Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: 5 Late-Round Draft Picks to Target and Stash (2026)

June 8, 2026

Aidin Ebrahimi's top five late-round sleepers in 2026 fantasy football dynasty rookie drafts. His undervalued first-year players and breakout candidates for dynasty leagues.

A total of 22 rookies finished the 2025 season with over 100.0 PPR points, but only two of them, Ashton Jeanty (245.1) and Jaxson Dart (241.6), scored more than 215.0 points. This is very similar to the 2022 rookie class, where only Garrett Wilson (215.7) finished above the 215-PPR-point threshold.

Many analysts believe the 2026 draft class will be similar to those two drafts; plenty of players will be fantasy-relevant, but few will be fantasy superstars in their rookie years. But patience is the name of the game in dynasty fantasy football. The 2022 class started slow, but now it's blossomed with players such as Trey McBride, Brock Purdy, and George Pickens dominating the fantasy leaderboards. This will likely be the case for the 2025 and 2026 classes. You might not see much (if any) production from deep rookie sleepers early on, but you will eventually be rewarded for your patience.

Without further ado, let's look at five late-round rookie sleepers to stash on your 2026 dynasty fantasy football taxi squads. All rookie rankings are from RotoBaller's rookie rankings.

Caleb Douglas - WR, Miami Dolphins

RotoBaller Rookie Ranking: 40th Overall

If there's one player on this list who could be fantasy-relevant in Year 1, it's Caleb Douglas. Douglas, alongside Skyler Bell and Oscar Delp, was featured on my list of three rookie sleepers to target at the start of May. While it would be redundant to mention the other two, I feel obliged to talk about Douglas again, as I am shocked at how little attention he's getting heading into the 2026 season.

Caleb Douglas showing off the footwork‼️👀 #Phinsup @Caedeezy pic.twitter.com/fqEMeNRgQX

— Bobby Shouse (@B_Shousejr) May 8, 2026

The Dolphins entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a WR room consisting of Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, and Tutu Atwell, before drafting Douglas, Kevin Coleman Jr., and the currently injured Chris Bell. They also signed Jalen Reagor in June.

Among this group, Douglas is the Dolphins' fastest (4.39 40-yard dash) and tallest (6'3.5") receiver by quite some distance. I go a bit more in-depth about Douglas' freakish measurables in the aforementioned article, but unlike many players who get drafted early simply due to being "freak athletes," Douglas has shown the ability to produce at the collegiate level.

Douglas put up 1,723 yards and 13 touchdowns in 27 games at Texas Tech (15.1 yards per attempt), while also scoring six touchdowns in his last five regular-season games. Eleven out of Douglas' 16 touchdowns in college were from inside the 20, which is great news for a Dolphins team that is lacking red-zone threats.

The only knock on Douglas is his high number of drops. He had six drops last year and has reportedly struggled with drops at OTAs. However, this can be fixed with time. Since the Dolphins aren't expected to compete for a playoff spot this year (though I believe they will do better than many people expect), they have all the time in the world to develop Douglas' chemistry with new QB Malik Willis.

On a team with practically zero standout WRs, Douglas' insane physical tools and red-zone production will make him one of the most important players on the offense. He's also good at generating yards after the catch, as he averaged 5.3 YAC per reception in 2025.

Drew Allar - QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

RotoBaller Rookie Ranking: 41st Overall

"This is it," Aaron Rodgers told reporters after re-signing with the Steelers in May. Rodgers' legendary career is coming to an end, and while the Steelers have a great roster capable of contending in 2026, what they plan to do following Rodgers' retirement will be extremely interesting.

Steelers QBs Aaron Rodgers, Drew Allar, Will Howard and Mason Rudolph at OTAs pic.twitter.com/1bsnDL4iBP

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) May 28, 2026

It's unlikely that the Steelers go for a short-term "band-aid" at QB in 2027, as they have Will Howard and Drew Allar waiting in the wings. Howard might have the higher floor, but Allar's freakish arm talent and great throwing motion are why the Steelers were so keen on drafting him in the third round of the 2026 draft.

