FFT Express - UPDATED Sleeper Players for 2026 Fantasy Football! Wan’Dale, Willis, Aiyuk, & More! (05/22 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today Express: UPDATED Sleeper Players for 2026 Fantasy Football!

Original Air Date: May 22, 2026
Host: Adam Aizer
Analyst: Dave Richard
Main Theme:
A rapid-fire episode focused on updated deep sleeper picks for fantasy football drafts in 2026. Dave Richard reveals new names for managers eager to find value in middle-to-late rounds, providing rationale, stats, and specific player situations that make these players intriguing fantasy targets.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Wan’Dale Robinson – Prime PPR Opportunity (01:44–04:36)

• Dave’s Take:

  • Wan’Dale Robinson now with the Tennessee Titans, following coach Brian Daboll from New York.
  • Has averaged over 8 targets per game each of the last two seasons (140+ targets in both years).
  • "He is a Brian Dable guy who was drafted in the NFL by D and now he followed Dable from New York to Tennessee. Cam Ward needs a short area option. This is somebody who can do it." (02:24–02:41)
  • Best suited as a third wide receiver/flex in full PPR; not as appealing in non-PPR.
  • Despite Carnell Tate's presence, Dave expects Robinson to be the primary target earner.
  • High guaranteed contract underscores the Titans’ commitment.

• Adam’s Skepticism:

  • "I just don’t see it. He’s fine. He’s like a nice, fine, typical slot receiver. But if they didn’t bring in Tate..." (03:23–03:43)
  • However, acknowledges Robinson’s volume is hard to ignore.
  • "If Wondale Robinson's going to get eight targets per game, and I still think he will with Carnell Tate there, then he's absolutely somebody that I'm going to try and get in those middle to late rounds in my full PPR leagues." (Dave, 02:52–03:04)

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2. Malik Willis – The Overlooked Dual-Threat QB (04:38–06:37)

• Dave’s Analysis:

  • Impressed by tape from last year: high completion rate (86%), willingness to throw downfield, not just relying on short throws.
  • "He made some doggone good throws in Green Bay when he had the opportunity last year ... It was one of the best completion rates in the NFL and his adot was not crumbs. It was actually good." (04:41–05:06)
  • Miami’s offense under Bobby Slowik expected to be similar to Green Bay’s, offering upside via both passing and rushing.
  • Currently QB21 on Fantasy Pros, available in late rounds (12th or later in 1-QB leagues).
  • "I kind of feel like ... we’re underrating Willis by not having them even higher in our rankings. I’m excited for what happens this year." (06:14–06:37)

• Adam’s Endorsement:

  • "I don’t know how anyone could watch the tape of the Chicago and Baltimore games and not come away. Just almost blown away, honestly. Yeah, I completely agree with you. He was so good." (05:47–06:05)
  • Emphasizes late-round value as a dart throw with real upside.

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3. Brandon Aiyuk – Forgotten Star, Changing Situations (07:33–08:55)

• Dave’s Outlook:
  • "Figures to play somewhere after not playing anywhere last year and so any decent opportunity could yield some good fantasy numbers." (07:35–07:39)
  • If traded (possible landing spot: Commanders with Jayden Daniels), could quickly rise in value.
  • Currently WR68, late-round pick (round 15); even moderate contributions (~11 PPR points) would be excellent value.
  • Reflection on past performance: "Two years removed from him being a wide out that averaged 15.6 PPR points per game ... IUK still averaged 17.1 PPR points per game on 6.3 targets per game [in 2023 with Deebo and Kittle active]." (07:56–08:26)
  • Sees little risk in drafting him late with upside if he lands in a favorable spot.

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4. Deep Sleepers — Names to File Away (09:07–09:39)

Dave rapid-fires additional under-the-radar names, offering ultra-deep league and best-ball candidates:

• Jacoby Brissett (possible starting QB opportunity)
• Jordan James
• Catron Allen
• Jalen Noel (slot role for the Texans)
• Zachariah Branch
• Greg Dulcich / Jalen Tolbert / Caleb Douglas
• Jalen Royals

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5. Jalen Royals & Jalen Noel – Next Men Up? (09:31–10:58)

• Royals:

  • "Royals is only there in case Rice is suspended. Slow to come back from the knee cleanup ... I wonder if he earns an opportunity in a thinned out wide receiver room in Kansas City." (09:39–09:51)
  • Good college pedigree, fits Andy Reid’s slot receiver mold.

