Late-Round Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: Day-3 Picks

April 28, 2026

Andrew's late-round fantasy football rookie sleepers for 2026. His undervalued 2026 candidates include Nicholas Singleton, Justin Joly, and Kaytron Allen.

The 2026 NFL Draft class was already viewed as a weaker crop for fantasy football - and then the selections made it worse.

Several first-rounders landed on bottom-tier offenses, one running back heard his name called on day two, and teams prioritized primary blocking tight ends over the receiving counterparts. Nope. Don't like that.

While dynasty managers with multiple first or second-round picks are deflated, late-round picks have become more intriguing. Here's a trio of fantasy football sleepers drafted on the final day of the NFL Draft.

Nicholas Singleton, RB, Tennessee Titans

There's a reason that Jeremiyah Love to Tennessee was a mock draft dream, for both fantasy and real-life football. The Titans need running back help, with 29-year-old Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears (who are both free agents after this season) manning the position. When the Cardinals poached Love one pick ahead of the Titans, it was back to the drawing board.

And they didn't pull the trigger on a running back until the fifth round, selecting Penn State's Singleton. With that draft capital, he's not entering the facility as the favorite to win the starting job, far from it. But there's a lot to like about his prospect profile and the backfield situation.

Singleton wasn't just good at Penn State (well, until his final season, but we'll get there); he was an all-timer, surpassing Saquon Barkley to become the all-time leading rushing touchdown scorer for the Nittany Lions. He checks most of the boxes: Size (six feet, 219 pounds), explosiveness (NFL's Next Gen Stats top athleticism score among running backs), and receiving production (over 100 catches in his Penn State career).

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T5️⃣ 20.7 - Nicholas Singleton (@NickSingletonn) RB Penn St

NFL Draft Guide Preview⤵️https://t.co/GR0kAObOxU pic.twitter.com/FEI2wptRgB

— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) November 10, 2025

So, how did he fall to the fifth round? A broken foot at the Senior Bowl certainly didn't help his draft stock, but it was also the sharp decline in production that doomed Singleton to day three. A season-ending injury to quarterback Drew Allar condemned Penn State to a forgettable season and made the offense one-dimensional. The Nittany Lions averaged 184 passing yards per game, which ranked 107th out of 136 teams.

Singleton racked up 1,800+ all-purpose yards in 2024 because the defense had to respect Allar and the passing game, opening up running lanes for the well-built back. His biggest weaknesses are his vision and patience behind the line. When those lanes disappeared in 2025, so did his production, losing nearly two yards per carry off his 2024 average.

Cam Ward and Co. have a long way to go before being considered one of the NFL's more potent offenses, but they are adding the pieces to move in that direction. Fourth-overall pick Carnell Tate and free-agent addition Wan'Dale Robinson are massive improvements to the passing game, which, in turn, will benefit the ground game.

That will boost Singleton's chances of being a fantasy-relevant runner, as long as his new coaching staff can help improve his decision-making. The opportunity and physical traits are otherwise there.

Kaytron Allen, RB, Washington Commanders

The other half of the dynamic duo in Happy Valley, Allen, may have an even better path to playing time than Singleton.

While Singleton left school as the all-time touchdown leader, Allen holds the title as Penn State's all-time leading rusher, in large part due to his play at the end of his collegiate career. "Fatman", as they call him, dashed for over 1,300 yards on 6.2 yards per attempt, numbers far superior to Singleton.

Make that 181 yards and 2 TD for Kaytron Allen 🙌 @PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/2tW4EvV627

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 15, 2025

Ironically, due to a perceived lack of explosiveness, Allen may make his mark in the professional ranks by doing what Singleton did so often in college. A glance at the Washington Commanders' running back depth chart shows the lack of a power back, following the departure of Chris Rodriguez Jr. That's a role that Allen can fill in year one.

Now that the NFL Draft dust has settled, it's all but set in stone that Rachaad White will be the team's lead back in 2026. He was miscast on several occasions in Tampa Bay, struggling with rushing efficiency when asked to handle the bulk of the workload. In his complementary role, when Bucky Irving seized control of the Bucs' backfield, White continued to produce as a receiving threat.

So, there's a need for an early-down and short-yardage plower, and Allen needs to beat out only seventh-round sophomore Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who strung together a month-and-a-half of box scores under four yards per carry after his surprise breakout game in early October, and the Cleveland Brown castaway, Jerome Ford.

It's not the most appealing role, especially for fantasy football, with a notable absence of receiving upside. But Rodriguez was on-and-off redraft rosters throughout the season last year, which meant he was a bench staple in dynasty leagues. There are worse ways to spend a late-round rookie pick.

Justin Joly, TE, Denver Broncos

And now for something completely different, because Joly is not a running back, nor did he play college ball at Penn State.

Denver's fifth-round pick split his collegiate career between the University of Connecticut and North Carolina State, consistently catching 40+ balls in his final three years and leading the Wolf Pack in that department in 2025. Unlike most of the day two tight ends, Joly's receiving skills (he began college as a receiver), not so much his blocking, led to his name being called. And that's all we care about in fantasy football.

You can't keep Justin Joly out of the end zone!#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/7N3i9epH83

— NC State Football (@PackFootball) December 29, 2024

Sure, his shortcomings when putting a hat on a hat may prevent him from seeing the field early, but there is a special place on the field for Sean Payton's infamous "Joker" position. All last offseason, we had to hear about how Evan Engram was the leading candidate for the role, with rookie running back RJ Harvey also fitting the bill. Both, to various degrees, were fantasy football disappointments.

Engram, in particular, had one game with over five receptions and finished the season with just 461 yards and one touchdown. He turns 32 as the 2026 season kicks off, is in the final year of his contract, and won't earn another one, barring a surprise rebound campaign. The other relevant tight end on the roster, Adam Trautman, is a blocker who the team can cut, with little financial burden, soon.

Is Joly an immediate contributor in the NFL? Doubtful. He has the body and polished route tree to be a legitimate weapon for a pass-happy Denver offense (Bo Nix led the league in pass attempts last year after finishing sixth the year prior). The small things that lead to playing time are likely to keep him sidelined to start. Sounds like a perfect taxi squad candidate.

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