Late-Round Best Ball Fantasy Football Sleepers for 2026

July 16, 2026

Nick's late-round fantasy football draft sleepers for 2026 best ball formats. His draft value picks and fliers at QB, RB, WR and TE to target late in drafts.

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Best ball championships may feel as though they're built on your superstars doing superstar things. But you'd have to be exceptionally lucky to get anywhere without significant late-round production across the quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end positions. There will be several, numerous holes to fill along the way, and we want to find the difference-makers who emerge from those final picks!

So let's scroll on by the top names and thumb through many later names who can not only provide some standalone value, but could also hit some spike weeks to put you over the top. While some best ball sites utilize kicker or defense slots, those won't be discussed here. For today’s purposes, we're using aggregate ADP data from best ball drafts as of July 13, 2026.

Late-Round Fliers - Quarterbacks

Malik Willis has the rushing potential to overcome a terrifying supporting cast and find you the ceiling games that create distance in best ball. Quarterbacks are going earlier in 2026 than before, making Willis a popular "last stand" QB1 for those who push the decision.

You'll be looking for immediate chemistry and confirmation that De'Von Achane is still a focal point, even with Willis' track record being a downfield pusher and scrambler. Willis must also overcome Bobby Slowik as his offensive coordinator, which may leave more on Willis to adjust and engineer points on his own after the snap.

But at QB21, there isn't much room to complain regarding someone who turned his two significant 2025 playing opportunities into 19 carries for 104 yards and two TDs. We can water all of this down for the Green Bay to Miami move, what with the roster quality, OC downgrade, and overall scoring environment, and still walk away with a rare rushing QB going late.

Daniel Jones sits around the QB25 mark as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles and must lead an offense that won’t feature Michael Pittman Jr. for the first time in six years. It seems everyone has reverted to thinking that the entire offense will go through Jonathan Taylor, but an elite offensive line will also give Jones time to work.

Josh Downs will finally be a featured receiver, and Tyler Warren could ascend to elite TE heights as the premier big downfield. There is trepidation around Alec Pierce’s own injury recovery, but his leap to becoming a 1,000-yard receiver came with Jones’ deep ball.

We may not get as many goal-line rush TDs if they’re protecting Jones early, but the left side of this line can bowl over anyone. Lest we forget that Jones was the QB7 through Week 12, so I’d say we’ve more than baked in the risks at this lowly price.

Bryce Young had set the bar low in his first two NFL seasons, so that big stride seen in 2025 didn’t lead to an ADP spike at QB26, but progress is progress. With a rookie Tetairoa McMillan and less than half a year of a 100% Jalen Coker, Young grew from 15 pass TDs in 2024 (14 games) to 23 in 16 games last year.

He surprised with a quartet of three-TD performances, including the QB2 finish in Week 11 and QB4 in Week 13, tallying four top-12 weekly finishes. For context, Cam Ward (ADP’s QB22) had one weekly top-12 finish. Yes, Ward got Carnell Tate, but it isn’t as though Young has magically hit his ceiling now. Both will grow.

Young’s completion rate improved from 60.9% to 63.6%, and his sack rate dropped from 7% to 5.4%. And now Chris Brazzell II gives the team a realistic shot at moving on from Xavier Legette, even in three-wide sets, if needed. It’s too bad he doesn’t have a TE playmaker, but Year 2 Tet with a full Coker campaign could be enough to make hay on this. How far would the ADP shift if Carolina's defense held after this comeback effort?

YOUNG. COKER. @PANTHERS LEAD ONCE AGAIN!

LARvsCAR on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9V5X60bAJL

— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026

Late-Round Fliers - Running Backs

Tank Bigsby and Brian Robinson Jr. represent where this turns into genuine late-round mining. These two should be staples for anyone who goes zero or hero RB in best ball based on how well they ran as backups last season, and the caliber of work they’d step into as starters.

Sean Tucker is a quiet goal-line threat behind Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell. Most would not guess that he punched in seven TDs last season (scoring an eighth through the air) with Bucky Irving on the shelf, even as Tampa Bay’s offensive line battled significant injuries.

Ray Davis has been tucked away behind the scenes due to a fantastic run of health and production from James Cook III, and drafters may be confused about the upside thanks to Ty Johnson’s change-of-pace pops. This has been Davis’ show when Cook has missed time, so this is a bit mispriced versus the aforementioned top handcuffs.

Jaydon Blue needs to be ready as the next man up behind Javonte Williams, who has dealt with plenty of injuries by age 26. Dallas will want to keep him fresh for the late-season push. Phil Mafah could carry intrigue as well, but the No. 2 role should be Blue’s to lose.

The 2025 fifth-rounder was notoriously ill-prepared last year, though between-the-ears stuff doesn’t take away from his talent, housing the best ceiling behind Williams.

Hard to ask for a much better first week of camp from Jaydon Blue pic.twitter.com/YhmnoNola4

— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 27, 2025

MarShawn Lloyd is healthy! He’s been a forgotten man by most due to playing in just one NFL game since being drafted in the third round of 2024’s draft. Josh Jacobs has been a reliable No. 1 rusher, but Lloyd is down with the RBs who have murkier handcuff workloads. Chris Brooks is not a sizeable threat.

Jordan James or Kaelon Black will win the No. 2 role in San Francisco and experience a subsequent ADP bump. Do you side with Year 2 James or the versatile Black, who was a third-rounder in a weak RB draft class?

James Conner could sneak into a light RB group and take control if Arizona lets him (and Trey Benson?) go after drafting Jeremiyah Love and signing Tyler Allgeier.