• Noel:

  • "Noel is a clear path to being a slot receiver and an easy target for CJ Stroud ... I wonder if Noel has an opportunity to be second on that team in Houston in targets and I think he's a pretty good player who can win both in the short area and downfield." (09:55–10:26)
  • "He’s wide receiver 97 wow. In fantasy pros ADP, he is free. You can literally take him with your last pick. No one's taking him right now." (10:34–10:41)
  • Dave praises his skill set and path to a bigger role, making him "a great deep fantasy sleeper."

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6. Brief Tank Dell Discussion (10:58–11:37)

• Uncertainty surrounding Tank Dell’s return and effectiveness after injury.
• Adam: "Yeah, you can't you can't imagine that [Dell would be the same guy]."
• Dave: "There was a time there where I did like Tank Dell the best. Obviously Nico is the best and still is."
• Both agree Dell moves from breakout to question mark, bolstering appeal of Jalen Noel and others.

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Notable Quotes

• Dave Richard on Wan'Dale Robinson:
  "Might be starting them. Remember, we were starting him as a number two wide receiver last year...but as a number three wide receiver, I think he can do that." (02:58–03:04)

• Dave Richard on Malik Willis:
  "He made some doggone good throws in Green Bay when he had the opportunity last year ... It was one of the best completion rates in the NFL and his adot was not crumbs. It was actually good." (04:41–05:06)

• Adam Aizer on Malik Willis:
  "I don’t know how anyone could watch the tape of the Chicago and Baltimore games and not come away. Just almost blown away, honestly." (05:47–06:05)

• Dave Richard on Jalen Noel:
  "He is free. You can literally take him with your last pick. No one's taking him right now. ... Maybe he could end up being a great deep fantasy sleeper." (10:36–10:57)

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Quick Reference — Timestamps

• Wan’Dale Robinson Discussion: 01:44–04:36
• Malik Willis Analysis: 04:38–06:37
• Brandon Aiyuk Update: 07:33–08:55
• Super Deep Sleepers List: 09:07–09:39
• Jalen Royals/Noel Details: 09:31–10:58
• Tank Dell/WR2 in Houston: 10:58–11:37

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Takeaways

• Target Robinson late for safe PPR volume, especially as a WR3/flex.
• Willis offers dual-threat, late-round QB upside in Miami’s new offense.
• Aiyuk is a high-ceiling lottery ticket for late rounds; monitor his landing spot.
• For deep leagues or last bench spots, consider names like Royals and Noel who are essentially free and could see starting opportunities due to roster moves or injuries.

Final thought from Dave:
"That’s my list. We’re going deep for sleepers now!" (09:28–09:31)

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If you’re prepping for your 2026 fantasy football drafts, these sleeper insights offer actionable, differentiated picks that could make all the difference.

Transcript

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[Adam]

Wake up everyone. It's time to talk about sleepers on Fantasy Football Today Express. Okay, Dave has his updated list of sleepers. Apparently we just spoke about a number of them on the the main show Thursday show. Good morning Dave. Give me some sleepers.

[Dave]

So the names that we talked about on the show highly encourage everybody going back to watch or listen to Thursday's show. Isaiah Likely, Travis Kelsey, Mark Andrews, Jonah Coleman, Jalen Naylor, Antonio Williams. We spoke their names, they're on the sleeper list. But here are some that weren't spoken about on Thursday's show. Let's start with the one that was spoken about earlier this week when we talked about players that we would draft in the middle rounds. And for me, it's Wandale Robinson just Love the opportunity for him to potentially lead the Titans. And targets. We've seen him average eight plus targets per game in each of the past two seasons. He is a Brian Dable guy who was drafted in the NFL by D and now he followed Dable from New York to Tennessee. Cam Ward needs a short area option. This is somebody who can do it. I don't love him in non ppr. I only sort of like him in half ppr. But if we're getting a point per catch and Wanda Robinson's going to get eight targets per game, and I still think he will with Carnell Tate there, then he's absolutely somebody that I'm going to try and get in those middle to late rounds in my full PPR leagues. Might be starting them. Remember, we were starting him as a number two wide receiver last year. I don't know if we're going to start him as a number two wide receiver this year, but as a number three wide receiver, I think he can do that. So that's my first sleeper.

