0:12Five rookies in 2026 fantasy football that you need to draft before they gain value in training camp. We're talking about deep rookie sleepers. Rookies that
0:24could make an impact at some point during the season. We're not talking about players like Jeremiah Love. We're not talking about players like Carnell
0:31Tate. We'll talk about those guys later on in the year, but we're talking about deep sleepers that can help you in the
0:38final rounds of all of your fantasy drafts right now. I'm Theo Gremminger, lead fantasy analyst at RotoWire, and we're breaking it down right here. For
0:47more videos like this, make sure you hit that like button, but make sure you also hit that subscribe button. We're going
0:52to be dropping league-winning fantasy advice all summer long. So, talking about rookie sleepers, players that are under the radar right now. And again,
1:02there's going to be some rookies drafted very, very early. Jeremiah Love's going to go in the second round of your draft.
1:07You're going to hear about guys like Carnell Tate and Jordan Tyson, first-round rookie wide receiver picks all summer long. But we're talking about
1:15some of those players that managers in your league are going to completely ignore, and some of these players end up being massive waiver wire adds as early
1:24as week one or week two because their usage is going to surprise people. And some of these players you might have to
1:31be a little bit patient for, but a number of these players are already generating buzz and will continue to do so in NFL training camp. Let's go ahead
1:40and start breaking it down. And we'll start off at the top, and the player that has, by far, the best NFL draft
1:47pedigree among all the players in this group, it's Denzel Boston of the Cleveland Browns. And Denzel Boston has been having a phenomenal off-season so
1:57far. You talk about OTAs, you talk about rookie camps, Denzel Boston showed up and dominated in both of them. And this
2:06is not a knock on Casey Concepcion.
2:10Cleveland drafted Casey Concepcion in the first round and then followed up with Denzel Boston in round two. Most of the post-NFL Draft winners and losers
2:20articles, especially from fantasy football lens, were calling Denzel Boston a post-NFL Draft loser. He's been anything but so
2:30far in Cleveland. And there's a chance that the two wide receivers that are the most productive on the field for Cleveland are both rookies this year.
2:39And Casey Concepcion could have made this list, but it's very difficult to call a first-rounder any sort of a sleeper.
2:47And the great thing about Casey Concepcion and Denzel Boston is their skill sets are not overlapping.
2:53Denzel Boston though, there is a ton to like about this profile. There was some buzz coming into the NFL Draft. You had
3:00some NFL Draft experts like Lance Zierlein comparing him to guys like Puka Nacua.
3:05You look at the frame for Boston, 6'4 212, and you think big outside threat.
3:12But he's really a player that could be a target-earning versatile weapon in the passing game that can generate first downs as well as
3:24being a big threat inside the red zone.
3:26That sounds pretty good for fantasy football. Again, 6'4 212, and then you look at the stats he had at Washington as a featured weapon.
3:3520 touchdowns over his last two seasons played combined.
3:39And in each of the 2025 and 2024 seasons, he had a 25% plus target share.
3:47So, you're talking about a big-time target earner.
3:50He's been making spectacular plays downfield all throughout his time early time with the with the Browns where there are beat reporters saying that
4:00Denzel Boston is not only a threat to start, but he can be a foundational weapon for this team for years to come.
4:08There's been beat reporters saying that this is one of the best wide receivers that they've seen in a Cleveland Browns camp since like Ja Peak Josh Gordon.
4:19We're talking about a instant impact type vibes at least early on in Cleveland. Now, the target competition is going to be there. Casey Concepcion,
4:28of course, and Harold Fannin Jr. who was exceptional last year as a third-round pick out of Bowling Green. But, those guys are younger. Boston has a chance to
4:37emerge from a young passing core, and his ADP is not really caught up at all.
4:42You're able to get Denzel Boston even in wide receiver-heavy formats like the NFFC and in best ball formats like Underdog at a very cheap price tag.
4:53You're able to get Boston around pick 150, and that's a a price tag that I think is going to move up considerably
5:01as the summer moves along. Make sure you go and get some Denzel Boston, and if you're a dynasty manager, he's a great
5:07player to trade for right now before he gets late season steam. There's a great track record for wide receivers getting top 40 NFL draft capital, and Denzel
5:18Boston has it. Denzel Boston, a true sleeper this year with great draft capital pedigree. Let's flip it over to the running back position,
5:27and let's talk about Demond Claiborne.
