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Matt's must-have fantasy football sleepers and draft values for 2026. His top QB, RB, WR, and TE undervalued fantasy football draft targets and "My Guys" picks.
We are now days away from the fantasy football season kicking off. The NFL Combine, draft, and Hall of Fame Game are now things of the past.
With draft season in full force, it’s time to identify players that offer the best return on your investment. Fantasy Championships aren’t won by players selected in the first round; those fantasy managers who win them grab in the later rounds who are criminally underrated.
Here are eight players with baked-in value that you must select when your fantasy football draft kicks off. One manager's trash is another manager's treasure.
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Fantasy Football Sleeper and Value Picks: Quarterback
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
What more can Matthew Stafford do? Last season, Stafford won the league MVP, leading the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and tossing 46 touchdown passes, 12 more than the next-closest quarterback. For fantasy purposes, Stafford averaged 20.7 fantasy points per game and finished as the QB3, finishing the season with 331.7 fantasy points.
However, despite all the success, Stafford finds himself coming off the board in fantasy drafts as the QB14 after Brock Purdy and Jaxson Dart. While Stafford isn’t going to produce on the ground, he can still certainly get the job done by throwing the rock all over the field to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Stafford's fantasy value is tied to the Rams' aggressive passing and the efficiency of their passing attack. Stafford balances a low rushing floor with passing volume and an increased projection in passing touchdowns. The floor for Stafford should resemble 4,000 yards passing and 30 touchdowns, which puts him on the backend of QB1 territory and arguably one of the safest floors amongst his peers.
Age is merely a number, and Stafford proved that last season, leading the NFL in touchdown passes at the ripe age of 38.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When I see quarterbacks the caliber of Cam Ward, Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray and Malik Willis come off the board ahead of Baker Mayfield, I get angry for Mayfield. It seems wherever Mayfield turns, disrespect follows, in fantasy and in real life, as contract negotiations are officially on hold.
Emeka Egbuka. THE ROOKIE. AGAIN.
TBvsATL on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/pLyQEvaSG4
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Angry Baker may be a cheat code for fantasy managers this season. Last season, Mayfield missed time due to injury, and when he was in the lineup, he was playing hurt. Yet, when the smoke cleared, Mayfield was the QB12 in fantasy, averaging 16.8 fantasy points per game and doing so with Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, Chris Godwin Jr. and Emeka Egbuka all playing hurt and missing time themselves.
A closer look at last season shows that, when Mayfield was healthy, he proved to be one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy. During the first six weeks of the NFL season, only Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen averaged more fantasy points per game than Mayfield's 21.1, thanks in part to the 12 touchdown passes over that six-game stretch.
Evans is now gone, but Mayfield, as well as Egbuka, McMillan, and Godwin, are all healthy to start the season, which is bad news for opposing defenses. Back in 2024, when we last saw a healthy Mayfield, he was an MVP candidate. That season, Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, tying him with Joe Burrow as the QB3 in fantasy (22.5 fantasy points per game).
As long as Mayfield is healthy, he should be considered, at worst, a top-12 fantasy option at the quarterback position.
Fantasy Football Sleeper and Value Picks: Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Currently, backfield mate TreVeyon Henderson is coming off the fantasy draft board six spots ahead of Rhamondre Stevenson when referencing running back ADP. Based on what we witnessed last season, this could either be Stevenson hatred going too far or too many drafters are drinking from the Henderson Kool-Aid once again.
Rhamondre Stevenson all the way for his 3rd TD of the day!
MIAvsNE on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/TVDFICTHCZ
— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2026
Henderson has a tonne of upside, but when it mattered the most, New England turned the backfield over to Stevenson. During the regular season, Stevenson had a modest edge in snap share.
Still, in the playoffs, Stevenson's snap share was 70.3%, and from Week 16 through the Super Bowl, Stevenson averaged 9.1 fantasy points and 58.5 scrimmage yards per game more than Henderson, producing 2.32 more yards rushing per attempt in the process (5.51 to 3.19).
Even if Henderson and Stevenson split touches, Stevenson still maintains a significant role in the backfield after finishing with 603 rushing yards (4.6 per carry) and 365 receiving yards (6.6 yards per target).
Stevenson should be viewed as a weekly flex option or an RB3 based on his current ADP, and as a player who can produce 11-plus fantasy points weekly with some spike weeks from time to time; that said, any injury to Henderson and Stevenson’s value will push him into RB1 territory.
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
Strong consideration went to Tony Pollard and Rachaad White. Still, anyone who follows my work here already knows how I feel about them, based on the dozens of articles I have exposed our readers to with them both as focal points. It’s time to spread the love to another deserving, undervalued running back, and that's Jonathon Brooks.
While it looks like Chuba Hubbard tops the unofficial Panthers depth chart, that was the case last season as well. Carolina has proven to be faithful, to a fault, to their guys. Even when Rico Dowdle was outperforming Hubbard, Carolina still gave Hubbard every opportunity until it became painfully obvious that he was no longer the guy. Hubbard may have secured the bag a couple of seasons ago, but Panther brass drafted Brooks for a reason.
Eventually, Carolina comes to their senses and awards meritocracy: the back who succeeds and gives the Panthers the best chance to win will receive the majority of the opportunities. Hubbard's porous 2025 campaign opens the door for Brooks, who is easily the more explosive of the two at this point in their respective careers and could garner a majority of the receiving work, as he has been seen lining up out wide during training camp.
