with an ADP of 260. He's likely to have more value early in the year, but he's worth picking up late in drafts.

It's also important to prepare a draft strategy ahead of time in order to target sleepers in the correct range. If you're planning on a zero-RB build, for example, you'll likely want to jump on RB sleepers a couple of rounds earlier than you might target WRs and TEs. Any time you're banking on middle- or late-round value at a position, you cannot afford to miss.

Even with sleepers, it's better to make a move a round early than a round too late.

Of course, it's equally important to have a plan for pivoting. Just because you plan to target a specific position at a set stage in the draft, that doesn't mean other managers will cooperate. If an early run on receivers leaves second-tier RBs available in the middle rounds, it's probably worth abandoning that zero-RB approach, taking a back or two before moving on to WR, TE, and QB sleepers.

Lastly, it's critical to remember that roster building doesn't end with the draft. If your draft is being held, say, a week ahead of August 30 roster cuts, there's a very good chance that a few roles and situations will change after you've made your initial selections.

Don't be afraid to drop a late-round pick or two in order to snap up sleeper talent you trust off the waiver wire.

Kyler Murray, QB, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

ADP: 152

Quarterback Kyler Murray is currently trending as a mid-level streaming option, at best. His ADP puts him well behind signal-callers like Bo Nix, Jaxson Dart, and Brock Purdy, which is curious.

There's a lot of opportunity here for managers willing to take a flier on Murray. He has a dangerous dual-threat skill set and has played at a Pro Bowl level in the past. He has also been named the Minnesota Vikings' starter already, which means managers have some clarity about his initial 2026 role.

Additionally, Murray has a terrific supporting cast, led by Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Jauan Jennings. In Kevin O'Connell's offense, he'll have a chance to approach career-best numbers. He's also poised to outperform his ADP by a large margin.

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

ADP: 62

We don't have as much clarity on the 2026 role for Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey. He's listed behind J.K. Dobbins on Denver's depth chart and could also lose touches to rookie fourth-round pick Jonah Coleman.

However, we can project that Harvey will have a significant role with a good amount of upside. In a committee role as a 2025 rookie, he caught 47 passes, tallied 896 scrimmage yards, and scored 12 touchdowns. Given Dobbins' lengthy injury history, he'll have a real chance to top those numbers in 2026.

Harvey's ADP currently has him trending as a fifth- or sixth-round pick and somewhere in the early 30s among running backs. However, he finished last season as RB20 and could finish higher this year, which means he's being undervalued.

Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

ADP: 104

Wideout Michael Pittman Jr. was traded from the Indianapolis Colts to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. He'll now serve as the No. 2 receiver opposite DK Metcalf after serving as a complement to Alec Pierce.

Managers seem to be discounting Pittman's floor because of either A.) Metcalf's presence or B.)the lackluster offense Pittsburgh produced last season. His ADP has Pittman trending in the mid-30s among WR, even though he finished last season as WR18.

Pittman should have a good chance to match last year's production, even with a change of scenery. Aaron Rodgers is still pretty good at distributing the football, and the Steelers don't have a lot of receiver depth behind Pittman and Metcalf.

With new head coach Mike McCarthy likely to give Pittsburgh's offense a spark, Pittman should be targeted earlier than he currently is.

*Fantasy scoring and ADP from FantasyPros.