Allar has ice in his veins; quite literally, as he was born and raised in the snowy city of Medina, Ohio, and also experienced plenty of cold conditions at Penn State.

He is accustomed to tough conditions, which is crucial to being successful in the AFC North, the league's snowiest division. Despite initially being a three-star recruit, Allar impressed in his two fully healthy seasons with the Nittany Lions.

He threw for 5,958 yards and 49 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 29 games while leading his team to a 23-6 record. Unfortunately, his draft stock slid following his heartbreaking ankle injury in the 2025 season.

Before that, he was viewed as a first-round prospect. Even if he isn't Pittsburgh's starter by 2027, a player with his arm talent will receive plenty of opportunities in the NFL down the line.

Cade Klubnik - QB, New York Jets

RotoBaller Rookie Ranking: 50th Overall

Much like Allar, Cade Klubnik is a rookie QB poised to take over for an aging veteran. Klubnik took over as Clemson's second starting QB following the Trevor Lawrence era. After a solid 2023 season, he had an outstanding 2024 campaign.

.@clemsonfb QB Cade Klubnik is dropping dimes at Clemson's Pro Day 🐅 pic.twitter.com/6RKrITLaQy

— NFL (@NFL) March 12, 2026

He threw for 3,639 yards and 36 TDs to six INTs in 14 games, while also showing his great ability on deep throws. 16 of Klubnik's 36 touchdowns came on deep throws (20+ yards), and he also showed his prowess on the ground with seven rushing scores.

Unfortunately, poor offensive line play and nagging injuries caused Klubnik to take a massive step back in his final collegiate season. The Jets still liked what they saw from Klubnik and took him in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Klubnik has been turning heads with his impressive OTA performances, and faces little competition from former Patriots cult hero Bailey Zappe.

Klubnik could see some meaningful work late in the season over projected starter Geno Smith, and if the Jets slightly overachieve to end up outside the top five of the 2027 NFL Draft (which they are certainly capable of; much like the Dolphins, their roster isn't nearly as bad as most people think), Klubnik could be the team's long-term starter moving forward.

Jeff Caldwell - WR, Kansas City Chiefs

RotoBaller Rookie Ranking: 63rd Overall

Remember when I talked about "freak athletes" getting drafted despite their lack of production? It happens quite a lot in the NFL Draft, which makes the fact that Jeff Caldwell went undrafted even more surprising.

Caldwell started his career as an unranked recruit, and after spending three years with the FCS's Lindenwood Lions, he transferred to the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Caldwell had a solid year as the team's WR3, catching six touchdowns in 2025. He received little-to-no fanfare heading into the NFL Combine, but his truly outrageous measurables (6'5", 4.31 40-yard-dash, 42-inch vertical leap, and an 11'2" broad jump) turned him into an overnight sensation.

Of course, his game needs a lot of work. But there's no team better than the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid Chiefs to help him hone his skills in the shadows. Caldwell won't be a fantasy-relevant player in Year 1, or maybe even Year 2.

But once he learns how to pair his insane athletic talent with NFL-level WR skills, he will be a problem for almost anyone to cover.

Jack Endries - TE, Cincinnati Bengals

RotoBaller Rookie Ranking: 67th Overall

Having a good tight end is crucial to building a winning team in today's NFL, and it's a shame that the Bengals haven't had a truly great tight end in the Joe Burrow era.

Three of their current TEs (Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson, and Drew Sample) are all in their 30s, while Erick All Jr. hasn't played for the team since his ACL injury in November 2024.

Jack Endries is not the greatest blocker in the world, but he is a great pass-catcher and will be a solid safety net for the Bengals offense. With All and Endries, the team is seemingly headed toward an era of having younger and more receiving TEs on the roster, and the duo could be solid contributors in the coming years.

Endries caught 124 passes for 1,376 yards (11.1 yards per attempt) and seven touchdowns in three seasons with California and Texas at the collegiate level, and also ran an impressive 4.62 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

He's also very motivated to prove all his doubters wrong. "I'm going to make every team that didn't draft me pay," Endries told Bengals reporter James Rapien.

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