12 Fantasy Football Sleepers to Draft After Round 10: Top Breakout Candidates

July 1, 2026

Craig Rondinone's fantasy football sleepers to target after Round 10 in your 2026 drafts. His 2026 breakout candidates, including Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Matthew Golden, and more.

No fantasy football leagues are won because of which players fantasy managers draft in the first, second, or third rounds. Championships are won because of the golden gems drafted in the late rounds -- and I am not talking about kickers.

It is easy for fantasy footballers to draft the likes of Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson, Los Angeles’ Puka Nacua, or Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor in the first round and load up on Pro Bowlers and sure things throughout the first half of their draft. What separates the perennial playoff contenders from the fantasy GMs who get to focus on their fantasy hockey and hoops teams earlier than expected are the middle-to-late round players they draft.

The rounds after Round 10 in fantasy football drafts are not just for finding backups and defenses. They are to find the surprise sleepers who can win you your league. Here are the top 12 fantasy football sleepers to draft after Round 10 this year!

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders (RB)

Truth be told, I’m a sucker for guys with hyphenated names. Ever since Maurice Jones-Drew racked up 15 touchdowns for my fantasy squad during his 2006 rookie campaign, I have always had a small space in my heart for the names like his. Now, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, coming off a rookie campaign where he rumbled for 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, has become a fantasy fave of mine.

Washington has a crowded backfield since the Commanders signed pass-catcher Rachaad White and Cleveland castoff Jerome Ford this offseason, but Croskey-Merritt will be the top tailback on early downs/rushing downs and near the goal line. With franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels leading more drives into the red zone, Croskey-Merritt should find more time in the end zone. 1,000 rushing yards and a dozen touchdowns is entirely possible.

Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers (WR)

Green Bay needed a receiver upgrade in 2025 and spent a first-round pick on Matthew Golden, but the youngster only supplied 29 receptions for 361 yards and no touchdowns while sitting on the sidelines more than he was running routes.

Green Bay allowed Romeo Doubs to walk and traded Dontayvion Wicks away, so Golden slots in behind newly minted millionaires Jayden Reed and Christian Watson on the target totem pole at receiver. Both young receivers are injury-prone, though, and top tight end Tucker Kraft is coming off a torn ACL. Golden has the chance to be a super sophomore in the NFL if he elevates his game and has chemistry with QB Jordan Love.

Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers (RB)

Remember this guy? Jonathon Brooks came into the NFL coming off a torn ACL, then he tore the same one again after fighting his way back to the field. He might have been a fantasy zero in 2024 and 2025, but he could be a fantasy hero in 2026.

Jonathon Brooks to Be Carolina's Lead Back in 2026? https://t.co/S4MiCyJul3

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) June 7, 2026

Carolina lost 1,000-yard runner Rico Dowdle to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but veteran chugger Chuba Hubbard is still in the backfield.  A healthy Brooks is faster and has more fantasy upside than Hubbard, though, so if Brooks can keep his ACLs attached and get as many touches as Dowdle did last year, he will provide plenty of reward even though he is too risky to draft in the first 10 rounds.

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (TE)

At first glance, Brenton Strange’s 2025 stats look pretty pedestrian -- 46 receptions for 540 yards and three touchdowns. These are not the numbers that make you believe he will morph into a Travis Kelce type anytime soon. But Strange missed five games last season due to injury. If you prorate his numbers over 17 games, he should have finished with 66 catches for 765 yards, pretty solid for a fantasy tight end.

Do not be concerned Jacksonville selected tight end Nate Boerkircher in the second round of this past April’s NFL Draft. He was taken a round or two earlier than he should have been, and he profiles more as an above-average blocker than pass-catcher. I think Strange could post a 60-800-6 line if he suits up for 15-plus contests.

Isiah Pacheco, Detroit Lions (RB)

Isiah Pacheco has not registered much on the fantasy radar the past two seasons thanks to injuries and an ineffective rushing attack in Kansas City that forced him to share touches with Kareem Hunt. After scoring 13 total touchdowns in 2022 and 2023, Pacheco only scored three times in 20 games between 2024 and 2025.

Sure, Pacheco will cede time and touches to All-World back Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit’s high-octane offense, but look at the numbers David Montgomery was able to put up in the same role. He averaged 830 rushing yards per season in his three years in Detroit and rushed for 33 touchdowns. Pacheco will not have those numbers, but I can see him mustering 750 yards and seven touchdowns in 2026. Maybe more.

Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (RB)

Emanuel Wilson did not get his number called much with Green Bay, but when he did, he made the most of it. Playing the role of Josh Jacobs’ understudy, Wilson supplied 998 rushing yards and seven scores over the past two seasons. Wilson also has a career yards per carry of 4.5. A solid RB2 who could show something if he ever had the opportunity to be the RB1 on a team.

Super Bowl stalwart Kenneth Walker III took his talents to Kansas City, and touchdown machine Zach Charbonnet is returning from a late-season torn ACL, so Seattle has first-round find Jadarian Price slotted in to be the lead runner until Charbonnet is 100 percent.

