Fantasy Football: 3 sleepers for 2026

• Josh Downs is finally positioned for a larger workload: After operating primarily as Indianapolis' slot receiver, Downs is expected to see increased snaps and opportunities following Michael Pittman Jr.‘s departure.

• Greg Dulcich has a path to leading Miami in targets: The Dolphins moved on from several tight ends and key wide receivers, leaving Dulcich positioned for a major role after posting 2.31 yards per route run last season.

While fantasy football championships are often shaped by decisions made in the early rounds of fantasy drafts, league-winning value is frequently found much later in drafts.

Javonte Williams, Rico Dowdle and Kenneth Gainwell were all available in the later rounds of drafts last year before finishing among the top 20 fantasy running backs. Michael Wilson finished among the top 10 fantasy wide receivers despite entering the season with the WR81 average draft position. Kyle Pitts Sr. rewarded the managers who remained patient, finishing second among tight ends in fantasy points after falling to the 11th round in many drafts.

This article identifies three players who have the potential to make a similar leap from late-round selection to weekly fantasy starter.

Mitchell entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and didn't receive his first carry until Week 9 of his rookie season. Over the following six weeks, he totaled 47 carries for 396 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per carry and at least 6.0 yards per attempt in five of those six games. A significant ACL injury late in 2023 sidelined him for much of 2024 and clearly affected his play after he returned. By 2025, he had settled into the role of Derrick Henry‘s primary early-down backup, averaging 5.8 yards per carry on a limited workload of 4.5 attempts per game.

Mitchell signed with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, joining a backfield that also includes 2025 first-round pickOmarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal, who played well while Hampton was sidelined last season. Despite his injury-affected 2024 campaign, Mitchell earned the highest PFF grade of the trio over the past three seasons, including the best receiving grade.

He is also the running back who most closely fits new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's preferred archetype. McDaniel specifically brought Mitchell to Los Angeles, while Hampton and Vidal were already on the roster. More importantly, Mitchell most closely resembles McDaniel's previous featured back, De'Von Achane. Achane, Mitchell and Jaleel McLaughlin are the only running backs 5-foot-8 or shorter and 200 pounds or lighter to log at least 300 snaps over the past three seasons. That trio also belongs to a small group of backs that includes Isiah Pacheco, Ty Chandler, Latavius Murray and former McDaniel running back Raheem Mostert who have run both a sub-4.40 40-yard dash and a sub-1.50 10-yard split while recording at least 300 snaps in a season.

Given those similarities to Achane, there is a realistic path for Mitchell to emerge as McDaniel's preferred option. If he approaches Achane's level of production, he offers top-10 fantasy upside at the position.

Downs has spent the first three seasons of his career as the Colts' slot receiver, and he's been very effective. His 82.5 PFF grade ranks 25th among all wide receivers, and his 1.74 yards per route run similarly places in the top 30 at the position.

Despite producing at the level of a weekly must-start fantasy option, Downs has struggled to earn that trust because he typically plays only in 11 personnel. Throughout his career, Alec Pierce has been the Colts' X receiver and Michael Pittman Jr. the Z, leaving Downs with 1,180 routes in 11 personnel and just 33 in two-receiver sets. He was on the field for only 58.7% of the Colts' offensive plays last season, while most fantasy starters play at least 80% of their snaps.

Indianapolis traded Pittman to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, finally moving Downs to second on the depth chart. General manager Chris Ballard said of Downs, “We’re going to see some of the special stuff you’ve seen in the past, but more,” and indicated he will get more opportunities.

Downs finished 44th in fantasy points last season, but the bump in snaps and targets should be enough to make him a top-36 option. He's currently getting drafted as if he'll take a step backward, making him a nice late-round value.

Dulcich impressed as a third-round rookie in 2022, recording 33 receptions for 411 yards and posting at least 11.0 PPR points in five games. Injuries quickly stalled that momentum, however. Hamstring issues cost him the first five and final two games of his rookie season and limited him to just 32 offensive snaps in Year 2. He fell down the Denver Broncos depth chart below Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Lucas Krull, then spent two weeks as a healthy inactive before Denver released him. The New York Giants claimed him, but he didn't catch a pass during his time there.

Dulcich was released shortly before the 2025 season, then claimed by the Dolphins. He made his debut in Week 8 and became a regular part of the offense by Week 9. He never played more than 60% of the team's offensive snaps, but he was an effective receiver when given the opportunity. His 2.31 yards per route run ranked third-best among tight ends last season. He wasn't used much on first down, but his 2.84 yards per route run on second and third downs led all tight ends.

Miami re-signed Dulcich to a $3.25 million deal, moved on from Darren Waller, Julian Hill and Tanner Conner, and replaced them with Ben Sims and rookies Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore. Former head coach Mike McDaniel typically used a heavy tight end rotation, while new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik featured Dalton Schultz in 2023 and 2024.

New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan pointed to Dulcich as a player poised to make a leap this season. Miami let go of wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, filling those spots with third-round rookies and free agents making less than $1.5 million. Dulcich is the favorite to lead Miami in targets.

Dulcich should have a high floor, given his situation. The question is how many touchdowns he can score, and that will largely depend on the quality of the Dolphins‘ offense.