5:29So, we talked about a second-rounder with Denzel Boston. That's sort of easy to get behind. Now, let's talk about a sixth-rounder in Demond Claiborne.
5:38Sixth-round running back is usually a death sentence. There's very few players like Claiborne drafted inside a round six that make an instant impact as a
5:49rookie. But, Clayborn certainly has a shot. He's an electric player, and even though he was a sixth-rounder, he landed extremely well.
6:00The smaller frame for Clayborn is going to immediately scare some people off, and it certainly scared off a number of NFL teams. This is not a bell cow
6:09profile. You're talking about 5'10, 188 lb, but it's the electric speed and the home run hitting ability that gets people very excited, and it's the
6:20physicality for a player of his size.
6:22So, anything you watch with Demond Clayborn on film, this doesn't scream smaller back that avoids contact. This is a player who can take a hit. And he
6:30has a 4.37 40-yard dash speed. The production was there at Wake Forest. 23 touchdowns, and over 1,950
6:41rushing yards over his last 24 games as a Demon Deacon.
6:47You can get Clayborn right now around pick number 250. So, this is a free look type play. And if you're drafting in
6:55leagues like the NFFC, you're drafting in leagues like the FFPC that have early drafts, Clayborn makes a lot of sense because if things fall apart, all this
7:05cost you was a very late round pick.
7:09But, there is a chance that you see his ADP trend up significantly when we get to when we get to training camp because
7:16the vibes are fantastic. There are number number of people internally saying that this could be the Aaron Jones replacement. And Aaron Jones is in
7:25a very solid role right now. Jones will turn 32 early in the season. 32-year-old backs, that's not a great bet in the
7:34NFL. The only other back Aaron Jones' age that's going to get time early on in the year and a lot of touches is Derrick
7:42Henry, and we all know King Henry is built different. And you talk about the vibes and the praise that we're starting
7:49to see. There was a piece on The Athletic about De'Von Achane. So, the beat reporters in Minnesota are already like hyping him up a little bit. I
7:58compared him to Keaton Mitchell rookie year, and a bunch of people jumped up when I did that on X and were like, Theo, you
8:05got to take that up a notch. Sigmund Bloom, who I respect a lot, has compared him to Devonta Freeman. Anybody who
8:12remembers the Devonta Freeman Atlanta experience, it was pretty great for fantasy football. Then you start talking about the quotes that are coming out of
8:21camp. You had Aaron Jones himself say, "Honestly, it looks a little bit like Jahmyr Gibbs in terms of that speed and
8:29that burst."
8:30Then you go looking back at some of the the comparisons that were made during the NFL draft process. You had CBS's
8:38Mike Renner saying that this is the most dynamic back in this draft class after Jahmyr Love. Crazy praise. And then the
8:46one that I love, The Athletic's Dane Brugler said that he has the mismatch creating athleticism and receiving upside to be a diet version of De'Von
8:56Achane. And it's the receiving work that makes him most excited because like when you look at Achane, a back his size, he's not going to get there at 188
9:06lb if he's not heavily involved in the receiving game.
9:10But if there was any sort of an Aaron Jones injury, the contingent upside is absolutely there for Achane to thrive in
9:17that role. Aaron Jones had a 13.8% target share last year, very high number for a running back. If Achane could step
9:25into a number like that with his home run hitting ability, even in a backfield where other backs are getting touches, Achane could thrive. You look at Jordan
9:35Mason, the other back in Minnesota, a very solid player, but a capped upside type. He's had back-to-back 700-plus rushing yards seasons, but we're not
9:44anticipating Jordan Mason to have a massive tear this season. Clayborn should be a part of your late-round draft strategy if you're drafting right
9:53now. And if your draft is later on in the summer, make sure you're monitoring Demario Clayborn. He's going to be a
10:00really really fun rookie for us potentially this year, and he's absolutely free. If you're a best-ball drafter, he's one of the last draftable
10:09running backs, too. You can occasionally get Demario Clayborn in Underdog drafts around like the 17th and 18th round.
