The SportsLine computer model, the same one that pegged De'Von Achane to blow up last year for 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns, just dropped its 2026 Fantasy Football sleepers. With training camps kicking off this weekend and the first preseason game hitting August 6, fantasy drafts are about to explode, making these insights more crucial than ever for securing your league title. This isn't just some random list, folks; this model crunched the numbers, simulating the entire NFL season a staggering 10,000 times to give us the goods.
This Model Doesn't Miss and It's Predicting Wild Things
You gotta pay attention to a model with this kind of track record. Last year, it didn't just *guess* Achane would be good; it slotted him as RB6, and that's exactly where he finished in Fantasy points in CBS Sports PPR leagues, crushing his RB12 ADP. That's not luck, that's data. And it's not a one-hit wonder either. This same system spotted A.J. Brown as a sleeper way back in 2020, nailed Jonathan Taylor's monstrous 2021 season, and even correctly predicted C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024. Talk about prescient! It even called Daniel Jones' breakout season in 2025, which, let's be honest, few saw coming. Think about the league titles won by people who listened when it tipped off Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, or Davante Adams in 2017. Those were league-winners, pure and simple.Sam LaPorta's Wild Ride Is About To Get Wilder
So, who's the headline act for 2026? The model is shouting out Lions tight end Sam LaPorta. This is where it gets interesting, because if you've watched LaPorta's career, it's been a rollercoaster. He exploded onto the scene in 2023 with a historic rookie year, setting the positional record for touchdowns by a first-year player and finishing as the TE1. Absolutely unreal stuff. But then, the regression hit hard. He slid to TE6 in 2024 and then plummeted to TE26 in 2025. Missing half the season last year definitely played a huge role in that drop-off, no doubt about it. But here's the kicker: the model expects him to be fully healthy come Week 1. This is the kind of bounce-back potential that wins fantasy leagues. Remember how Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey, and Chris Olave all shook off injury last year to deliver huge seasons? Or how Joe Burrow and Malik Nabers could do the same this year? LaPorta's name is being thrown into that mix, and that's massive. If you're gearing up for your draft, you need to be looking at players like LaPorta, guys who might be undervalued because of past struggles or injury. Taking a chance on these kinds of potential steals, the ones others bypass, that's how you grab that league trophy. Get ready to dive deep into those rankings, because this model just handed you some serious intel.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.