[Adam]

Okay. Wando Robinson, I would say that's a lot of targets.

[Jack Archer Advertiser]

Eight targets per game.

[Adam]

He's done it two years in a row. Yep, exactly 140 targets, which is a little bit more than eight per game, I think. I don't know, I just don't see it. I, I just. My issue with him is I just don't think he's that good. He's fine. He's like a nice, fine, typical slot receiver. But if they didn't bring in Tate.

[Jack Archer Advertiser]

Yeah, but I don't know, for whatever

[Adam]

reason, I just don't see it. Now, last year you could say, look, Malik Neighbors got hurt. But the year before that, Malik Neighbors was mostly healthy and Wondale still got 140 targets. So I, I could see that, you know, that's encouraging, but agreed.

[Dave]

That's why he's on my list.

[Adam]

108 targets a game is a lot.

[Jack Archer Advertiser]

How many, how many you think Tate will get?

[Dave]

I don't. I'm worried that he won't get to six.

[Adam]

Oh, okay. All right. Yeah.

[Dave]

I think that Wondale's role there and the commitment that seems to be made between him and Dable will continue on. And it's not like there's a ton of other competition for targets there.

[Adam]

Yeah, it's a big contract too. 38 million guaranteed. Four years. $78 million.

[Dave]

Yeah. I mean, this, this is fantasy football. It's not the most talented guy in the wide receiver room. It's just the guy that's going to get the most targets and is going to get the most stats.

[Adam]

Who's next?

[Dave]

Malik Willis is next. Adam.

[Adam]

Huh?

[Dave]

I went back and I watched a lot of his throws from last year and I came away impressed with what I saw from Malik Willis. We all know him as a rushing threat. There's no question about that. He will do that in Miami. But he made some doggone good throws in Green Bay when he had the opportunity last year. A nice high completion rate. It's not just nice and high. It was one of the best completion rates in the NFL and his adot was not crumbs. It was actually good. And Bobby Slowik let it out that this offense that Miami will run and is going to be a lot like what Green Bay ran last year. And I know the wide receivers and tight ends in Miami aren't anything to write home about, but I think Malik Willis is going to end up being a good enough thrower and a good enough runner to potentially be a starting fantasy quarterback. Maybe finish as a top 12 guy and you don't have to draft him as one of the first 12 quarterbacks off the board on fantasy pros. He's QB21 as a round 12 pick. That sounds kind of weird. Like Are there really 20 other quarterbacks going in the first 12 rounds? That would surprise me in a 1 QB draft, but I think Malik Willis will be worth that.

[Adam]

Late round dart throw 86 completion rate last year for Malik Willis. I don't know how anyone could watch the tape of the Chicago and Baltimore games and not come away. Just almost blown away, honestly. Yeah, I completely agree with you. He was so good.

[Dave]

Good accuracy, good anticipatory throws. Was willing to throw downfield. That's also going to be something that I would expect Miami to do is to challenge downfield and run a bunch of screen passes too. With a lot of slippery wide receivers on that team. A guy that can make one defender miss and suddenly a 2 yard catch becomes a 10 yard catch becomes a 20 yard catch. I, I, I kind of feel like we're, we're, we. I don't want to say that we're underrating Willis, but we're kind of underrating them by not having them even higher in our rankings. I'm excited for what happens this year.

[Adam]

Let's take a break and get another sleeper or 10 after this on Fantasy Football Today Express.

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[Adam]

Dave, who's our third sleeper here?

