Fantasy football drafts are shaped by more than a player list. A ranking can place a player well above the point where managers are selecting him, creating a decision that is less about chasing a label and more about judging value at a specific point in the board.
In brief
- SportsLine’s 2026 model identifies Isaiah Likely and Tony Pollard as publicly named sleeper candidates.
- Likely is ranked TE9 despite a reported ADP of 97, while Pollard shares a tier with earlier-drafted running backs.
- The rankings highlight gaps between a model’s positional view and the prices developing in fantasy drafts.
That contrast is central to the latest 2026 rankings from SportsLine’s fantasy football model, which simulated the NFL season 10,000 times. Tight end Isaiah Likely and running back Tony Pollard are the two publicly identified sleepers, and each has a clear divide between his model placement and reported draft cost.
The model’s earlier call on De’Von Achane provides context without guaranteeing a repeat. It ranked Achane as RB6 before the previous season, and he finished sixth among running backs in CBS Sports PPR scoring. For 2026 drafters, the more relevant question is how to read the specific signals attached to Likely and Pollard.
Isaiah Likely’s ranking puts him inside the top 10
Likely is ranked TE9 by the model, ahead of Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce. His reported average draft position is 97, placing his draft cost well beyond the earliest rounds in the drafts referenced by CBS Sports.
That difference gives Likely’s sleeper case its shape. A manager evaluating the tight end position can see a player the model places in its top 10 while the broader draft market has been taking him later. The ranking does not settle how every league should value him, particularly when roster rules and scoring differ. It does make his position on the board more notable than a generic sleeper label would suggest.
A positional ranking and draft price are not the same thing
Likely’s TE9 ranking reflects where he sits among tight ends in this set of projections. An ADP of 97 records where he has been selected in the cited drafts. One is a model’s view of positional standing; the other is a snapshot of draft behavior.
For readers following the NFL developments featured in Top Stories, that distinction matters as draft boards continue to take shape. The value of a player can change quickly when draft rooms begin treating a ranking as a cue to move earlier. Likely’s current profile is defined by the gap itself: a top-10 tight end ranking paired with a reported ADP outside the first several rounds.
There is no need to turn that gap into a prediction of a final finish. The useful takeaway is narrower. Likely is one of the names where a model and the market are not currently aligned, giving managers a concrete comparison when they reach the tight end portion of a draft.
Tony Pollard is placed with more expensive running backs
Pollard presents a different version of the same issue. He is going around pick 76 and is listed as RB27 in the drafts discussed by CBS Sports. The model places him in the same tier as TreVeyon Henderson and Rico Dowdle, both of whom are being selected earlier.
A tier can be especially useful at running back, where a draft room may focus heavily on the next available name rather than the group of players with similar projected value. Pollard’s placement indicates that the model sees him alongside Henderson and Dowdle despite the difference in reported acquisition cost.
The tier is the important signal
Pollard’s reported RB27 status describes his place in the market, not necessarily his place in the model’s evaluation. Being grouped with Henderson and Dowdle does not establish that he will outscore either player in 2026. It shows that the model considers them comparable enough to occupy the same tier.
That makes Pollard’s case more specific than an argument built on broad optimism. A drafter choosing between running backs at that stage can weigh the market price against the tier placement, then decide whether the available discount is meaningful in that league’s format. The model is not offering certainty. It is identifying a mismatch between the order in which players are being drafted and the way it groups them.
Draft preparation works best when the measures stay separate
Likely and Pollard illustrate why fantasy preparation benefits from separating rankings, ADP and tiers rather than treating them as interchangeable. Likely’s TE9 ranking is the clearest positional signal. Pollard’s shared tier with earlier-selected backs is the clearest value signal. Their reported draft positions explain why both are being highlighted as sleepers.
A broader 2026 draft resource can include rankings, projections, sleepers, breakout candidates, overvalued players and players to avoid, as shown in The Athletic’s fantasy football draft kit. Those categories address different decisions, and they should not be collapsed into one judgment about whether a player will succeed.
For now, the cases are straightforward. Likely is ranked TE9 with a reported ADP of 97. Pollard is going near pick 76 as RB27 while sitting in the same model tier as Henderson and Dowdle. Those gaps make them notable names as 2026 fantasy football drafts move closer to the regular season.
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