Late-Round Fliers - Wide Receivers

Ryan Flournoy is effectively an elite WR handcuff with how Dallas’ offense is built, while possessing weekly standalone value to percolate with top-36 output. He did well to log 124 total yards with CeeDee Lamb out in Week 5, and then exploded for a 9-115-1 line on 13 targets in Week 14 when Lamb got concussed and Jalen Tolbert was already out.

Tre’ Harris currently holds a starting role for a revamped, Mike McDaniel-infused Chargers offense. You’ll be sweating a Keenan Allen reunion, though he remains a worthy hedge for the entire group. Ladd McConkey stayed healthy, and Allen played all 17 games, with Harris jumping to snap counts of 83%, 85%, and 97% in the three games that Quentin Johnston missed.

Adonai Mitchell showed life as the half-PPR WR31 between Weeks 11-17 last year with Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook, and now gets a notable QB upgrade to Geno Smith. He’ll have to start hot to hold ground next to Garrett Wilson and a pair of first-rounders in Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq, but Mitchell’s downfield talent could jive with Smith if he can recover 2024’s form.

In 2024, PFF gave Smith a 95.1 passing grade on deep balls (20+ yards) following a 95.6 grade in 2023. He stumbled across the board last year with the Raiders, but the 70.4 deep grade was still his best split. These profiles are built for best ball!

Germie Bernard could be a power slot in Pittsburgh out of the gate unless the franchise is unwilling to throw in the towel on Roman Wilson (or fourth-round pick Kaden Wetjen has an incredible camp). The narrative around Aaron Rodgers’ distrust for rookies and the signal-caller's own age has suppressed PIT pricing to the point where they’re solid values. Just get Bernard a little space underneath!

Germie Bernard gets in to finally put points on the board for Alabama pic.twitter.com/YUFFfYhKhT

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) December 6, 2025

Calvin Ridley is 31 years old and coming off a lost 2025 that followed back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. The man produced with Will Levis, so surely we can see if he finds his form again next to Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson. A slow start will quickly cede time to Elic Ayomanor or Chimere Dike, but it’s rare you get receivers with his track record and age this late.

Tyquan Thornton could become a more consistent piece of Kansas City’s offense with Patrick Mahomes II’s ability to scramble limited by last year’s torn ACL/LCL. We saw glimmers of hope that Mahomes’ deep ball was back with Thornton’s whopping 27.6 aDOT on a 7.1% target share/38.1% route participation rate. If Rashee Rice/Xavier Worthy are eating the shallow/intermediate routes up, Thornton only needs a few looks per game to pay off.

Christian Kirk is a viable hedge for both Ricky Pearsall and Mike Evans, with DeZhaun Stribling touted as “overdrafted” by the fantasy community. This is a three-pronged handcuff attack for a guy who doesn’t look washed at 30. I’d give him a last-round pick to see if going from the 2025 Texans to the ‘26 Niners proves he’s still the guy who served us well in Jacksonville.

Late-Round Fliers - Tight Ends

Juwan Johnson enjoyed a modest breakout with 77-889-3 receiving on 102 targets last year, though he remains ADP’s TE20. Many are giving some of his targets to Jordyn Tyson, which is valid, but what if he finally gets actual red-zone utilization?

He emerged in ‘25 despite not seeing a single end-zone target all season (that first one against San Francisco was caught at the one!). Variance there could lead to a big year. That catch against the Niners was the closest to a designed TD look we'd see all year. Feed us more!

Juwan Johnson snags it for a @Saints TD!

SFvsNO on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Q52t7zCdXk

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025

Greg Dulcich could be the most athletic downfield receiver for the 2026 Dolphins, which speaks to the poor state of the WR room, but opportunity is opportunity, nevertheless. And Dulcich’s 335 yards on 26 catches last year made him Miami’s third-leading receiver, with Darren Waller catching six TDs (on 24 receptions) to Dulcich’s one.

Waller and Jaylen Waddle accounted for over half of Miami’s 23 receiving TDs last season, which Dulcich, health permitting, could really step into. De’Von Achane will always be a catalyst, but Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell, Jalen Tolbert, and a crop of Day 2-3 rookies are not scary. Ben Sims, Will Kacmarek, and Seydou Traore are not imposing. It’s Dulcich’s chance to rise.

Terrance Ferguson saw creative usage on limited snaps as a rookie, leading to 11-of-25 targets caught for 231 yards and three touchdowns. The 18.3 average depth of target is rarified air for WRs, let alone a TE. (Alec Pierce was 19.4, and Christian Watson sat at 18.0.)

This is not to say that Ferguson will turn into a regular downfield burner, but seeing that in his bag of tricks from Sean McVay out of the gate is intriguing. A summertime mailbag article from The Athletic's Nate Atkins called Ferguson a "tight end and wide receiver hybrid...[and] that's what he'll probably be this season, but with a larger role."

This isn't all smoke, and that is an extremely unique angle for any TE designation to get. And it gives him an avenue that doesn’t rely on a crowded TE room being cleared out, as Colby Parkinson can remain on the field as well. (Parkinson’s 213 ADP [TE33] also makes him a nice late click.)

Will it work out if Puka Nacua and Davante Adams play all 17 games and dominate target shares? Perhaps not, but you’re paying nothing to find out if Ferguson grows in such a way that the Rams, who are pushing for a Super Bowl title, cannot deny him more work. Invest in sharp, potent offenses to enhance TD range of outcomes!

Mike Gesicki is the best bet for TE spike weeks from Joe Burrow in an offense that has to keep up with opponents scoring on their Trey Hendrickson-less defense. Erick All Jr. could make some noise, and Drew Sample/Tanner Hudson will sprinkle in, but Gesicki can split out and gallop downfield.

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