10 Deep Fantasy Football Sleepers (2026)

As we’re trying to build a championship-caliber fantasy football team, we’re always digging deep for sleepers to put our teams over the top. We saw how late-round picks can make major impacts last season, with Parker Washington and Michael Wilson tearing it up down the stretch.

In this column, I’m going to highlight 10 of my favorite deep sleepers. If you’re in a traditional format (1 QB with 5-6 bench spots), these players are unlikely to even be drafted in your league. Get your shovels; we’re digging deep here.

Deep Fantasy Football Sleepers

Jacoby Brissett (QB – ARI)

Jacoby Brissett is going to be forced into shootouts due to a questionable Cardinals defense, just like last season. He’s surrounded by a fantastic group of skilled players that includes Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Jeremiyah Love.

There’s also a legitimate chance that Mike LaFleur is the league’s next great play-caller. Brissett is going to be on the streaming radar this season.

Kirk Cousins (QB – LV)

Kirk Cousins showed even last year that he can still put up some nice spike weeks. Just think back to the game against the Buccaneers, where he absolutely peppered Kyle Pitts with targets.

Cousins is in a familiar scheme with Klint Kubiak calling plays. Remember, he played for Kubiak back when he was the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. Playing with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, Cousins has a reasonable chance of exceeding expectations.

Ray Davis (RB – BUF)

Ray Davis is once again one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy football. If James Cook were forced to miss time, Davis would immediately become an RB2 with upside for more. While there’s zero standalone value here, this is the type of lottery ticket worth stashing on your bench.

Emmett Johnson (RB – KC)

Emmett Johnson is a fifth-round rookie who has turned heads in camp. While Emari Demercado and Brashard Smith are around, Johnson would be the one you’d want if Kenneth Walker III were forced to miss time. Looking at Walker’s injury history, that’s absolutely within the range of outcomes.

Sean Tucker (RB – TB)

Every time Sean Tucker has been forced into more action, he’s absolutely smashed. Just think back to when he faced the Bills and the Saints. While he’s firmly behind Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell, there’s always a chance he can be forced into a larger role due to injury.

Adonai Mitchell (WR – NYJ)

Adonai Mitchell has shown flashes of becoming a big-play threat. He has all the tools to succeed in this league. With first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr. developing slowly, Mitchell is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 wideout in this offense. Reports out of camp have been positive, with Mitchell showing a strong rapport with Geno Smith.

Pat Bryant (WR – DEN)

Remember, Pat Bryant was hand-picked by Sean Payton in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. While he developed slowly last season, he showed some flashes. He’s reportedly looked good in camp, so we can’t rule out an outcome where Bryant forces his way up the depth chart, perhaps over a declining Courtland Sutton.

Cyrus Allen (WR – KC)

The drumbeat has been extremely loud for Cyrus Allen out of Chiefs camp. The fifth-round rookie has been turning heads for the Chiefs.

Having a chance to emerge as a viable target for Patrick Mahomes is always intriguing. There’s no risk in taking a shot on a talented player like Allen, especially in the later rounds.

Keon Coleman (WR – BUF)

Keon Coleman is more of a best ball pick, but he’s still a viable post-hype sleeper as a red-zone and deep threat for the best quarterback in the NFL. Perhaps with Joe Brady now as the team’s head coach, Coleman can be more involved in the offense than before. Of course, we’ll need to see him out of the walking boot before we know what to expect to start the new season.

Michael Mayer (TE – LV)

Michael Mayer proved that he can function as a target hog when he was forced into more action with Brock Bowers sidelined. If that happened again this season, he’d immediately be on the top-12 radar among tight ends.

We’re also likely to see the Raiders deploy more 2-TE sets under Klint Kubiak, so Mayer has some standalone value.