Sleeper Fantasy Football Draft Strategy For 2026: Kenneth Walker, DeVonta Smith and Other Outliers

We close out our strategy series with a look at the Sleeper platform.

Sleeper probably has some of the most glaring ADP differences of the three major sites, some of which we’ll highlight shortly. Oftentimes when drafting on Sleeper, I find myself having to scroll down quite a bit to find the player I actually want, so it is imperative to avoid drafting strictly using their ADP as a guideline.

Here are the biggest Sleeper fantasy ADP differences and who I'm targeting and avoiding in 2026.

Notable Sleeper ADP Differences

Kenneth Walker | RB | KC

• Sleeper ADP: 22.9 | Underdog ADP: 15

Kenneth Walker is an early second-round pick on Underdog, but he is sometimes being pushed up toward the end of Round 1 in high-stakes drafts. On Sleeper, he is barely even drafted as a top-24 overall player, presenting a massive value opportunity whether you love Walker this year or simply like him. This ADP will change, as Jeremiyah Love is currently somehow being drafted as a top-20 overall player despite dealing with a high-ankle sprain.

Since entering the league in 2022, Walker has averaged 16.4 touches per game (17th). During that span, he hasn’t come close to 300 touches. But with only Emari Demercado and Emmett Johnson behind him on the KC depth chart, Walker should flirt with (or exceed) the 300-touch mark. And a move to Kansas City—and perhaps more importantly, away from Zach Charbonnet—should result in more touchdown upside. Last year in Seattle, Walker averaged just 0.5 inside-the-5 carries per game, accounting for only 32% of the Seahawks’ total carries from that area of the field. Meanwhile, despite logging just 47% of the snaps, Kareem Hunt ranked 10th in the NFL with 13 carries from inside the 5-yard line, averaging nearly one such carry per contest.

The move to Kansas City will also lead to more efficient looks for Walker, who saw stacked boxes (8-plus defenders) on nearly 22% of his carries over his first four seasons. Playing running back in a Mahomes-led offense certainly has its perks. For starters, you know opposing defenses will rarely ever hone in on stopping you. This past season, Isiah Pacheco saw stacked boxes on just 14.4% of his carries, the third-lowest rate among qualified running backs.

Walker is an ideal running back target in 2026, but especially on Sleeper.

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DeVonta Smith | WR | PHI

• Sleeper ADP: 44.9 | Underdog ADP: 27.6

Matthew Berry should be extremely offended by this. His 2026 Ride or Die being drafted outside of the top-40 overall players on Sleeper?

Blasphemy.

DeVonta Smith, who has always been a great player, is set to potentially post truly elite numbers in 2026. Mid-tier volume has limited Smith’s fantasy ceiling. Since 2022, Smith has posted TPRR rates of 22%, 19%, 20% and 22%. We did see a 136-target season from Smith back in 2023, leading to 95 catches, 1,196 yards, seven touchdowns and a WR9 fantasy finish. 130-plus targets should be well within reach for Smith.

Since 2022, Smith has been targeted on 28% of his routes with Brown off the field, which would easily be his highest TPRR rate over an entire season. Smith will be the unquestioned alpha in this offense, and between the talent and uptick in volume, he should be selected as a top-15 fantasy wide receiver, while having top-10 upside.

Oronde Gadsden | TE | LAC

• Sleeper ADP: 94.7 | Underdog ADP: 160.9

Not going to lie. I don’t get this one at all.

For some very, very strange reason, Oronde Gadsden is being drafted as a top-10 tight end on Sleeper, coming off the board as a top-100 overall player. Gadsden began to emerge as the Chargers’ top tight end last season in Week 3—from then on, the rookie logged 65% of the routes. That ranked just 24th among all tight ends during that span, as Gadsden was essentially used as a huge slot receiver. Given the moves the Chargers have made this offseason, we can expect new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel to deploy plenty of 12 personnel and probably a sprinkle of 13. Play-action targets can be very fantasy-friendly for tight ends, and if Gadsden isn’t out there in heavier personnel, those looks won’t be headed his way.

The 2026 preseason usage isn’t the strongest bet on Gadsden, either.

Offseason additions Charlie Kolar and David Njoku appear to be ahead of Gadsden, as both players played over him alongside the starters on Thursday. In fact, Gadsden didn’t log a single snap with the first-team offense. This comes one week after Njoku and Kolar didn’t suit up in Week 1, while Gadsden played.

General Tips for Drafting Sleeper Leagues in 2026

• Unlike ESPN and Yahoo, Sleeper’s default scoring setting is full PPR, which likely explains why De’Von Achane still comes off the board in Round 1 on this platform. Because of the scoring, wide receivers appear to be pushed up in the earlier rounds, while nonexistent pass-catching running backs like Derrick Henry aren’t as enticing. Make sure you are aware of this difference if you are moving from ESPN or Yahoo to Sleeper for the 2026 campaign.
• It’s generally a good idea to add players you like to a queue, but especially on Sleeper. Because a lot of the ADP hasn’t quite caught up yet, there will be plenty of players pushed way down on the available players list that you might think have actually been drafted, but their ADP is just much lower on Sleeper. Be sure to keep scrolling down just in case and add players to your queue.