4 Fantasy Football Sleepers and ADP Value Picks: Breakout Candidates to Draft (2026)

May 15, 2026

Quincy's fantasy football sleepers for 2026 drafts. His top sleepers and breakout candidates to target, including Tyler Shough, Matthew Golden, and more.

Predicting fantasy football sleepers is one of the most fun aspects of the offseason. Who would not want to know which players are going to outpace their ADP? It is also quite exciting to watch as young players come into their own and fulfill their potential. It provides great prospects for the future of fantasy football.

The 2025 season featured breakouts from Drake Maye, TreVeyon Henderson, Javonte Williams, and more. The list was actually a bit light last season, as many veterans carried fantasy football. However, there is some serious potential in this year's crop of potential breakouts.

Whether it be second-year quarterbacks, sleeper running backs, or wide receivers with more opportunities, this should be a fun year for breakouts. Let's dive in and see who you should target late in drafts in 2026.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

Is it just me, or is anyone else excited for the Saints offense in 2026? Tyler Shough has been well-positioned to succeed in Year 2 under head coach Kellen Moore. The Saints have been stacking weapons. Notably, they signed Travis Etienne Jr. and drafted Jordyn Tyson.

With so much solid infrastructure around him, Shough should be able to pick up where he left off in 2025. Shough was already delivering streaming value as a rookie. In Year 2, he could be a legitimate weekly top-10 quarterback option.

Tyler Shough's first NFL pass ⚜️#Saints pic.twitter.com/QbvsRKaQYu

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 10, 2025

In seven of his nine starts in 2025, Shough delivered at least 17.11 fantasy points. He made a living by using his legs. As an underrated athlete, Shough ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns from Week 8 onward after hardly seeing any game action before that point.

If we extrapolate Shough's rushing numbers in his nine starts over a 17-game season, he would have rushed for 329 yards and around six touchdowns. That is a huge boost for quarterbacks in fantasy. Not to mention, Shough was throwing for over 250 yards per game in his starts. That would have put him around 4,261 passing yards for the season if he had started from Week 1.

In a Kellen Moore offense, Shough's opportunities should be extremely high. Moore's high-paced offense creates a lot of plays, so there is reason to believe that all of his excellent numbers from 2025 should only improve in 2026. If the touchdown passes begin to flow this year, then Shough is going to be an absolute steal in fantasy drafts.

Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers

Matthew Golden had a highly disappointing rookie season, period. As a first-round pick, he caught 29 of 44 targets for 361 yards and no touchdowns. He also struggled to get and stay on the field, whether it was due to injury or poor play.

Yet, the Packers have made a statement by letting Romeo Doubs walk in free agency and trading Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles. The team clearly believes in the wide receiver trio of Golden, Christian Watson, and Jayden Reed. Reed is not an every-down type of player, suggesting that Golden and Watson will be on the field in two-wide receiver sets.

Let's not forget that Golden was a first-round selection just a year ago. He was a combine darling, showcasing blazing speed that dazzled NFL general managers. While many did not have a first-round grade on him, Golden has the talent and physical abilities to shine in the NFL.

Perfect timing for Matthew Golden

📺: Prime Video pic.twitter.com/BdAmZiUSZX

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 11, 2026

The bottom line is that Golden has every opportunity to succeed in front of him. He hails from a fantastic offense with a good quarterback. As a fantasy community, we certainly trust Golden's play-caller in head coach Matt LaFleur. Golden simply needs to put everything together.

Golden was also provided with many opportunities during the Packers' lone playoff game this past season. He caught four of five targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. He was clearly part of the game plan, which could serve as proof that the Packers would like to keep him heavily involved moving forward.

Packers wide receivers will not be heavily sought after during fantasy draft season, and recency bias may keep many fantasy managers off Golden in particular. He should be inexpensive to acquire and is worth a shot as a result.

Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears

Why more people are not in on Kyle Monangai for 2026 is a bit perplexing. This is a guy who demonstrated excellent ability as a rookie in an offense run by head coach Ben Johnson. It may be lost on some that Monangai ran for 783 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. This guy was effective.

Monangai spent most of the season sitting behind D'Andre Swift. He only eclipsed 50% of the snaps on two occasions. Yet, Monangai still finished as the RB30 in an offense that was not originally expected to be as good as it was. In Year 2 of Johnson's system, this offense should take a massive step forward. The touchdown opportunities should be numerous.

KYLE. MONANGAI. 😤

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/tWBiE54YCW

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 21, 2025

Let's consider the fact that Johnson once helmed Detroit's offense when David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs were both high-end fantasy running backs. While Swift is a solid running back, he is nowhere near the player that Gibbs is. As such, Monangai may be able to considerably eat into Swift's workload.

An increased snap share should do wonders for Monangai, who proved to be a powerful and efficient runner in Year 1. Monangai is currently being drafted in the range of Kenneth Gainwell, J.K. Dobbins, Tony Pollard, and Rico Dowdle. At that point, you might as well go for the upside of Monangai rather than the potential floor of the other players. Sign me up.

Jalen Nailor, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

While I do not expect Nailor to light the world on fire in 2026, he is certainly a candidate for a 1,000-yard season. Someone other than Brock Bowers will have to catch passes in Las Vegas this year. Tre Tucker and Jack Bech are the team's other top options at wide receiver. There is a massive void for Nailor to step into.

Nailor was a priority target for the Raiders in free agency. Although the free-agent wide receiver class was weak as a whole, Las Vegas made a point of signing Nailor early to shore up its wide receiver room. His three-year, $35 million deal was worth something. He was signed to make a legitimate impact on this team.

Jalen Nailor Remains Poised for Prominent Role in Las Vegas Following NFL Draft https://t.co/rKeYQF1OyA

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) April 28, 2026

Nailor's career production is nothing special. He has never surpassed 444 receiving yards. However, Nailor spent the beginning of his career buried on the depth chart in Minnesota. He ultimately managed to put up respectable numbers over the last couple of seasons despite being the No. 3 wideout behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

It should not be lost on anyone that Nailor has managed to score 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons combined. In that stretch, Nailor has flashed solid ability, making acrobatic catches and proving to be a reliable target. He should continue that trend in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas has seriously upgraded its infrastructure this offseason. Nailor will likely begin the year catching passes from Kirk Cousins, and the offense will be coached by new head coach Klint Kubiak. The offensive line is also much improved, which should allow whoever the quarterback is to have plenty of time to survey the field.

Nailor is a virtual afterthought in fantasy drafts, but he is the perfect player who could come out of nowhere and provide high-end flex numbers.

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