Found money: 18 fantasy football sleepers hiding on the waiver wire after draft day

The last player on your fantasy bench should never get comfortable.

He should know that every Tuesday morning you’re checking snap rates, goal-line carries, route participation and target shares for somebody younger, faster or simply more gainfully employed.

Too many fantasy managers treat the roster they drafted like a legally binding contract. It isn’t.

Draft night is not roster construction’s finish line. It’s the opening bell. Roles change, and injuries rearrange depth charts. Coaches finally reveal preferences they kept secret throughout August.

The waiver wire is where the real work begins.

Every season, some of fantasy football’s most valuable players begin the year sitting there like loose change nobody bothered to pick up.

According to FantasyPros ADP, the following players were available at the very end of most drafts — or weren’t drafted at all.

Quarterbacks

— Jordan Love, Packers (ADP: 140, QB18): Green Bay has been extremely run-heavy, but Josh Jacobs’ uncertainty could redirect volume. Love finished second in EPA per dropback last season — behind Drake Maye and just ahead of Matthew Stafford — and has posted a touchdown rate above 5% in three straight years. He’s being priced as a QB2 but still owns a reasonable top-10 path.

— Kyler Murray, Vikings (155, QB17): Murray steps into Kevin O’Connell’s offense with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings and T.J. Hockenson, which should help revive his fantasy ceiling. His legs remain the separator: Murray has averaged at least 30 rushing yards per game in every NFL season. That rushing floor plus Minnesota’s weapons and KOC’s system makes him one of my favorite cheap quarterback bets.

— Sam Darnold, Seahawks (172, QB23): Darnold threw for 4,048 yards while averaging 8.5 yards per attempt last season, yet fantasy managers still treated him like a streamer. Seattle’s backfield changes could create more passing volume. He’s especially useful in superflex formats, where quarterbacks with 4,000-yard potential should not be sitting around for free.

Running Backs

— Jonah Coleman, Broncos (143, RB46): Denver kept Coleman while cutting Jaleel McLaughlin. The 220-pound rookie averaged 5.5 yards per carry in college and scored 34 rushing touchdowns. He’s a goal-line stash who could become a flex if Sean Payton’s committee thins.

— Emmett Johnson, Chiefs (156, RB54): Kansas City waived Emari Demercado, clearing Johnson’s path behind Kenneth Walker III. He produced 1,821 scrimmage yards and 15 TDs at Nebraska in 2025. He’s a premium three-down handcuff now with a path to weekly relevance if Walker misses time.

— Kaelon Black, 49ers (157, RB53): Sometimes fantasy analysis is simple: roster the healthy running back closest to Christian McCaffrey. The third-round rookie averaged 5.1 yards per carry this preseason, and is one step away from meaningful work in a system that consistently manufactures rushing production.

— Tyjae Spears, Titans (160, RB55): Brian Daboll has discussed a larger rushing and receiving role for Spears. He remains Tennessee’s most dynamic receiving back and flashed 8.8 yards per carry in the preseason opener. At worst, he’s a PPR flex with upside.

Wide Receivers

— Rashid Shaheed, Seahawks (146, WR54): A full offseason with Darnold should expand the role Seattle couldn’t install after acquiring him midseason. Shaheed is an elite vertical separator whose spike weeks can swing matchups. He’ll maintain WR3/flex upside throughout the season.

— Ja’Kobi Lane, Ravens (148, WR57): Lane has pushed into Baltimore’s WR2 conversation. At 6-foot-4 with a huge catch radius, he doesn’t need 10 targets per week if Lamar Jackson looks for him near the goal line. He’s the kind of young receiver worth rostering before the touchdowns make everyone else notice.

— Kayshon Boutte, Texans (150, WR56): Houston added Boutte after Jayden Higgins’ ACL injury, while Tank Dell begins the season on IR. Boutte averaged 16.7 yards per catch with six TDs last year and now has a plausible route to becoming C.J. Stroud’s No. 2 receiver. I anticipate Nico Collins having a monster season, but durability has been an issue in the past.

— Malachi Fields, Giants (219, WR70): Fields is more lottery ticket than lineup lock, but he has a legitimate path to snaps and target share while Malik Nabers works back from ACL surgery. The 6-4 rookie earned first-team opportunities during the preseason and offers obvious red-zone appeal.

Tight Ends

— Chig Okonkwo, Commanders (169, TE18): Okonkwo landed a three-year deal in Washington after career highs of 56 catches and 560 yards. His athleticism plus Jayden Daniels gives him low-cost TE1 upside.

— Terrance Ferguson, Rams (176, TE22): Ferguson is pushing for more second-year work in a heavy-personnel offense. His 11 rookie receptions produced 231 yards — 21.0 per reception — and three TDs. He’s a boom-or-bust TE2 with big-play juice.

— AJ Barner, Seahawks (196, TE27): Barner remains atop Seattle’s depth chart. He quietly posted 52 catches, 519 yards and six TDs in 2025. He’s a touchdown-friendly streamer with low-end TE1 potential.

— Gunnar Helm, Titans (265, TE30): Okonkwo’s departure made Helm Tennessee’s unquestioned starter. He caught 44 of 55 targets as a rookie. His route volume makes him a compelling “great or late” waiver bet.

Defenses/Special Teams

— Jaguars (192, DST10): Elite run defense, strong turnover profile and a Week 1 matchup with Cleveland. FantasyPros projects Jacksonville as its No. 1 opening-week defense. Stream aggressively, then reassess.

— Lions (220, DST12): Detroit gets perhaps the best early runway in fantasy, opening with New Orleans before facing Buffalo, the Jets, Carolina and Arizona during the NFL’s easiest first-five-week schedule. Aidan Hutchinson now has more help after additions including DJ Wonnum and rookie Derrick Moore, and simple injury regression could matter after two battered seasons. A healthier version of an already top-10 DVOA defense has legitimate every-week potential.

— Titans (316, DST23): New coach Robert Saleh and coordinator Gus Bradley inherit Jeffery Simmons and added pass-rush help in John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson II. The scheme should emphasize limiting explosive plays and forcing quarterbacks to repeatedly execute underneath.