Our analysts went position by position through the NFL preseason risers worth adding to dynasty fantasy football rosters right now, from cheap waiver-wire stashes to rookies already forcing their way into real conversations. Here’s the full breakdown.
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10 NFL Preseason Risers to Draft: Dynasty Fantasy Football Sleepers
Running Backs
Not a burner, but a decisive, compact runner who bounces off contact well, Coleman has already earned real trust in pass protection from his new head coach, a critical factor for playing time under that specific staff. In his preseason debut, he flashed well before being pulled early, and his head coach’s explanation afterward, that he’d already seen three weeks of evidence and didn’t need more, is viewed as a real vote of confidence. With the presumed starter carrying a worrisome injury history and another teammate struggling badly as a runner when given a featured role last year, real belief exists that Coleman could emerge as this backfield’s true three-down option. He’s going very cheaply in redraft leagues right now, and our analysts believe he deserves to be valued significantly higher in both formats.
Currently unrostered in most leagues, Henry profiles as a much better scheme fit than a more established teammate if his team shifts toward more zone-blocking concepts this year, based on direct film study of both players. His college production supports the profile, ranking well nationally in yards to contact per attempt and breakaway run rate over his final two seasons, with his only real weakness being a lack of that final burst to separate at the second level. His team has a track record of rewarding players who prove themselves in camp regardless of draft pedigree, and he’s a completely free add on most waiver wires and taxi squads right now.
Wide Receivers
A third-round rookie already generating real preseason buzz, Hurst flashed genuine route-running chops in his preseason debut, winning consistently on underneath routes like slants and outs rather than only running clear-out decoy patterns. His college profile supports the tape, ranking top 25 nationally in missed tackles forced and posting an elite target share relative to his peers in his final season. With a clearly beatable path past the incumbent slot competitor on his depth chart, there’s real belief in a meaningful rookie-year role, drawing a direct parallel to a similar situation that unfolded for a different receiver last year once an injury opened the door.
Initially viewed skeptically by one analyst given a genuinely shaky pre-draft profile, including an older age for a rookie and modest college production, Stribling has earned real buy-in after his preseason debut. He flashed real ball skills and body control against a legitimate starting-caliber cornerback, and his varied route usage in that game, including being schemed into route types that aren’t his natural strength, is read as the coaching staff deliberately stress-testing his all-around game. His real-time ADP has already climbed more than 20 spots in a single week, and both analysts agree he’d now require a significant draft-pick premium to acquire in a trade, even if neither is personally willing to pay it.
Quarterbacks
Reportedly having a strong training camp, Willis brings real rushing production to the table, having averaged 44.5 rushing yards and scored four rushing touchdowns across six career starts, roughly eight and a half fantasy points per game from his legs alone. Real belief exists that he’s grown as a passer over the past two seasons under a respected quarterback-developing head coach, and while a very young receiving corps around him raises real questions, several of his team’s younger receivers appear to be having strong camps of their own. Our analysts rank him well above broader public consensus in dynasty formats, believing his current contract situation supports a real two-to-three-year window as his team’s starter.
A deep stash specifically for superflex taxi squads, King impressed in a high-profile preseason opener, making real substantive reads and progressions that stood in contrast to a far more hyped fellow rookie quarterback’s own more scripted debut in that same game. Currently dealing with a hamstring injury, he projects as a real contingency option behind a starter with an inconsistent track record, with genuine rushing upside as his central fantasy-relevant skill if he ever gets an extended opportunity.
Tight Ends
A long-shot stash given a well-documented recent injury history, including missed seasons due to a hamstring injury and turf toe following a promising rookie season. He reportedly identified and corrected a body-mechanics issue similar to one previously found in a different NFL receiver, and is now showing well in a fresh training camp with real belief from at least one respected local beat reporter that he’ll make the roster. Still only 27, with real size and athleticism that could translate if his injury history is finally behind him.
A Day 3 rookie pick praised as a well-rounded, three-down prospect who didn’t get enough pre-draft attention given his real athletic testing profile and a real blocking ability that exceeded his billing as purely a receiving threat. He flashed well in his preseason debut, posting a strong yards-per-route-run mark on a significant workload, including a highlight rep where his athleticism clearly showed up against real competition. Both analysts rank him inside the top 50 dynasty tight ends overall and within the top 10 to 12 of a genuinely solid rookie tight end class this year.
Rookies Who Will Surprise This Year
A sixth-round rookie reportedly having a strong camp, working in with the first-team offense on a roster with a wide-open receiver depth chart. Once considered a true elite recruit before bouncing between multiple college programs, he posted a strong final college season and has reportedly developed real chemistry with his team’s rookie starting quarterback. Both analysts believe the gap between his current extremely low dynasty ranking and a similarly situated but so-far unproductive teammate from last year’s rookie class is overcorrected, and would rather stash Benson given the real opportunity in front of him.
One analyst’s preferred rookie sleeper over a different, more hyped rookie teammate, questioning the attention gap given Lance’s far stronger college efficiency profile, ranking top 10 nationally in multiple receiving categories in his final season. A real injury cloud hanging over a highly drafted teammate, who has now been hurt repeatedly across the pre-draft process and into training camp, could open a path for Lance to become his offense’s clear number two target later this season. Both analysts rank him notably higher than his current consensus dynasty ranking suggests.
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