10:16Makes for a very fun last-round upside swing. Let's keep it going, and let's bounce back to wide receiver. And let's talk about a player we talked about a
10:27smaller player in Demario Clayborn.
10:30Let's talk about another one at the wide receiver position in Zakhari Branch. And Zakhari Branch has been a pull a polarizing player throughout the draft
10:40process and early on in training camp.
10:43There's some people completely writing Zakhari Branch off because he's a shade under 5'9 and he weighs 177 lb.
10:55But he ripped it up at the NFL Combine.
10:57So, you talk about a smaller player, but the explosive athleticism, 4.35 40-yard dash time, and a 38-in vertical.
11:08Then you talk about Zakhari Branch just being an absolute dog. Branch had a ridiculous 20 reps at his size on the
11:18bench press at the Combine. A lot of wide receivers don't even test on the bench press, and Zakhari Branch went in
11:24there and put up 20 reps. An outstanding number for any wide receiver, let alone a wide receiver of his size.
11:31I'm getting Tank Dell rookie year vibes when it comes to Branch. You have Zachariah Branch coming from the University of Georgia
11:40as a third-round pick. Gets drafted by the local NFL team in the Atlanta Falcons.
11:46We look back at Tank Dell's rookie year, it was pretty much the same thing. Tank Dell third-round pick out of University
11:52of Houston, gets drafted by the Houston Texans. We all know how impactful Tank Dell's rookie season was. One of the best third-round rookie years really
12:02ever on a points per game basis.
12:04Then you look at Zachariah Branch and how everything is sort of matching up for his skill set with the quarterback situation in
12:12Atlanta. It looks like it's going to be Tua Tagovailoa as the starter in week one. That's where all the signs are
12:18pointing. And you look at Branch, where he was able to excel in the screen game, which really was how Georgia's offense
12:26was designed. And those lower A-dot looks, screen game looks, and manufactured touch looks in this Atlanta offense with Tua Tagovailoa, it screams
12:37Zachariah Branch.
12:39Now, Drake London is going to dominate targets and target share in Atlanta.
12:44Don't get it twisted. Drake London is still a fantastic pick. Kyle Pitts is going to be one of the top five to seven
12:51most targeted tight ends in the NFL this year. And Bijan Robinson is a threat to lead all running backs in catches this
12:59year. But Atlanta is so consolidated between those three. Is there an opportunity for Zachariah Branch to carve out a role and make this offense
13:08even more consolidated with Branch taking on the number four target in the passing game with spike week ability.
13:15And yeah, there is spike week ability with Zachariah Branch.
13:18You're talking about a player who had 81 catches last year at Georgia. This led the SEC in receptions, and this set a
13:26Georgia Bulldog record for the history of their program. 81 catches was the most in the history of Georgia's football program. And that's big boy
13:35football. We're not talking about a small school here. And when then we talk about Zachariah Branch's history, the pedigree, he was the number one wide
13:43receiver recruit in the country coming out of high school, played at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, which is a absolute powerhouse program out west.
13:52And when he got to USC, made an impact on special teams. There was a There is a great history of players who have had
14:01special teams success, especially early on in college, correlating to future fantasy football success. Talk about guys like Tyreek Hill. Well, Zachariah
14:10Branch in 2023 was an All-American return specialist at USC.
14:14And right now I'm able to get Zachariah Branch after pick 250, even in formats like the NFFC. And I'm able to get him
14:22on Underdog super late, as well. He makes for a great stack option if you're drafting Drake London or Kyle Pitts, or
14:30Bijan Robinson for that matter, and you want to build Atlanta correlation.
14:35Zachariah Branch is electric, and I think he's going to have his moments this year. He feels like a player that fantasy managers are going to be playing
14:43catch up on on the waiver wire at some point this year. Let's go with a player, again, at the running back position.
14:51And let's talk about Jonah Coleman in Denver. And I know some of you are probably having PTSD because there's been Denver rookie running backs in the
15:00past that have failed. We We're talking about the Jaleel McLaughlins, the Audric Estimés, Royce Freeman experience, where he got all steamed up. But last year we
15:09had it in R.J. Harvey. And R.J. Harvey got there with with like a lot of counting stats. R.J. Harvey was good
15:16with catches, and R.J. R.J. Harvey was very good with scoring touchdowns.