[Dave]

Brandon Ayuk figures to play somewhere after not playing anywhere last year and so any decent opportunity could yield some good fantasy numbers on fantasy pros. He's currently wide receiver 68 being taken as a round 15 pick. Obviously if he signs, let's say, well, not science. He gets traded from the 49ers to the commanders, which I think has been a a team that's been linked to him because Jane Daniels loves them, they're friends. Obviously that'll change and he'll still be a value if he's around 10 pick. We're two years removed from him being a wide out that averaged 15.6 ppr points per game. There were 12 games. This is in 2023. Sorry for being an old ad about this. 12 games where Debo was playing and Kittle was playing and IUK still averaged 17.1 PPR points per game on 6.3 targets per game. He's obviously had some injuries since then. He had a falling out in San Francisco. The Niners are probably going to be a little petty and hold on to his rights unless the team steps up and gives up a decent day three pick to get him. But I don't mind it if we're drafting right now. He's somebody that I'm taking late because I figure at some point he will be on an active NFL roster and he will contribute maybe not 15.6 ppr points per game, but maybe 11 ppr points per game in round 15. Sign me up.

[Adam]

It is a little weird that there's not more buzz about this guy who was awesome, just awesome just a few years ago. All right, Brandon Ryuk and then you can fire away with more sleepers here

[Dave]

I'm just going to give you names. If you want me to stop at any point, say so or I can run through the names and then you can tell me who you want to talk about. Jacoby Brissette, Jordan James, Catron Allen, Jalen Noel, Zachariah Branch, Greg Dulcich slash Jalen Tolbert slash Caleb Douglas and Jalen Royals. I. I went deep for this Adam. We are going deep for sleepers now

[Adam]

you had Jalen Roy. Who was the other Jalen you had there?

[Dave]

Jalen Noel.

[Adam]

Yeah, Noel and Royals. Why are they on your list?

[Dave]

Royals is only there in case Rice is suspended. Slow to come back from the knee cleanup. Anything else that happens. He didn't get to play a lot last year, second year in Andy Reid's offense and I thought he'd be a decent slot receiver to begin with. Just coming out of Utah State, I wonder if he earns an opportunity in a thinned out wide receiver room in Kansas City. As for Jalen Noel, we knew last year he wasn't going to have a big role but he was made to play the slot. Christian Kirk was the slot for Houston last year. Kirk is now in San Francisco. Noel is a clear path to being a slot receiver and an easy target for CJ Stroud. We talked for a second about Jaden Higgins on the Thursday show, the main show, the big show, the show where Dan and Heath went head to head. I wonder if Noel has an opportunity to be second on that team in Houston in targets and I think he's a pretty good player who can win both in the short area and downfield. We saw very few glimpses of it last year, but he's wide receiver 97 wow. In fantasy pros ADP, he is free. You can literally take him with your last pick. No one's taking him right now. You'll just wait for him to do something off waivers. But if there's a little bit of buzz about him and we get to week one and I've just, I've got a player on my bench I look at and I go why is this guy here? I might cut that guy and pick up Jalen Noel and see what he does in week one and maybe he could end up being a great deep fantasy sleeper.

[Adam]

See if Tank Dell is back. Maybe Tank Dell ends up being the second highest drafted Texans wide receiver.

[Jack Archer Advertiser]

He'll be back.

[Adam]

I just don't know if it'll be weak.

[Dave]

I just don't. And I don't know if he'll be the same guy.

[Adam]

Yeah, you can't you can't imagine that

[Dave]

he would be right if he's not as fast and he was very small to begin with. We're talking about a mild contributor, not somebody who fantasy managers will even be interested in. I hate to say it, I loved him. Everyone remember when he and Nico and Steph Diggs were all on the same team and we had legit debates about who we like the most most from that group? There was a time there where I did like Tankdale the best. Obviously Nico is the best and still is.

[Adam]

Okay, thank you, Dave. Those are some updated sleepers. We'll have more content throughout the coming months with more updated sleepers and breakouts and busts. And have a great weekend everybody. Talk to you next time on Fantasy Football Today.

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