the Best sleeper players for the 2026-2027 fantasy football season

Now what is fantasy football if you don't have sleepers? Sleepers are some of the most fun players to try and find because they're also some of the most rewarding. That RB2 who overtook the lead back job and finished as a top 15 RB? Or how about that breakout receiver that everybody but you passed over in the draft? Being able to watch the players you took a chance on blossom to the detriment of your opponents is one of the most satisfying sensations and that's why we try our hardest to sniff out those potential players within each year's draft.

How do we spot a sleeper?

Spotting a sleeper relies mostly on the external circumstance changes, and sometimes some underlying stats. To start, the most obvious changes come whenever a player is bumped the depth chart, whether it's because they had a good training camp or a player above them left for another team, it doesn't matter, all we care about is that they're on a path to get more touches each game. The more subtle factors are found in their statistics. For instance, even if a player isn't targeted that much during the game, where are they being targeted? If that player is seeing the ball more in the red zone, that's a good sign that they're set to break out more even if those points didn't quite translate yet. Being able to spot small things like this is crucial for finding the true sleepers of each season and ensuring you aren't spending your later draft picks just taking shots in the dark.

1. Chris olave, new orleans saints

Chris Olave has been a very polarizing receiver throughout his career unfortunately due to injury. The former first round receiver's career has been a tale of two sides, as his performance while he's been on the field has been everything we expected, but the issue is the amount of time that he's actually been on the field. However, with Olave signing a fresh extension and having a new quarterback in Tyler Shough who seems to be the new franchise guy, my hopes are high for Olave especially at his current price of WR11 to outproduce his current projections.

2. Adonai Mitchell, new york jets

After having a rough start to his career in Indianapolis, Mitchell found himself shipped to the Jets as part of the Sauce Gardner trade. In the second half of the year, Mitchell sneakily had a solid stretch of games, proving that a change of scenery could've potentially been the issue all along for the talented receiver. Now going into 2026 with Geno Smith at quarterback, somebody with arm talent levels above any of the Jets starters last year, there's a very real possibility that Mitchell turns into one of the more valuable WR2s in the league. That's why I'm high on him outperforming his preseason ADP of WR67.

3. tyjae spears, tennessee titans

We're now going into year 4 of Tyjae Spears and we're still waiting for that breakout season. He's spent the past two seasons behind veteran back Tony Pollard, with many anticipating the day he'd eclipse him. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet, but that doesn't scare me off from betting on it this year. Pollard is 29, approaching the running back wall at age 30, and Spears is young and in a contract year with a budding offense as part of the Cam Ward era. The chips seem to align to me, so I'm ready to watch Spears exceed his current ADP at RB51 this year.

4. jaylen waddle, denver broncos

Waddle has definitely been one of the most discussed sleeper picks this year compared to these other guys, but I still don't think there's been enough discourse about him. Waddle has been a productive receiver since he's come into the league, even despite playing behind a hall of fame receiver in Tyreek Hill for a majority of his career. The fact that he's been able to still produce around 1,000 yards a season even with Hill is simply a testament to how talented he is. Because of this, I think Waddle will absolutely thrive in Denver, taking the clear WR1 role and getting to play with one of the better deep ball throwers in Bo Nix. Waddle seems so clearly poised to shine far past his preseason ADP of WR21 this year.

5. Denzel Boston, cleveland browns

While most of the attention in Cleveland's receiving room is going to the Browns' first round pick KC Concepcion, I don't think enough's been said about their second round pick, Denzel Boston. Boston is a big receiver at 6'4 and 215 lbs, and I believe he's got all the makings of a potential WR1 or at least 1A-1B on this team with Concepcion. There's no doubt in my mind that Boston's big frame will absolutely get him some designated red zone targets and I'm very excited to hopefully watch him blow past his initial ADP this year at WR62.

Conclusion

So overall, while it's most important to nail down your top stars in the first couple rounds, being able to identify winning players within the middle rounds is what differentiates a league winner's team from a middling manager's team. Being able to take calculated risk is a skill, and honing it will pay off infinite dividends throughout the rest of your fantasy career.