2026 Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers: Tyler Shough, Xavier Worthy Hidden Gems?

The 2026 NFL season is right around the corner, and that means football fans are participating in their fantasy football drafts leading up to the start of the new campaign. 

It’s important to secure star players at the top of your draft. However, it never hurts to find a few diamonds in the rough later in the draft, or even on the waiver wire once your draft wraps up. In fact, these could be the difference-makers for winning your league.

Below, we’ll break down a few of the top fantasy football sleepers for 2026, focusing on players selected after Round 10 on average. Plus, each player features projections for season-long stats on PrizePicks.

Lock in NFL predictions on PrizePicks, including More or Less on season-long player stats!

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2026 Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers

The average draft position (ADP) is being taken from real-time PPR draft results via FantasyPros.

Users can predict More or Less on season-long player stats for the upcoming 2026 NFL season. That includes pass, rush, and receiving yards, TDs, INTs, and more!

Tyler Shough (QB, Saints)

ADP: 167 (QB20)

PrizePicks Projections for 2026 Season: 3,449.5 Pass Yards / 20.5 Pass TDs / 10.5 Pass INTs

• In late October 2025, Shough became the Saints’ starting QB after replacing QB Spencer Rattler. 
• Shough completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards to go along with 10 TDs and 6 INTs in 11 games. The rookie QB started the final nine games of the season and was on pace to throw for 4,420 yards in the second half of the season.
• According to PlayerProfiler, Shough averaged 8.3 air yards per passing attempt in 2025, which ranked 10th among NFL quarterbacks. In addition, Shough registered a 72.5% true completion percentage in 2025, which placed him 11th among qualifying QBs.
• In 2025, Shough threw just 9 interceptable passes, ranking 32nd in that metric among QBs. 
• Shough averaged 14.4 fantasy points per game in full-point PPR formats and scored at least 21.3 fantasy points per contest in three of his final five games in 2025.

Make Tyler Shough predictions on PrizePicks!

Xavier Worthy (WR, Chiefs)

ADP: 131 (WR55)

PrizePicks Projections for 2026 Season: 649.5 Receiving Yards / 4 Rec TDs

• Worthy finished as the WR58 during the 2025 season but dealt with a shoulder injury after colliding with teammate Travis Kelce in the team’s Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, leading to absences in Week 2 and Week 3.
• The 2024 first-round pick caught 42 passes for 532 yards and 1 TD on 73 targets in 2025. 
• Worthy is a downfield threat, averaging 12.9 yards per target (21st  in 2025).
• The Chiefs’ speedy WR had nine games in which he scored double-digit fantasy points in full-point PPR formats during the 2024 season. In 2025, Worthy tallied just four such performances.
• The Chiefs ranked 25th in rushing yards per game (106.6) last season, with no RB averaging more than 3.9 yards per carry. As a result, the team signed former Seattle Seahawks star RB Kenneth Walker III to a three-year deal in the offseason, which could open up more opportunities for Worthy in the passing game.

Chig Okonkwo (TE, Commanders)

ADP: 170 (TE21)

PrizePicks Projections for 2026 Season: 475.5 Receiving Yards

• Okonkwo wrapped up the 2025 campaign as the TE22 in 2025 as a member of the Tennessee Titans, with career highs in receptions (56), receiving yards (560), and targets (79).
• Okonkwo had the 14th-most targets (79) among tight ends last season.
• The veteran TE racked up 342 yards after the catch, ranking ninth among tight ends.
• The Commanders targeted the tight end position often in 2025. TE Zach Ertz registered 50 receptions for 504 yards and 4 TDs in just 13 games, leaving the door open for Okonkwo to be a steady producer at the position in 2026.

Select More or Less for Chig Okonkwo's 2026 receiving yards on PrizePicks!

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Greg Dulcich (TE, Dolphins)

ADP: 235 (TE30)

PrizePicks Projections for 2026 Season: 424.5 Receiving Yards

• Dulcich finished the 2025 season as the TE45 but was fighting for snaps at the position with veteran TE Darren Waller.
• The former third-round pick caught 26 of his 33 targets for 335 yards and a TD, while averaging a career-best 12.9 yards per catch.
• Dulcich registered a 17.1% target share in the red zone in 2025.
• The Dolphins traded WR Jaylen Waddle and released Tyreek Hill in the offseason, and Miami’s current top pass catchers are WRs Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, and rookie Caleb Douglas. Washington and Tolbert combined for 519 receiving yards and 4 TDs in 2025, so Dulcich certainly has the potential to be one of QB Malik Willis’ top targets this season.

Make Your NFL Predictions on PrizePicks

Value can sometimes be the name of the game when it comes to fantasy football. As a result, hitting on a deep sleeper or two can sometimes be the difference on a championship team. Saints QB Tyler Shough and Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy could be valuable selections that can be available late in drafts.

Want to back the players on your fantasy football roster? PrizePicks NFLSZN game features season-long projections for players across the league. Build a lineup now with the players you believe in, choose More or Less on their projected stats, and see how your picks play out throughout the 2026 season.

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