Blake Krass ranks the top 10 sleepers to target for the 2026-27 NFL regular season DraftKings Best Ball contests.
The NFL Draft is all wrapped up, which means it’s time to turn to the 2026-27 NFL season. The best way to do that is by drafting in some DraftKings Best Ball fantasy football contests. You can enter DraftKings’ NFL Best Ball contests here. This is a breakdown of the top 10 best ball sleepers to target for this season.
For those who are new to best ball, the rules are as follows:
Participants will draft a lineup via a live snake draft, just like a normal fantasy football draft. The main difference? That is your team for the duration of the NFL regular season. There are no trades, no free agency and no roster management. You draft your team, then your highest-scoring players that week will be the players who count towards your score. There is no need to set your lineup. That allows you to draft your team, then just sit back and root for those players all season.
Tyler Shough is entering his sophomore season as the clear QB1 in New Orleans. Shough started the final 10 games of the season for the Saints and started playing really solid football down the stretch. The Saints won four of their last five games thanks to really solid play out of Shough. From Week 14 through the end of the regular season, Tyler Shough ranked eighth among eligible quarterbacks in adjusted EPA/play. The Saints are hoping Chris Olave can stay healthy, alongside new additions Travis Etienne Jr. and Jordyn Tyson. If everything clicks, this could be an exciting offense with Shough becoming a high-end fantasy quarterback.
As previously mentioned, Travis Etienne Jr. is off to New Orleans. Etienne was a 2022 Jaguars draft pick and rushed for over 1,000 yards in three of his four seasons with the team. That leaves a massive hole in the offense that is expected to be filled by Bhayshul Tuten. Tuten was a fourth-round pick by the Jaguars in 2025 and showed signs of real promise in his rookie season. Etienne was the clear lead back, but Tuten scored seven total touchdowns and had flashes of greatness. The Jaguars have not gone out and gotten another RB1 this offseason, sending a message that Tuten will be carrying the load. He has serious potential to be a top-10 fantasy running back with that workload in Jacksonville next season.
DJ Moore has found a new home in Buffalo. Moore was starting to fade into the background in Chicago with younger pass-catchers like Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze taking so many targets. Moore has found the perfect home in Buffalo. Josh Allen has been missing a player like Moore the past couple of years. He is an experienced player with great hands and a wide catch radius. Keon Coleman was supposed to be that player for Allen, but that didn’t work out. Moore will complement Khalil Shakir well and give the Bills more options in the passing game. In this new spot, Moore should have a bounce-back season after a career-worst season in 2025-26.
It was a less-than-ideal rookie season for Cam Ward. The No. 1 overall pick was the only rookie quarterback to start all 17 games last season. While his performances were up and down, Ward gained a lot of valuable experience. The Titans brought in a brand new coaching staff during the offseason, including Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. Daboll has a rich history of developing rookie quarterbacks, from Josh Allen to Daniel Jones and, most recently, Jaxson Dart. Daboll should help Ward take his game to another level in his sophomore season. The tools are there, and they just need to be unlocked. Not to mention, the Titans delivered Ward a premium weapon in the draft with wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Kenyon Sadiq is the first rookie to crack this list. Sadiq is a freak athlete with great hands and should translate to the NFL right away. The Jets’ offense last season was abysmal, from the coaching to the quarterback play to the skill position players outside of Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. This season should look much better. Geno Smith provides more stability at quarterback, and Frank Reich is an experienced play-caller at OC. The Jets also added Omar Cooper Jr. at wide receiver in the first round of the draft to go alongside Garrett Wilson. Those are two serious threats out wide, which could open up the middle of the field for a tight end like Sadiq. Sadiq is a great pass-catching tight end who excels in the red zone. He caught eight touchdowns at Oregon last season and should be that guy for Geno Smith this season.
Speaking of the Titans’ offense, it should be a big season for Tony Pollard as well. Pollard has quietly been one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL over the past few seasons. Pollard has now rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons, including the last two in Tennessee. Last season, the Titans’ offense had real issues, and Pollard still rushed for over 1,000 yards. With the addition of Brian Daboll on the sidelines and Carnell Tate on the field, this offense should be much more successful. That should lead to more touches for Pollard, especially down in the red zone. If he stays healthy, Pollard should turn in another 1,000-yard season with even more touchdowns than in the past.
Isaiah Likely is finally getting a chance to be a true TE1. Likely spent the first four years in the NFL as a backup to Mark Andrews. Likely showed flashes of being a high-end NFL tight end, but never got the target share to prove his true value. This season, he should be the regular TE1 for the Giants. Beyond Malik Nabers, Likely could easily be the number-two target for Jaxson Dart next season. He has a huge frame and should be a great target for Dart in the end zone. This could be Likely’s breakout season, where he proves his potential as a top-tier tight end.
It’s hard to call Mike Evans, a future Hall of Famer, a sleeper. However, he seems to be flying under the radar too much for my liking. Evans is one of the most consistently great wide receivers this league has ever seen. Evans famously had 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons in Tampa Bay before last season, where he dealt with injuries most of the season. At his age, there is a chance Evans can’t stay healthy anymore. However, he is worth the risk in my book. In a Kyle Shanahan offense, Evans could put up huge numbers if he manages to stay healthy. Evans will likely be the WR1 for Brock Purdy, especially if Ricky Pearsall doesn’t take a jump. That makes Evans a top-20 fantasy football wide receiver if he can stay on the field.
Ja’Kobi Lane is the second rookie to make this list. Lane is a high-ceiling, low-floor player this season. That makes him the perfect late-round add for best ball. He won’t be rostered on many teams, making him incredibly valuable if he reaches his potential. Lane has a chance to be the WR2 to Zay Flowers in Baltimore this season. At 6’4, 200 pounds, Lane has elements to his game that Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman do not. With Isaiah Likely off to New York, Ja’Kobi Lane could be that big red zone target that Lamar Jackson needs. Lane could end up being relegated to a backup role, but if he reaches his potential, he could have a huge rookie season catching balls from the two-time MVP.
Quinshon Judkins showed incredible potential in his rookie season. Judkins did not get a full offseason, as he was dealing with off-the-field issues. Then, Judkins suffered a serious injury that took him out for the last few games of the season. Judkins is in uniform at voluntary minicamp for the Browns and should be good to go for training camp, however. That will give Judkins a full offseason and have him ready for a big sophomore season. Judkins ended up rushing for 827 yards in 14 games for the Browns last season. That is despite the offense being absolutely dreadful, with no downfield passing attack to speak of. If the Browns can add a bit of a threat in the passing game and Judkins can stay healthy, he could be in for a monster sophomore season.
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