Fantasy Football Sleeper and Value Picks: Wide Receiver
DJ Moore, WR, Buffalo Bills
After a bit of a down year in Chicago, it’s easy to see why some may think time has passed DJ Moore by. After all, 168.1 fantasy points and a WR31 (10.5) finish to 2025 isn’t a lot to get excited about, especially for a receiver who turned 29 just a few months ago.
After posting 90-plus receptions in three of the previous four seasons, Moore was held to 50 receptions last season and a modest 682 receiving yards. It’s that lack of production, along with the emergence of Luther Burden III, that made Moore expendable. While being dealt isn’t ideal, there are worse destinations than securing the WR1 role for an offense under the command of one Allen.
Last season, Allen threw for 3,668 yards and 25 touchdowns while targeting the likes of Joshua Palmer, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman. The addition of Moore legitimizes the Bills' passing attack, and for Moore, a 90-catch, 1,000-yard season with seven touchdowns isn’t out of the question. If the math is correct, that’s roughly 232 fantasy points, which would put Moore in the WR8-10 range based on last year's scoring.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
In 14 games, Quentin Johnston produced 171.2 fantasy points (12.2) and finished as the WR30 in fantasy, 12 spots ahead of where his current ADP suggests. In seven of 14 contests, Johnston topped 15 fantasy points, offering fantasy managers one of the best returns on their draft investments.
For Johnston, there are several reasons to believe he can once again outperform his ADP. First, Mike McDaniel takes over play calling, one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL. Under McDaniel’s guidance, both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were productive fantasy receivers.
Second, Keenan Allen is not projected to return to the team, which suggests a large percentage of the 122 vacated targets could find themselves heading in Johnson's direction. Johnson caught 51 of 85 targets last season, so even if he were to inherit a 25% increase, that would put him around 115 targets.
Finally, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater return after missing significant action last season, providing protection for Justin Herbert and affording him time to take shots down the field and into the end zone. Johnston has a realistic path to a 1,000-yard season after finishing 2025 with 735 receiving yards.
If Johnston can hit that milestone and repeat the touchdown production (eight), the additional volume could push him into the 75 reception range. As a result, 223 fantasy points are attainable, which would make him a fringe WR1.
Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers
Between Week 11 and Week 18, Jalen Coker would go on to average 11.9 fantasy points per game and produce 76.8 fantasy points over that six-game showing, which marked him as the WR26 over that period. Considering Coker is being selected as the WR65 in fantasy drafts, the Carolina receiver is well positioned to outperform his ADP as he has already proven capable of doing so.
While Tetairoa McMillan gets a majority of the fanfare, and rightfully so, coming off a 1,014 receiving-yard rookie season, Coker had his moments. One of those moments occurred in the postseason, where he tore the Rams' secondary apart to the tune of 134 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.
Jalen Coker with a 52-yard catch and run!
LARvsCAR on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/OLgLIMiAd8— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026
If you use those Wildcard contests and add that to the final seven regular season contests, Coker averaged 13.3 fantasy points (WR17) and 57.8 receiving yards per game (WR25). Coker's yards per route run over that period ranked 22nd at 2.02.
When looking at receivers with at least 270 routes run in 2025, Coker's 0.118 EPA per route was the sixth-highest total, putting him among elite names such as Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and George Pickens in that regard.
Coker could see an increased workload this season behind McMillan, especially now that we received news that Chris Brazzell II has been lost for the season. If you add up the late-season production, Coker should easily hit 900 receiving yards and have a legitimate chance at being just the 13th undrafted free agent receiver to top 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
Fantasy Football Sleeper and Value Picks: Tight End
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings (TE25)
As the 25th tight end coming off the board, T.J. Hockenson finds himself as a potential league-winning asset once again, albeit one that is under the radar compared to past seasons. Everyone loves themselves a redemption story, and the truth is Hockenson has not been fantasy relevant since 2023, when he finished as the TE4 and averaged 14.6 fantasy points per game.
Since that 2023 season, Hockenson has been riddled with injuries and finished as the TE34 and TE22, averaging 8.7 and 7.5 fantasy points per game. Fans and Fantasy enthusiasts alike have thrown the towel in on Hockenson, yet as a second tight end selected on rosters with little expectations, something may still be there.
Hockenson missed the first half of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL and has yet to return to his pre-injury form, at least not yet. Last season, Minnesota had 23 different offensive line combinations and a quarterback who struggled mildly in his first real opportunity as a starter. Hockenson was asked to chip more and catch less within the Vikings' offense, which was, in a word, stagnant.
He may not be the Hockenson of yesteryear, but in what is always a fantasy wasteland, the tight end position works in mysterious ways. Hockenson’s risk is already baked into his ADP, and if managers secure a solid option as a starter, they could find themselves playing with house money when Hockenson rises like the Phoenix one last time.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
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Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rhamondre Stevenson, DJ Moore, Jonathon Brooks, Jalen Coker, Quentin Johnston, T.J. Hockenson. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
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Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Rhamondre Stevenson, DJ Moore, Jonathon Brooks, Jalen Coker, Quentin Johnston, T.J. Hockenson:
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