4 Dynasty Rookie Sleepers to Target (2026 Fantasy Football)

“Rookie Sleepers” is a precarious term this fantasy football season. We’ve all begrudgingly come to terms with the draft class being underwhelming and the landing spots being frustrating. However, there are still diamonds in the rough, and that’s where you can make the most of your dynasty rookie drafts. Jeremiyah Love might be out of your reach, but who are the dynasty rookies and sleeper backs with long-term potential?

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: Running Backs

Nick Singleton (RB – TEN)

Tony Pollard‘s bags were packed, but Arizona snagged Jeremiyah Love, leaving the Titans to run it back with Pollard and Tyjae Spears for another season. Pollard had a fine 2025 season, and his lack of touchdowns can easily be attributed to the Titans’ offensive struggles. Unlike several other sleepers, Singleton’s opportunity with Tennessee isn’t capitalizing on a failed backfield. It’s the benefit of getting drafted to a team where he will likely be the only running back under contract in 2027. He can earn a lead-back role by attrition. If he can showcase the qualities that once made him the premier running back prospect in the country, the Titans will walk away from the draft with an absolute steal.

Singleton has all the tools to be a three-down back. His reduction of yardage in 2025 compared to the previous season is a concern. Jumping from over 1,000 yards on the ground in 2024 to just 549 in 2025 crushed his draft stock and pigeonholed him into being viewed as a change-of-pace back. However, perhaps the right offensive coordinator – Brian Daboll – can bring out his best qualities. The Titans will likely want to see what Singleton has to offer this season, and Spears has dealt with nagging injuries in back-to-back seasons, so Singleton will have the opportunity to stake his claim for 2027 value.

Kaytron Allen (RB – WAS)

Allen is an extremely straightforward running back. There’s no mystery to his game. He’s a clear power back who played in a tandem backfield with Nick Singleton at Penn State. While Allen did have some receptions, Singleton was the preferred pass catcher between the two. Allen’s future in the NFL is likely early down, short yardage, and goal line usage. The good news is that Washington has used a committee for several years through multiple coaching staff changes, and they clearly intended to carry that tradition forward in 2026, meaning Allen can have a specific role in this offense.

The bad news is that he’s essentially the same player as Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Allen will need to prove that he’s the better back and push Croskey-Merritt out of his role…which might be a bit easier than you’d think. While Croskey-Merritt was excellent in several games when operating as the lead back, he often took a backseat to Chris Rodriguez Jr. There’s an opportunity here for Allen. Ultimately, that opportunity is capped because Rachaad White is the clear receiving back and best blocker of the group. However, if Allen can improve his blocking and earn trust, there is potential within this backfield.

Demond Claiborne (RB – MIN)

The Vikings’ offseason approach at running back was a bit confusing. They failed to sign a back in free agency, despite an extremely deep group of proven starters who could give some burst to an underwhelming committee of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. Jones is a 31-year-old back who had career lows across the board in 2025 outside of his rookie season, and Mason simply isn’t a true three-down back. Naturally, the Vikings were one of the coveted landing spots for a rookie. They passed on running back until Round 6 to draft Claiborne, an undersized running back who they likely targeted for his special teams’ talents.

While Claiborne doesn’t profile as a lead back at the professional level, he’s a very well-rounded back who handled volume on the ground plus receiving work at Wake Forest. He also ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Given his special teams upside, Claiborne is a strong candidate to be on the Vikings’ active roster in Week 1, and that’s all it takes. He’ll naturally get some usage at running back if he’s active on special teams. Jones is clearly on the decline, and his natural replacement would be Claiborne, specifically for receiving work. While last year was rough, Jones did have significant usage with checkdowns back in 2024, with 51 receptions on 62 targets. Claiborne may not be the flashiest pick, but he certainly has a very clear path to fantasy relevancy.

Adam Randall (RB – BAL)

You earn “Rookie Sleeper” status when you’re the team owner’s single pick of the draft.

As your resident Clemson apologist, I’ll be very direct with you – there’s a lot to like about Randall, and there’s a lot to be skeptical of. From a fantasy perspective, I love a receiver converted to running back. However, it is an extremely hit-or-miss archetype, emphasis on miss. Randall converted to receiver at Clemson and had a fine season with 168 carries for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus significant receiver work – oddly enough, more receiver work than he had as an actual receiver. Because he is so new to the position, pass protection isn’t a strong suit, but given his size, he can certainly develop.

While he doesn’t have the exact build as Henry, he’s still extremely physically imposing, and a one-two punch of 230+ pound running backs is daunting. Randall essentially gives the Ravens the ability to use Randall as a change-of-pace receiving back that can still be a short-yardage threat. Derrick Henry remains the ageless wonder, handling 300+ touches at over 30 years old. However, if Randall can unseat Justice Hill, the rookie could see meaningful usage because the Ravens prefer to keep Henry at or below 60% of snaps, creating ample opportunity for other contributing backs.