Wilson is going to get involved in the mix, though. If Charbonnet has a setback and/or Price has difficulty adjusting to the NFL, Wilson could play enough to be a deep sleeper.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (QB)

Bo Nix is a borderline QB1 in fantasy football entering the upcoming season, ranked between No. 11 and No. 15 at the position in most lists I have seen in June.

His numbers went down slightly from his rookie season to his second, but he did not have a sophomore slump. Failing to throw for 4,000 yards and/or 30 touchdowns in either campaign has him on the outside of the top-10 fantasy quarterbacks in most experts’ minds, however.

Truth be told, Nix has had an average-at-best collection of pass-catchers to throw to during his two years in the league. Now that Denver acquired Jaylen Waddle to pair with top target Courtland Sutton, though, Nix has two 1,000-yard receivers and that should help take his fantasy value up a notch or two. A third season of experience and teaching from Sean Payton will help as well.

Bo Nix’s first touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle 🏈 pic.twitter.com/7jKFbL4now

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) June 16, 2026

Woody Marks, Houston Texans (RB)

Houston’s rushing attack last year was supposed to be spearheaded by veteran Joe Mixon, but by season’s end, the backfield revolved around rookie Woody Marks. The fourth-rounder finished with 703 rushing yards, 208 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns and looked like Houston’s RB1 for 2026 until the Texans niftily traded for Detroit’s David Montgomery.

I am not as bothered by Montgomery’s addition as other fantasy pundits might. Montgomery has shown he is more effective in a timeshare than as a team’s main man, so Marks should still be able to get 12-15 touches a week, and possibly more if Montgomery gets banged up as he is prone to do. Houston’s revamped offensive line is another thing pointing in Marks’ favor toward a solid sleeper season.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (TE)

After scoring eight touchdowns between 2022 and 2024, Dallas Goedert exploded for an ungodly 11 touchdowns in a 2025 season no one saw coming. He also caught a career-high 60 passes despite failing to crack the 600-yard barrier for the third season in a row.

Goedert was not able to parlay his career year into anything more than a one-year, $7 million contract for this year with Philadelphia, but that is probably for the best for his fantasy worth.

Goedert has some things going for him entering the season. Moody WR A.J. Brown is finally off the team, which means more passes will be spread around and a couple extra each game should go in Goedert’s direction.

New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will also hopefully improve Philly’s lackluster passing attack, so while it is hard to expect Goedert to have another double-digit TD season, his reception and yardage numbers should climb.

Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles (RB)

I swear I am not listing back-to-back Eagles just because I have had cheesesteaks on back-to-back afternoons for lunch. Tank Bigsby was underutilized last season. You would think an offense that struggled as mightily as Philadelphia’s did would have found a bigger role for a runner averaging 5.9 yards per carry than handing off to him less than four times per game. Ridiculous.

Bigsby's role should expand as it is highly likely that Saquon Barkley’s role as the workhorse of the Eagles' rushing attack gets radically reduced. The aforementioned Mannion has to reshuffle the deck with this moribund offense, and giving Bigsby more opportunities to keep Barkley fresh and to give the offense a dose of energy should be near the top of the change list.

Bigsby will not rush for 1,000 yards unless Barkley gets injured, but he will probably double his fantasy output under the new offensive regime in 2026.

Jauan Jennings, Minnesota Vikings (WR)

Jauan Jennings must be ready to fire his agent. He probably thought he was going to be swimming in millions from the free-agent market after posting a 77-975-6 line in his breakout 2024 season and then scoring a career-high nine touchdowns last year.

Yet, all he received was a one-year “show me” contract from Minnesota for $8 million. And now he has to produce with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison entrenched in the Vikings’ top-2 WR slots.

WR3s thrive in Kevin O’Connell’s pass-happy offense, though. Jalen Nailor scored 10 touchdowns in two seasons in that role and it turned into a humongous payday from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Maybe that is why Jennings signed with Minnesota. He thinks Jefferson and Addison will distract defenders and allow him easy one-on-one matchups that he will turn into touchdowns. You know what? Jennings is likely right. And he could actually put up better stats than Addison if he plays over his head as he attempts to cash in on another good season.

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (QB)

Last but not least, Jacoby Brissett had a surprisingly good year last year. He threw for a career-high 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns and racked up bushels of late-game yardage and TDs because the Cardinals trailed most games they were in and threw 99 percent of the time since their running game was nonexistent. Their leading rusher (Michael Carter) only had 333 yards on the season.

Arizona did nothing this offseason to put pressure on Brissett’s hold of the starting signal-caller job. Gardner Minshew II coming off a torn ACL? Drafting Carson Beck in the third round? Brissett is primed to throw a ton to the talented threesome of Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr., AND he has the three-headed monster of Jeremiyah Love, James Conner, and Tyler Allgeier in the backfield, too! Sign me up for another sleeper season!

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