Which Fantasy Football Sleepers Are Worth Targeting?

Every year, fantasy football owners are looking for any leverage on their opponents. Going through draft lists and overall rankings, looking for sleepers in the late rounds. Or looking for candidates to outperform their draft position with a breakout season.

Who can be those breakout candidates this year? Here are some names to snag before other owners draft them. This list includes one quarterback and two skill-position players in the other spots. For this breakout candidates list, they need to have had no more than 700 receiving/rushing yards in a season.

Quarterback

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans: No real bones about it, but it was a tough rookie year for Ward. Many rookies have tough years. If it sparks growth with a better team around him, the No. 1 pick could have a breakout second season. The Titans limped to a 3-14 record, and Ward was sacked a league-leading 55 times, which didn’t help matters. He threw for 3,169 yards and just 15 touchdowns despite not missing a game, and he finished with a completion percentage under 60%.

Year 2 should be different for Ward, and a big jump could be coming. The Titans selected Carnell Tate, an Ohio St. wide receiver, fourth overall in the NFL Draft. It was a much-needed weapon for Ward, who will look to bring the Titans back to relevance.

Runningback

Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars: The draft pick from Virginia Tech is ready to step out of the shadows this season. The Jaguars’ 2025 starter at running back, Travis Etienne, left in free agency. Tuten showed promise last year, totaling 307 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He showed he could be a threat as a receiver, too, with 10 catches, 79 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Tuten returned kicks for Jacksonville last year and averaged over 28 yards per return, showing some dynamism to his game. He only had one game with double-digit carries and had 15 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown in a 35-6 win over the Chargers. Tuten is a thick back at 5-9, 209 pounds, and with an increased workload, Tuten is a prime breakout candidate for the Jaguars.

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns: Sampson isn’t a lead back but seemed to gain his footing at the end of 2025. Sampson is expected to be the backup back to Quishon Judkins again in Cleveland. Sampson only had 175 rushing yards last year and averaged less than three yards per rush. However, Sampson is explosive in the open field and offers a different skill set than Judkins.

Despite struggling as a runner much of 2025, Sampson showed out in the passing game. Sampson amassed 40 catches for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He had three games with six or more catches, including the season opener with eight catches for 64 yards. On Nov. 30 against the Raiders, he had his top moment, taking a screen pass and racing 66 yards for a touchdown. The burst he showed there is something the Browns should utilize more in Year 2 for Sampson.

Other RBs to watch: Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers; Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers

Wide Receiver

Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers: Golden was a bit of a shocking pick for the Packers, but a rejoiced pick by Packer Nation. He was the Packers’ first wide receiver taken in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002. The production didn’t match the excitement. But this year, Golden should be ready to shine as the Packers traded two wide receivers – Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks – in the offseason.

Golden totaled just 361 yards and 29 receptions his rookie season, and he didn’t find the end zone. More than half of his receptions were for first downs, though. Golden flashed his potential in the Packers’ Wild Card playoff loss to Chicago. He snared five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. With two of Jordan Love‘s top weapons gone, Golden should get an upgraded target share.

Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears: The rookie out of Missouri came on to end his rookie season, particularly in December. Burden III had a couple of standout performances as the regular season waned. On Dec. 14 against Cleveland, Burden III had six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, and two weeks later had a massive week against the 49ers, reeling in eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. For the year, Burden III had 47 catches for 652 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

With Caleb Williams heading into his third year now, Burden III and Rome Odunze, coupled with Colston Loveland, create quite an offensive corps for the Bears. While he suffered a groin injury and is likely out for the preseason, it isn’t expected to be long-term for Burden.

Other WR to watch: Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers

Tight End

Oronde Gadsen, Los Angeles Chargers: Gadsen has all the makings of a matchup nightmare as a young tight end. In his rookie campaign last year, he totaled 49 catches, 664 yards and three touchdowns. The fifth-round selection from Syracuse started strong, with five of his first seven weeks having at least five receptions. However, after Week 7, Gadsen didn’t have five catches in any game. But the 6-5 tight end should be more consistent in Year 2.

He had a monster performance with seven catches for 164 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Colts on Oct. 19. Not sure how many of those he’ll have, but Gadsen should be a consistent performer and a solid red zone target for Justin Herbert this season.

Mason Taylor, New York Jets: Yeah, a New York Jet makes the list. Not sure many Jets can be trusted outside of Breece Hall, but Taylor is a young player with upside. While he doesn’t have the big-play type ability of some tight ends, Taylor is a big-bodied tight end at 6-5, 251 pounds. Taylor played in 13 games – missing some time with injury – and totaled 44 catches for 369 yards and a touchdown last year.

The Jets are expected to lose often again, which means fewer targets for Taylor, who had 65 targets in 13 games, including just three total in the first two weeks. Taylor became a bigger part of the Jets’ offense as the season went on last year and should be a strong candidate for more looks this season and a bigger part of the game plan in 2026.

Other TE to watch: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Washington Commanders