The biggest advantage you can give yourself in dynasty fantasy football leagues is understanding the market and seizing your opportunity to buy and sell when the moment is right. That certainly comes into play with dynasty sleepers.
Buying players after they’ve failed to deliver on hype can sometimes be a big advantage, with their costs dropping substantially. Typically, while they’ve not delivered on the hype, their situations tend not to have gotten any worse. Here are four post-hype dynasty sleepers who could give you a big advantage in your 2026 fantasy football leagues.
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Dynasty Sleepers | Post-Hype Fantasy Football Players
Brashard Smith (RB – KC)
The Chiefs currently have Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt headed off to free agency, and look set to remold their running back room. The Chiefs ranked 15th in rushing expected points added (EPA), ranked 31st in explosive run rate (2.6%) and 32nd in missed tackles forced per attempt (0.09).
The Chiefs were fourth in success rate, which tells you they picked up what was expected, but rarely more. Brashard Smith failed to make an impact in his first year, but the situation wasn’t ideal with the Chiefs spiraling and losing more than their fair share of one-score games.
Smith ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and was a good receiving back in college. He’s never going to be a three-down workhorse, but if the Chiefs bring in someone like Rico Dowdle or Najee Harris to take the bulk of the between-the-20s work, Smith could become a valuable player in PPR formats.
Tory Horton (WR – SEA)
Perhaps because Jaxon Smith-Njigba had such an incredible year or maybe because of Rashid Shaheed‘s post-season heroics, there doesn’t seem to be much said about Tory Horton. Despite playing only eight games, Horton finished with five receiving touchdowns, with only AJ Barner (six) and Smith-Njigba (10) scoring more. Among the rookie wide receiver class, only four players scored more than Horton’s five, and all four of those players were featured in 17 games.
TORY HORTON GOES 95 YARDS TO THE CRIB!
NOvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/nwjvDYnnD2
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
The Seahawks did trade for Shaheed, and perhaps if they extend or re-sign him, it might bode poorly for Horton, but Shaheed stands to make plenty of money on the open market. A team such as the Raiders, where former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is now the head coach, could also be interested.
Horton, for his part, recorded 12.38 yards per reception, compared to Shaheed’s 11.64, and he also bettered him in catch rate, despite seeing a lower rate of catchable targets. Whether the Seahawks bring back Shaheed or not should tell us plenty about how hopeful they are for Horton coming off his return from a shin injury.
Jalen McMillan (WR – TB)
Things look like they could change quite dramatically in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers and Mike Evans seem to be heading for a mutual separation after 12 years together, and should the Buccaneers wish to, they can also get out of Chris Godwin‘s contract fairly easily.
Perhaps they don’t pull the trigger on both veterans this offseason, but they also look primed to lose Cade Otton in free agency, with the NFL seemingly higher on him than the fantasy football community. With all that drama going on, and Emeka Egbuka coming off a solid first year in the league, Jalen McMillan has gone under the radar somewhat.
Jalen McMillan the magician pic.twitter.com/zWqzqsSInL
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) December 21, 2025
From Week 8 onwards in his rookie season, McMillan averaged 48.4 yards per game and was the PPR WR25 with 14.4 points per game. McMillan was a reliable option for Baker Mayfield, posting a 73.8% catch rate, despite seeing an average depth of target (aDOT) of 12.5 yards.
Only three other wide receivers had a catch rate higher than this while also having an aDOT in the double-digits. McMillan also tied for fifth among wide receivers in this period with seven touchdowns. The only receivers with more were Amon-Ra St. Brown (eight), Jordan Addison (eight), Terry McLaurin (nine) and Ja’Marr Chase (11). McMillan’s 2025 season was severely hampered by a neck injury suffered in the preseason, where he fractured three vertebrae and was almost paralyzed.
Thankfully, McMillan made a full recovery and came back late in the season, catching 12 of his 15 targets for 178 yards. If the Buccaneers do make a move to reset their offense, McMillan could be a beneficiary of it.
Tank Dell (WR – HOU)
It’s been a long road back to fitness for Tank Dell after the wideout suffered a dislocated knee, a torn ACL, a torn MCL, a torn LCL and additional meniscus damage at the back end of the 2024 season. He seems set to be healthy for the whole of the Texans’ offseason program.
Through 25 games in his combined first two seasons, Dell had 98 catches, 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns on 156 targets. There were moments where legitimate conversations were had about whether he or Nico Collins was the team’s No. 1 WR. After such a substantial layoff, which saw Dell miss the entirety of the 2025 season, he might not hit the peaks we once expected, but the Texans are crying out for a No. 2 WR with Christian Kirk heading to free agency.
Jayden Higgins had his moments, but Jaylin Noel saw only 35 targets in 17 games, failing to reach 300 yards in his rookie season. The battle for No. 2 WR responsibilities could be muddled, but Dell’s price is the equivalent of an early third-round pick, and the gamble feels just as strong as if you were taking that dart throw on a rookie. If you’re a rebuilding team and need to make some swings to try and create value, Dell is worth your consideration.
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