15:21But it feels all off-season long like the Denver Broncos don't really trust RJ Harvey. We saw them linked to players like Kenneth Walker, and they ultimately
15:32brought back JK Dobbins, who I fully expect to carry the load early on in Denver in free agency.
15:40But, when we look at Jaleel Johnson, there's a lot of boxes that he's checking off where he could make an impact at some point this season on a
15:48Denver Broncos team that we think will be very, very good on offense, and running behind what is probably the best offensive line in the entire NFL.
16:00Johnson is 5'8" and weighs about 220.
16:04He's built like the late former NFL star Doug Martin if you're trying to find like a historical comp in terms of his
16:10size.
16:11Then, you look at the ability to sustain volume he had at Washington. He's had 27 touchdowns in his last 25 games played
16:21with over 1,800 rushing yards, but he's not just a between-the-tackles bruiser.
16:26He's got a fantastic jump-cut style to his game.
16:30He's able to churn out those tough yards, and he's an underrated pass-catcher. He had 31 catches this past year at
16:38Washington for over 350 receiving yards.
16:42And, you're starting to get the positive coach-speak buzz where Sean Payton came out and said that he's put together well. There are some positions I think
16:51are a little bit more difficult to evaluate. Ultimately, with him as a runner, they have to tackle you. And then, he gave him like the ultimate
16:59quote tweet, "He's all football." And I think it's the kind of player that NFL head coaches will gravitate towards cuz Jaleel Johnson has toughness. He's
17:09an excellent pass-blocker, and coaches gravitate towards players with that style.
17:16You also start looking at where Jaleel Coleman was drafted, the fourth round.
17:20And the fourth round has had multiple hits the last two seasons in terms of producing a rookie running back who was
17:29fantasy friendly for an extended period of time.
17:32Last year we had it with Cam Akers, a player who Jaleel Coleman drew some comparisons to in the draft process. And
17:40you talk about Akers and you talk about Jaleel Coleman, you're talking about two players who neither is going to be accused of being a burner in terms of
17:47like the 40-yard dash, but you're talking about players with size and toughness and again receiving ability.
17:54Then you go back to 2024, the fourth round was Bucky Irving. So, we've had back-to-back seasons of the fourth round producing a player that gave us at least
18:04a decent stretch for fantasy football.
18:07And when it comes to Akers and it comes to Bucky Irving, both of those guys had huge impacts again on a point per game
18:13basis for Akers, but Akers but Akers was 16 points per game. Now, do we expect Coleman to dominate usage from the jump
18:20here? No. This is going to be a crowded ugly situation early on in Denver. The way I think it shakes out,
18:27J.K. Dobbins dominates the carries early on and R.J. Harvey moves into sort of a receiving role. But Jaleel Coleman can be viewed as a handcuff to both of these
18:37players. Where if Harvey goes down, I would anticipate Coleman contributing to the passing game.
18:44And if J.K. Dobbins goes down, I think Coleman would take on a great deal of the rushing game. And both of those
18:50players between Dobbins and Harvey also could end up getting replaced because we're talking about Sean Payton.
18:57There's potential that this is a chaos backfield. It's hard to trust a Sean Payton back. Often times there is change in the backfield and guys get their
19:06opportunity. What would happen if we had six weeks of Jaleel Coleman pacing this backfield and getting 15 to 20 touches a
19:15game with goal line equity and some work in the passing game. That sounds like a player who could be a mid-level RB2. So,
19:22there's some contingent upside for Coleman, but this is a backfield that we want access to and he is the cheapest player among JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and
19:33and and then you got Jonathon Coleman there. So, for me, I'm taking shots on the rookie running back in all formats.
19:38I want access to him on my redraft rosters, on best ball rosters on Underdog, and I also want access to him in
19:46dynasty. There is a chance that Jonathon Coleman simply takes over this backfield, and he's got the big-time contingent upside on an offense that we
19:55trust this year with Bo Nix entering his third season as a pro. Talking about one more rookie before we wrap things up
20:03here, we're going to talk about Antonio Williams of the Washington Commanders.
