What is the point of players you take in the later rounds of your 2026 fantasy drafts? To me, it’s all about finding high-risk, high-reward players. Sure, you can draft someone who is a decent value, but what is the upside of a small win that late in a redraft? With the waiver wire, any failed risk is just a spot you can churn off your roster later. It’s going to happen; no one hits at 100% in a fantasy draft. So when I look for a player in those double-digit rounds, I look to hit big.

2026 Late-Round Redraft Sleepers

I want to draft players like Javonte Williams, Colston Loveland and Drake Maye, all of whom went in the double-digit rounds last year. Who are those players in this draft? As of now, here are some of my favorite players with average draft positions (ADP) that seem far too low.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints 

Sleeper ADP 144

After years of ineptitude following Sean Payton’s departure, the Saints finally seem to be on the right track, at least on the offensive side of the ball. With a young, up-and-coming offensive line, new running back talent in Travis Etienne and a revamped receiving core featuring Chris Olave, eighth overall pick Jordyn Tyson and plenty of intriguing young options behind them, the Saints have done what they can to position Shough to prove he can build on what he did last season.

From a fantasy standpoint, that is quite the place to start, with Shough averaging 20.08 points per game over the final six weeks of the season. All of this, plus a second year in Kellen Moore‘s high-tempo offense and questionable talent on defense, sets up Shough to surpass his ADP by a wide margin and provide starting-caliber quarterback play for very little draft capital.

Isaiah Likely, TE, New York Giants

Sleeper ADP 125

When looking for breakout candidates at tight end, there are a few things I keep an eye on. Is the player a great athlete? Is the player young enough to still have a meaningful breakout? Is the player in a great situation for target share?

It looks to me as if Likely checks all three boxes.

We’ve already seen what Likely is capable of as a receiver behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore, but now it looks like opportunity is meeting talent. Likely has moved into an excellent situation for his fantasy production with the Giants. The team gave him a significant contract, and he is now the fourth-highest-paid tight end in terms of average annual value, showing how much the organization values him.

There is also very little target competition in New York, a huge factor in producing a high-end TE1 in fantasy. Only a still-injured Malik Nabers is clearly ahead of Likely in the pecking order. Likely is currently being drafted outside the top 20 tight ends on Sleeper. Even if he is your second tight end, I highly recommend adding Likely to your roster at that ADP.

Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers

Sleeper ADP 183

My favorite deep sleeper in this draft might just be Jonathon Brooks.

First, let’s state the obvious. Despite his excellent real-life draft capital, Brooks is this far down draft boards because of his injury history. Brooks has torn the ACL in his right knee twice, once at the end of his final college season, costing him nearly all of his rookie year, and then again after just three games as a rookie.

Now, with all that said, let’s talk about why Brooks is worth the gamble at his current ADP. Yes, it is clearly a risk, but we are talking about using your final skill-position pick on Brooks, and the upside is real.

So what does Brooks have going for him? Opportunity.

The depth chart looks quite favorable. The only real threat to Brooks is projected starting running back Chuba Hubbard, the same Hubbard who lost his role as the Panthers’ starting running back to Rico Dowdle just last season. If Brooks can stay healthy and has not lost the athleticism that made him the 46th overall pick in the draft, Hubbard is not going to stop him from becoming the lead back on an offense built to run the ball.

Don’t just take my word for it. Knowing all of this, the Panthers still added no meaningful running back depth in the offseason, showing they have faith in Brooks as a contributor. With my 13th-round pick, I find that to be a reasonable gamble. There are not many other players in that range with the kind of ceiling Brooks possesses.

Jay Green is a contributor to Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Jay on Bluesky and on Optimus Fantasy.