20:08And if you want access to all of my rankings, all of my articles, and everything that I'm going to put out
20:13this year, it's going to be available to you at rotowire.com.
20:18Make sure you use the code Theo15 and get 15% off of any RotoWire subscription. We're going to help you crush your leagues this season right
20:27over at rotowire.com.
20:30Let's talk about Antonio Williams though.
20:32Third round pick at for the Washington Commanders out of Clemson.
20:37Clemson has had an outstanding history of producing wide receivers to the NFL level. Talk about guys like Tee Higgins, DeAndre Hopkins, the list goes on and
20:47on.
20:48When we talk about Antonio Williams, he could be the next Clemson wide receiver to make an early impact in his career.
20:5721 years old, he had a outstanding season in 2024. 74 catches, 902 receiving yards, and 11 touchdown grabs.
21:07That was a great year for him in 2024, surrounded by some future pros on that offense. Then you talk about this past
21:14year, only played 10 games, 55 catches for 600 yards. Ended up becoming the fourth all-time a Clemson Tiger in terms
21:24of receptions and touchdown scores in a very high pedigree program for especially for wide receiver talent. You start talking about Antonio Williams and
21:35what sort of player he he is. There were some comparing him to Ladd McConkey throughout the process, the evaluative process leading up to the NFL draft.
21:46And then when you look at the parallels to their games, it's not really that far off. Williams would have to thread the
21:54needle to get a 15-point per game type season like we saw from Ladd during Ladd's rookie year. But Antonio Williams this year could average double-digit
22:03points per game in PPR leagues. There's a clear pathway to that.
22:08He could step right into the Deebo Samuel role.
22:12And Antonio Williams should thrive as a slot receiver in Washington, but he has the versatility to play some flanker, to play some Z receiver as well.
22:23But really the slot is where he's going to dominate usage. And you look at Deebo last year, double-digit points per game
22:30last season.
22:32You could see Washington using Antonio Williams as a threat for yards after the catch. And his YAC ability, his slot ability, those things are very fantasy
22:43friendly. Terry McLaurin is going to be the focal point of the entire offense, let alone the passing game, but McLaurin is north of 30 years old. Williams is
22:52going to give a huge boost of youth and and versatility to this passing game.
22:59And I'm able to get him after pick 200, even in wide receiver heavy formats like the NFFC. I think there's a chance that
23:07this could be one of the biggest waiver wire ads after week one of the NFL season. If Antonio Williams goes out and
23:15has like a seven catch game, then I think people are going to be saying, "Why didn't I draft that player this
23:20summer?" And in shallow fantasy formats, I think people are going to be hitting the waiver wire. We got to hold our
23:25breath a little bit. We don't want to see a player like Stefon Diggs land in Washington. But if Williams can come out
23:32of the off season unscathed, his rookie season could look a lot like Terry McLaurin's rookie season. Washington drafted McLaurin in the third round, um
23:42and he ended up having a fantastic rookie year.
23:46This year they draft Williams in the third round. He could be a really big-time impact player for this offense.
23:52Then you look at the competition in the passing game.
23:55There's a void at wide receiver two.
23:59Guys like Jalen Lane, Trey Lon Burks.
24:02That's Antonio Williams' current competition besides Terry McLaurin. You look at Rashad White, he should get some passes out of the back field. Jamison
24:10Crowder merits going to get his touches as well. And Chigoziem Okonkwo has a chance to have a career year. But Antonio Williams can be the number two
24:18target in Washington, and you're able to get him almost free in all formats right now. If you're a best ball manager, make
24:26sure you're grabbing some Antonio Williams as a late stacking option when you draft Jayden Daniels. And if you're a redraft manager, just grab Antonio
24:35Williams. If it doesn't work out, that post pick 200 price tag is nothing.
24:41That's the kind of price tag for a player you don't mind sending back to the waiver wire, but there's a chance
24:46you save yourself a ton of fab right now by just drafting Antonio Williams. Stick with us here at RotoWire, we're going to
24:53be dropping videos like this all off season long. They're going to help you crush your fantasy leagues. Hit that subscribe button for more, and hit the
25:00like button if you enjoyed this one.
25:01Again, I'm Theo Gremminger, and we'll see you soon.